Sleep7

Next up was a "home visit" with a lovely hostess named Manda. We divided up into four groups and each group went to a different house in the same neighborhood. On the way we learned some Croatian phrases.. Bok Bok - Hello and Goodbye. Hwala - Thank you. A translator came along as Manda wasn't fluent in English. We sat at her comfortable kitchen table eating homemade cake and sipping warm sweet wine all while sharing a little bit about ourselves. She told us how she was displaced during the war and showed us family pictures. It was a very sweet and personal interaction that was heartwarming.❤️ Manda shared her recipe for mulled wine. 🍷

Not all doom and gloom there.. it was a very pretty town.😊

Oh my goodness.. you are a patient saint. I would have been badgering them daily for a hairdryer.😁 Odd that a curling iron is OK.. that seems more of a fire hazard than a hairdryer.

And then onto the town of Osijek where the tragedy and destruction of war was very apparent.😔

Some honeysuckle along the way. First a concert in a church.

We took the included tour to Osijek and Vukovar. Each day of the cruise it was getting warmer and sunnier. We were truly blessed by the weather fairies this trip. On previous European river cruises at the end of October - beginning of November it was freezing cold and pouring rain almost every day. The warm sunshine was a real treat! Dry weather meant a low river which was very evident when you looked along the shoreline.

FRIDAY - OCTOBER 27. Good morning Osijek and Vukovar! The daily breakfast buffet was stellar but you could order these dishes as well.

Tomorrow's Viking Daily was waiting for us back in the cabin.😴

And then off to a delicious dinner.🍽️

Before dinner there was a cocktail party hosted by Cruise Director Gabriel to introduce all of the department heads. And the Captain of course.🛳️

I think I might this at home!😋

Later that afternoon there was a fun cooking demonstration in the lounge. We learned how to make Poppy Seed Strudel. No lard involved.. 😌 VOILA!🧑‍🍳

Recovered from the "lard incident" we arrived back at the ship for a tasty lunch.

😃Sounds like a plan!✔️

I recovered and we ended the excursion with a fun carriage ride. All is forgiven!😊

Snacks were served with wine which was a lovely touch but it was only after that somebody told me the open faced sandwiches were spread with lard and not butter.🤢 The guide had mentioned it on the bus but I wasn't paying attention. I can't smell so I thought it was margarine or butter.

The horses were put in the oddest positions.. almost like dogs. Glad to see it didn't seem to bother them.

And then onto Puszta for one of the most interesting included excursions I have ever experienced. We visited a ranch where Hungarian cowboys called Csikós put on a fantastic show.

I looked at the list but didn't see hair dryer as a no no. Thank goodness I don't style my hair with a stun gun or handcuffs because I would really be out of luck.🤣

👏Wow. That is a whole month of sailing fun! Here.. there and everywhere.. AWESOME!! We didn't do an extension as it was pulling teeth to get DH to take 2 weeks off as it was. I would have loved to have done that though.. it made me want to visit Romania on a land trip.. spend a few days in Bucharest and then to Transylvania for a few. It's on my list now.✔️

👋Hello old friend notamermaid from the river cruise boards! You do know my reviewing style.. nothing is too small or too boring to leave out.🤣 Thank you so much for your sweet words about my posts.. so glad you are enjoying them. And yes.. the cabin was teeny but in the end it was fine. I appreciate you following along.. thanks again.🥰

👋Hellooo deec! You are really just back from you cruise. Such a funny coincidence that you were in the same cabin as we were.. really a great location. Less people to see when I went out in my jammies to get coffee upstairs at 6am.🤣 Also funny that you thought the same thing about the cabin.. literally a shoebox but somehow it all worked. I totally agree about the Budapest to Bucharest ports being the highlight. They were so different.. I loved Belgrade and Bucharest. Wished we had an extra day or two at the end to explore Bucharest more. We took the tour of the Parliament buildings.. what a palace!🥲 So sad that so many resources of the country were wasted on it. Loved the Marriott as well.. that was a palace too! I will start posting again soon.. my brain is still a bowl of mush from the jet lag. Thanks for your sweet words about my review. 😊

👋Oh yay deec!! So glad it's bringing back such nice memories. You just sailed on this same cruise.. right? Last week or so?😊

First was a concert in a beautiful church in charming town of Kalocsa.

Oops! Meant THURSDAY - October 26th! We chose the included Kalocsa and Puszta tour and it was a winner!