The pressure of time and the irregularity of an internet service (wireless) in now playing havoc with us (or me). It could also have something to do with the fact that once on the cruise, we find little spare time to write our journals. Ches is on to her second book however it is easier for her to find the odd minute to jot notes while I cant open up this blog and uploading the photographs takes time. Hence I had fallen three days behind and as we have arrived in Belgrade at 6.00 am, I'm grabbing an hour. After a quickish workout in
the hotel Gym, my second, we had our bags packed and outside our door ready to
be collected by the Uniworld staff and transported to our ship. They really are brilliant. When we arrive at the ship, all our bags swill be in our cabin.




After breakfast we boarded
our bus and set off on a tour of the city.
This is something that they could improve upon. If they had taken everyone on a tour on the
Monday night, we would have a better perspective on the city and maybe some
different areas to explore on foot.

While the old town and core
of the city around where we were staying was decaying, the northern part of the
town was in a reasonable state. Mush of
our part of town contains the large townhouses that were converted into accommodation
for the peasants that Coucescou relocated to the city. He wanted to change Romania from an agrarian
economy to an industrial one, so he moved the peasants into the city, confiscated
the townhouses from their owners and installed a family in each room with a
shared kitchen and bathroom. He did the
same with the apartments. Consequently,
in the post communist period of the last 25 years, many are still in dispute
over ownership. The occupants won’t look
after the exterior of the apartments because they could be evicted if the
former owners descendants make a claim.
They keep the interiors comfortable however the outward appearance is of
a city in decay.

This other part of town
would probably have been occupied by the communist party members and today the
most ostentatious has a massive statue of Jesus on the cross all in gold gilt
and gold gilt all over the house. The
guide wasn’t backward in expressing her opinion “nouveau riche, a very wealthy
businessman, ex- secret police, criminal”

We finally got to see the “Peoples
Parliament” . 11 stories high above
ground and 6 below, most rooms with vaulted ceilings and 1,000 sq. metres in
size. Built in around four years by army
engineers and soldiers, drafted tradesmen (volunteers), materials donated by
the people. All at a time when he
decided to pay off the countries debt so as to be totally independent. It left the people completely broke and with electricity
only available for two hours morning and
evening. No wonder they rose up against
him.

What isn’t advertised is
that the surrounding streets are avenues and one in particular is wider and
longer than the Champs Elysees and lined by gleaming apartments all topped by
covered ramparts. Strange things like
the river that runs through town has bridges so low that you could barely swim
under them let alone have boats cruising.
Why? Because Coucescou never
wanted to see a boat on it. Why? Who knows the working of an uneducated megalomaniacs
brain.

We finished with a stop at
the peasants museum which is a large park beside the main city park on the
scale of Centennial Park. Vast lakes and
parkland and the museum which has around 100 houses and structures from all
over the country that have been relocated and furnished in the style of their
period. An hour wasn’t long enough to
explore.

Lunch at a restaurant owned
by a woman who collects and deals in antiques.
The food again nothing to remember however the décor of the restaurant over
the top antiques everywhere. I suspect
she has a private security firm (and there seem to be dozens in this city) to
patrol 24 hours a day.

Finally a drive across
country to the Danube and our ship.
Again agrarian pollution and depressing.
The last significant buildings as we left own (on the outskirts), two
gypsy baron houses. Very large and with
turrets all over the roof. Apparently
the more turrets, the more wealthy and powerful.

On board we very quickly
unpacked our cases and settled in. Down
to the lounge for the captains welcome, meet the staff and etc. etc. The ratio on board is one staff for two
passengers. Service is never an
issue. In fact, nothing is. They are the perfect cruise company and
therefore it didn’t come as a surprise to hear that of the 118 passengers, 116
were repeat cruisers, many having cruised 3 times or more. The majority American, a solid number of
Australians and a few Canadians, HKers and Brits.

As we ate dinner, the ship
pulled away from the dock and moved up river three hundred metres or so,
crossed the river and docked in Bulgaria where we stayed for the night.