Our early morning wake up call was a rowing instructor cycling up and down the path shouting FAST, SLOW and GO….so after a leisurely breakfast we entered the race and headed upstream.

Going through St Catherine’s Lock we are pleased to learn Unstead Lock has been repaired, allowing us to get to Godalming. Well done National Trust Wey Navigations for a fast repair.

However first we have to fight off a day boat load of Pirates….in full costume they are an impressive sight, sadly their sailoring skills are lacking…..and have to be reminded how to proceed through a lock by Hazel. I don’t think the beer at 10am is going to help either, aren’t they supposed to drink rum ?

Before getting to the last lock and Godalming we have to limbo under Broadford bridge….no lowering the wheelhouse on PT, we crouch under it with at least 6cm’s to spare 😳

And the main reason for our visit ? Pecan and Cinnamon muffins from Gail’s…….the best in the world….even beating Zack’s white chocolate and raspberry ones from the Boathouse in Launceston ! It’s been another warm day, so we’ve headed back to the Guildford Meadows of last night for some shade. Sharing the locks with an experienced crew in a 70” boat we fairly whizz thru but not before passing the pirates….with much Aaar and My Hearties they look slightly worse for wear……maybe they did find the rum !

A leisurely start this morning, finally, leaving Cartbridge Marina we headed upstream towards Guildford. Not only Rhododendron ponticum was in full bloom alongside the banks this morning.

Just as we entered Triggs Lock, Betty Lou joined us and made Hazels life as a lock labourer much easier as we shared duties.

Going through Stoke lock a couple were taking lots of photos, recognising their accent, I tried out some Afrikaans on them. Yes they were from Durban, South Africa! and were enjoying walking along the Wey. They gladly accepted a lift up the river to our next stop, just outside Guildford to finish provisioning Prime Thyme.

As usual the Canoe Club provided plenty of navigational tests, but nobody was sunk. Releasing our temporary passengers, who were clearly delighted with their mini cruise, we moored up just below the high street in an absolute racket ! Debenhams was being demolished ! ….a Guildford institution being replaced by a “New River Landscape”. At least the old coffee shop still exists.

After a wander around Guildford it was time to move on, first through Millmead Lock, then onto the meadows to moor. We will have to see what tomorrow brings….Unstead Lock is out of action for repairs, so no chance of getting to Godalming tomorrow….well it is called Slow Boating…time for a G&T 😁

After a chaotic check in at Bucharest Airport we endured the 3.5 hour flight to Heathrow. Both of us have bad backs from the hard seats on our flight…..with no recline and no leg room….bring on Qantas for our return flights! As usual Sue from Kendall Hire Car met us, and drove back to the Guildford branch, where a hybrid Fiat 500 awaited. A quick shop at the Morrisons in Send, and then the dreaded unpack after the high of getting back onboard.

It’s blowing a gale and we are both tired from the 4am start. No cruising today, but Guildford tomorrow for a shop and wander.

Good Night ZZZzzz

Just a quick blog tonight after a very full day and early start. Leaving Lif at 8am, with lots of heart felt good byes from her amazing crew, we were coached into Bucharest and all its traffic ….past the obscene and obese parliament building that Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu had built under their communist dictatorship. Then onto Revolution Square where a gentleman described how he had taken part in it at the age of 15. Losing several friends of similar age he described the horrifying democide that the army committed that Christmas in 1989.

It was a moving speech, leaving many people in tears, especially as you could still see bullet holes all around in the buildings.

Driving to the old town we walked past the French designed buildings along cobbled streets….just what country were we in ?

Lunch was excellent, with the obligatory dancing and singing

After a bit of free time our final stop was an open air museum of buildings set in a delightful park. I could have spent all day here.

Our final drive to the hotel passed around L’arc de Triumph ! Party captured below with the ever smiling Roy. He and his delightful wife Susan have restored our faith in America….like our revolutionary guide said, all countries have ups and downs, you just need to look at the big picture over its whole history to restore a sense perspective.

