Budapest to Bucharest by River
You can't be unhappy in the middle of a big, beautiful river. ― Jim Harrison
2020 marked my retirement from the world of work. For Helen and I it also marked our 25th wedding anniversary. To celebrate both events we had planned to take a river cruise down the Danube. In the event COVID changed plans for most people, and the idea went back on the back-burner. Five years later, and to celebrate our 30th anniversary, we managed to make the trip.
Emerald Luna, our home on the Danube, leaving Golubac
Sony A7R V | 24mm f/6.3 1/250s ISO400
The Trip
Our original plan had been to cruise west from Budapest, taking in Prague and Vienna. This time around we reckoned that, having seen a number of places on the northerly route, we’d head east from Budapest. The itinerary involved seven nights on the ship, with an additional overnight stay in Bucharest. Helen has been to Budapest before, but I hadn’t, so we tagged on a couple of additional nights before the cruise started. With hindsight we could have also booked an additional night in Bucharest at the end. I’m sure we had our reasons for not doing so, but I’m not sure what they were…
Following the Danube east, through five countries…
The cruise itself took us through Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania. We spent relatively little time in Croatia and while we only spent a single night in Romania, about half of the cruise was along the section of the Danube that follows the Romanian border. The trip also took in three capital cities; Budapest (Hungary), Belgrade (Serbia) and Bucharest (Romania), each seemingly having their own character.
Disclaimer: I do think it’s important to keep in mind the parable of the blind men and the elephant on any trip of this nature. We saw a great many places on the trip; there is a temptation to try to extrapolate and draw conclusions from what may be only a few hours in any given place. Our perceptions will be influenced by the tours offered and the opinions of any guides. I’ve tried, therefore, to only comment on the direct experience rather than trying to draw wider conclusions. Hopefully I’ve succeeded.
Hungary - Budapest and Kalocsa
Funicular, Chain Bridge and Pest from Buda
Sony A7R V | 24mm f/7.1 1/200s ISO 100
With a couple of extra nights in Budapest, we had time to wander around the city and explore some of the popular tourist destinations. It seemed quite natural to spend the first day exploring the riverside and Buda and the second day wandering around Pest and, in particular, the area around Heroes’ Square and the City Park. On the third day we were transferred to our ship, the Emerald Luna, which gave us an opportunity to have a look around the area surrounding the Opera House.
Walking around the city the history and heritage are on obvious display. Also prominent are a number of memorials to those lost and murdered during WWII and the Soviet era that followed the war. It was the first, but certainly not for the last time on this trip we were given stark reminders that many places made sacrifices as large, or larger than ours in the fight against Naziism. I found the ‘Shoes on the Danube’ memorial particularly moving; there is a simplicity to the memorial that, I think, conveys some of the everyday horror of the period.
Magyar Cowboys
Ten in Hand…
Sony A9ii | 140mm f/5.6 1/1250s ISO 640
We were given a much lighter take on Hungary’s past on the first day out of Budapest. The highlight of the planned excursion to Kalocsa was a visit to a traditional horse farm. I know nothing about horses and horsemanship, but the show was spectacular and very well done. Even the Americans (who all seem to consider themselves experts on all things horse related) were impressed. The show also photographed well, which is nice…
Croatia - Vukovar
War Damage and Regeneration, Vukovar
Sony A7R V | 32mm f/8.0 1/500s ISO 100
The Danube only takes a short detour into Croatia, which gave the ship the option of calling in at the town of Vukovar. The reminders of conflict are much more recent here, with memorials to those killed in the Battle of Vukovar, an 87 day seige between August and November 1991. This was the scene of some of the fiercest fighting in the entire Homeland War between Croatia and Serbia. Areas of the town have seen some investment and regeneration, but stark remnants of the conflict are scattered around the town. It also needs to be said that not all the dereliction stems from the conflict; the very photogenic Hotel Danube has simply been subject to decades of neglect.
A tour later in the day took us to the Vučedol Culture Museum, which highlighted the extent of human occupation of the region. The Vučedol people flourished between about 3,000 and 2,200 BC and the region was a centre for some of the earliest copper-smithing and bronze-smithing. What struck us was the sophistication of some of the artifacts on display. It’s definitely worth researching further.
Serbia - Belgrade to the Iron Gates
Belgrade Skyline, Old and New
Sony A7R V | 40mm f/6.3 1/500s ISO 400
The following day took us over the border into Serbia and onto the capital, Belgrade. From our brief time there it felt the closest to a modern, European capital, with shops and brands that would be recognisable in almost any Western city. However, a tour of the Kalemegdan Fortress and surrounding area highlighted the Ottoman history and influence. The other highlight was a visit to the Orthodox Church of Saint Sava - to describe both the interior and exterior as ornate would be a massive understatement!
Also arranged was a visit to the House of Flowers, the final resting place of Josip Broz Tito. As in Croatia, the attitudes to Tito we encountered were conflicted; a clear recognition that his regime was incredibly oppressive mixed with a respect for the job that he did in balancing the regional interests within the old Yugoslavia. The subsequent descent into conflict was cited as evidence of his effectiveness. I was left with the impression that, unlike other Soviet era leaders, he remains a respected, if not loved, figure today.
The following day we stopped for a tour of the spectacular Golubac Castle. I don’t think that there are any National Trust properties with a ‘black run’, but to do the complete tour means tackling steep, rocky ascents, harnesses, sheer drops and navigating past the vipers. Sadly the weather meant that only the ‘green run’ was open. We were picked up around lunchtime and spent the afternoon cruising through the Iron Gates National Park, which was probably some of the more spectacular scenery along the route.
