John Edward Cooper’s Notes

[i] 07:32: That gives a clue as to when I got out of bed.
 Janet’s account is: “I found it impossible to nod off and I’m sure I had very little sleep. Around 3am the boat set off for Esztergom.”
 Yesterday’s daily information sheet said, “01:30 All aboard! Shortly afterwards the MS William Shakespeare will set sail for Esztergom.” Janet’s account reveals that “shortly afterwards” was ca.1½ hours.
 Janet continued: “It was light around 5am and raining. Around 6am the rain had stopped. I finally felt able to get out of bed. We went for breakfast around 8.15am.”

Shaved and showered after Janet vacated the bathroom.… We went for breakfast ca.8.15am. There was a chef at the far end making omelettes, for which I had no use (eggs, if not disguised e.g. in fried rice or pancakes, nauseate me); and before that, a long buffet accessible from both sides, with “Continental” and “English” breakfast options available. I had corn flakes and orange juice first; then streaky bacon so crisp that it shattered when one attempted to use a fork on it, thin flavoursome sausages a bit like the «сосиски» at the Renaissance Moscow Monarch Centre Hotel (9 September 2012) — spooning some very viscous, almost gelatinous tomato ketchup over them from a bowl — and baked beans; then a couple of little, seeded, dark brown bread rolls, and coffee. On the way out from there and back to the cabin, I saw that Eszter and Viktoria were up at the Riviera desk; so I went and got money out of the safe, came back, and saw them about the “Noddy Train”. I wasn’t too late to book, and I paid the afore-stated €5 each (€10). At “09:00” Janet and I went to “a compulsory safety briefing… in the lounge with your Captain and Hotel Manager”. They were introduced, and did a lap of the lounge, around the centrally located bar. The Captain, Rolf Kikkert, who was Dutch, said a few words of greeting in somewhat broken English; and the Hotel Manger, Milenko Zubanović, who was Croatian, spoke quite humorously in fluent English. I don’t remember much of the “briefing” proper, except that it didn’t include lifejacket practice or assembly at a muster station. It was followed by a “short presentation on Esztergom from your Riviera Team” Eszter and Viktoria — only it wasn’t short! and left us little time to get ready to go ashore. “It all took much longer than anticipated,” Janet wrote, “so I had to leave for the cabin around 9.45am to prepare for our morning tour. In the end I didn’t have time to put sunblock on, or my trainers [sneakers], as the pickup was 10am. I wasn’t the only person grumbling! It was lovely and hot — no coat. We had about a five-minute walk along the river bank and over a bridge then boarded the Noddy train. We had a short guided tour of the town of Esztergom then were deposited in front of the Basilica.” The ship was moored at one of the places marked by an anchor at the top of the map of Esztergom. We exchanged our cabin door-key cards for other cards at reception, as always when we went ashore. That way, they knew who was ashore and who was aboard. The captain was by the gangplank to farewell each departing passenger, so I bid him, “Tot ziens!”, as I passed. The “bridge” that Janet mentioned was over a canal or loop of the river called “Kis Duna” (“Little Danube”), so the “Noddy Train” was on an island. It crossed Kis Duna by another bridge, and took us through the town, before ascending to the Basilica.


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:04:02
Esztergom: The “Noddy Train”


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:04:02 (detail)
Esztergom: The “Noddy Train”
(Background, right:) The Mária Valéria Bridge


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:13:44
Esztergom: Views from the “Noddy Train”: Hősök tere (Heroes’ Square)


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:13:44 (detail)
Esztergom: Views from the “Noddy Train”: World War I memorial in Heroes’ Square


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:15:12
Esztergom: Views from the “Noddy Train”


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:16:34
Esztergom: Views from the “Noddy Train”


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:17:08
Esztergom: Views from the “Noddy Train”


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:20:24
Views from the “Noddy Train”: Basilica of Esztergom

We were deposited in the plaza in front of the east façade of the basilica (more or less east, anyway).


