MS Amadeus Riva: Day 2! Throughout the night, we cruised upriver on the Danube (and went west into a new time zone). I woke up during the night two times and I later learned that this must have been disturbances related to clearing some locks along river. Waking up at the new 0530, I realized that I had a cold coming on (dang). Despite this, I really wanted to see some of the interesting things going on along the shore line; I got ready quickly and went for a walk on the Sun Deck (0630), watching landmarks on both left (Serbia) and right (Romania). I saw lots of fisherman, forest fires, birds, etc. At 0715, I went to the breakfast buffet in the restaurant (initially sat at in “wrong/closed” area). After I was seated, I found the food to be really really good and stayed in the dining area until 0800. About 90 minutes later, our ship reached a major hydroelectric dam called “Iron Gate II”. This imposing structure stretches across the river between Serbia end Romania and provides about 20% of each country’s electrical power. Just before beginning the 1.5 hour transit, our Cruise Director (Milos) pointed out major landmarks and provided historical and cultural information about the region. As usual, I geeked out on the “how does it work?” RE: lock process (two levels, +100 feet of water level change). There was a monument to Tito on the Serbian side (which we approached most closely) and I suddenly realized that this dam was same landmark I'd seen from the air during my flight from Bucharest to Vienna. The sun was shining during the transit and the temps had soared to 100 F by the time we exited the lock but I was able to take a break from the heat when I attended a traditional “Balkan Buffet” for my lunch. Also tried a tasty Pinot Noir (Spätburgunder) from Germany. After that (1350), I went back up to the Sun Deck so I could monitor our progress through the Kazan Gorge, the narrowest part of the Danube. Milos continued to provide excellent color commentary - but only to the Sun and Promenade Decks. In other words, I’m glad I didn’t miss the “tour.” We passed a monument carved while Trajan was Roman Emperor (had to be moved when dam was built). Not far up the river, we reached the famous carving of Decebalus (Trajan’s Dacian opponent during the struggle for the Balkans). In the same area, I enjoyed seeing some pretty churches, young kids on lake excursions and (later) some spectacular castles. Once the excitement was over, I returned to my room (1530) to wait for the next event (lecture about Balkan history given by one of the Smithsonian Journey’s group leaders). Falling asleep instead (time zone & pace made resting irresistible). At 1730, I managed to wake up on time to be able to attend a Notre Dame Alumni Cocktail Party. This event was quite nice and Milos gave even more context. One funny thing, though, was that everyone at out party had become a “Balkan Expert” after the lecture I missed - the conversation quickly changed to issues that have not been solvable for over 1000 years... Meanwhile, looked out the window as the beautiful river flowed by our ship. At 1900, we received a Port Brief for our visit to Belgrade, Serbia in the morning. I met with a few of the tour directors (Vessie and Milos) afterwards to plan my “free time” after the formal tours. One really nice thing was that I was one of only eight people (our of 80) to do the excursion I chose. Before dinner, I watched the sun set (from the Sun Deck) beyond the distant Romanian mountains. Our evening meal (and accompanying wine, a white variant of the same wine as at lunch), which began at 2000, was excellent. My appetite was lagging, however, and mostly just sampled each dish (Chili Con Carne, Mushroom Risotto and Vanilla Crème Brûlée). Despite the limited food intake, I still felt very full. Fortunately, I logged a lot steps during my rounds of the ship so believe I’m winning (or, at least managing) the battle of calories. My cold was making feel more tired than normal but I was unable to eat in silence because I was sitting near Kathy, a chatty anesthesiologist. She was nice but I was glad to leave the dining area (2100)... My day concluded, I went to my room and blogged until bed time (2230). Tomorrow, we have our first port visit!
