Our final excursion from the ship was an all day affair to 2 picturesque towns. As it was a 2 hour coach ride the first stop was morning tea….with a Bulgarian slant.

The washroom attendant looked a little fierce, and the structure mimicked a nearby castle, albeit on a smaller scale.

Next up was Arbanasi, a pretty little village favoured by some elite party officials during the communist regime

However its crowning glory is the Church of Nativity, with hundreds of painted frescoes covering the walls and ceilings, and dating from the 16th and 17th Century.

Then onto Konstantsalieva House, showing how a wealthy housemerchant would live in late Ottoman times in this part of the Balkans. It was extremely interesting seeing how the rooms differed to a western one in style.

After a few purchases at the local shop, notably Bulgarian rose products, it was time for lunch. An authentic and tasty one too..

Retracing our steps, we headed back to Veliko Tarnovo, a hilltop fortress with parts of the old town still standing and providing a unique shopping experience. The narrow artisan lane had much better, and cheaper, products than usually seen.

Time for a coach ride back to Lif……I think most people had a snooze, and then pack before the final cocktail toast from the Captain and crew.

Tomorrow we leave the ship, and tour on our way to Bucharest.

Welcome to Bulgaria ! Another day, another country and another early start……we are both a bit tired today, so Hazel has decided to stay onboard whilst I set out to see Belogradchik Rocks and Fortress. Leaving our port at Vidin we traversed some plains before heading up to the Balken foothills.There are a lot of derelict buildings left over from the communist era, but plenty of wildflowers along the roadside.

As we wind our way up the hills we get the first glimpse of our destination. It’s like the limestone Kast country, but red due to iron oxide.

The town is spread on the lower slopes, with unusual rock formations towering over them.

It looks a bit of a scramble up, H did well to stay onboard.

Halfway up we pass thru a doorway. Not much of the original fortress remains, so we have to use our imagination, especially with all the animals our guide “sees” in the rock shapes.

Upwards, our guide wants to be the first up top !

The last bit is a real scramble, but the views are worth it.

Going down is as challenging as climbing up, just fewer calories

Then it’s back on the coach to the boat via the Epigraphic Center which has a display of mainly Roman objects and gravestones on display. There are over 300 Roman sites in the area.

Tomorrow we have a full day tour organised and will have to pack in the evening. The next day we will leave the ship, do a day tour and then be dropped off at our hotel in Bucharest. Apologies if the blog gets a bit delayed…..at the latest it will start again onboard Prime Thyme and the River Wey in the UK. Meanwhile a game of Piggy Ear continues in Tasmania between “Mini” Cooper and “Cyclone” Rosie

Our view from this mornings mooring was outstanding, Golubac Fortress standing guard at the entrance to Djerdap gorge.

With Prehistoric origins the fortress was first mentioned in 1335. Called Cuppae during Roman times the existing structure would have been recognisable by the 16th and 17th centuries.

With a series of towers, curtain walls and traps it was never taken in a siege, of which there were numerous, usually between the Ottoman Empire and a Christian coalition led by Hungary.

Once over the drawbridge, thru the gate and over the murder pits there was no obvious gate…..instead there’s a steep climb up to a concealed entrance, and then another 7 more gates before gaining access to the palace. No wonder it was never taken ! Even with modern stairs it was a slog to get from tower to tower.

Taking a few modern short cuts the palace interior held numerous reconstructions of weapons and armour. It also had some original Brigandine armour which had been put back together… a rare example of plate armour, beautifully decorated.

Going thru 3 of the 8 towers the size and complexity of the fortress was grasped…..it’s a very impressive piece of preserved and reconstructed Serbian history, and only completed recently due to the construction of the Iron Gate dam. This has significantly increased the water level of the Danube and means we have to go through some deep locks this afternoon.

The Iron Gate is a series of spectacular narrow gorges slicing through the Carpathian and Balkan mountains. This was enhanced by the building of the Iron Gate Dam, flooding the area up to an additional 30 metres, and unfortunately destroying numerous villages, archeological sites and stopping sturgeon migration. Even on a grey day it was impressive, albeit a bit cold.

After exiting the gorges we entered the first of the 2 staircase Iron Gate locks. The first one had vertical gates, 2nd ended with more traditional side ones.