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:23:22
Basilica of Esztergom: Southern bell-tower and part of the eastern façade


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:23:22 (detail)
Basilica of Esztergom: Bronze statue of Our Lady of Hungary
The inscription reads:
 MAGYAROK NAGYASSZONYA!
 MARADJ VELÜNK!
 ÉDES ANYÁNK!
 Our Lady of Hungary!
 Stay with us!
 Mother!
Elsewhere is inscribed in Hungarian:
 In blessed memory of Vaszary Kolos, Prince-Primate, Archbishop of Esztergom. Erected by Canon Pór Antal, 1905


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:23:22
Basilica of Esztergom: Eastern façade and bell-towers
 CAPUT, MATER ET MAGISTRA ECCLESIARUM HUNGARIAE
 Head, Mother and Teacher of the Churches of Hungary

The entrance to the main part of the basilica was by a side entrance, under the arch between that and the southern bell-tower. Entry was free to the main part, we’d been told, but one had to pay to visit the Crypt, the Cathedral Treasury, the Panorama Hall and the Dome (or Cupola).


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:24:28
Basilica of Esztergom: Southern bell-tower

We looked in, to try to decide what we wanted to see. We found a plan posted, saw that the nearest feature was the crypt (“B” on the plan, below), and investigated that first.










The posted plan was similar to this one, only it was rotated 90° clockwise.

It was possible to pay separately to enter each feature; but opposite the entrance, in the southern bell-tower, was a visitors’ centre with a ticket office, where one could buy a ticket for everything — so that’s what we did. For two people it was 2,000 Ft (ca.£5.50).[ii]

[ii] When we visited St. Isaac’s in St. Petersburg (14 September 2012) it cost us 500 roubles (ca.£6.00). In stark contrast, for two over-60s, such as ourselves, to enter Westminster Abbey, it would cost a whopping £34! May God rain fire and brimstone on that iniquitous den of robbers!

Because we knew where it was, we visited the crypt first.






Leaflet that Janet picked up


Plan, showing the rooms that we visited


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:30:46
Basilica of Esztergom: Entering the crypt


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:31:04
Basilica of Esztergom: Entering the crypt


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:31:26
Basilica of Esztergom: Entering the crypt


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:32:38
Basilica of Esztergom: Crypt, “Sorrow”


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:33:00
Basilica of Esztergom: Crypt, “Eternity”

Having descending the long flight of steps, we turned left, and found ourselves in a hypostyle hall that reminded us of Karnak Temple (albeit, relatively speaking, in miniature). It gave us an impression of what it might have felt like to be in Karnak Temple when it was roofed — though, I think, Karnak would have had the roof laid on lintels, not arched and vaulted as this was.


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:33:38 
Basilica of Esztergom: Crypt, central hypostyle hall


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:34:22
Basilica of Esztergom: Crypt, central hypostyle hall


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:34:46
Basilica of Esztergom: Crypt, central hypostyle hall


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:35:22
Basilica of Esztergom: Crypt, large side-chamber


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:35:22 (detail)
Basilica of Esztergom: Crypt, “Csernoch János…” (†25 July 1927)


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:36:04
Basilica of Esztergom: Crypt, large side-chamber


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:36:38
Basilica of Esztergom: Crypt, large side-chamber


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:37:22
Basilica of Esztergom: Crypt, large side-chamber, detail of János Csernoch’s tomb


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:38:32
Basilica of Esztergom: Crypt, far rotunda


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:39:04
Basilica of Esztergom: Crypt, far rotunda


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:39:26
Basilica of Esztergom: Crypt, far rotunda


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:42:06
Basilica of Esztergom: Crypt, central hypostyle hall


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:43:18
Basilica of Esztergom: Crypt, central hypostyle hall (“E” on plan)[iii] — tombs of Dénes Széchy (†1465) and János Vitéz (†1472)

There was a choir singing in the nave, with soloists, and because we listened to them — also, didn’t want to cause a distraction — it was slowly that we made our way to the door to the right of them.[iv] This was the way that led to the other paid-for features: the Cathedral Treasury, the Panorama Hall and the Dome (or Cupola).

[iii] “E” on plan — the crypt plan, that is, not the cathedral plan.
[iv] Janet’s account places listening to the choir before we visited the crypt: “[We] enjoyed listening to a choir. Beautiful.” Both accounts could be true: they could have been singing before and after we visited the crypt. “The door” led to the rooms marked “C” and “D” on the plan below.

Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:45:10
Basilica of Esztergom: Nave


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:45:18
Basilica of Esztergom: Nave


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:46:42
Basilica of Esztergom: Nave


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:50:06
Basilica of Esztergom: Nave

We entered the door, and found ourselves in the gift shop (“C” on the plan).


