Dear Cha-Wel-Dor-Sue,

 

It has been said that in life, the important thing is the "journey", and not the destination, for in the end, that is death; welcomed by some and dreaded by the majority.

In our Danube adventure, neither the origin of our trip (Istanbul) nor our destination (Vienna) were important to me but rather, it was the "journey". On this trip, we were to traverse the Black Sea on the M.S. Ayvazovskiy and then enter the most eastern and northern access in the Danube Delta and cruise up this river as far as Ismail (U.S.S.R.), where we were to be transferred to our Danube River Boat, the M.S. Ukraina, for the trip up the Danube River. We were not to touch the soil of the U.S.S.R. Further up the Danube, we were to have the experience of passing through the so-called "Iron Gate" with its locks and then would subsequently pass through and by five countries in the so-called Eastern Sector, i.e., Rumania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Austria, terminating in the city of Vienna. I am sure that for Pat, Vienna is the beginning and end of all the great cities in Europe and I suppose this is understandable, as she lived in Austria for approximately 15 months (12 months in Salzburg and three months in Vienna) during her spell with the Armed Services in Europe.

Istanbul is always exciting to me for it is the only city in the world situated on two continents (Europe and Asia). The city was called Byzantium under Roman rule, Constantinople after the city was Christianized under Constantine, and Istanbul during the reign of the Ottoman Empire. Finally, the city, in 1923, became part of the Republic of Turkey, or Anatolia, under the presidency of Attaturk.

There are six million people living in the city of Istanbul which is situated on both sides of the Bosphorus which connects the Sea of Marmaraon the south with the Black Sea on the north. The Sea of Marmara enters the Mediterranean Sea through a narrow strait called the Dardenelles.

On our previous trip, we visited all the major historic sites and mosques but failed to see the Dolmapahce Palace, the reigning Sultan's palace for about 100 years and situated on the Bosphorus. It was closed for renovations on our previous visit and we did not have the opportunity to see this most unusual and beautiful building. On this occasion, it was open, including the Harem Section and I truly believe it rivals Versailles for its magnificence and opulence. We spent an hour and a half marveling at the beauty of the various rooms and the furniture and decorations, most of which were contributed by the crown heads of Europe and Asia. It is of interest that there were no gifts from the U.S.A.!

Pat and I also spent no little time in the Grand Covered Bazaar, and I could have spent more than the five hours wandering throughout the vast maze of shops and streets. It is far better organized than the El Klalil Bazaar in Cairo, the Casbah in Tangiers or the largest one in the world in Addis Abbaba. We did a little shopping but mostly reveled in looking at the various arts and crafts of the Turkish people.

After paying a last minute visit to the "Gallata Tower", which is situated on the highest point in the old town, and which provides the best panoramic view of the city and of the "Golden Horn" or inlet which divides the old and the new cities, we departed on the Russian Ship for our cruise across the Black Sea to the Danube Delta. This was a late afternoon and evening cruise and we arrived on the following morning at Ismail, which is part of the U.S.S.R. In the morning of our arrival, we had the first of our cultural lectures, and he began to lecture just as we were entering the north access tributary of the Danube River. Apparently, the Danube Delta is much like the Mississippi Delta in that there are many accesses to the sea and in the Danube Delta particularly, two of the major accesses lie in Rumania and the third, or the one that we took, is situated in Russia. Apparently, this portion of the Danube Delta was formerly a part of Rumania but like many other things, was absorbed by Russia after World War II. In securing this territory, it provided them access to the Danube River and enabled them to create a virtually monopoly on the river. While all of the other countries through which the Danube passes through or by have their own shipping interests, the U.S.S.R. Danube River Shipping Company certainly is the most important of the shipping companies.

