Our Program Director, Leonard, explaining everything that is going to be happening

Our location...

A little well deserved rest as I read my electronic book

Alright, we'll stroll along the deck and look at the locks that happening...

Cruising, there is always someone willing to take a picture for you...

Wow...I am saying this because I still have hair blowing in the wind....

Cleared the locks and enjoying the view...I mean enjoying the scenery....of course the view of my wife smiling is enjoyable ;)

They grow their own spices on the top deck

In memory of Tito and Yugoslavia on the hillside by Ion Gate 1 hydroelectric power station

Field Marshall Josip Tito seemed to be really beloved by the Yugoslav people. As the leader of the Communist Yugoslav partisans, he fought against the Germans during World War II but he also stood up to Stalin who tried to have him assassinated a few times when he wouldn’t totally submit to Soviet wishes. In a correspondence between the two leaders, Tito openly wrote:

Stop sending people to kill me. We've already captured five of them, one of them with a bomb and another with a rifle…If you don't stop sending killers, I'll send one to Moscow, and I won't have to send a second. — Josip Broz Tito

One of the things we saw was the giant rock sculpture of Decebalus.  Decebalus was the last king of Dacia, a large kingdom which encompassed Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania.  Deceblus was a hero who fought against the Roman emperors Domitian and Trajan to preserve the independence of his country, which corresponded to modern Romania.

The sculpture was made between 1994 and 2004 on a rocky outcrop on the river Danube.  Located near the city of Orsova in Romania, it is the tallest rock relief in Europe.

Relaxing on the Main Deck-#2

From our room, looking at the shore line and enjoying the view and, of course, the lovely temperature.

100 AD Roman Plaque, figures and writing mostly gone. I am told it is now placed 20 meters above original position on cliff.

Riverside roads pass through several tunnels here. Notice the truck on the right, passing through the mountain.

Sharon in the room giving a striking pose...I am amazed that the plant in the corner of our desk lasted the whole trip.

There is a story here....this is an abandoned Mraconia Monastery

Monastery Mraconia is to be found in the nicest part of the Danube, at the Cazanele Dunarii, which was a very important place for directing the ships and giving them instructions. The church being constructed in 1523 or 1453, the dates differing according to the different opinions of people, was in the valley of Mraconia in a very delighted and beautiful sight, at a very hidden place (Mraconia means a place being hidden). It is known that during the russian-austriac-turkish battle (1787-1792) it was destroyed. In 1823 there was found the ruins along with a slavic proverb being written upon: "Peceat Manastirea Lubostinie Hram Uspenia Presvistaia Bogaraditi Leto 1735."

Just an interesting look at a tour boat (I am assuming) going into one of the caves.

Back on top of the ship to take in the sights

This fort (coming up) is very important when it comes to the IRON GATES.

The ruins of Golubac Castle in the Iron Gates region of the Danube River, Serbia.  Its placement at the head of the Iron Gate gorge allowed for easy control of river traffic. It was the last military outpost on that stretch of the Danube river, which caused it to frequently be part of the final line of defense between Hungary and the Ottoman Empire, especially during the periods when Serbia was Ottoman-held. The importance of the fortress is further indicated by the attention it received from Sigismund and Murad II, rather than just fighting between locals and commanders of nearby cities. The Golubac Fortress was declared a Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance in 1979, and it is protected by the Republic of Serbia.

 

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