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:52:18
Basilica of Esztergom: Gift shop

We proceeded to the small room beyond that (“D” on the plan), in which was an automated turnstile with a scanner into which one inserted one’s ticket to gain access, to the right, to a spiral staircase leading to the other paid-for features. We went up that, and skipping the Treasury visited the Panorama Hall. There was a room in which was a model of the site, showing what Archbishop Sándor Rudnay, who conceived the idea of restoring the ecclesiastical centre of the archdiocese to its former seat here, planned to build on the hill.


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:56:02
Basilica of Esztergom: Archbishop Sándor Rudnay’s original concept for the site


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:56:14
Basilica of Esztergom: Archbishop Sándor Rudnay’s original concept for the site


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:56:50
Basilica of Esztergom: Organ console


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:57:14 Basilica of Esztergom: The basilica itself in Archbishop Sándor Rudnay’s original concept for the site

Beyond that, with a counter selling refreshments on the inner side and a huge semicircular window looking out over the Danube on the outer side, was the Panorama Hall proper.



I had a coffee (“kávé”), and Janet had a fizzy drink; I can’t remember what, for the receipt just says “élelm…” (“food”).


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:57:32
Basilica of Esztergom: Panorama Hall


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:58:20
Basilica of Esztergom: Views from the Panorama Hall:
Mária Valéria Bridge


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:58:34
Basilica of Esztergom: Views from the Panorama Hall:
MS William Shakespeare


Friday 6 July 2018 — 10:58:54
Basilica of Esztergom: Views from the Panorama Hall:
Mária Valéria Bridge and Štúrovo, Slovakia

From the Panorama Hall, the way to the Dome led us via a catwalk on a flat roof through a door into the central part of the building.


From the Panorama Hall, the way to the Dome led us via a catwalk on a flat roof through a door (1), up a spiral staircase to a turret, across and up by a metal ladder (2) to a walkway within the peristyle of the drum (3), then up a narrow spiral staircase to the perimeter of the dome itself (4).


Friday 6 July 2018 — 11:08:34
Basilica of Esztergom: Looking up to the turret over the first stairwell and to the colonnaded drum of the dome


Friday 6 July 2018 — 11:08:48
Basilica of Esztergom: Views from the location of “11:08:34”


Friday 6 July 2018 — 11:09:02
Basilica of Esztergom: Views from the location of “11:08:34”


Friday 6 July 2018 — 11:09:42
Basilica of Esztergom: Views from the location of “11:08:34”

Here, there was a spiral stone staircase to a turret, from which we crossed and ascended by a metal ladder to the bottom of the colonnaded drum that supported the dome. There was a walkway around the drum within the columns. We proceeded along this, in a clockwise direction (as viewed from above) — being up there, so high, rather gave me the willies — till we came to a door, within which was another spiral stone staircase.


Friday 6 July 2018 — 11:12:14
Basilica of Esztergom: Views from around the peristyle of the drum


Friday 6 July 2018 — 11:12:38
Basilica of Esztergom: Views from around the peristyle of the drum


Friday 6 July 2018 — 11:12:46
Basilica of Esztergom: Views from around the peristyle of the drum


Friday 6 July 2018 — 11:13:08
Basilica of Esztergom: Views from around the peristyle of the drum


Friday 6 July 2018 — 11:14:18
Basilica of Esztergom: Views from around the peristyle of the drum:
Miklós Melocco’s Coronation of St. Stephen


Friday 6 July 2018 — 11:15:36
Basilica of Esztergom: Views from around the peristyle of the drum:
northern bell-tower


Friday 6 July 2018 — 11:16:40
Basilica of Esztergom: Views from around the peristyle of the drum:
southern bell-tower


Friday 6 July 2018 — 11:17:08
Basilica of Esztergom: Views from around the peristyle of the drum

The ascent, round and round and round, up and up and up those narrow, stone spiral steps was seemingly endless! (Photographic evidence, though, shows that we did it in less than three minutes.) The basilica has, not one dome, but an inner and an outer one. We emerged into the space between the two, where there was an echo: whatever one said, it came back again almost a second later!


Friday 6 July 2018 — 11:20:06
Basilica of Esztergom: Between the inner and outer domes

If I had the willies before, now more so, when I went through the door on to the narrow walkway round the perimeter of the dome! Janet was OK, though. (This was in contrast with when we visited the Church of Santa María Mayor in Ronda last year (2 September 2017), and I made it to the top, but Janet turned back half-way). There were a lot of people up there, proceeding very slowly indeed by fits and starts, around the dome, in an anticlockwise direction. In the end, we excused ourselves a number of times and passed in front of groups of them, because our time was limited. We went full-circle (cf. photos “11:21:04” and “11:32:44”). There was one of the basilica’s staff up there, at the door, “directing traffic,” as it were.


