October 2003.
People travel for many different reasons. This was a trip that highlighted that tendency for us. Some people travel so that they can "collect countries" and say that they have been there. Some want to be entertained and be guided without any hardship or too much rubbing elbows with the local people in what they perceive to be unsafe or unsanitary conditions. Some want to sample the food of the region. Others' sole purpose seems to be to take pictures. Some want to view spectacular sights and others are eager to learn about history and culture. On this trip, and on our previous trip to Russia, many were going back to the land of their origins so that they can learn more about themselves and their heritage. We met some from each of those groups of travelers on this trip and learned from all of them.
This trip was different from any other that we have taken. When people ask, "Did you have a good time?" or "Was it wonderful?'" we are not certain how to respond. We came home with many thought-provoking images and wonderment about the survival of people under Communism and the indomitable spirit of everyday people as they struggle to develop systems that work for them. We saw the remnants of relatively recent bombings that our country had inflicted on some of the places we visited, and many other reminders that war was very recent in some of the places we visited; we saw spectacular views and buildings and cities with rich history and culture; and we were witness to absolutely magnificent music. WHAT A STUDY IN CONTRASTS.
All of this was against the backdrop of war that we were waging in Iraq and Afghanistan. Daily we heard reports that more of our troops, allied soldiers, and innocent people were dying. Each death the end of a human life with a unique soul. There were reports of bombings in Saudi Arabia and in synagogues in Turkey and more animosity in the world toward the US was reported each day on BBC and CNN. It broke our hearts and also led to some interesting and heated debates about the Bush administration and its policies.
But let's start at the beginning...
Grand Circle Travel
For several years we have been flooded with what seemed like weekly mailings from Grand Circle Travel. The publications were always polished, glossy and attractive and the tours looked interesting, comprehensive, with only a few optional tour add-ons, and reasonably priced. We knew that they specialized in tours for senior citizens and had a good reputation. When we read about the "Eastern Europe to the Black Sea" cruise it seemed to be what we were looking for at the time. Very tired from a year of moving and remodeling a home, experiencing family illness and Tom's recuperation from knee surgery, a cruise seemed ideal. Besides, the cruise we had taken in Russia the year before was a high point in our travels.
We originally planned to travel in October and made arrangements to do so. However, Tom's accident in July altered our schedule and we contacted the company to see if we could change the date. This was not as easy as we supposed. When talking to the agent, Marie asked if Tom could use a wheelchair on the trip, and she was told they don't recommend it. (There was one passenger in a wheelchair on our ship, but we were glad Tom had graduated from one prior to the trip.) Following our first phone call to Grand Circle's office, we thought all arrangements were made to go on the November trip, the last one of the year.We expected that we would soon receive the new information. However, three phone calls later, we still had not received the promised information. This made us a bit nervous. Also, each statement we received continued to list the company's travel insurance as part of the cost, even though we had informed Grand Circle's agents that we did not want it. We knew we could get insurance on our own at a much lower rate. These things gave us some pause and made us wonder whether we had made the right decision.
After the glitches were taken care of, we found all of the preparations for the trip to be excellent. Grand Circle sent us a thick folder outlining all that we would need to know to prepare for the trip... itinerary, weather, food, what to pack, a passenger list, and a wealth of information about the places we would visit including history, culture, and currency.. It was the best information we received prior to any group trip. (The only thing that we were not aware of was the sauna on board our ship; so we didn't pack the swimsuits we later wished we had had.) We received our flight tickets about a week before departure.
We knew that our ship, "M/S River Adagio," (pictured above) was newly commissioned. Still, we were pleasantly surprised by the outstanding accommodations. Everyone had an outside cabin. The ship was spotless. Our cabin was spacious and very well maintained at all times. The food was the best we have eaten on a trip. We had hoped for more regional food as we cruised, but we have no complaints! The crew was professional and very well trained, while having an easy manner which helped us to relax even more. It added immeasurably to our experience that we developed warm relationships with several Grand Circle employees and members of the ship's crew. We learned a great deal from them. To us, the best shipboard experience was the exceptional discussion about life during and after communism.
