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<blockquote data-quote="BillB" data-source="post: 1195431" data-attributes="member: 9985"><p>An early start this morning as we were to depart for a tour of Belgrade. We were delayed for 30 minutes because Serbian customs officers took their time checking our passports, so our early breakfast could have been taken at our usual time.</p><p></p><p>When we finally set off my impression of Belgrade was that it was somewhat shabby, although there were plenty of designer boutiques in evidence. We took a stroll through the central area and stopped for a coffee in a coffee shop attached to a hotel. We drank it in fin de siecle splendour as the hotel had been restored to its original glory.</p><p></p><p>From there we continued our walk , then moved on to the Kalemegdan Fortress which has an outstanding view over the Danube and the city. From there it was on to the St Sava cathedral which is in the process of an immense restoration project. St Sava’s is an Eastern Orthodox cathedral; its exterior is clad in white marble from Turkey, both striking and beautiful. The interior is only partially completed and is expected to be finished in 16 years’ time.</p><p></p><p>An interesting thing about Eastern Orthodox churches is that the congregation does not sit in pews during the services, but stand throughout. Standing for several hours is not something I would be capable of any more at my time of life.</p><p></p><p>From there it was back to the boat for lunch before we got underway for an all night cruise. We spent the rest of the day relaxing with our Kindles and socialising with our fellow passengers. We also were due to cruise into a different time zone so we had to put our watches forward by one hour. Oh, the excitement of a life afloat!</p><p></p><p>During the period after dinner I noticed a tickle feeling in my nose which I feared was the precursor of a cold. I took another whisky to chase off the virus.</p><p></p><p>The day following there were no stops planned as we had cruised all night and throughout the day. I got up early as we were going to pass through the Iron Gate at 7 a.m., but my enthusiasm was wasted as it was foggy when I emerged from under the duvet and there was little to be seen. I hoped that the view would be better on the return journey.</p><p></p><p>Luckily, however, the sun came out and the fog began to clear after breakfast and I was able to get some lovely shots of the Second Gorge - a striking sight as great rocky cliffs reared up from the waters of the river.</p><p></p><p>Not long after the Second Gorge the river opened out in a couple of places and we could see villages snuggled in sizeable bays and backwaters. Within a short time we came to a double lock - two enormous chambers that were the longest and deepest I have ever seen.</p><p></p><p>It was nice to have a day of cruising without any excursions - a welcome chance to relax and generally goof off</p><p></p><p>My cold has developed and I am now sneezing and have a sore throat.</p><p></p><p>It is now 13 April and we arrived in Bulgaria this morning but first had to be checked out by the immigration service. This didn’t take too long and we were soon off for the town of Veliko Tarnova. The bus journey took just on 90 minutes. After leaving the bus we took a comfort stop in a hotel then walked to the Tsarevets, a fortress that played a large part in Bulgarian history. We didn’t enter as it was quite a long walk from the entrance gates to the fortress itself. We admired the fortress from the outside but walked on down to the 13th century church of St Peter and St Paul which has been beautifully restored with some beautiful frescoes which are incomplete, but nevertheless striking.</p><p></p><p>Following that we had a coffee stop at the hotel we had first visited and time to do a little shopping. I had noticed a little place nearby which sold beautiful glass vases so Jackie and I went inside to see if there was anything to buy as a small gift for the new lady in our son’s life. I shouldn’t really call her “new lady” as they have been together now for nearly a year. We were overwhelmed with choice, some of the glassware being extremely attractive so we had to make a decision. We finally settled on a pale blue vase in a classical design which the shopkeeper wrapped very carefully for us so that it wouldn’t get damaged before we got home.</p><p></p><p>We returned to the ship for lunch and to keep up on my notes. We have no excursions planned for tomorrow so I shall relax on the ship and nurse my cold, which now is in full flood - dammit.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="BillB, post: 1195431, member: 9985"] An early start this morning as we were to depart for a tour of Belgrade. We were delayed for 30 minutes because Serbian customs officers took their time checking our passports, so our early breakfast could have been taken at our usual time. When we finally set off my impression of Belgrade was that it was somewhat shabby, although there were plenty of designer boutiques in evidence. We took a stroll through the central area and stopped for a coffee in a coffee shop attached to a hotel. We drank it in fin de siecle splendour as the hotel had been restored to its original glory. From there we continued our walk , then moved on to the Kalemegdan Fortress which has an outstanding view over the Danube and the city. From there it was on to the St Sava cathedral which is in the process of an immense restoration project. St Sava’s is an Eastern Orthodox cathedral; its exterior is clad in white marble from Turkey, both striking and beautiful. The interior is only partially completed and is expected to be finished in 16 years’ time. An interesting thing about Eastern Orthodox churches is that the congregation does not sit in pews during the services, but stand throughout. Standing for several hours is not something I would be capable of any more at my time of life. From there it was back to the boat for lunch before we got underway for an all night cruise. We spent the rest of the day relaxing with our Kindles and socialising with our fellow passengers. We also were due to cruise into a different time zone so we had to put our watches forward by one hour. Oh, the excitement of a life afloat! During the period after dinner I noticed a tickle feeling in my nose which I feared was the precursor of a cold. I took another whisky to chase off the virus. The day following there were no stops planned as we had cruised all night and throughout the day. I got up early as we were going to pass through the Iron Gate at 7 a.m., but my enthusiasm was wasted as it was foggy when I emerged from under the duvet and there was little to be seen. I hoped that the view would be better on the return journey. Luckily, however, the sun came out and the fog began to clear after breakfast and I was able to get some lovely shots of the Second Gorge - a striking sight as great rocky cliffs reared up from the waters of the river. Not long after the Second Gorge the river opened out in a couple of places and we could see villages snuggled in sizeable bays and backwaters. Within a short time we came to a double lock - two enormous chambers that were the longest and deepest I have ever seen. It was nice to have a day of cruising without any excursions - a welcome chance to relax and generally goof off My cold has developed and I am now sneezing and have a sore throat. It is now 13 April and we arrived in Bulgaria this morning but first had to be checked out by the immigration service. This didn’t take too long and we were soon off for the town of Veliko Tarnova. The bus journey took just on 90 minutes. After leaving the bus we took a comfort stop in a hotel then walked to the Tsarevets, a fortress that played a large part in Bulgarian history. We didn’t enter as it was quite a long walk from the entrance gates to the fortress itself. We admired the fortress from the outside but walked on down to the 13th century church of St Peter and St Paul which has been beautifully restored with some beautiful frescoes which are incomplete, but nevertheless striking. Following that we had a coffee stop at the hotel we had first visited and time to do a little shopping. I had noticed a little place nearby which sold beautiful glass vases so Jackie and I went inside to see if there was anything to buy as a small gift for the new lady in our son’s life. I shouldn’t really call her “new lady” as they have been together now for nearly a year. We were overwhelmed with choice, some of the glassware being extremely attractive so we had to make a decision. We finally settled on a pale blue vase in a classical design which the shopkeeper wrapped very carefully for us so that it wouldn’t get damaged before we got home. We returned to the ship for lunch and to keep up on my notes. We have no excursions planned for tomorrow so I shall relax on the ship and nurse my cold, which now is in full flood - dammit. [/QUOTE]
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