The Iron Gates

We spent a river day going up the Danube, Bulgaria and Romania on one side and Serbia on the other.  What a lovely ride through “The Kettle” or “the Boil” as it is called locally.  The tree-covered hills climbed alongside as we wended our way up the smooth water.  Highways on each side followed the flow of the river.  Seeing RVs along the shore, Jerry and Anna Lee are thinking of bringing the motorhome over here.

We passed through two locks.  The highlights of this lovely journey were a monastery hugging the edge of the water





,


 Trajan’s Tablet

 

and the forty-meter tall carved face of King Decebalas.

Our day’s journey ended in Belgrade, Serbia.

We have not described the river boat. 

There are 165 passengers.  Only thirty of us will continue all the way to Nuernberg and on to Prague.  Our cabins just fit and have French Balconies, a sliding glass door with a grill halfway up to prevent our stepping out into the river.  There are both a lounge and diningroom with just enough seating for all.

 
The top deck is a sun deck, nice on warm days when the boat moves slowly.

The passengers are from Canada, Australia, Britain and the US.  There is a sizable group originally from Taiwan, now living in LA, as well a quite a few European nationals.  The crew is Eastern European and very nice.  Table seating is open, so we have enjoyed some wonderful conversations.  The food is fairly good and plentiful.  Wine is included at lunch and dinner.

Each day we board a bus for a day or half day tour of the city.  Each person has a personal earpiece to hear the commentary, a great idea in crowded areas.  After a brief port talk in the early  evening, we dine at seven, then off to our rooms.