I stumbled a lot, climbing, descending stone stairs, with others patiently behind me, often taking my arm. Grateful I was – and will remain!
Remembering a kind young Romanian lad who guided me carefully up the gangway (steep!) to catch the bus to the horse farm … He smiled when I recalled, from last year’s cruise, the humungous Parliament building in Bucharest (which every tourist MUST see – point of Romanian pride!) Realizing he must be fortunate to have a job with Viking, with sagging economies and unemployment: How many of us realize there’s a tidal wave, still growing, of Balkan nationals’ desperate emigration to the West? Some towns, as in Bulgaria, are dying or left to the very old.
On our boat, Daniel, a fine-looking young Turkish-Bulgarian (offspring of Ottoman invaders from the past), early 20s, a faithful, patriotic Orthodox Bulgarian who got bullied as a child for his Turkish blood – just as last year’s head chef Ali was.
Daniel is my cabin steward, and does a marvelous job of keeping my stateroom even neater than it already is.
(I’m an obsessively tidy traveler.)
I already wish I could adopt Daniel. He treats me like an honorable elderly matriarch.
This year’s head chef is a compact little man with a huge smile from Indonesia, I think. Very long melodious name which I can’t spell.
Silviu is maitre-d’ (Romanian)
Predrag – Desk Boss (day shift) (Serbian)
Ivan is Program Director (Serbian)
Alexandra – Desk Boss (Bosnian Serb)
Captain of Ullur: Vlodimyr (Russian)
Met Captain Vlodimyr on my walk today, asked him how close we are to Croatia. He said, “Not yet,” explaining where we actually are. Showing off my awesome grasp of conversational Russian (3 words), I smiled, “Spasiba” and shook his hand. He was gentle, soft-spoken, and respectful. A very pleasant Russian man.
Feeling a deepening need to seek solitude and silence. Sensory overload, as one hundred-ninety fellow passengers all chat and clink during dinner! But such excellent company!
Respite easily found Top Deck, at most any time of day or night. Ducks and swans on the Danube, a silent fellow, manfully walking his healthy laps, the fragrant lovely green herb garden nearby.
Standing at the very front of the boat, where a “prow” would be, moving almost soundlessly toward Croatia, birds on the river, birds overhead. Recalling how my father and I used to stand side by side on Canadian ferries, up at the very front, wind in our hair, gliding through the Georgia Strait to a peaceful haunt on the Sunshine Coast: Get away from Vancouver for a while, clear our heads, grow new thoughts.
Growing new thoughts on the Viking Journey! New glimpses of the world, new sense of what may be possible for such a world: hope? Empathy between nations? Empathy between our neighbors? Our mates? Each creature, person, dog or hard-working earthworm has something to teach us! Wishing to be a better student, I greet the next traveler I meet as though this soul were a messenger from God. Or the wisdom of Buddha in the heart of a dog. Or someone else simply looking for air!
The air is mighty fresh and sweet up here! And down in the kitchen the chef with a name like music is cooking us a feast!
Later: Music tonight! Balkan history talk! Time with new friends! Wine. Sleep.
Tomorrow: Croatia!
Met an interesting woman Top Deck in spitting rain, solitary until we encountered one another. Served with her husband as a nurse on a mission in Ghana for 2 years. When the children arrived, she became the nurse at the local school and loved it. Reaching adulthood the children served missions in Malaysia. She and her husband are housed in “steerage” like me. Humble means can somehow mean a less complicated lifestyle (and life)! But I do long for the luxury of a window, open to air, to the river and the sound of birds!