A great way to end a great trip, it has truly been a Grand European Sojourn! Tomorrow England, the River Wey and some ….. Prime Thyme.

Our final excursion from the ship was an all day affair to 2 picturesque towns. As it was a 2 hour coach ride the first stop was morning tea….with a Bulgarian slant.

The washroom attendant looked a little fierce, and the structure mimicked a nearby castle, albeit on a smaller scale.

Next up was Arbanasi, a pretty little village favoured by some elite party officials during the communist regime

However its crowning glory is the Church of Nativity, with hundreds of painted frescoes covering the walls and ceilings, and dating from the 16th and 17th Century.

Then onto Konstantsalieva House, showing how a wealthy housemerchant would live in late Ottoman times in this part of the Balkans. It was extremely interesting seeing how the rooms differed to a western one in style.

After a few purchases at the local shop, notably Bulgarian rose products, it was time for lunch. An authentic and tasty one too..

Retracing our steps, we headed back to Veliko Tarnovo, a hilltop fortress with parts of the old town still standing and providing a unique shopping experience. The narrow artisan lane had much better, and cheaper, products than usually seen.

Time for a coach ride back to Lif……I think most people had a snooze, and then pack before the final cocktail toast from the Captain and crew.

Tomorrow we leave the ship, and tour on our way to Bucharest.

Welcome to Bulgaria ! Another day, another country and another early start……we are both a bit tired today, so Hazel has decided to stay onboard whilst I set out to see Belogradchik Rocks and Fortress. Leaving our port at Vidin we traversed some plains before heading up to the Balken foothills.There are a lot of derelict buildings left over from the communist era, but plenty of wildflowers along the roadside.

As we wind our way up the hills we get the first glimpse of our destination. It’s like the limestone Kast country, but red due to iron oxide.

The town is spread on the lower slopes, with unusual rock formations towering over them.

It looks a bit of a scramble up, H did well to stay onboard.

Halfway up we pass thru a doorway. Not much of the original fortress remains, so we have to use our imagination, especially with all the animals our guide “sees” in the rock shapes.

Upwards, our guide wants to be the first up top !

The last bit is a real scramble, but the views are worth it.

Going down is as challenging as climbing up, just fewer calories

Then it’s back on the coach to the boat via the Epigraphic Center which has a display of mainly Roman objects and gravestones on display. There are over 300 Roman sites in the area.

Tomorrow we have a full day tour organised and will have to pack in the evening. The next day we will leave the ship, do a day tour and then be dropped off at our hotel in Bucharest. Apologies if the blog gets a bit delayed…..at the latest it will start again onboard Prime Thyme and the River Wey in the UK. Meanwhile a game of Piggy Ear continues in Tasmania between “Mini” Cooper and “Cyclone” Rosie

Our view from this mornings mooring was outstanding, Golubac Fortress standing guard at the entrance to Djerdap gorge.

With Prehistoric origins the fortress was first mentioned in 1335. Called Cuppae during Roman times the existing structure would have been recognisable by the 16th and 17th centuries.

With a series of towers, curtain walls and traps it was never taken in a siege, of which there were numerous, usually between the Ottoman Empire and a Christian coalition led by Hungary.

Once over the drawbridge, thru the gate and over the murder pits there was no obvious gate…..instead there’s a steep climb up to a concealed entrance, and then another 7 more gates before gaining access to the palace. No wonder it was never taken ! Even with modern stairs it was a slog to get from tower to tower.

Taking a few modern short cuts the palace interior held numerous reconstructions of weapons and armour. It also had some original Brigandine armour which had been put back together… a rare example of plate armour, beautifully decorated.

Going thru 3 of the 8 towers the size and complexity of the fortress was grasped…..it’s a very impressive piece of preserved and reconstructed Serbian history, and only completed recently due to the construction of the Iron Gate dam. This has significantly increased the water level of the Danube and means we have to go through some deep locks this afternoon.

