Another Trip

My friend and I spent two weeks in Eastern Europe on a riverboat going into Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, and Hungary. The trip was very interesting because such an important part of their history took place in my lifetime. It was interesting to hear about life under communism and how each country and the people adapted when the Iron Curtain came down. Much of the farm work is done by hand especially in Romania and donkey or horse carts were very common.

We saw river flooding from Bucharest to Budapest. In fact, the river was so high boats were not allowed to go into Budapest, so we were bused from the Hungarian border to Budapest and spent three night in a hotel instead of the boat. The transition went smoothly for us, but people at Grand Circle Travel must have really scurried to find hotel and meals for 160 people. This is part of the pedestrian walk in Budapest.

As on all cruised, food was elegant! Here is a sampling of an afternoon tea. There were two tables full of trays decorated with food sculpture and awfully good treats. It was a good thing we got off the boat nearly every day and walked enough to prevent a big weight gain.This is us in Transylvania. Beautiful countryside.

This woman was part of a folk art demonstration. I tried to figure out how she was carrying her yarn around her neck. She knit so fast it was hard to figure it out.

She was knitting in a market. Surprisingly she is knitting as in her booth she was selling girls' crocheted dresses. I did get into one yarn shop in Budapest, but there was not a lot there and nothing I couldn't get at home. Prices were not noted on the yarn and the workers didn't (or pretended not to) speak English. I did buy my husband a needlepoint canvas and there was also quilting fabric in this shop.

Here we are in the Black Sea.

Poppies and wild flowers were in bloom all through the countryside.

Bran Castle, home of Vlad the Impaler , the Romanian king who inspired the Dracula legend.