We were always kept well informed by a printed daily schedule and shipboard announcements. We greatly enjoyed the evening entertainment provided by a keyboardist and a violinist. Other activities included bingo and "horseracing" -- but we passed on those. We had made a solemn pledge to one another before leaving home that we would not watch any current affairs on TV, but have to admit we turned on the set in our cabin from time to time...
On tours, all of our local guides were from the country or city that we were visiting. They were, with few exceptions, personable and well informed. Some of the younger guides lacked experience but they were earnest.
All in all, Grand Circle Travel put together a great trip. For us the only disappointment was that we had limited opportunities to spontaneously interact with people in the localities we visited. However, that is one of the disadvantages of traveling with organized large group tours. Thus, as you will note, it is very important to us to get to know our guides and others from the visited areas in order to have a more enlightened cultural experience.
Romania
Bucharest
We were met at the airport and herded to a bus to travel to our hotel in Bucharest for the first leg of our trip. We actually began our tour of the city as we were driven to the hotel.
Our first impression was that the city appeared gray. The legacy of the years of the Communist regime was ever present, in this city which was known as the "Paris of Eastern Europe" in the the early 1900s. However, the wide boulevards and large parks within the city gave a hint of its former days. The mention of more than 25 McDonalds within the city gave more than a hint of encroaching American influence.
We drove past the Presidential Palace in the heart of the city, where the revolution took place on December 21-22, 1989. There we saw the Romanian flag flying from the rooftop of the former headquarters of the secret police, where communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu took off in a helicopter when he was overthrown. It is not easy to see the colors in the flag: blue for the sky; red for blood; and yellow for the earth. It was a dreary day and we had to take the picture from the window of the bus, but somehow that all seemed fitting. Several people told us that they had been in the square during the revolution and we were interested to hear about exactly what when on during and following those days of the revolution.
During our city tour we saw the massive building known as the House of the People (also known as the Palace of Parliament). We were told that it is the second largest building in the world, surpassed only by the Pentagon. This structure was under construction from 1984 through 1989, and was unfinished at the time Ceausescu's régime came to an end. Thousands died building it; nothing was imported --- with all materials coming from Romania. It extends for 90 meters underground and is 276 feet high at its highest point above ground.
It was impossible to fathom the size of this building even as we drove around the exterior several times. We also were sorry that we could only see it from the outside. Our democratic hearts felt similar to how we felt when we saw the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia, where the grandeur of the rich and powerful was provided on the backs of the poor.
A red Orthodox church in the heart of the city was within a stone's throw of the Presidential Palace. Although, during his regime, Ceausescu had 80 churches destroyed in Bucharest alone, this church was saved. Apparently when it came time to destroy it, a manuscript was found which declared that anyone who destroyed the church would die. At least one story has it that Ceausescu was sufficiently superstitious to not take the risk.
We arrived at our first hotel of the tour, the Bucharest Marriott Grand Hotel. Indeed this five-star hotel was a "grand hotel". From our hotel window we had this view of Bucharest. As most all of our accommodations were throughout trip, this was living in the lap of luxury. However, our bleeding liberal hearts felt a little uncomfortable about all this opulence when we knew that the average income of the residents of this area was about $200 per month. We had dinner our first night in a showcase restaurant, the Prescarus Restaurant. This very large, open, hall-like restaurant seemed to be the place for weddings and other gatherings of those who could afford the price. While being served many courses of impressively presented and elegant, delicious dishes, we wondered what would happen to the huge uneaten amounts of food. It was almost too decadent for us. However, we also understand that tourist dollars are helping the economy to grow.
The entertainment was superb and the only thing that ruined enjoying the wonderful and energetic musicians, including the pan pipe player, and the folk dancers, was the view being blocked by avid photographers who were oblivious to those who wanted to experience the great show. This was a theme that would be repeated throughout the trip. Taking pictures where it was prohibited, standing in front of everyone so that no one else could take pictures, etc. We have become accustomed to that kind of behavior from our other trips, but still, it can be annoying.
