Ruse and Bucharest; The end of the cruise but not of our travels!

 

The Palace of the Parliament is the world's largest civilian building!

We were at day 24 of our cruise, this would be our last full day on the boat. We were on the included excursion into the town of Ruse, Bulgaria. After walking with the tour, we explored the old town on our own, eventually returning to the boat for lunch and then spent the rest of the day relaxing. We were feeling the effects of three weeks of cruising and just decided to take it easy.

In "Ruse"!

Ruse itself is a nice enough town with large public squares and pedestrian-friendly avenues.

That evening our boat made it's final cruise to the port town of Giurgiu, Romania. From here we would be bused into Bucharest for our final day of the standard tour.

The next morning we had our luggage collected for our drive to Bucharest. We departed the Lofn and were bused to the town; about an hours ride.

Bucharest is quite a large city. It still exudes a bit of a Soviet vibe in a lot of the architecture, including the Parliament Building, said to be the largest civilian building in the world with over 3,000 rooms. There is also a canal passing through town which gives it an interesting twist. I think though, that I was a bit tired of passing through Eastern European cities as I wasn't really struck by anything here. 

Bucharest's canal.

We had a lunch here.

We did get to visit a large park in town which holds examples of various historical houses and such.

We spent the night at a very nice hotel that Viking had set up for us. We had a meal with some of the folks we had traveled with and called it a night. The next day, we would be flying to Istanbul!

Goodbye Bucharest and Romania!

Pictures of Ruse and Bucharest.

Golubac Fortress, the Iron gates and on to Vidin and the Belogradchik Rocks; Sailing down the Danube.

Approaching the Iron Gate

After Belgrade, we had a day of sailing down the Danube with a short stop at Golubac Fortress. This is an interesting riverside fort which dates back to Roman times. Up until recent years, a highway actually passed right through the old fort but that has recently been diverted and now tourists are free to walk through much of it. 

Golubac Fortress

Besides the fortress itself, there are several archeological digs set up examining Ottoman and Roman sites also located here. 

Looking back on our boat at Golubac

After Golubac, we boarded and started to sail down the Kazan stretch of the river, a dramatic stretch of river as it passes through Carpathian Mountain Gorges. 

The Iron Gate, a gap in the Carpathian Mountains.

This stretch included a fairly recent sculpture the Dacian King Decebalus, a ruler who opposed the Romans and is considered a hero in Romanian history. We also passed Trajan's Tablet, A stone carved and set to mark the construction of a Roman Military road during the reign of Trajan.

Behind Shelly is a rock sculpture of Dacian King Decebalus.

Trajan's Tablet was laid to mark the construction of a Roman road,

The stretch of river before us used to be considered wild and dangerous but in modern times has been tamed by the largest lock system on the Danube!

In a lock at the end of the Kazan stretch.

After spending the night cruising, we woke up in Vidin, Bulgaria. Vidin is a typical river town in eastern Europe. One thing that struck me was that here, like many other towns in Croatia, Serbia and Romania, was the primitive electrical infrastructure! It was something I'd expect in say, Nepal, but not in Europe!

Wiring found in Vidin, Bulgaria.

From Vidin we boarded a bus and traveled to Belogradchik Rocks and Fortress. The fort was interesting enough, although most forts were beginning to look alike to me, but the real highlight was visiting the Rocks! They are actually pretty spectacular looking and the views from them are wonderful.

At the Fortress of Belogradchik. The Belogradchik Rocks in the background.

A great view from the Rocks!

It occurred to me that after three weeks of cruising on rivers, this was the most expansive view I had taken in! It was actually kind of refreshing after so many castles, forts and cathedrals! We returned to Vidin and reboarded the boat to sail to our final port at Ruse, Bulgaria!

In Vidin.

Click on the link below for more pictures:

Golubac Fortress and the Iron Gates.

Croatia and Serbia

 

The Orthodox Cathedral in Belgrade.

Our next port was in Vukavor, Croatia. We traveled by bus to Osijek to visit a church where we enjoyed a nice recital given by a local girl.

This part of Croatia was subjected to a lot of damage during the war with Serbia in the 90s, and some damaged building are evident to this day. One such building in Osijek was left in it's damaged state as a memorial.

This building was left as it was at the end of the war to serve as a memorial.