The Danube River in the Delta area appeared to be alive with shipping with many oil tankers, coal and iron ore barges, some grain boats and many barges and dredges pushed by massive tugboats. There were very few sizable passenger vessels but there were many hydrofoils, many of which served as ferries which transported people up and down and across the river. All along the river are forests with innumerable well-spaced and precisely planted poplar trees which apparently were designed both as tree farms and to hold the bank against water erosion. There were occasional vineyards and fruit orchards and everything appeared to be a very lush green and most attractive. In order to visit Bucharest, it was necessary for us to dock at Oltenita. Following lunch on the boat, we drove by bus to Bucharest for a city tour, dinner, and Folklorica Show, returning to the Danube at the city of Giurgiu. While in this area, it was interesting to look to our left and see Bulgaria, while looking to the right, we would be looking at Rumania. Bucharest was our first optional tour and while the city has been called the "Paris of the Balkans", it is no longer the attractive city that we visited eight years ago. The streets are all torn up by subway construction and all of the suburbs are typical Russian apartment type construction. Previously, we had spent four days here, including a day's flight to Kiev, Russia, but on this occasion, we had a bus ride of approximately one hour to and from the Danube to reach the capital and a brief city tour. The former enchantment is gone and Rumania will always be a thing of the past as far as Pat and I are concerned. We revisited the Village Museum and had dinner and entertainment at the Intercontinental Hotel where we had been housed on our previous visit to the city. Tomorrow would be Bulgaria, the home of the perennial Olympic weight-lifting champions and the country most closely aligned to the U.S.S.R.

Bulgaria, at this point, is one of the highlights of our trip for the countryside is rural and is intensively developed agriculturally, and the few people we met appeared to be friendly and smiled a great deal. We visited the sixth largest city in Bulgaria, Pleven, a city famous in Bulgarian history, for it was here that the combined Bulgarian and Russian troops defeated the Turks in 1876. There is a large diorama situated on a high hill which depicts the battle and is most impressive. On the Hundredth Anniversary of the battle, the city rebuilt its entire central portion and created a beautiful park with innumerable fountains. This will always commemorate its liberation from the Ottoman yoke. We visited an Icon Museum and had lunch and various wines and brandies in a cave restaurant. Everyone left Bulgaria impressed with the country and the intense pride their peoples had in their heritage. It is now understandable to me why Bulgaria is so closely attached and identified to the U.S.S.R. and why they are prosecuting the Turkish minority which live in the southern half of the country. Apparently, at this time, they are practicing Stalinist genocide in an effort to remove all of the Turks from this part of the country. The Turks are having to change their names and to change their religions and their refusal to do so is tantamount to execution.

Our fourth day on the Danube was spent on the river with no shore excursions. Once again, it was a beautiful day and afforded us a great opportunity to see and compare the north bank Rumania with the south bank Bulgaria. There were many farms, small villages and some riverboat activity. Later in the day, at the point where Rumania and Yugoslavia more or less meet, we passed through the Djerdap Dam, which was built some 20 or so odd years ago and which served to raise the ship approximately 60 to 70 feet in two successive locks. This dam was built not only to provide hydroelectric power but also to raise the water level in the area above the dam to eliminate the most treacherous part of the Danube River known as the Iron Gate. This stretch of the river is approximately 120 kilometers in length and was formerly the most treacherous part of the river, with high cliffs, speedy rapids, and extremely strong currents which made travel in either direction difficult and unsafe. The dam created something of a lake 120 kilometers long and inundated many small villages which had been built on the river's edge. Thousands of homesteads had to be displaced. It succeeded, however, in making water travel safe and feasible in this area and has enhanced cargo traffic and tourism. It is interesting that a Roman Plaque had to be raised some 30 feet in height in order to preserve it, much as was done at Abu Simbel on the Nile above the Aswan Dam.

Still later in the day, we stopped at the Yugoslavian checkpoint and had our passports inspected. No search of any kind was carried out in our cabins. We were at the dock for one hour awaiting the arrival of the Yugoslavian Customs and Immigration officials, and the reason given for the delay was that the Yugoslavians have no great love for the Russians, in contrast to that of the Bulgarians. The Russian crew of our ship had to dock the ship with no assistance whatsoever from the dock crew at the wharf, such as occurred while docking in Bulgaria. The Yugoslavs and the Russians are not friendly, though both are Socialists in their political philosophy. As you may recall, it was Tito who defied Stalin and established his own brand of Communism.

Some 365 miles of the Danube River courses through Yugoslavia, including some of the most varied and colorful sections of the river. Its capital, Belgrade, or Beograd, is a dynamic, modern capital with a population of 750,000. Yugoslavia is one country, with two dialects (Cyrillic and Latin).