Friday 6 July 2018 — 11:21:04
Basilica of Esztergom: Views from the perimeter of the dome


Friday 6 July 2018 — 11:21:26
Basilica of Esztergom: Views from the perimeter of the dome


Friday 6 July 2018 — 11:22:20
Basilica of Esztergom: Views from the perimeter of the dome


Friday 6 July 2018 — 11:23:10
Basilica of Esztergom: Views from the perimeter of the dome:
Miklós Melocco’s Coronation of St. Stephen


Friday 6 July 2018 — 11:23:10 (detail)


Friday 6 July 2018 — 11:26:08
Basilica of Esztergom: Views from the perimeter of the dome:
MS William Shakespeare


Friday 6 July 2018 — 11:26:22
Basilica of Esztergom: Views from the perimeter of the dome


Friday 6 July 2018 — 11:26:50
Basilica of Esztergom: Views from the perimeter of the dome


Friday 6 July 2018 — 11:27:08
Basilica of Esztergom: Views from the perimeter of the dome


Friday 6 July 2018 — 11:27:48
Basilica of Esztergom: Views from the perimeter of the dome


Friday 6 July 2018 — 11:28:20
Basilica of Esztergom: Views from the perimeter of the dome


Friday 6 July 2018 — 11:28:32
Basilica of Esztergom: Views from the perimeter of the dome


Friday 6 July 2018 — 11:28:48
Basilica of Esztergom: Views from the perimeter of the dome


Friday 6 July 2018 — 11:29:18
Basilica of Esztergom: Views from the perimeter of the dome


Friday 6 July 2018 — 11:29:50
Basilica of Esztergom: Views from the perimeter of the dome


Friday 6 July 2018 — 11:32:44
Basilica of Esztergom: Views from the perimeter of the dome

I think our way out through the ’tween-domes space now led us to a different spiral stair-well down. At any rate, we didn’t encounter anyone wanting to come up.


Friday 6 July 2018 — 11:33:34
Basilica of Esztergom: Stairwell of the drum of the dome


Friday 6 July 2018 — 11:34:22
Basilica of Esztergom: Stairwell of the drum of the dome

I think also that the stairwell turret, to which we descended by metal ladder from the peristyle of the drum, was a different one from the one by which we’d come up. The former was on the south-west corner of the square roof out of which the drum rose; this one was on the south-east corner.


Friday 6 July 2018 — 11:35:54
Basilica of Esztergom: Ladder from the peristyle of the drum to the turret


Friday 6 July 2018 — 11:36:14
Basilica of Esztergom: Stairwell down from the turret

Again, we came out onto a catwalk across a flat roof; but the first one had been between the Panorama Hall on the west to the central part of the building: this one was from the central part to the eastern end.


Friday 6 July 2018 — 11:37:50
Basilica of Esztergom: Catwalk to the eastern end


Friday 6 July 2018 — 11:38:32
Basilica of Esztergom: Continuing to descend to ground level


Friday 6 July 2018 — 11:38:58
Basilica of Esztergom: Continuing to descend to ground level


Friday 6 July 2018 — 11:40:38
Basilica of Esztergom: Continuing to descend to ground level

We had intended visiting the Treasury on our way back down; but this way led us out of the basilica completely. So we re-entered the nave, and went back through the gift shop; but when we tried to pass through the turnstile in the next room, it wouldn’t let us through, presumably because we’d passed through it once before.


Friday 6 July 2018 — 11:43:58
Basilica of Esztergom: Going from the gift shop to visit the Treasury

There was a man on duty by it, however; and when we told him that we’d visited the Panorama Hall and the Dome but not the Treasury, he let us through. Photography was not allowed in the Treasury, so all we have is the descriptive leaflet that Janet picked up.









Finally, we went back through the nave.


Friday 6 July 2018 — 11:57:08
Basilica of Esztergom: Organ


Friday 6 July 2018 — 11:57:16
Basilica of Esztergom: Dome


Friday 6 July 2018 — 12:04:20
Basilica of Esztergom


Friday 6 July 2018 — 12:06:02
Basilica of Esztergom

We thought we’d walk back to the ship, but we didn’t have the map with us from the “Your river cruise starts here” folder. We headed in what looked like the right direction, but found bounding walls with no way through. So we boarded the “12:15” “Noddy Train” instead.