After the church we were divided into smaller groups and visited a local home where we had a snack and drink and talk with a local who talked about life in Croatia. That evening we were treated to a demonstration of traditional music by local musicians. 

The next day we reached Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. We had an interesting walking tour through the town including a short visit to a large fortress, the Kalemegdan Fortress.  We visited a brand new Eastern Orthodox Cathedral that was amazing!  Our guide was very good, an energetic older lady with lots of energy! After lunch, I went back to the fortress to check out the large historical armor, (tank) display on the grounds. 

This cathedral is new construction!

Part of the Tank display at the Kalemgdan.

Besides the tanks, the Fortress also has some wonderful views of the city! That evening we were back on the boat as it sailed on down the Danube.

A view from the Kalemgdan.

Pictures from Croatia and Serbia

Budapest, Puszta and Paprika.

 

Budapest's Hungarian Parliament Building.

When you arrive in Budapest on the River, the Parliament Building is one of the first things you see. It's quite striking, and even more so when you view it at night!

The city actually comprises of two older towns on opposite sides of the Danube. The "Buda" side has a lot of historic buildings while the "Pest" side is more modern. We first toured the Buda side, visiting the Cathedral and Battlements, and enjoying the views. In the afternoon we walked around the "Pest" side, not so picturesque but with more modern amenities. 

Cathedral on the "Buda" side.

 view from the "Buda" side.

The next day was a free day as some of our fellow passengers were disembarking, Budapest is the end of the short cruise. We visited a huge market place and bought some paprika, dolls for the granddaughters and a cork purse for Shelly. Later we visited a haunting memorial for the victims of the Holocaust that was on the river walk.  

The Holocaust Memorial on the river bank. 

That night we were treated to a view of the city at night as our ship departed town.

Nighttime on the Danube.

The next day we awoke a little further downriver and disembarked to visit a church at Kalocsa which included an impressive organ program. Now I don't usually get excited about organ programs but this one was pretty impressive! 

After Kalocsa we visited the stables at Puszta and were treated to a horsemanship demonstration which was pretty cool. We then boarded our ship and left Hungary.

At the show in Puszta.

Pictures from Hungary

In Vienna!

Vienna from the Ferris Wheel at the Prater.

We arrived at Vienna overnight. After breakfast we joined our excursion. The tour we chose included riding the U-Bahn into the old town. As it turned out, only one other couple had chosen this tour! The others had taken a tour which used a bus. I was glad we took this one, the guide was very good and I enjoyed traveling using the Metro.

As I said, our guide, Karl, was very good and as a bonus, he was up on "Third Man" minutiae, too! At one point during our walk, he pointed out an area that was used in the movie!

One of the places seen in "The Third Man"!

We walked through various parts of the old city, at one point we passed the Stables of the famous Lipizzaner Stallions; we could just see them in their stalls.

The Albertina Museum

At the conclusion of our tour we returned to the boat and had lunch on board. After lunch we walked over to the Prater, an amusement park which features a 100 year old Ferris wheel which figured prominently in The Third Man. The Prater was only about a mile from our boat so we decided to return the next day.

The next morning, we walked along the waterfront looking for a clothing store. I picked up a wicking T-shirt and a couple of pairs of shorts at a discount shop, preparing for a bout of hot weather which was forecast.  While walking along, we noticed an inordinate number of little bunnies on the verges!

A Viennese bunny! 

We then walked to the Prater and rode the Wheel, taking lots of pictures. After the ride we stopped at a cafe and had a bier, (a Stiegl, of course!).

Enjoying a beer on the grounds of the Prater.

We returned to the boat for lunch. That afternoon I attended a tour of the Pilothouse which was pretty interesting. The entire structure can retract to allow for low clearances. Late in the afternoon, we set sail for Budapest!

Vienna Pictures here:  Vienna pictures

Melk, Krems, and the Wachau Valley

 

The Abbey at Melk.

We started the day with a sort cruise to Melk. This town is the home of a sprawling Abbey, dating back to the 11th century. Besides it's extensive galleries and library, it also boasts a large garden area.

After touring the Abbey and it's gardens, we returned to the boat for lunch. I still had some energy after lunch so I convinced Shelly to go on a little hike though the nearby woods. After wandering around we eventually found our way back to the boat, just in time to sail on to Krems!

Spotted in the woods while hiking!

The way to Krems took us through the Dachau Valley, an area with lovely castles and churches and vineyards

In the Wachau Valley.