Bucharest has a long history. We visited a site where excavations had uncovered ancient Roman ruins. Also, the earliest (14th Century) written records of Romania were discovered at this site. The bust is of Prince Vladimir, known in Romania as "Vlad the Impaler." He is the person on whom "Dracula." is based. Vlad did not drink blood but he did have a nasty habit of impaling on ten-foot stakes criminals and others who met with his displeasure. Dracula supposedly came from the Transylvania region Romania, where the movie "Cold Mountain" was currently being filmed.
We wished at this point that we would be able to see other regions of Romania. Maybe someday we will arrange to go back and do so.
A staggering sight in the city was the blocks-long cemetery where the many victims of the revolution are buried. As we drove by, we saw many people taking flowers to place on some of the graves which were arranged in endless rows.
After arriving at our ship and getting settled in our well appointed and spacious cabin with all the conveniences that anyone could want, it was time to sail into the Black Sea Canal. Our first stop was Constanta, an ancient seaport in Romania.
Constanta
It was difficult for us to get a real feel for this city of 350,000. Constanta is Romania's largest seaport and its second largest city. It has the distinction of being the only city in World War II bombed by both the Allies and Germany. The port has long been a major terminus for oil shipments to Europe.
Constanta (originally known as Tomis) was founded by the Greeks over 2500 years ago and came under the control of Rome about 30 BC. It experienced Turkish rule from the 9th century and only began to grow again after the 1877-78 War of Independence forced out the Ottomans.
We visited the ancient ruins of the Roman seaport, which give an imposing view of the harbor. In 1959, a huge and beautiful mosaic was discovered and is today being carefully restored and preserved. It is enclosed in a permanent structure and can be viewed from an elevated walkway. We were unable to take pictures but could buy a book about the Roman paved mosaic. This is an image of the southern circle of the mosaic floor.
The group also visited the impressive Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul. As it was cold and raining, and we were concerned about Tom's footing, we chose to remain in the bus. From there we watched several child panhandlers work the tourists.
We saw many beggar children throughout Romania. They were always referred to as "gypsies." However, we wondered how many of them were runaways or abandoned children who were the legacy of Ceausescu's policy of requiring families to have as many children as possible. This particular boy was accompanied by a number of adult men. We wondered what his story is.
Bulgaria
We arrived at the port city of Ruse in Bulgaria and were quickly whisked through the city by bus to Veliko Tarnova, and then on to Arbanassi for lunch in the home of local villagers. Our local guide for the day was a wonderful delight. Elly was charming, smart, funny, and beautiful. She certainly added abundantly to our experience in Bulgaria..
At the mountaintop town of Veliko Tarnova we were offered the traditional greeting of bread and salt. Described by one guidebook as a "museum city" worth a visit of a day or two, Veliko Tarnova seemed to have a lot of promise for a busload of American tourists.
Unfortunately we were given only enough time to view the fortifications wall on top of Zarevez Hill and to walk up a street full of souvenir and craft shops. In addition, we saw the former home of the last dictator of Bulgaria and which is now a hotel owned by the Bulgarian Mafia. It was a huge structure on the side of the hill. We were informed that a Mafia leader who was murdered was buried there. An intriguing human interest story...
ARBANASSI...
Leaving Veliko Tarnova, we drove a short distance to Arbanassi. Arbanassi's highlight for us and among the most outstanding memories of our whole trip was the visit to the Church of the Nativity of Christ with its frescoes depicting 3,500 figures. During Turkish rule, churches in Bulgaria were not allowed to have belfries or to be higher than a man riding on a horse. You can see how simple the exterior of the church is. Our guide at the church was wonderful. She was a remarkable theatrical performer and passionate about the church and its frescos. How we wish we could have taken a picture of her. It was forbidden to take pictures within the church, but that did not stop one member of our group, who continued to take photos despite repeated warnings from our guide and from others. We heard the "photographer," as he came to be known in our group, say afterwards, "We Americans are hard-headed." It was an embarrassing moment for some of us to be in the same party as he. It was unsettling and dampened somewhat the wonderful experience of seeing this church with its plain exterior and its magnificent interior. (The interior picture is from a book we were able to buy at the site.)
