This is our last day cruising the Danube River. We had to wake up very early as Viking Lif arrived in Mohacs Hungary for a technical stop so Hungary immigration officers can board the Longship for face check. All passengers were called by deck level to meet the immigration officers for passport and face check.
The shore excursion to Kalocsa was fascinating. Kalocsa was once the seat of the archdiocese and its cultural centre is more than 1,000 years old. This little town is surrounded by 8,000 acres of farmland growing "red gold" described as "fiery red peppers" , distinct paprika flavours that make the goulash its distinctive taste for centuries. The sightseeing tour of the small town showed a different look at this Hungarian countryside. As our tour guide noted, while Budapest is the most known city of Hungary, it is just a small part but the country side defines the 90 percent of Hungary. There are also several Catholic Churches that we passed by including the current residence of the Archbishop and many landmarks that show the Hungarian character.
The next stop was at Bakodpuszta Equestrian Centre where we watched the traditional Puszta horsemanhip. It was noted that the Hungarian Puszta Region "has long relied on the horse for transport, settlement and defending their land. Many locals worry that their country's equestrian connection is being lost to the motorized world." The town has preserved their tradition of horsemanship through the show.
The tour guide likewise noted that the farm also grows crops as the current owners are farmers. There are around 70 horses in the farm and some are trained for the horsemanship shows to generate additional income for the farmers. Most of the horses are half-Arabian and half-Hungarian breed. At the time of our visit, 2 horses are on location doing the Games of Thrones epic saga, as John Snow's horses.
We have made friends and acquaintances throughout the cruise. The Captain's Cocktail Party and Farewell Dinner was capped with an evening entertainment, in Hungarian tradition. There was music and dancing but we called it a night as we need to make last minute preparations for the disembarkation from Viking Lif by 9 am. Around 25 people are continuing the river cruise up to Amsterdam and the rest of us are either going home or starting a post extension tour of Prague, as we have planned.
Comentarios