Friday 6 July 2018 — 12:10:46
Esztergom: Aboard the “Noddy Train”


Friday 6 July 2018 — 12:18:04
Esztergom: Views from the “Noddy Train”


Friday 6 July 2018 — 12:18:34
Esztergom: Views from the “Noddy Train”


Friday 6 July 2018 — 12:22:14
Esztergom: Crossing the bridge back over Kis Duna (“Little Danube”)


Friday 6 July 2018 — 12:23:40
Esztergom: Returning to the ship


Friday 6 July 2018 — 12:24:38
Esztergom: Returning to the ship

On the way back to the ship, after crossing the bridge to the “mainland”, we caught up with Eszter and chatted with her. We commented that it felt good being in places like this and feeling that we “belong” (we voted to remain in the EU).… I think the captain was there to greet us on board. We swapped the shore passes for our cabin key-cards at reception. I went up to the sun deck; and as I was photographing the basilica and environs, the ship started on its way to Bratislava.


Friday 6 July 2018 — 12:41:20
Esztergom: Views from the sun deck of the ship


Friday 6 July 2018 — 12:41:28
Esztergom: Views from the sun deck of the ship


Friday 6 July 2018 — 12:41:36
Esztergom: Views from the sun deck of the ship


Friday 6 July 2018 — 12:41:54
Esztergom: Views from the sun deck of the ship


Friday 6 July 2018 — 12:42:12
Esztergom: Views from the sun deck of the ship


Friday 6 July 2018 — 12:42:26
Esztergom: Views from the sun deck of the ship


Friday 6 July 2018 — 12:42:26 (detail 1)
 QVAE SVRSVM SVNT QVAERITE
 Colossians 3:1: “Seek the things that are above”


Friday 6 July 2018 — 12:42:26 (detail 2)


Friday 6 July 2018 — 12:42:26 (detail 3)


Friday 6 July 2018 — 12:42:46
Esztergom: Views from the sun deck of the ship


Friday 6 July 2018 — 12:43:08
Esztergom: Views from the sun deck of the ship


Friday 6 July 2018 — 12:43:32
Esztergom: Views from the sun deck of the ship


Friday 6 July 2018 — 12:43:44
Esztergom: Views from the sun deck of the ship: Kis Duna (“Little Danube”)


Friday 6 July 2018 — 12:44:48
Esztergom: Views from the sun deck of the ship: Mária Valéria Bridge


Friday 6 July 2018 — 12:45:28
Esztergom: Views from the sun deck of the ship: Mária Valéria Bridge


Friday 6 July 2018 — 12:48:24
Esztergom: Views from the sun deck of the ship


Friday 6 July 2018 — 12:48:24 (detail)
Esztergom: Views from the sun deck of the ship

Then Janet and I went down to the restaurant for a buffet lunch. Can’t remember what I chose to eat; what I had to drink is documented: I had a 0.4ℓ glass of Veltins and Janet had a diet Coca Cola (13:23 on the invoice slip). We returned to the cabin (“around 1.30pm,” according to Janet’s journal), and Janet flung open to glass doors of the Juliet balcony. I managed finally to log on to the ship’s Wi-Fi with the Samsung computer; checked e-mails… but when I tried to follow the links to Messenger and to Facebook, the notification came up, “This page cannot be displayed.” Nor, I found, could I open Blogger — e.g. to view “John Edward Cooper’s Notes” — but, strangely, I could open Google Drive and read my Google Docs. Sent Chris an e-mail:

From: Джон Эдвард Купер
To: Chris Woodhead
Date: 6 July 2018 at 14:25
Should be called "die grüne Donau"!!

Friday 6 July 2018 — 14:27:20
“Die grüne Donau” — seen from the cabin

“Around 3pm,” Janet wrote, “I suggested we have a drink and an explore as I felt I would end up lying on the bed and maybe… dozing off, so we set out. Went up top. Had a walk around then went to the lounge. [John] had a [0.4ℓ glass of Veltins] beer and I had a Diet Coke (it ain’t Pepsi as I was told)” [15:22 on the invoice slip]. The server was a guy called Boris, quite dour of face, but we liked him. Janet continued: “Then I had a couple of decaff and [John] had two americano.” One could order coffee from the bar and pay for it; but there was a coffee machine near the entrance to the lounge, where one could help oneself to unlimited amounts. According to “Your daily programme”:

16:45
Your Riviera Travel Team invite you to a
short presentation on Bratislava in the
Lounge. Please bring your orange Vox boxes
and blue earpieces with you!

