As we leave Hungary we are reflecting on its complicated history.  Hungary has been conquered many times - our guide said that one mistake the tribal Magyars made when they came here was to settle in this wide plain where they were in the middle between Asia and Europe. As a result they always seemed in the way of the invaders (Mongolians, Romans, Turks, etc.) and under attack or siege.  They also made poor choices of allies as witnessed by being on the losing sides in both world wars. After WW I they lost large parts of their former territory, so much one Hungarian joke is they are the only country surrounded by itself. Budapest has been completely destroyed 32 times, having to rebuild completely after each devastation!  The latest of which was the Soviet occupation from which they are still recovering. Being part of the EU and NATO is a major help. Although the Air Force consists of 7 fighter planes so don't expect much help. 

The water level in the river is quite high after the heavy rains that fell here last week.   We are cruising against the flow of the river so the fast moving water displays a wide wake from our ship as we travel along lush tree lined banks.  Cruising north, we went through the largest of the four locks we will pass on this trip.  It’s quite a remarkable operation to raise our ship about 25 feet up to the level of the river ahead.  We were the first of five vessels that will fill the lock this time - 3 river cruise ships, a long barge and one small power boat.  When the lock gates open, the captains carefully guide the ships in close to the walls tying up to keep us in place as we rise to the upper level.  The gates close behind us and water begins to flow into our chamber raising all the boats steadily to the top.  Then the gate in front drops down and we proceed to motor out through the canal that will reconnect to the main river.  The landscape along the river is now wide grassy fields near the hydroelectric power plant.

Our cruise continues to Bratislava, often called “Beauty on the Danube,” just over the border in Slovakia.   We dock right at the base of the Main Street in this small but important town.  Bratislava was formerly the capital of the Kingdom of Hungary (which was part of the larger Habsburg Monarchy territories), and became capital of the newly formed Slovak Republic in 1993, so it has a long history of leading the area. They amazed a peaceful separation from the C Republic

We walked through town with our Slovakian guide Jana pointing out the main buildings and explaining the history of Slovakia and Bratislava.  Jana took us to a traditional beer garden, where we tasted three different Slovakian beers with snacks of cheese, salami and fruit.  The town is charming with a pedestrian only avenue lined with shops and cafes. Most of the buildings were restored and repainted after the fall of Communism. Their economy is much stronger that Hungary's in part due stronger ties to the other EU economics, helped by being on the Euro currency.

Back on board, we had a very pleasant dinner with a group of fellow travelers. During dinner conservation Warren explained his sister Susanne was also on a river cruise and was exchanging text messages with her about her location as she is also traveling on the Danube. About that time she replied and we exclaimed to our dinner companions that her ship, the Crystal Ravel, just passed ours headed in the opposite direction!. Talk about the proverbial “ships passing in the night!”  Dinner was followed by a lively musical show with a great singer who enticed everyone to the dance floor, great time was had by all.