European river cruise

Glorious Grecian Gluten

 in Gratitude / Greece / travel / Travel tips  tagged Athens / baklava / European gluten / European river cruise / gluten free / Greece / Italy / rash / Santorini / tour guide / travel by

I wanted to scratch my skin off to make the itching stop. Even prescription meds couldn’t calm my rash. When I finally got in to see the dermatologist, she could offer only a list of possible allergens. Eliminating the allergens did nothing to help. After years of suffering, a friend suggested that I go gluten free. I bit the bullet and found blessed relief. Before I learned how to avoid the pitfalls, I learned that taking chances wasn’t worth the indulgence. The rash from even a small serving of glutenous food can bring a month of misery. So, when a […]

Eastern European media list

 in Grand Eastern European River Cruise  tagged Eastern European history / European river cruise / movies / Pasa Sokolovic Bridge / Sissi--Forever My Love / The Bridge on the Drina / travel books by

Reading ahead ups my enjoyment of a trip no end.  Big cities, and architecture never did much for me, but after reading Chicago’s history and triumph in building skyscrapers on mud, I couldn’t wait to see them. Before our cruise I searched for something to read about Eastern Europe and came up short.  Maybe I can save someone else from a similar fate by sharing this list of books and movies our guides mentioned is noteworthy. Our cruise director introduced  Sissi–Forever My Love by telling us that she grew up watching it every year around Christmas.  It has the feel of a sixties-era Disney production–cutesy music, hokey characters, cheesy humor; but I was so glad to […]

Team Inspiration

 in Grand Eastern European River Cruise  tagged aging / elder travel / European river cruise / inspiration / personal development by

Steve is driven about getting out early in the morning, so while I sleep, he goes up top and talks to whoever’s there.  Often it’s Bruce, a fifty-year-old arborist, who looks like a kid amongst all these seasoned seniors.  Bruce is traveling with his 93-years-young father, Jim.  Jim doesn’t need an escort.  He walks with the best of us and shows no slippage in the knowhow department.  On one of our first stops, Bruce passed us on a street somewhere in Franconia and asked if Steve had seen Jim.  He sounded concerned, so we asked other passengers to keep an eye out as […]

Smart Travelers Speak “Stupid”

 in Grand Eastern European River Cruise / Travel tips  tagged European river cruise / Philippines / speaking the language / Travel tips / World War II by

Two of our friendliest fellow passengers are Ray and Nedy, who both immigrated to the United States from the Philippines. Before I tell you about their travel smarts, I have to tell Ray’s story.  Baby Ray was born during World War II, and when the Japanese invaded, he was put in line to be bayoneted.  Just as his turn came, the soldier fell dead.  He’d taken a bullet from an American sniper. Ray and Nedy learn everyone’s names, especially staff members.  They believe in using the local language, even if it’s only a few words.  To reinforce the rudeness of […]

Euro-conomy

 in Grand Eastern European River Cruise  tagged Bulgaria / European river cruise / Hungarian health care / tile roofs by

I told a young fisherman wearing a Colorado sweatshirt, “I am from Colorado.”   His response was short and awkward, a clear tipoff that his English is as bad as my German.  That’s false advertising, dang it. Being unable to communicate with most locals, we cruisers satisfy our  curiosity by asking our guides about daily life.  The Hungarian said her health care is free except that she needs to tip the doctor in advance to have a better chance at good care.  I hope we aren’t headed down that road. In Bulgaria a guide joked that money is so short that when a Bulgarian tells his friends about buying a new car, they ask, […]

Kalocsa, Hungary 6/28/15

 in Grand Eastern European River Cruise  tagged Danube River / European river cruise / Folklore Workshop / Kalocsa Hungary / traditional foods by

One day I will remember in time that the more lush and inviting the scene, the more ravenous mosquitos it’s likely to harbor.   Fortunately the blood suckers left us alone as long as Steve and I didn’t stray from this country lane I’ve been yearning for.  A lot of the houses were small, and they all seemed old.  One building had what looked like a straw roof.  Young storks peered down from huge nests on rooftops or electrical poles.  Flowers grew in most yards, along with a variety of fruit:  raspberries grapes, apples, pears, plums, peaches, and some sort of plum-shaped fruit that seemed too big to be a plum.  There […]