Bulgaria has been a cross-roads between the East (Orient) and the West and has been the scene of countless battles, being totally destroyed many times. Like Warsaw, it has had more blood spilled there than in any other of the cities in Europe.

Yugoslavia is governed by the Communist Party and is not in the Warsaw Pact. They call themselves Socialists and the state is tolerant of religion, linguistic diversity and a degree of local autonomy. One third of the country is agricultural and the rest is engaged in urban industry. The different ethnic groups have a powerful folk tradition and they are great lovers of sports, especially soccer and basketball.

Belgrade is interesting in that it has existed for 2,300 years and has been totally destroyed 47 times. During the reign of the Ottoman Sultans, there were over 200 mosques in this city. Today, there are none, and the only relic of Islam is a small mausoleum containing the remains of the last Turkish general who lost his life in the final battle for control of the city. It is a twin city like Budapest, with the old city on one side of the Save River and the new city on the other side. The oldest buildings are only 150 to 200 years old and all are centralized in the old city. We enjoyed a city tour in the morning and chose to shop along the shopping street in the afternoon. In the evening, we went to a street that has been set apart as an entertainment area and there we were treated to and enjoyed a typical Yugoslavian dinner and accompanying musical entertainment.

At this moment, Yugoslavia appears to have many problems: 1) A foreign debt of 20 billion dollars. 2) Inflation of 85 to 100% per year. 3) Unemployment of 15-20%. 4) The problem of nationalization which tends to divide the country. It is only the strong army that keeps the various diverse groups acting together as a viable government. The Albanians in the south constitute a constant thorn on their southern exposure.

Our guest lecturer, Dr. David Griffiths, Professor of Eastern European Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has been a most stimulating and informative teacher to this point and one who has told us all about the history, the economy, the political structure, and the geopolitical alignments of all of the countries we have passed through. He certainly is among the very best of all of the lectures that we have ever heard previously on any of our trips.

After leaving Belgrade, we spent another entire day on the river, without any shore excursions, as it is a long trip to Budapest, Hungary. Once again, we enjoyed a beautiful, sunny day, and I found myself falling in love with this beautiful river. One is endlessly fascinated by the scenes on the shore, varying from simple natural forests to managed forests, to cultivated fields of grain and maize and sun-flowers, to little villages with their churches, to towns of varying sizes, and finally, to the sparse river traffic, so unlike the Rhine. Given good weather, a trip of this kind is indeed a memorable experience!

The group who sailed down the Danube the previous week were less fortunate than us, as it rained most of the time while they were on their river cruise. I recall that rain was more or less our constant companion on our Norwegian Mail Boat trip.

Budapest is known as the "Queen of the Danube" and justifiably so and should be entered by boat, as we did on this occasion. On our previous visit, we flew in to the airport and missed most of the magnificent scenery that one sees from the river itself. Our departure in the evening was simply spectacular, with the Palace, War Memorial, St. Macchias Church, the Fishermen's Bastion, beautifully illuminated on the hill, the bridges-all strung with lights, and the neo-gothic Parliament Building, all aglow with brilliance. We did not enjoy this sight on our previous visit to Hungary.

While little has changed on Bua's Hill, many changes have occurred in Pest, the flat section of the city on the east side of the river. Beautiful walking streets have been created out of former automobile thoroughfares, with attractive street lights, tree and shrub and flower plantings, and conveniently situated rest benches. The shops have all been tidied up. Alas, however, it was Sunday and they were all closed! Our only shopping occurred in the frequently visited tourist areas around St. Macchias Church. These areas were crowded with local people who apparently had come to the capital as a holiday outing with their children and friends.

Our evening was spent in the Gundel Restaurant, formerly the home of a nobleman, and situated in the park immediately behind the wall or circle of heroes. The decor was exquisite, the food very fine, and the music and entertainment, both singing and dancing, were typically Hungarian and delightful. We enjoyed an apricot brandy, a white Tokay wine and a "Bloody Bull" red wine, which was most likely a Cabernet.

