3/27 Bucharest Airport 11 am. One hour to departure. Romanian customs just confiscated a beautiful bottle of slivovitz (plum brandy) I’d picked up for a friend back home. Insisted it exceeded allowable limit by a few ml. They threw it in the trash! I suspect somebody(s) in Bucharest got a treat that evening. Grey skies.ContinueContinue reading “Lyndie’s Journal, Part 13: Homecoming”
Tag Archives: Danube
Lyndie’s Journal, Part 11: Bulgaria
After the Luncheon, by Renoir. Source: Wikimedia Commons Arriving in Ruse, Bulgaria: I’ve forgotten what makes Ruse especially famous, but I won’t soon forget being welcomed to Bulgaria by a smiling woman offering each of us a shot of local brandy! Tossed it back like a character in an old-time Hollywood Western, grateful for theContinueContinue reading “Lyndie’s Journal, Part 11: Bulgaria”
Lyndie’s Journal, Part 10: From Serbia to Bulgaria
Source: L. Wingerson After breakfast with my Montana friends we were joined by a middle-aged couple from Wisconsin, not far from Green Bay, where my Sauber forebears on my mother’s side settled after they emigrated from Germany. I boasted a bit about distant kinsman Charlie Sauber, (in 1920) Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame. TheContinueContinue reading “Lyndie’s Journal, Part 10: From Serbia to Bulgaria”
Lyndie’s Journal, Part 9: On Down-River
Later, Remembering … The people I’ve met so far in Hungary, Croatia and Serbia seem doggedly cheerful and resilient. They make no secret of their pressing concerns about what is going on in their respective countries. Upheavals, protests, cataclysmic political change. Hungarians in Buda, the oldest part of town, show anguished faces when speaking ofContinueContinue reading “Lyndie’s Journal, Part 9: On Down-River”
Lyndie’s Journal, Part 8: Serbia
March 23rd Onward to Serbia! We tied up on the Sava River (named for Serbia’s patron saint – one of their kindlier ancient kings) flowing into the Danube where it reaches Beograd (as Serbians call it), the capital of what was once a much larger kingdom. Others call it ‘Belgrade’. Last year, my blind companionContinueContinue reading “Lyndie’s Journal, Part 8: Serbia”
Lyndie’s Journal, Part 7: Vukovar
Today: Adventures in Croatia Another Catholic Church – slightly less ornate – Magnificent, almost unearthly vocal performance, female soloist with ambitious plans for a professional career, older hymns, some contemporary sacred music, very unusual organ (music accompanying several hymns). Again, surprising numbers of fellow cruise members resorted to distractions of their “devices” during this secondContinueContinue reading “Lyndie’s Journal, Part 7: Vukovar”
Lyndie’s Journal, Part 6: Sleeping On Board (or Not)
Excursion to Vukovar, meeting a local family, begins at 8:30 am. Predrag, kindly Serbian Front Desk man, arranged for me to call Lois via ship’s phone! Wonderfully good to hear her voice! Told her what a glorious adventure this has been. Have misplaced my walking stick twice. Each time, some thoughtful passenger found it andContinueContinue reading “Lyndie’s Journal, Part 6: Sleeping On Board (or Not)”
Lyndie’s Journal, Part 3: In Budapest
Our hotel room is modern and very comfortable, adapters for devices, lots of towels! As with so many large chain hotels, it features lots of wasted space and not much personality. And it most surely beats sleeping on a bench in the park. (Spoken as one grateful for plain creature comforts!) On a bus, IContinueContinue reading “Lyndie’s Journal, Part 3: In Budapest”
Lyndie’s Journal, Part 2: Pushers and Helpers
Before I forget, a couple of memorable airport wheelchair “pushers”: One a 30-ish very chatty, very friendly man from Thailand, who cheerfully proclaimed all the possibilities of fraternal love between strangers in airports and in the street and between nations. No more wars! He kept it up quite tirelessly, clear to the other side (itContinueContinue reading “Lyndie’s Journal, Part 2: Pushers and Helpers”
Lyndie’s Journal, Part 1: Departure and Arrival
March 17, 2025 Budapest HungaryA day of wonders, preceded by the usual long night of flight, cramped like pretzels, (with pleasant seatmates) across half a planet in basic economy class, and a tiny, magical airplane inching across the screen in front of me, to encourage and tantalize … Ah , we’ve floated past Iceland! TheContinueContinue reading “Lyndie’s Journal, Part 1: Departure and Arrival”
Lyndie's Journey 