Welcome to Romania!

Situated at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, Belgrade, meaning White City, has a strategic location resulting in it being destroyed and rebuilt 20 times. Today we took a walk to Kalemegdan Fortress, situated on top of a hill looking over the surrounding plains and city center.

The park surrounding the fortress had a range of trees, including the sweet smelling Linden, and a profusion of roses. I don’t know what variety they were, but I’m going to call one Roy…..at last I’ve found somebody who enjoys photographing as much as I do.

We were then bussed over to Saint Sava Church, This Orthodox Church is noted for its huge Byzantine style dome. The building and decoration on its interior was overwhelming!

Returning to the ship for lunch I then did a 20K Ebike ride out of the city center to a nearby “lake”, actually a loop of the Sava River damed both ends. Riding on the other side of the road, and coping with aggressive car drivers, it was still highly enjoyable. Stopping for refreshments it was also good to chat to a local couple who were obviously very proud of their hometown.

So today we are in Croatia, a former part of Yugoslavia, which had had a troubled both recent and past.

We started out tour in a different, but unique way, with a rural tourism host. Basically he takes a small party into his house, offers food ad drink, and you just interact with them as they speak good English.

I don’t know how to pronounce, let alone spell, our hosts name, but his family made us feel most welcome as he described the good and bad parts of his life. The little farm grew a lot of produce, and in particular his mother collects water fowl.

It was harrowing to hear how his Grandfather had built everything by hand, but they only had 15 minutes to evacuate when the country was invaded by Serbia. Fortunately they have managed to return, and since joining the EU have a fair degree of prosperity.

After a short coach ride to Osijek we visited the local 300 year old church, and were entertained by a pianist with a delightful voice.

Yet another coach ride to the old town now, and a wander around the Holy Trinity Square.

Once out of the main square damage from the most recent war was very evident. Yet most people want to put the past behind them, except in Vukovar where atrocities were committed. It will be interesting visiting Serbia tomorrow and hearing their side of the story.

Another interesting morning, time for lunch then afternoon entertainment……a Tamburica band will entertain us soon.

We are definitely moving into the countryside now, rather than an urban landscape. Still in Hungary, but the Danube has a few more twists and bends with sand on its banks.

The water level is low for this time of the year, meaning a steep climb up the gangplank for this mornings excursion.

First up was the Bakod Horse Farm, with some Magyar horseman demonstrating their skills and equipment.

They trained their horses to lie flat on the plains and ‘disappear’, with much use of whip cracking, but not in contact with the horse, thus training them to the sound of gunfire.

Grey longhorn steer, 2 in hand farm carts and a town carriage with 4 in hand were driven enthusiastically around the arena.

The finale involved an impressive display of 9 in the hand with the horseman atop the last 2 horses. You would definitely need flexible knees and a good sense of balance to do this.

Our extremely knowledgeable and personable local guide filled us in with the local agriculture; barley, wheat, poppy and sunflower, are grown in this fertile area. Indeed its name can be translated to “ in the middle of mud”. A short drive took us to Kalocsa Cathedral, set in a beautiful old town but with reminders of its Russian occupation until recently.

The Italian baroque style was in complete contrast to its surroundings, with the pink and white interior giving a much lighter appearance than some other Cathedral’s recently visited.

We were treated to a 20 minute organ recitals. The Angster organ was in maximum airflow mode! The sound was overwhelming and woke everybody up. Another great morning, time for lunch at the Aquavit Terrace and an afternoon on our balcony enjoying the passing scenery as we transit into Croatia

We waited for most of the disembarkation to take place before venturing out this morning. We settled upon a short tram ride to the markets, the ride being free for those over 65…….nice comments only please !

Set on 2 levels and covering a considerable area the range of goods was wide. Mainly meat and other perishables downstairs, with leather and linen up stairs. However it paid to wander around, as the prices and quality varied considerably.

We found a lovely Pashmina Shawl reasonably priced compared to Australia, but resisted the Goulash…….

Threatening skies and then rain have kept us aboard this afternoon, so we are watching the new faces appear for the Budapest to Bucharest cruise. This means ANOTHER Captains Welcome Aboard tonight………our third !😳 During dinner he took us back upstream, then turned around so that we could do a Budapest sail away with all the city lights shining……most impressive

We had a real treat this morning sailing into Budapest, first under some bridges, past Margaret’s Island and onto the Chain bridge opposite the Hungarian Parliament Building.