We arrived in Krems in the late afternoon. A nice little village, but we didn't really do anything noteworthy there!

Selfie in Krems!

Late that evening, the Lofn set off; the next stop is Vienna!

Pictures here:  Melk, Krems and the Wachau Valley.

Nuremburg, Passau and Wesenufer!

At Nuremberg

This was the end of the line for our ride on the Viking Lif. High water levels would prevent it from continuing down the Main/Danube canal; there was not enough clearance below bridges! Viking had a number of other boats on the Danube below the canal so we were to be bused to one on the other side of the canal. This entailed having to transport our luggage as well, so we had to pack our bags the night before and have them ready to go.

The next morning we had breakfast and boarded buses to drive into Nuremburg. It was a good tour of the city and included a lunch at a local restaurant which wasn't too bad.

After lunch we boarded the buses and made the 6 hour drive to Linz. I must have dozed off because I remember virtually nothing about the drive! We arrived in Linz and boarded our new home, the Viking Lofn. We were greeted by the crew with champagne. The Lofn is identical to our old boat, so there was no problem getting situated on the vessel.

Our new home.

After we boarded, the Lofn sailed upriver to a point a little closer to our next planned stop at Regensburg. The next morning we bused into Regensburg. There is a very impressive cathedral here. Had lunch at a nice out-of-the-way cafe and picked up a few souvenirs. 

Regensburg

I definitely have a cold, dozed off on the bus ride back to the boat!

The next day we docked at a tiny place called Wesenufer and then bused into Passau. That town is still recovering from the recent flooding, although judging by the marks of historical floods, they got by easy this year!

A short history of Passau's flooding!

While strolling through Passau we picked up some cold medication, then back to the boat for lunch.

That afternoon we walked through Wesenufer and discovered a sculpture park on the sculptor's farm! Fun visit. On our way back to the boat we stopped at the local cafe and had a bier and a crepe.

Links for pictures:

Wurzburg, Nuremburg to Passau

European Tour, Part 2, Koblenz to Nuremburg.

 

A winery along the Rhine.

We departed Koblenz in the late morning, sadly missing the start of a local bier fest. We did enjoy a scenic stretch of the river though. 

Along the Rhine.

On the Rhine, notice how the water has gone over it's banks.

Eventually, we came to the confluence of the Rhine and the Main rivers, at Mainz. We must have reached that point overnight for we never saw that city. 

We passed through a series of locks as we continued to cruise. We had a local glassblower visit and give a demonstration. He had an interesting program which touched on the history of glassblowing in the region. In the afternoon we arrived at Freudenburg and took a bus back to visit the little village of Mitlenberg.

Mitlenberg.

While at Mitlenberg, we were surprised to find a marker for the Camino de Santiago on town!

A waymarker for the Camino!

The next morning we continued to cruise the Main. We pulled into Wurzburg at midday and did an excursion to the Bishops' Residenz. A pretty impressive palace which was damaged during WWII but has been largely rebuilt. 

The Residenz at Wurzburg.

A nice custom when in Wurzburg is to enjoy a local wine on the bridge. This I did and the wine and the bridge are both quite nice!

Nice wine!

Unfortunately, that evening I was starting to feel a little under the weather, a slight cold so I wasn't very good company for Shelly nor our dinner companions that evening.

Due to the high rivers, we had been told to expect to have to switch boats soon.

Next morning we had an interesting lecture on Bavarian history. After lunch we were able to walk through Bamberg.  This was an interesting little town to walk through. It also offers a Rauchbier, a beer with a distinct smokey flavor. Of course, I had to try it and it was pretty good! It tasted like a stout to me. Not too bad.

In Bamberg.

Bamberg waterfront.

Most importantly for us, Bamberg is the northern starting point of the Main-Danube canal. Because of this years abnormally high river levels, we will be forced to bus from our stop tomorrow at Nuremburg to another Viking ship waiting for us at Linz.

The next morning we arrived at Nuremburg. We had to pack our suitcases the night before and have them ready for transfer to our new boat! We left the Lif for our excursion through town and would then be bused to our new boat, the Lofn at Linz.

Nuremburg skyline.

Castle complex in Nuremburg.

Our new home, the Viking Lofn. It's a duplicate of our previous boat.

Here are a few more pictures:

Koblenz and scenic sailing

Wurzburg to Nuremburg