Our Danube river cruise is coming to an end. We embarked in Vienna, Austria, then made our way south 1,200 miles all the way to the Black Sea. I never thought I’d visit Eastern European countries like Bulgaria and Romania, but I’m glad we had the chance to. Here’s a recap.
Vienna
Before boarding the ship, we spent a few days in Vienna. We did our touristic duty and visited Schönbrunn Palace and Hofburg Palace. The Sisi museum in Hofburg Palace was a good stop. Princess Sisi was something else.
But my favorite activity in Vienna was just roaming around in the Innere Stadt area. The Viennese definitely have a good thing going
Slovakia
We left Vienna sometime during the night and arrived in Bratislava, Slovakia the next morning. After visiting Bratislava Castle and Bratislava’s Old Town, we took an hour-long bus ride through the Slovakian countryside.
Our young Slovak guide told us about the local history as we motored past farms, fields, and the occasional communist-era housing block. Those were definitely not the good old days for Slovaks – or just about anyone living in Eastern Europe, as we would soon learn.
Budapest
Next stop: Budapest, Hungary. This is one impressive city. Not in the same way as Vienna, but perhaps in a more interesting way. Most westerners, I’d imagine, have a basic familiarity with Vienna, but know next to nothing about Budapest or Hungary. That just makes Budapest more interesting.
Once again, we received a history lesson from a local guide. Who knew Eastern European history was so interesting? It helps when the person telling the story learned some of it first-hand or from his parents.
Beyond Budapest
Next stop: Belgrade, Serbia. After World War II, today’s Serbia was an undefined region in Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia’s leader during the communist era was Josip Tito. He was an amazing guy who managed to keep the peace for 40 years.
After Tito died, Yugoslavia broke into pieces, and the whole Balkan Peninsula became a political mess – and a dangerous place to be.
Fortunately, those days are gone. And as far as I could tell after spending some time on Belgrade’s Knez Mihailova Street, people in Belgrade are doing just fine.
When we woke up the next day we were docked at the small port town of Vidin, Bulgaria. Another day, another country. That’s how it goes when you’re river cruising.
The last major city on the cruise was Bucharest, Romania. In Romania we saw farms, fields, and gypsies, and learned about the communist era in Romania.
The Black Sea
Before heading home, we made it all the way to the Black Sea. The Danube River delta is a bird sanctuary. Bird watchers were out in force. We became bird watcher watchers. Based upon my careful observations, I can attest that bird watchers of a feather definitely flock together.
My favorite part of this river cruise was time spent on busses learning regional history from people who know it and care about it. I was shocked at how little I knew about this part of the world. Was I just not paying attention in 8th grade history? Was Eastern Europe not included in World History in school? I don’t know!
I’m glad I’m a little more aware now.
To be continued…
