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H I S TO R Y & A R C H I T E C T U R E I S S U E 2 2
my attention. Initially a Roman stronghold, it
has been repurposed many times by invaders
such as the Byzantines and Ottoman Turks.
Our local guide Albena brings it to life with
her storytelling.
By evening, I'm in The Restaurant of our ship,
dining on sirloin beef accompanied by a fine
glass of Bulgarian merlot. Dessert is the
regionally-inspired Tikvenik, a type of
pumpkin pie made with filo pastry.
It's a bright and sunny morning as we cruise
through a narrow section of the Danube
Gorge known as the Iron Gate. With Serbia
to our left and Romania on our right we drift
alongside the enormous rock sculpture of
Dacian King Decebalus. A cup of tea and a
Serbian sweet is the perfect accompaniment.
The next day we glide into Belgrade, the
former capital of the state of Yugoslavia and
today's Serbian capital. While a walking tour
pulls together the historical threads of this
city, which has been fought over, conquered
and rebuilt countless times, it is an
impromptu dinner in Belgrade's Bohemian
quarter that reveals a glimpse of the city's
vibrant underbelly.
But it's the town of Vukovar, known as
"Croatia's Hiroshima", which stays with me.
Under siege by the Yugoslav People's Army
and Serbian forces for 87 days from August
25, 1991, the city finally fell on November 16,
1991. Today, the bombed skeleton of the
town's water tower is a poignant reminder of
the 3000 lives lost. Never have the details of
Croatia's battle for independence
seemed so real.
In the days ahead we'll watch the famed
Hungarian Puszta horses and tour the
Parliament of Budapest, but here in flower-
filled Vukovar we are already full of
gratitude. For the luxury of spending time
together, for travelling slowly with shared
purpose, and for seeing things we have only
ever read about. Doing so with a side of
Balkan baked goods is a bonus.
B la c k
S ea
I ro n G a te
Tr ans y l v ania
CZECH REPUBLIC
HUNGARY
ROMANIA
SERBIA
BULGARIA
CROATIA
DANUBE
DANUBE
Prague
AUSTRIA
Vienna
Budapest
Belgrade
Veliko Tarnovo
Vidin
Kalocsa
Giurgiu
Ruse
Osijek
Bucharest
Golubac
–
C r ui s e
••
O ve r night in Po r t
VIEW
VOYAGE
GETTING THERE: An 11-day Passage
to Eastern Europe voyage from
Bucharest to Budapest, or the reverse.
This Page Clockwise from above:
Old Town, Pedestrian Street, Bucharest;
Parliament, Budapest; Belogradchik.
