Sun. June 14-Kalocsa, Hungary: Because we weren't doing the Hungarian Putza
(cowboys) show we could sleep in a little and eat a later breakfast. Then the
Macks and the Dunns got the ship bikes and headed out for a ride. It was
already hot and hazy at 10:00 and headed for 96 degrees. Using Marv's phone GPS
tracker we rode south on the levy beside the river where it was so hot and
unshaded that Pat turned back, but luckily we continued. We rode until we got
to a two rut hard mud farm road where we turned. There was some shade from
trees planted between fields of corn, wheat, soybeans, cabbages, cauliflower,
sunflowers, paprika (peppers), green beans and grains we couldn't identify.
Occasional farmhouses could be seen, some with TV dishes and others apparently
now used as outbuildings. It was very pastoral. We got to the small village of
Batya where the road was paved and the house yards were mostly hidden by 5 foot
stone or brick walls. We found the bike path that continued the rest of our
ride and followed it out of town and on to the larger city of Kalocsa, which
was an excursion in the afternoon so we didn't tarry. One more turn took us to
the road back to the ship completing our ride of about 9 miles.
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Pat and Peggy riding in the levy beside the Danube,
where it was hot as blazes! |
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| A wood stork skitters away from us beside the bike trail |
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| Ross riding the trail between fields, where it was slightly cooler |
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| Riding in Kolacsa |
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| Church spires across the canola fields in the distance at the next town up river |
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Canola plant with seed pods. We learned that the government tried
but couldn't convince Hungarian housewives to use the oil. It is all exported. |
After lunch,
buses took the whole group the short way back to Kalocsa where we visited St.
Joseph's Church. It was built in the late 1800s and is the home of nuns of Our
Lady convent whose mission is the education of all. When the Soviets took over
they gave the nuns 2 hours to clear out and then closed the church. In 1989
when the USSR fell, the nuns came back, the church was beautifully restored and
the schools were reopened. They have a wonderful organ and we were treated to a
20 minute recital by a local organist performing 5 pieces including Ave Maria
and Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor, which rumbled the pews in which we
sat. Afterwards we walked the short way to the Cathedral and buildings of the
Archbishop of Kalocsa. They have an even bigger (nearly 5000 pipes) organ there
but the roof fell in 8 years ago destroying everything below and the
renovations are not finished so we couldn't have the concert there, or even go
inside.
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| St. Joseph Church |
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| Kalocsa Cathedral being renovated |
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| Kalocsa square with the Archbishop's house in the background |
The buses took us back to a restaurant near the ship where they gave us
local schnapps and red and white wine, bread, sausage, bacon, and cukes and
tomatoes. They had stations set up to teach us how to embroider, paint eggs,
make kolache bread (with paprika), and crack a whip. Marv and I met up with Sim
and Phyl there and had a great time. As we walked back to the ship Phyl and I
decided to dip our toes in the Danube. Phyl went first and slipped on the slimy
bottom and went down up to one knee. We laughed until we cried as Sim rescued
her and Marv took pictures. I made my way very gingerly in with one foot while
clinging to Marv for dear life.
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| Peggy and Phyl paint eggs |
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| Phyl, Sim and Marv enjoy local fare |
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| Sim rescues Phyl from the Danube |
That night there was a Farewell Reception and a
Farewell Dinner with Baked Alaska for dessert. Ross ate three helpings!! The
Sauls and the Dunns met up on the top deck to watch lightning in the distance
and the lights of villages go by before we retired for the night.
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The Dunns, Macks and Sauls with our two favorite waitpersons,
Robert and Emily |
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| Lightening, lights and stars |
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