A cruise down the river that shaped European history for centuries

A case of this, a carton of that… most of the time, a gentle bribe, discreetly executed, greased our journey seamlessly from one country to the next. But not at Mohács.

“We will need to gather for a face check at 10pm,” said our cruise director, JJ. “Feel free to come in your bath robes.”

Mohács is a checkpoint on the Danube, where the river leaves Hungary and flows on to form the border between Croatia and Serbia. Along with 168 other passengers, I was on a cruise on this most international of waterways, that passes through 10 countries along its 1,780-mile journey from the Black Forest to the Black Sea. I was looking forward to floating through the cultural and scenic beauty of historic lands…