The true highlight was the a cappella performance of music of the Orthodox church by four local men. It was a moving surprise. It reminded us of the performances we had experienced in Orthodox churches in Russia. However, somehow it was more dynamic, compelling and personal. The men's resonate and powerful voices gloriously filled this church as we sat in the small, intimate sanctuary. We were told that none of them are professional singers but are career men in the area. And they had no CDs to sell as did the singers in Russia.
From the sublime to something else... Among interesting sites was the 16th century home we visited. It was complete with two indoor toilets. We couldn't help but take a picture. (For more of our collection of toilets around the world go to our Toilets site.)
Also, in Arbanassi, we experienced a home visit for lunch. We were divided into ten groups to go to ten different homes Each home served exactly the same food. We were later told that no one actually lived in the area where we lunched. All these houses were summer homes. In addition, we were told later that Grand Circle pays the families to host the tourists and tells them what to prepare. Somehow it didn't seem as authentic as other home visits we have had on earlier tours with other companies. However, given the size of Grand Circle and the size of the tour groups we can understand why these "home visits" must be managed the way they are. They cannot have the cozy feel of small group tours. In addition, given the composition of the group, we knew that if everyone did not get exactly the same meal there would be some complainers. So it seemed to us that Grand Circle has worked out the best arrangements that are possible given all the circumstances. Nonetheless, one traveler wondered later if Grand Circle had actually built the homes for the home visits, since none of her relatives' homes in the area had ever looked like these. We wondered about that also after we paid our hostess $10.00 for a book about Arbanassi that featured a picture of "her home" on the inside cover.
By the time we had reached Bulgaria there was much talk among our fellow travelers regarding what it was like to live under communism. One guide was verbally attacked by a tourist, when the guide mentioned that some people were happier under communism. The guide was accused of being a "communist" and was treated cruelly by that person throughout the rest of the trip. All that for simply stating a truth. However, it was something we had also heard in Russia on our previous trip. Thus, we would like to include a very thoughtful piece that we received from a friend who lives in Leipzig, Germany.
As you know, Leipzig is located in the territory of the former German Democratic Republic (GDR). Andreas and I were born in this part of Germany and grew up in Socialism. With the reunification, people of the former GDR experienced far-reaching changes in their lives --- good and bad ones.
The good ones first:
In times of GDR we didn't know unemployment, hence no real poverty and no homelessness. This was possible because the unemployed were sitting idly within the companies, so to say. In this way the income generally was low, just as the prices. The social riches were distributed relatively evenly and there was a high level of social security. Just imagine - each inhabitant of the GDR did not only have the constitutionally vested right of work, but even the duty to work! Also the government took care of the children very well. They realized, that children are the wealth of a society. As a consequence families as an average had 2-3 children. Also criminality was relative low.On the other hand we lived in a dictatorship: no freedom of speech, no free elections, no chance to leave the state or to travel to capitalistic countries not even to the western part of Germany. We really were locked up. Also, due to the extensive and expensive social system, as well as mismanagement and corruption, there was too little money left for necessary investments in all fields of the political economy. Thus the national property and wealth declined increasingly.
The privileged were not the rich people, but the comrades of the ruling party from which the rich, of course, were recruited. You only could make a career as a comrade. The daily life of the normal citizen was determined by many restrictions. For example, you had to wait for a new car about 15 years, the same for a telephone and tropical fruits were a rarity.Well we are free now and in our constitution it is written: "The human dignity is inviolable."
However - the unemployment in the new federal countries is about 20% and the society is divided into winners and losers! We have so many good friends, who lost their jobs without any chance ever to get a new one, simply because of the job situation here in connection with their ages – this hurts! Also the fact, that some people have no home is a very new experience for us and a dreadful matter, don't you think? That's the reason for a certain nostalgia among these people and we too wish that there would be equal chances for all people....What I want to say – it wasn't all that bad and it isn't all that good. Nothing is perfect, right?
I want to add that Andreas and I for some reason have to be very thankful for the changes in our personal lives. Since we both could keep our jobs we really could improve our living standard and fulfill some of our greatest dreams.