Our final ‘stop’ in Serbia was the Iron Gates hydroelectric plant and lock. This is an engineering marvel; the dam now contains three hydroelectric stations and between them they constitute one of the largest hydropower installations in Europe. The dam needed to facilitate this also created a need for the largest lock on the Danube; across two locks the drop is close to 35m. I think we took at least an hour getting through both. Finally the roadway that runs across the top is a major border crossing between Serbia and Romania. The overall scale is huge and this was definitely one of my highlights for the trip.
Iron Gates Lock
Sony A7R V | 70mm f/8.0 1/160s ISO 200
Bulgaria - Vidin and Ruse
Having navigated the Iron Gates, Bulgaria beckoned. We had two stops, one in Vidin and the second in Ruse, which we were informed was termed Little Vienna. Before we explored Vidin, however, there was a trip out to the spectacular formations and fortress at Belogradchik. The rocks themselves provide some natural protection and the ascent to the top is rewarded with views across the slopes of the Balkan mountains. The history of the fortress dates back to Roman times, although the majority of the development took place around the 14th Century with the Ottoman occupation of Bulgaria. The fortress itself seems to have been in use until at least the late 19th century.
Belogradchik Fortress and Formations
Sony A7R V | 24mm f/4.0 1/2000s ISO 200
Belogradchik apart, Bulgaria was the country that most reminded me of a Martin Cruz Smith description a post-fall Soviet town in one of his Arkady Renko novels. On leaving Vidin for the rocks our guide remarked that Bulgaria had a history of making poor choices of allies. The illustration was the estimate that around 70% of the local economy disappeared overnight with Bulgaria’s expulsion from COMECON following the fall of Communism.
Vidin itself was grim. Bulgaria is the poorest country in the EU and Vidin is one of the poorest towns in a poor region. The population crashed following the fall and the drive was littered with abandoned factories and properties. Without wanting to labour the point, the sense of poverty was tangible - from what we could see there’s little on sale as few have any money to buy.
Ruse was certainly better, clearly wealthier and had benefited from a higher level of investment. That said, signs of underlying poverty abound, but the history and heritage make it a more attractive destination for tourists and locals alike. We had arrived late as the low river level in the Danube made for slow progress, but we enjoyed our afternoon stroll around the town. The highlight, I think, was the fantastically names Pantheon of National Revival Heroes.
Romania and Home - Bucharest
Romanian Parliament Building, Three Shot Panorama
Sony A7R V | 24mm f/5.6 1/1000s ISO 400
Our final day in Romania and Bucharest was cold, wet and grey. The day was probably also the least well structured and, with Bucharest traffic completely gridlocked, a day with more time on a coach than is ideal. We did manage a brief trip to see the parliament (or at least the one third that is above ground), which is the world’s heaviest building. It’s sinking apparently, albeit slowly. We also visited Nicolae Ceaușescu’s Spring Palace, where the Rosa Klebb like guide and threat of a serious fine deters any photography. Ceaușescu himself was obviously less well regarded by history and his populace than Tito…
With weather, traffic and the prospect of a 5am start all acting as deterrents to a more thorough exploration we ate, drank and retired early.
Final Thoughts and Cruising
The cruise was a fitting celebration of 30 years of married life. We had a thoroughly enjoyable time, met some interesting folk and were entertained, informed and educated in equal measure. The cruise was run by Emerald Cruises and we can’t recommend them highly enough. Cabins, food, drink and staff were all spot on with everything geared to ensuring that their guests had a fantastic trip.
I do think it’s fair to say that the stretch of the Danube that we covered is not the most picturesque by traditional standards. I, however, loved it; the combination of a relatively flat terrain interspersed with active and derelict industrial construction appealed to me. I’m very taken with the ‘new topographic’ aesthetic and movement, and this fits that style very well. The last few images of the riverside scenes a presented largely without comment…
A Man-Altered Landscape, Bulgaria
Sony A7R V | 75mm f/6.3 1/640s ISO 100
The Photography Bit
From the standpoint of a traditional landscape photographer (or even street), cruising is an absolute disaster. The ship moves at pace, you get very little time to explore any place independently and the timetable of the ship means that you’re on board, eating or drinking, when the light is at its best. Most activities also tend to be in organised groups, which again mitigates against using the trip as a surrogate photography expedition. My expectations were not high…
The equation changes, however, if you take a documentary approach. Light, while important, takes a backseat to subject and observation rather than planning comes to the fore. I photograph things that catch my attention; that then acts as a prompt for further reading and research. From that perspective the trip was a resounding success. I have within this set of images a number that I’m very pleased with and I hope I’ve captured a little of the flavour of the eastern stretch of the Danube.
I’m also pleased that I seem to have learned from previous trips; I didn’t over-pack and every piece of kit taken was used at some point. The Sony A7R V was the main workhorse and performed splendidly. The A9ii was a backup, but earned its keep with the Magyar cowboys. The tripod was, righly, left at home and a three lens kit covering 16mm to 200mm more that covered everything I needed. The results from this trip gives me a little more confidence that I can winnow the travel kit down further. MPB may even be getting a enquiry about relieving me of a chunk of kit that may now be surplus…
Finally, thanks to Helen. This wasn’t a photography trip, but despite that she showed remarkable patience as I took a huge amount of photographs.