The shoreline was a maze of buildings…Churches, Apartments and Government buildings stretched either side of the banks.

Eventually we passed under the Chain bridge, and moored up just by it. Thankfully we are the first boat in our row, and our cabin faces inshore…..so no staring directly into cabin alongside.

We were straight of the ship and into a city tour by coach, ending up with a walking tour in the old city behind the castle.

Nicky then took us into King Stephen’s Church……everything was guilded, but all the tourists spoilt any Church serenity.

We had an hours free time before heading back to the boat, just enough to purchase a traditional hand embroidered table cloth, and try the local chimney cake……cinnamon and pistachio 🤫

We’ve had a quiet afternoon in anticipation of a farewell cocktail party, and dinner tonight for those not going onto Bucharest. We shall miss their company, but have another 10 days before the UK and Prime Thyme cruising, so hopefully will find another great table of dinner companions……I know a few are following this blog to see how it continues.

Well Bucharest at night is a lively place…..the castle is lit up, cruise boats are going up and down, a concert is going off in front of the ship and there are police cars with sirens on to ferry diplomats around for a meeting with the Türkiye alliance in town for the next couple of days

Today we took an optional tour rather than an included one, to Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. This is a landlocked country, whose eastern border is Ukraine ! Splitting from Czechoslovakia, and then overthrowing its communist regime in 1993, it has had a turbulent history. Nether the less we thought it worth a visit being so far from home, and not knowing much about it.

We were a small group of 25, plus our guide Eva, who was from Bratislava. It’s only an hours journey from Vienna, and indeed we could see Austria from the castles walls. The border is marked by wind turbines. Austria has them, Slovakia doesn’t !

Dominating over the city Bratislava Castle has been largely reconstructed after a fire, with the formal style gardens being a recent addition, but done in the correct period style.

After a wander we were coached down to the city, also dominated by the Slovakian Popular Uprising Bridge, or UFO bridge, due to its unique restaurant at the top.

Compared to Vienna it was quiet, a welcome respite from the last couple of days.

The city has a number of quirky statues, being popular for selfie’s these are loosely based on past locals.

Lunch was at Caranevalle Restaurant, being empty they were appreciative of our custom. The main dish of ravioli with creamy sheep’s cheese filling were delicious, but we opted out of the 70% proof local liquor.

After another hour or so for shopping / exploring it was time to meet Eva and head back to Viking Lif. It’s a fascinating city, still with many signs of its communist past, but obviously a country of great potential, witness all the car manufacturers there….Seat, Land Rover, and Peugeot to name but a few.

With the gangplank crane standing by Lif moved soon after our return. Sailing downstream we passed many other river cruise ships at their moorings, it’s a highlight for many of them.

Later that evening we sailed through Bratislava, the UFO bridge looked good being lit up in different colours.

Our arrival in Vienna saw a marked change in the weather, grey and wet, we started our walking tour with a short coach ride into the city. It’s very much an old city with an abundance of beautiful buildings, avenues of trees lining wide streets and statues.

We were dropped off near the Museums Quarter, the Sisi Museum having a particularly impressive facade.

Heading to St Stevan’s Cathedral we walk along the golden mile of shops and cafes, unfortunately most are closed as it’s Sunday. It looks like our mission to find the 2025 NYE Concert is doomed, I’ll have to try eBay Mum.

The exterior of St Stephan’s Cathedral is stunning, although the interior is more restrained than most we’ve seen.

After a couple of hours walking it’s time for a break Viennese style…..a Melange coffee with Apfelstrudel, delicious 👍 We’ve retreated to the boat for a few hours, though not by a traditional horse and carriage, as we have a Strauss themed evening ahead.

The day has ended with a wonderful concert by the Vienna Residence Orchestra, with soloist’s and dancers. With music by Vivaldi and Mozart, but mostly Strauss, what else would you play here on the Blue Danube. It might not have been the hoped for NYE concert, but a program and DVD will be on their way to Perth asap. You were here in spirit Mum and Dad ❤️M