2026 Passage to Eastern Europe - Day #10 - Kalocsa, Hungary

Kalocsa & Puszta
Hungary’s Capital of Paprika and Equestrian Arts
Visit one of Hungary’s major cultural centers and attend a breathtaking display of traditional horsemanship.

Depart your ship for a short drive to the city of Kalocsa, where a rich history is flavored by the town’s renowned peppery paprika. In Holy Trinity Square, you will see the splendid cathedral and admire the Archbishop’s Palace. After a short organ concert at St. Joseph Church, continue to the Bakodpuszta Equestrian Center. The people of the Hungarian Puszta region have long relied on horses for transportation, settlement and defense of their land. Many locals worry that their country’s equestrian connection is being lost to a motorized world, so they hold fast to rural ways and to their four-legged comrades, elevating horsemanship to an art form. Witness the sometimes acrobatic culmination of this long-cherished relationship during a thrilling show.

I slept a litte better. We were up moving about 6:15 am. Although there is not much space in the room, I did a five minute Peloton core workout.

We headed to our first breakfast on the ship. We ended up sitting with Gary and Cindy. They split their time between Naples, Florida and Minnesota. He was a primary care physician.

Just before 9 am, they loaded almost the whole boat on four buses. It was about a twenty minute ride to The Bakodpuszta Horse Farm. We saw a horse riding show. Afterwards, we wandered the property. They had HUNGARIAN GREY CATTLE, MANGALICA PIGS and HUNGARIAN RACKA SHEEP.

Sharon bought some paprika. The region is a major paprike growing region.

From there, we headed to the Assumption Cathedral (also known as the Kalocsa Cathedral). It is the seat of the Archdiocese of Kalocsa-Kecskemét and one of the most important religious sites in Hungary. The current building is a masterpiece of Italian Baroque architecture, completed between 1728 and 1774. It was built on the ruins of several earlier churches, the first of which was founded by St. Stephen around 1010.


There was a twenty organ concert in the church. Afterwards, we headed back to the ship.

We were on the first bus back. We grabbed a seat on the front of the boat in Aquavit restaurant. We ended up having a long leisurely lunch with Lindsay and Shelia. With temperatures in the 70s, the four of us ended up sitting there and visiting long after they closed up for lunch.

We both took naps after lunch. I did two Peleton outdoor walks around path on the sun deck for half an hour.

We went to the lounge for a welcome drink with the captain. This was followed by a review of the optional excursion over the next couple of days.

We sat with Chris and Coleen and Phil and Fern at dinner. Both Sharon and I had the regional mail. It included Hortogbágyi Palacsinta (chicken crepe roulade, creamy paprika sauce) as a starter, Fogas Kárpathy (seared pike perch, shrimp, mashed potatoes, white wine sauce) as the main and Somlói Galuska (traditional Hungarian trifle) for dessert.

We crashed about 10:30 pm...