We are home but there were just a couple of items I had not included in previous posts that I’d like to mention.
As we were sailing out of Budapest we passed the “Shoes Memorial”. There are 70 pairs of steel shoes permanently affixed to the riverbank representing the 70 Jews who were shot and whose bodies fell into the river. While we only saw it as we sailed by, it was a moving memorial.
As yet another expression of my ignorance, I never gave much thought just how recently the communists pulled out of this region and really how bad things were for the people who lived here.
This summer/fall has set records for warm temperatures in this area. Most days were in the 80 and 90s and it’s been very dry.
The cruise line we took was Avalon. There were only 166 guests on our ship. The boat was tremendously clean. The excursions were wonderful. I never thought the meals would be the events that they were. When we would re-board the ship from a shore excursion, members of the crew would welcome us back with a small glass of something refreshing to drink and a cool towel. Everything was precisely on time. As we would get off the bus at a tour site the local tour guide would remind us that we did not have to return to the ship with the group. If we wanted to stay in the area and get back to the ship on our own that was ok. We did not have to notify him/her of our intention to stay but the bus would be leaving at 4:35. That was the guides way of saying if you’re not here by 4:35, too bad for you. We always left exactly on time and to my knowledge we never lost a passenger.
In Austria, after proper preparation, all the 14 year olds visit a Nazi camp. Most of the guides had a version of “It’s a very dark part of our history, but it’s our history”. We would also sometimes hear a version of, “here you can see a newer building surrounded by very old buildings. A bomb destroyed the area where the newer building is”.
We went through a series of locks (7-12?) on our trip which were interesting. As we sailed past small communities we would sometimes pass smaller ferry boats that would shuttle people across the river. Who knew ferries still existed for river crossings?
This was our first time taking an organized tour in a foreign country. Everything was arranged for us, walking tours, meals, transfer to/from the airport, guides and hotels. It was really very simple for us. However, even though there is a little free time built into the day, there is not much interaction with locals. As for a language barrier, while guides may have appreciated the occasional “thank you” in their native language (or perhaps were just amused by the attempt), speaking only English was never a problem.
Cathy and I have not travelled much with friends but we could not have found better people with whom to travel than Curt and Mary.
Enjoyed your posts and pictures. Very well written and educating. What an interesting adventure you went on. Glad you are home safely.
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