Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Remembering after we arrived home

We did so many things.  We saw places we never expected to see -- like the Black Sea



We had many cappuccinos.  




We ate great meals everywhere.  
We took naps.


We observed cultural differences, such as the bikes all over Amsterdam.  And, most noticeably, the shades of red hair --  everywhere from Romania thru to Hungary we saw red haired women.  Mind you, this hair was not natural, not ever.  The 'fashion' trend crossed all ages.  The reds included wine, burgundy, fire-engine, carrot, orange -- pick a word you might use for a color on the red spectrum and we saw hair that color.  Fuchsia?  Yup.

And here is the most dramatic example, a woman in Vukovar, Croatia.



Two Hungarian red headed beauties


YA get the picture yet, all the same Henna!!!


We sweated in the humidity and heat.  The temperatures were always above 85 and the humidity just below the rain level, perhaps 98%.

Just by look at the two pictures below you will notice that even the statuary is perspiring!!!Yes, it has been HOT! with a large bit of humidity thrown in for good measure!


Serbia
Hungary
   
Roses are everywhere in the Balkans.  Bulgaria uses the rose and its derivative products as hallmarks.  They sell massive amounts of rose oil and petals to France for perfumes.  In Bulgaria you can buy small carved and painted wooden carriers for a vial of rose perfume.  Everywhere the plants are well tended and profuse. 
Here is a fabulous one we saw during a visit to a village outside Vukovar, Croatia.




We saw wonderful flowers everywhere -- hydrangeas and roses and astilbes and lavender.  We saw Hollyhocks in Amsterdam.




River cruising was wonderful. Many mornings we awoke to a stirring sunset. Interestingly in reflection on the trip, we loved our 5 star hotels, we loved our suite on the river trip...we slept well in all our wonderful beds, we ate and ate and ate, all the food being delicious and too much, but still we indulged. The weather of unbelievable heat and humidity haunted our days, the nights on the river were refreshing and cool; we slept with sliding doors open every night.

MS Treasures, "Our" ship on the Danube.



It was a long journey for two darling girls through a winding path that brought excitement, adventure and new experiences.









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