MS Amadeus Riva: Day 5! Awoke this morning (0630) to find that my cold was almost gone. During the last few days, I've been thinking about how almost everyone in the Notre Dame group has been coughing and sneezing and it occurred to me that we might have all gotten the bug during our first Mass on August 11. Two members of our group actually tested positive for COVID and have spent a few days in seclusion - they reappeared at breakfast this morning. For my part, I enjoyed another nice selection of food (0700) before returning to my room to read, do some Duolingo exercises and wash some clothing in my sink. After that, I got ready for our excursion in Mohacs, Hungary. After my failed attempt to find entertainment last evening, I hoped for some bigger signs of life this morning. Strangely, though, there didn't appear to be any while I was walking to the tour buses or driving out to the city limits (0830). It seems that Mohacs may only be busy during the annual Buso Carnival (held the week before Lent begins); I’d learned a bit about this event when visiting the nearby (related) region of Croatia and was pleased to see life size statues of the fearsome men in sheepskin clothing in the center of a roundabout. After passing this, our bus driver took us on a 45 minute excursion to the west, through familiar terrain that we’ve been seeing since the beginning of the cruise: flat, fertile farmland spreads out to the horizon in every direction. The other University that usually shares our bus is Iowa State and they loved what they saw. We passed plantings of maize/corn (for livestock), soybeans, beat root, sunflowers (for the locally popular cooking oil) and - perhaps most importantly, paprika (Hungary’s “National Spice”). Our local guide, a lady named Zsuzsi (“Susie”) told us all about our upcoming destination: her hometown of Pecs (“Payche”). Unlike Mohacs, this was a bonafide city of more than a quarter of a million people. And, unlike every other place I’ve visited during my trip, it was a place that had not been damaged (apparently at all) in any recent wars. Instead, it was a picturesque place with vibrant colors, over a millennium of architectural styles and busy streets. We were dropped off at a place near the center of town that I later learned was called the “Bishopric of Pecs”. The area near a complex of church buildings contained remnants of the city walls, Roman ruins visible through glass on the walkways, public granaries and water sources, stunningly affluent church offices and residences, creative artwork and plazas surrounded by shady groves of Magnolia trees. The centerpiece of all of this was the beautiful (1000 year old) Cathedral (Ss. Peter & Paul). We went inside and, along with the beautiful artwork, were treated to an a cappella performance by our guide in the acoustically pleasing crypt, a demonstration of the 6000 pipe organ and a lesson in episcopal numerology and colors (e.g., 33 windows for Christ’s age, seven squares for the seven Sacraments, etc.). Just a visit to this building would have been enough for me but we continued exploring nearby. Along the way, we noticed more commonalities with earlier towns: old churches (even the Cathedral) forcibly converted to mosques and then back to churches, a Holy Trinity statue in the main square (celebrating the end of the Black Death), a mosque and synagogue (both restored at public expense, despite low numbers of attendees) and lots of other interesting architecture that merged the Catholic, Orthodox and Muslim character of the region. After visiting buildings of a busy university, we had about 30 minutes to explore and I maximized this time. Despite the heat (100 F again), I covered several additional blocks and discovered more history, art, culture and language sprinkled among the props of the daily lives of the residents. It’s amazing to see something close to 2000 years old on the way to work! The people in this area really seemed to like dogs and I saw multiple Siberian Huskies. Rejoining the group, I got treated to some wine (all Hungarian vintages) tasting in a nice wine cellar. We learned an expression for toasting (but not for beer!): “egészségedre”, which is used for “Cheers” and “Bless You” after a sneeze. The bottles we all shared included: 2023 Reisling (white, Pecs), 2023 Zenit (white, Pecs, developed by the University) and 2022 Bikaver (AKA “Bulls Blood”, a blend of Blauberger, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, Pecs). All of these were great! Back on the bus (1140), we retraced our route back to Mohacs (arrived at 1230). Within 30 minutes, our ship was underway again. The heat was pretty unbearable so I spent the “cruising afternoon” with lots of conversation, a light lunch, some reading and sightseeing from the windows. In the evening, we had another Port Brief, a wonderful dinner (the four courses of unique, delicious and small portions aren’t getting boring!), paired with some more local wine. Next, I headed to the Sun Deck for some exercise. As usual, I was mostly alone (crew members only) but I enjoyed the cooler temps and river breezes. Along the shore, families and friends camped near pretty beaches and surrounded by woods. We’ve had days of National Park or fishing village scenery but that mostly ends tomorrow. Finished with my stroll at at 2130), I spent time reading in bed and finally went to sleep at 2300. We will reach Budapest, the “Queen City of the Danube” before sunrise!
