Cruise Danube

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One of the highlights of our trip was to be a river cruise from Budapest to Bucharest – and it did not disappoint.  We sailed with Avalon Cruises aboard the ‘Luminary’.

Mainly great weather, fantastic food and terrific new friends made this a trip to remember.  This page shows just a few of the many highlights during the cruise.

Our ship (or is it a boat?) – Avalon Luminary

Our room.  We hardly saw it as we were always out and about either on the ship or off.

Part of the dining room.

Just a small part of breakfast.

More breakfast

One of the noisest tables in the dining room with our new friends Barb (floral) Wayne (blue) from near Toronto Canada and Betty (pink) and Neil (brown/white) from Florida USA. 

Found this woman holding up the wall in our port town near Pecs, Hungary.

Locks representing love between couples – just a few locks ….. and this was only one section. Pecs, Hungary

Approaching the narrowest section of The Iron Gate George – 60 mile long on the Danube forming the boarder between Romania to the north (left) and Serbia to the south (right)

Mraconia Monastery.

The image of Decebalus, a famous tribal Dacian king has been hewn out of the rock face. Decebalus, was a brave opponent of Roman expansion, who preferred death to submission.

Arriving at the Iron Gate Dam 1st lock.

The Church of Saint Sava is a Serbian Orthodox church located on the Vračar plateau in Belgrade. It is one of the largest Orthodox churches in the world and ranks among the largest church buildings in the world.

The interior is largely unfinished.

The central dome is 4,000 ton heavy and its lifting was the greatest achievement of the construction process. The lifting itself took 40 days.

Under the main unfinished cathedral

Belogradchic Rocks – formed by erosion about 230million years ago in the Balkan Mountains. Taking advantage of the natural rock outcrops near Belogradchic, the Romans built a fortified stronghold in use until the 19th century.  Oh and we look a bit old and eroded too.

 

In the centre of this photo is a chap on the rocky outcrop.  Certainly not me!!

 

 

It is spring here, and I guess this stork is awaiting the hatching of an egg.

 

 

Arc de Triumph- Bucharest.

Bucharest tram

Tread carefully here.   Broken pavement, holes, uneven ground everywhere.

Romanian Palace of the Parliament – Bucharest.  The 2nd largest administrative building in the world – second to Washington DC America.  An absolutely amazing building in its size and amount of marble used.  

Between 20,000 and 100,000 people worked on the site, sometimes operating in three shifts. Thousands of people died at the People’s House, some mention a figure of 3,000 people.

In 1989 building costs were estimated at $1.75 billion, and in 2006 at €3 billion

 

Apartment buildings everywhere. Many distinctly from the communist era. 

Now we move on to Zurich for 4 days then to Paris.