The Iron Gate is a series of spectacular narrow gorges slicing through the Carpathian and Balkan mountains. This was enhanced by the building of the Iron Gate Dam, flooding the area up to an additional 30 metres, and unfortunately destroying numerous villages, archeological sites and stopping sturgeon migration. Even on a grey day it was impressive, albeit a bit cold.

After exiting the gorges we entered the first of the 2 staircase Iron Gate locks. The first one had vertical gates, 2nd ended with more traditional side ones.

Welcome to Romania!

Situated at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, Belgrade, meaning White City, has a strategic location resulting in it being destroyed and rebuilt 20 times. Today we took a walk to Kalemegdan Fortress, situated on top of a hill looking over the surrounding plains and city center.

The park surrounding the fortress had a range of trees, including the sweet smelling Linden, and a profusion of roses. I don’t know what variety they were, but I’m going to call one Roy…..at last I’ve found somebody who enjoys photographing as much as I do.

We were then bussed over to Saint Sava Church, This Orthodox Church is noted for its huge Byzantine style dome. The building and decoration on its interior was overwhelming!

Returning to the ship for lunch I then did a 20K Ebike ride out of the city center to a nearby “lake”, actually a loop of the Sava River damed both ends. Riding on the other side of the road, and coping with aggressive car drivers, it was still highly enjoyable. Stopping for refreshments it was also good to chat to a local couple who were obviously very proud of their hometown.

So today we are in Croatia, a former part of Yugoslavia, which had had a troubled both recent and past.

We started out tour in a different, but unique way, with a rural tourism host. Basically he takes a small party into his house, offers food ad drink, and you just interact with them as they speak good English.

I don’t know how to pronounce, let alone spell, our hosts name, but his family made us feel most welcome as he described the good and bad parts of his life. The little farm grew a lot of produce, and in particular his mother collects water fowl.

It was harrowing to hear how his Grandfather had built everything by hand, but they only had 15 minutes to evacuate when the country was invaded by Serbia. Fortunately they have managed to return, and since joining the EU have a fair degree of prosperity.

After a short coach ride to Osijek we visited the local 300 year old church, and were entertained by a pianist with a delightful voice.

Yet another coach ride to the old town now, and a wander around the Holy Trinity Square.

Once out of the main square damage from the most recent war was very evident. Yet most people want to put the past behind them, except in Vukovar where atrocities were committed. It will be interesting visiting Serbia tomorrow and hearing their side of the story.

Another interesting morning, time for lunch then afternoon entertainment……a Tamburica band will entertain us soon.

We are definitely moving into the countryside now, rather than an urban landscape. Still in Hungary, but the Danube has a few more twists and bends with sand on its banks.

The water level is low for this time of the year, meaning a steep climb up the gangplank for this mornings excursion.

First up was the Bakod Horse Farm, with some Magyar horseman demonstrating their skills and equipment.

They trained their horses to lie flat on the plains and ‘disappear’, with much use of whip cracking, but not in contact with the horse, thus training them to the sound of gunfire.

Grey longhorn steer, 2 in hand farm carts and a town carriage with 4 in hand were driven enthusiastically around the arena.

The finale involved an impressive display of 9 in the hand with the horseman atop the last 2 horses. You would definitely need flexible knees and a good sense of balance to do this.

Our extremely knowledgeable and personable local guide filled us in with the local agriculture; barley, wheat, poppy and sunflower, are grown in this fertile area. Indeed its name can be translated to “ in the middle of mud”. A short drive took us to Kalocsa Cathedral, set in a beautiful old town but with reminders of its Russian occupation until recently.

The Italian baroque style was in complete contrast to its surroundings, with the pink and white interior giving a much lighter appearance than some other Cathedral’s recently visited.

We were treated to a 20 minute organ recitals. The Angster organ was in maximum airflow mode! The sound was overwhelming and woke everybody up. Another great morning, time for lunch at the Aquavit Terrace and an afternoon on our balcony enjoying the passing scenery as we transit into Croatia