Vox was presumably the supplier of the pocket-sized radio receivers with which we were all provided, to enable us to hear a tour guide equipped with a microphone and similar-sized radio transmitter. So, as Janet wrote, “We returned to our cabin to collect our orange Vox boxes, then back to the lounge for a short presentation on Bratislava (our destination tomorrow).” As well as being given a presentation by Viktoria and Eszter, we were invited to try out the radio receivers, on Channel 11. The people going ashore would be divided into three parties, and we were invited each to pick up a card from one of three boxes on the reception desk, printed with a “1”, “2” or “3”, respectively. “Group 1” would use Channel 11 on the radio receivers; “Group 2”, Channel 12; and “Group 3”, Channel 13. I picked up a couple of cards with a “1”. Janet continued: “[John] returned to the cabin and I investigated the gym. Two bikes there. I had a go on one, and will use one of these whenever possible. There is also a walkway on the upper deck so there’s no reason not to keep moving and fit.” In the cabin, I noticed that Chris had replied:

From: Chris Woodhead
To: Джон Эдвард Купер
Date: 6 July 2018 at 16:08
Oooh deahhh, then something went wrong!!!!!

“Oooh deahhh,” I assume, is a quote from a spoof tape recording we once made using Trevor’s tape recorder. At the start it had me as Jones, snapping, “Now! We are ready to begin!”; and later it had “Jones” exclaiming, unintentionally with a Welsh-sounding accent, “Oooh deahhh! Then I am doomed!”…

18:30
Your Captain, Crew and Riviera Team invite
you to a Welcome drink in the Lounge.

19:00
Your Welcome Dinner is served in the
Restaurant (one sitting).

Janet showered and changed into “some posh togs” (as she wrote); I also showered, and put on my suit and tie. Then we went to the lounge, where I accepted a flute of fizzy white wine and Janet a similar glass of orange juice. Staff came round with trays of hors d’oeuvres and canapés, as senior crew and staff were introduced and did a little “lap of honour” around the central bar. Then we all went down to the restaurant. Janet and I sat at a table for two in the near starboard corner. The menu listed 12 or more courses, many with a choice between two items — each course with a title, some of which were ridiculous, like “amuse-bouch” and “intermezzo”. I felt a creeping up of dismay as I read, because from what I could understand of the words of the menu (or what Janet, a fan of cookbooks and TV cookery programmes, explained to me) I didn’t fancy any of it. I wanted to go back to the cabin.[v] Anyway, having decided to skip two or so of the courses as completely intolerable, I managed to choose from the others, even though I asked that certain items, e.g. mushrooms, be omitted. I had a glass of “red wine” and Janet had Coca Cola Light (19:43 on the invoice slip) and later I had another glass of red wine (“Zweigelt Gmeiner”, it said on the invoice slip: 21:17), perhaps to go with some cheese. (“Gmeiner” is a winery in Burgenland, Austria; and “Zweigelt” is a red wine grape variety developed in 1922 in Austria, by Fritz Zweigelt.) The timings that I’ve quoted (“19:00”, “19:43”, “21:17”) give some indication of how long we were there. Too long! — though after my initial dismay, I found the evening tolerable. I remember looking out of the adjacent window, and nothing was visible; it was all black, for we were in the chamber of a lock. Eventually I could make out features, which seemed to descend as the water level rose. Back in the cabin, I transferred 101 photos from my camera to the WD Elements HDD (21:37–21:41). Viewed them all in Windows Photo Viewer and rotated five that needed it (21:43–21:47). “I was absolutely knackered,” Janet wrote: “so tired.” Through the window I saw a single flash of lightning to the ground. We went to bed, ca.10.15pm. I was aware of flashes of lightning, even with eyes closed. Our passage through locks continued. There was a huge ship parallel to us at one point. At ca.1.10am, when I woke up and needed to go to the loo, I scribbled in my notepad: “Heavy rain continued.”

[v] I previously viewed all this nouvelle cuisine shit, all these tiny “pictures-on-a plate”, with scorn; now, with hindsight, I utterly abhor it, and want every practitioner of it to go to hell! They often seem to have dishes with this kind of “foam”, or that kind, which led me to propose one with “hawked loogie foam”.

[Saturday 7 July 2018]