No wonder it's taken me so long to get this blog written. When I look at the schedule we had and the things we saw in such a short time it's not surprising that we just fell asleep at the end of the day.   
True, the cruise along the river was relaxing but often the ship journeyed at night and we 'toured' during the day. Such was the case for the two days I am about to share with you.
The AmaPrima arrived in Novi Sad, Serbia at 7:30 in the morning. The first tours departed at 8am. The one we chose gave us an extra fifteen minutes to get our teeth brushed before heading out.
Novi Sad, though a very pretty city in a stunning location, really has a very sad history. As with many cities in strategic locations, Novi Sad has had it's share of destruction. Serb merchants founded the city in 1694 setting it up as an important trading and manufacturing centre as well as a centre of Serbian culture. Novi Sad recovered from the revolution of 1848 with a few of it's fine buildings surviving most notably some Boroque churches and an Orthodox cathedral. Then the nasty business with Kosovo brought on the NATO bombardment which left Novi Sad without it's three bridges, communications, water and electricity. Cluster bombs wrecked havoc on residential areas and the bombing of an oil refinery caused untold ecological damage.  
Now that paints a nasty picture of what I previously described as a pretty city. Views from the Fortress give you a very different perspective. There are still parts of the old city intact with it's narrow cobbled streets and aging churches amid, what we call today, cluster housing. Across the river you can see the more modern parts of the city. The best place to get these great views happens to be next to a drunken clock. Seems this very important tourist attraction was restored in the late 18th so that mariners could tell the time from the river far below. Because the hour hand in a normal clock is small it was someone's bright idea to switch the hands of the clock thus making it more visible. It would be easier to just get your own time piece because the clock doesn't keep the right time anyway. Apparently it speeds up in the hot weather and slows down in the cold (much like each of us!). Hence the name "Drunken Clock". Not bad for the most notable tourist attraction in the town.
The square in Novi Sad was spacious and new looking dominated by City Hall and the Catholic Cathedral. With the sun shining the five of us, our friend Barbara from Texas included in the group, spent an hour of so wandering around and trying to find our own way back to the ship. Perhaps it was too much sun that made that huge river hard to find.
Once back on board we set out for Croatia.  
 At 3:30 we arrived in Ilok, Croatia, and the first tour leaves.... at 3:32 (?) the one we chose, the Wine Tasting tour, boards the bus.  
You might be wondering why we chose the wine tasting tour... or maybe you know me and you aren't wondering at all! In any case, the other tour was to a town called Vukovar where they attempted to explain the Yugoslav Civil War. By this time we are beginning to realize that, even with the guides best efforts, it is just very difficult to explain something so complex. Especially when they insert their personal prejudice. I spoke with a few friends that did take that tour and they were more confused than ever. So, we made the right choice! 
 The Old Wine Cellar is next to the 13th Century Ilok Castle on yet another hill with stunning views over the Danube. They boast that their wines were served at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. What we saw was a dusty old wine cellar where, during WW II, a worker bricked in a false wall to protect this dusty wine from the Germans. What we tasted was wine so good we actually bought a couple of bottles to share later with Ruth and Larry in Prague. Before the winery tour we took a walk around the fortress walls, saw a lovely old church and gazed at the scenery.
The unfortunate part of this day was driving to the ship in the dark. It would have been nice to get a better look at Croatia. What we did manage to glimpse were deserted looking towns, rolling fields, bombed out water towers and a country struggling to overcome extreme adversity yet again.
Next day, at 6am, the ship arrives in Mohacs, Hungary. Again we woke to sun which is a good thing because today we signed up for a bicycle tour. The bikes on the AmaPrima were interesting. They had 8 speeds (more than you need) and hand brakes as well as peddle breaks. Took some getting used to as I hauled my ever expanding body up on to the thankfully cushy seat.  
After safely negotiating the city streets we found ourselves riding along a dike towards a protected wilderness area, Duna-Drava National Park. This flat expanse is regularly flooded by the fluctuating levels of the Danube which makes it a prime nesting site for water birds, most notably the White-tailed Eagle and the Black Stork. Our destination was the village of Kolked and Hungary's only White Stork Museum. It was a good break and actually kind of interesting. Shane had a good visit with a Forester who was there to help our guide get her information straight.  
Back on the ship feeling very good about ourselves, we set off for an overnight cruise to Budapest. Most of the people we have come to know on this first week of our cruise are getting off there, only 23 of us continuing towards Prague. It really never crossed my mind that our two week cruise was actually two one week cruises. With the change over comes the obvious redundancy. Farewell cocktails, welcome cocktails, disembarking instructions, welcome aboard instructions, farewell to the crew (don't forget to tip), introducing the crew... etc. etc. It was nice to get a farewell gift when we went to our room after dinner but I sure hope that doesn't mean we have to get off. This is just getting good.