Today, our final lecture will be on Czechoslovakia and at this moment, we are cruising northward with Czechoslovakia on our north or east side and Hungary on our south or left side. Czechoslovakia really consists of the Czechs in the north, the Moravians in the central portion and the Slovenes in the south. We will be visiting the capital of Slovokia or Bradislava, as it is known today. Of all the countries in the Eastern Bloc, the Czechs are the most suppressed and depressed and no private entrepreneurship of any kind is permitted. It is the perfect Stalinist model of central planning. The so-called "Prague Spring of 1968" when the more liberal-minded Communist Czechs endeavored to humanize or reinterpret Marx, resulted in the Russian army moving in, and all of the liberal leaders were taken to Russia and either executed or sent home for perpetual house arrest. Nothing has changed since and the Secret Police control everything. Unfortunately for the Czechs, they are caught between Germany and Russia and can see no future for themselves. Their culture appears to have no future and they are slowly being absorbed in the Russian sphere of influence.

Bradislava proved to be a revelation to me, for I expected a dull, unattractive, and depressed city, somewhat like Prague appeared to me some seven years ago. At that time, the former glories in Prague (City of Spires) were gone and the city appeared drab and lacking in excitement, vigor, and vitality at that time. I expected the same in Bradislava. It did not turn out as anticipated and the possible and probable reason is that the average age in Bradislava (formerly Pressburg) is 31 years of age! It is a young city indeed! We took the city tour and visited many of the old institutions, i.e., the third oldest University in Europe and second only to the oldest on Bologna, Italy and in Prague, Czechoslovakia, The Count or Prince's Homes, where Mozart at age six performed and Franz Lehar at age nine performed. It was obviously formerly a great cultural capital and, in fact, the city where virtually all of the Hapsburg Emperors were crowned, although they ruled from neighboring Vienna. We concluded our city tour by visiting the Palace, a huge fortress-like structure situated on one of the highest hills in the city. The view from the Castle was spectacular and we were impressed with the "New City" where 5,000 new apartments are being built each year. A greater number of apartments is planned for the future, as the young people of Czechoslovakia are flocking in from the country, looking for work in the urban areas. From this point, one could see both Austria, some five kilometers away, and Hungary, some 15 kilometers away.

The evening was concluded with the Captain's Dinner and entertainment by the crew. Tomorrow is Vienna and I will have little to say about that city, as I have covered it in a previous Dad-O-Gram.

Vienna is still a very imposing city, with many beautiful old, classically designed buildings, many of which are now receiving a "facial". The accumulation of soot and other forms of air pollution has darkened the exterior of these imposing structures and they are now in the process of having their pristine beauty restored. Vienna, as always, is an expensive city, but this is presently compounded by the fact that the American dollar is declining so rapidly that the rate of exchange is set twice a day! It is interesting that the same article purchased yesterday, this morning, and this evening, costs more each time. It may be that our Secretary of the Treasury, James Baker, has overshot his mark and has deflated the dollar more than might be to our own good in the future. Some day, if this continues, the dollar may no longer be the standard by which all other currencies are judged and it may be either the Eurodollar, the Deutchmark, the Swiss franc, or the Japanese yen that will become the international standard. As we all know, the United States is essentially a service industry and produces less and less of capital goods each year. If this spiral continues and it appears to be irreversible, one wonders about our future.

As we traveled through each country, it was necessary to introduce ourselves to the currencies of each country and in Turkey, it was called the lira, in Rumania, the Leu, in Bulgaria, the Lev, in Yugoslavia, the new Dinar, in Hungary, the Forint, in Czechoslovakia, the Roruna, and in Austria, the Schilling. I am going to attach the rates of exchange to the Dad-O-Gram so that one can refer to it in the future should there be any drastic changes in one direction or another.

Adding it all up, I can truthfully say it has been one of the most enjoyable and memorable trips that I have ever made and vastly different from any that we have ever taken before. It has made of me a true lover of the Donau or Danube River. It will never be the Blue Danube again, for it is, in fact, a fast moving brown river, carrying silt from seven countries down to the Black Sea.

The weather throughout our entire trip has been ideal and we have seen and enjoyed innumerable beautiful vistas of the river throughout its course. It richly deserves all of the accolades and the mystical and emotional ties so long ascribed to it by the various peoples and countries living along its banks!

Dasvi'Danya,

Love,

DAD

CEJ/ngb

T9/20/86