(This friend also explained many of the differences between socialism in East Germany and in other countries of the Eastern Bloc. She gave us a good social studies lesson and helped us understand why some countries have more difficulty than others in making the transition from communism to other forms of government. She also said she felt sad that we were not able to see the wonderful parts of Bulgaria where she and her husband have vacationed. Please visit their site to see for yourself -- http://www.sights-and-culture.com/Bulgaria/Bulgaria.html. We know that it is one disadvantage of being on a cruise. The port stops are limiting, making it impossible to see much of the interior of the countries visited.
On board it was time to be treated to the discussion from two of our tour directors and the ship's doctor about life under communism and adjustments to life after communism. The three worked beautifully as a team. Our ship's doctor, a pediatrician, gave a talk about Romanian orphanages and was quite knowledgeable about medical issues. He was intelligent, open, but humble and kind, as he fielded sometimes hostile questions. For instance, one person asked him to quantify how many "defective orphans" were "foisted off on Americans" before " it was stopped." The doctor also was clear but diplomatic in letting one traveler know that she had been duped by a woman posing as a cancer victim and who claimed she was collecting money for children with cancer. Later we thanked him for his openness and his diplomacy. We continued to pick his brain throughout the rest of the trip. From him we learned a great deal about medical practice, psychology, and drug and alcohol problems; all subjects that are important to us and that helped us understand his country better.
Gyongi, a young, extremely able and enthusiastic tour director from Hungary gave us an overview of communism in her country. Although she was too young to have had vivid experiences personally, as communism was collapsing as she grew up, she could relate stories from her family's history. Hungary's form of communism, we were later told, was considered "velvet communism" or "silk communism" by some from other Eastern European countries where conditions were much more harsh. We also heard other stories from Hungarian Grand Circle employees. A young employee with whom we developed a close relationship, told us about her grandfather who was a Baptist minister for 10 congregations in rural Hungary. He traveled from one congregation to another on his bicycle. She said that he was able to continue his ministry because it was rural. The cities apparently were more closely monitored and sanctioned.
Bogdan, a young Romanian who worked the front desk, became another of our favorite people from this trip and he also told us his story. As he was growing up under communism, his father was an international water polo official. Thus his father was able to travel but the family could never go with him. The family could take vacations in other Eastern Bloc countries but nowhere else. Bogdan had English classes through a private teacher at home and his English is impeccable. He also does a wicked Elvis Presley imitation.
Finally, we were able to hear more about the Romanian revolution itself.
On December 20, 1989, some 10,000 Romanians gathered in the square to unite in protest against the regime. They had no ultimate goal, just a common feeling about the government. They noticed the arrival of troops and watched as they closed off all exits from the square. At some point, Ceausescu gave the orders to begin firing on the demonstrators. Some of the younger soldiers who were not willing to shoot their fellow Romanians, were themselves shot in the head by their officers. Several people with whom we have talked in person and later communicated via the Internet witnessed all of that around them. At least one took pictures to document that day.
The next day saw a rally of more than 100,000 citizens protesting Ceausescu's rule. Not believing that people could hate him so much, he began speaking to them. Ceausescu appeared to be shocked when the crowd began shouting, "Down with Ceausescu." As the demonstrators became more boisterous in their anger, a helicopter landed on the roof of the building from which Ceausescu was speaking and took him away.
The helicopter eventually landed in the middle of a highway outside Bucharest, where Ceausescu's henchmen hijacked a car. After several more carjackings, Ceausescu was captured. This was all covered on live TV and the Romanians citizens could see it as it happened. Nicolae and Elena were executed on Christmas day and buried in separate graves because the people could not stand the thought of them being together.
In all, we were told that thousands of people died in 3 or 4 days of bloodshed, although the official numbers are much lower. Various people told us that there is a saying in Romania that "4002 died, including Nicolae and Elena".
Since returning home we have found some interesting sites. One person who experienced the revolution firsthand took pictures (http://tcx.ro/~seba/photos/), and others wrote about it or tried to put it into perspective from the vantage point of looking back. An interesting NPR broadcast on the tenth anniversary of the revolution can be found at http://timisoara.com/timisoara/r.html.
Continue our trip with two cruising days and then on to Serbia and Hungary.
