11 days in Eastern Europe

Some of you have been asking when I was going to take another trip. Well, Dale and I just returned from 11 days in Eastern Europe. Over the next few months I will take you to some places that are probably not yet on your bucket list.

On this trip we joined a group of 140 people mostly from the United States, Great Britain and Canada on a riverboat cruise roughly 600 miles down the Danube River from Budapest to Bucharest passing through Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania. Dale and I really didn’t know what to expect since we had never taken a river cruise. I had not done my homework enough to know that there would not be a lot of WOW scenery on the banks as we passed. Part of the reason for so little scenery is the construction of embankments for flood control and part because there was just nothing there in the first place.

By the way, the Danube is no longer blue. It was pleasant to travel the river but most of our sightseeing was reached by bus farther inland.

The countries we visited were small — ranging in size from twice the size of the state of Maryland to a little smaller than Oregon. The total area covered was about the size of Texas. Some were countries that have been in conflict for hundreds of years and although the fronts were quiet when we were there some of the people still hold dearly to memories of bad times and the chances of disputes arising again are always just below the surface.

These are countries where extreme poverty is quite evident and many of those who appear to be doing well are still struggling to keep their heads above water. There are basically two classes — the very rich and the very poor. The conflicts of war have eaten deeply into the pockets of the governments and they too are struggling. Financially some are quite deep in debt and a number of the people feel that poor choices are still being made by the current officials.

None of the five countries were on the Euro monetary system. Each has its own currency. Some of the larger businesses were willing to take American dollars, the Euro, the pound and of course credit cards. However, purchasing something from a small vendor or from the craft fair we attended in Romania was nearly impossible unless you had local currency. This was a problem for us since we were in each country for such a short time. Even if we could use one of the other currencies the sellers were not able to convert the prices or were likely to intentionally take advantage of our situation.

This was the heartland of the gypsies and our local guides were constantly warning us to be very careful. For example, Dale went into a small shop to purchase three postcards and was told they were a pound each. That means they were roughly $1.75 apiece. Finally after some nonverbal communications he was able to buy all three for $1 and everyone was happy. 

Clothing, except for the gypsies, was basically very similar to ours. The shop windows even in the poorer towns had very stylish clothing and shoes displayed. Including the larger cities I saw only two or three extremely well dressed women and they did stand out from the crowd. Both men and women seemed to like fashionable shoes.

Local food was tasty. Although most of our meals were served on the ship, which primarily catered to western tastes, we did eat in several very nice restaurants that were not overly expensive according to American standards. And what can I say, how many ways can one prepare goulash? A lot!

One of Dale’s favorite dishes, Tarte Flambee, served in France, also happened to be a specialty of Hungary, but there it was called Szalonnas kenyeriangos (Onion Pizza). We took it upon ourselves to find a restaurant in Buda serving this and to compare the recipes. We were not disappointed. The goat cheese base covered with caramelized onions and bacon on a crispy crust was delicious. Another favorite was the dessert called Hideg turomboc (cottage cheese dumplings served with rhubarb strawberry ragout). I have to find a recipe for this smooth, creamy dish!

Now you have had a quick overview of our trip. Over the next few articles I will take you deeper into each country. By the way, I think we’ve discovered at least in part what happened to the man in the 1945 movie “The Lost Weekend.” We left to come home on Sunday at 10 a.m. and arrived in Portland at 12:30 Monday morning after some 25 hours of travel — 16 of which was flying time. How is that for confusing? My body is still trying to decide whether to sleep or be hungry. I think it will take a few more days to decide.

If this has made you want to sit by a river and enjoy a meal I suggest that the next time you are on I-84 stop at the River Lodge and Grill at Boardman. The food is good and the atmosphere is peaceful.

Be thankful for your freedom! Enjoy!

Ginny Mammen is a La Grande resident.