We’ve got white caps on the Danube today. Everyone is seasick. Kidding. Well, I overheard one lady say she was seasick. Not sure how. Being on a river boat is like sailing on glass. I think she might be confusing seasickness with some sketchy goulash.
Viking’s Demanding Hike
Early this morning, Ken went on what Viking advertised as a “demanding” hike – to see Golubac Fortress and some extremely old rocks. Ken was motivated. He showed up in shorts and hiking shoes – ready to storm the castle and get a workout. Everyone seemed genuinely shocked he was wearing shorts (for the record, save for about a week in February, Ken wears shorts year-round). Ken quickly learned that he and Viking have radically different interpretations of the word, “demanding”. According to Ken, the hike was more of a leisurely stroll punctuated by the occasional cobblestone – roughly the equivalent of walking uphill to the mailbox.
Sidebar: The Pants Debate
Ken and I have a decades-long debate about what you call these two articles of clothing. He says they are short pants (left) and long pants (right). I say they are shorts and pants. Shorts are shorts and pants are pants. They don’t need modifiers.
That said, I know the UK (and Australia?) call the article of clothing on the right trousers, not pants. I know this because I made the mistake of asking for pants at a store in Scotland, and the store clerk directed me to something that was decidedly not pants in my mind.
So, for the sake of argument, we are debating American English here.
FRUSTRATION: I cannot get my fancy poll to insert/embed here. So the poll question is – are these shorts and pants or short pants and long pants?
The correct answer is, of course, shorts and pants.
Meanwhile, Back on Board
I was going to tour Golubac Fortress with the herd while Ken hiked, but once I saw the herd assembling, I decided to stay on board and enjoy some quiet time. I’ll read the fortress Cliffnotes later.
Later: As it turns out, Golubac Fortress isn’t just a castle (which is what I thought), but a full-blown 14th-century fortified town. It has ten towers, which seems like an awful lot of towers. I’m imagining the architect repeatedly leaping up from the drafting table and shouting, “WE NEED MORE TOWERS!” Over the centuries, Golubac Fortress has been fought over by Serbs, Hungarians, and Ottomans – essentially every group that ever looked at the Danube and said, “This river seems important, and I would like to control it.”
Ken got an action shot of our ship sailing past wherever it was he was hiking (the hikers rejoined the ship later).
Scenic Sailing
This afternoon, we are doing what Viking calls “scenic sailing”. We sat on our balcony (under a few blankets) and watched the world go by for a while. Extraordinary natural scenery along this section of the Danube. This is the part of river cruising Ken enjoyed most – chilling on our balcony taking in all of the nature.
Sailed by the tallest rock sculpture in Europe. I thought it was a statue of Treebeard from Lord of the Rings (I mean, look at him.) Not Treebeard. It is Decebalus – the last king of the ancient kingdom of Dacia (Romania). Also thought the statue was ancient. Not ancient. It was commissioned by a Romanian billionaire in 1994. It lost some of its panache for me after I learned that.
This afternoon, we passed through a series of extremely tight locks on the Danube River. Seeing engineering on this scale, and in action, felt both awe-inspiring and slightly terrifying. Being lowered into those massive chambers felt intensely claustrophobic. The ship had exactly zero wiggle room between its hull and the walls, which made leaning out on the balcony to take photos – as I did – feel downright adventurous. Props to the captain, who guided us through the locks without producing a single alarming scraping noise.
Serbian Dinner Night
After we successfully navigated the river locks, it was time for a traditional Serbian feast for dinner tonight. I had maybe the best soup I have ever eaten – oyster mushroom (which I forgot to take a picture of). I asked the chef for the recipe – hopefully, he will remember this request later. Also had this incredible Serbian pear liquor that I drank more of than I care to admit. I need to figure out exactly what we were drinking because some of this needs to come home with me.
Tomorrow: Vidin, Bulgaria. 🇧🇬
Travel date: October 19, 2025
Shorts and pants. Definitely. What outstanding photos. And wow – they really can cut it close!
Shorts and pants – see, I knew you were a smart cookie! 😎
It’s amazing how they move into those locks seemingly with little effort.
It was crazy! These captains have some serious skills.
OK! From Australia (glad you realized we again are ‘different’:) !) – long shorts and trousers ! We do use the term ‘long pants’ but it denotes a totally informal, kinda shapeless pair of pull-ons for either sex you would wear gardening or taking out the rubbish! Actually an interesting post for me – love the look of your boat on the river and the castle I had not seen before and the locks. Love oyster mushrooms also – am certain I would have liked the soup.
So kinda like what we call “sweats” here in America? Interesting.
Kirsten – had not thought of the word ‘sweats’ – but, yes exactly!
Hi. I’m back after a short but necessary pause. Shorts and pants? Clearly shorts and pants. What other identifier would be needed? You don’t call an orange an orange orange! Anyone refers to them as shorts and long pants is really only going half way. If you use the term long pants then you should also use short pants….and who does that???
I was thinking further about this. First, I’m not surprised it’s “decades long”. However, if you want to end it (are you sure you do?). Google “short pants” and you get pants, not shorts. Google “shorts” and you get shorts.
Oh, and just to end the next “point of discussion” before it even starts, toilet paper rolls over the top and down the front of the roll!
I Googled “short pants” and got shorts?? But yes, the correct way to install toilet paper is over the top. Only psychopaths install the roll from underneath.
Good to have you back, Gary. Exactly. What other identifier would be needed?
Another very enjoyable read. I smiled at the lady who confused seasickness with sketchy goulash, admired the carving of Decebalus (even if it is very recent) and liked your description of the claustrophobic sensation in the locks which I remember from the Rhine cruise we did.
The shorts are definitely shorts but I always struggle with the use of the term ‘pants’ for trousers – as you discovered in Scotland it has a very different meaning here!
I’ve also tripped on the word “boot” in the UK . . . 😎
Boot as in trunk, you mean? The one that always gets me is pavement – we use it for what you call the sidewalk, whereas you use it for the road itself. Getting them muddled could be a little dangerous!
Yes, boot as in trunk. For us, boot is footwear. In my mind, pavement is just about any cement surface. Could be road, could be sidewalk. I use it interchangeably.
It’s footwear for us too 😃
That’s a good read. I like the idea of the scenic sailing. I think the pants/shorts/trousers debate has been sorted in the previous comments. Another American term that might get misinterpreted over here is ‘Fanny Pack’. Ask for that in a department store and you’d probably be told to go to an entirely different sort of shop 😃
Thanks, Steve. And oh yes, we’ve had a run in with the “fanny pack”. 😂
Pants are what I wear under my trousers. Or under my shorts. Panties are what little girls wear. They become knickers from teenage onwards. Pear drink though, yeah.
Panties is one of the worst words in the entire English language vernacular. So cringe-worthy. Underwear. The universal word should be underwear.
UPDATE: Hmmm. I don’t know why, but the actual poll (where you could click and vote) did not show up in my original post. It should be there now. Regardless, the correct answer is still shorts and pants.
Shorts
😎