Come along with us as we sail the Danube from Vienna, Austria to Bucharest, Romania. 

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We enjoy traveling to Europe every chance we get.  We love the history, the architecture, the food, and the people.  We have so much to learn from our travels and this trip was no exception. Viking has several Danube sailings that include various stops, and we booked the trip called Capitals of Eastern Europe. This trip took us to five European capital cities, with a four day extension in Bucharest.  The cities of Vienna, Bratislava, and Budapest were repeats for us from our Viking Danube Waltz river cruise in 2023, but all were definitely worth seeing twice, and we would certainly go back again. 

We sailed in March of 2024. I do not like the heat, so we tend to vacation when our destination is experiencing its cool season.  When we cruise, we like to fly in a couple days before, just to be safe, due to the possibility of delayed or canceled flights, (this happened to me on a trip last year but we flew in three days early), or the chance that the airline makes us check our bags and loses them. We highly recommended flying in early for cruises, especially if you book your own airfare, as we did on this trip. (The cruise line is generally responsible for getting you to the ship if you book airfare through them.)  This trip, our schedules only permitted us to fly in one day before we embarked the ship. The entire trip was 21 days.  Viking considers the day you board the ship as day one of the trip, so you will see this reflected in the information on their website and in this article.

Pre-Cruise Day, March 16. Vienna, Austria

We spent our one free day in Vienna, the capital of Austria, hitting some of the highlights. We stayed one night at the Hollmann Beletage in central Vienna. It was a great place within walking distance to Mozart’s house, the Sisi Museum, Hofburg Palace, the Opera, Saint Stephen’s Church, and a metro stop. We visited all of these places, albiet briefly. We enjoyed coffee and cake at Gerstner’s Café, (we never pass up a good coffee shop) across from the Opera, by just walking in without a reservation.  We do recommend making a reservation, we just got lucky and would have found another coffee shop had there been no availability.  In the afternoon, we grabbed the metro and headed toward the ship.  It was a short walk from the end of the metro line to the ship.  We travel with just a carry on and backpack each, so it was an easy, flat walk along the river in beautiful weather.

Day 1, March 17. Vienna, Austria

Boarding the ship is an easy process.  They took our luggage as we boarded the ship and delivered it to our cabin. Meanwhile, we checked in with our passports and established our onboard account for any expenses. (You can also do this online.)  We double checked that they had us down for the Silver Spirits package we had pre-purchased. We like our wine and cocktails on vacation (and at home too) and like the variety and ease of having the package. Lots of people feel it’s not worth the money, but Viking’s SS package is actually quite reasonable compared to other cruise lines. We always buy the package. We also enjoy the rapport we develop with the bar staff. 

Once onboard the Viking Rinda, we grabbed a coffee (we never turn down a good coffee, and their cappuccinos are quite delicious) and explored the ship for a bit. I love checking everything out on the first day when the ship is not yet full.  We made our way to our room about a bit later, settled in, and unpacked our bags.  The cabins are very efficiently laid out with plenty of storage, including room under the bed for our empty bags. We had a French Balcony cabin for this journey.  It was a bit smaller than the Veranda cabin we had on our previous Viking river cruises, and we missed the bit of extra space, including the chair by the sliding door (which just tends to collect my clothing anyway), and of course, the veranda.  With the French Balcony, you can still open the door for fresh air, but we did miss the veranda and its two chairs for our morning coffee. 

We then headed to the lounge for our customary Aperol Spritz and Gin and Tonic before dinner. Yum! There is a port talk on the ship each evening prior to dinner. The Program Director gives you lots of useful information about the next day’s activities and it’s a great time to meet new people. You can also opt to watch this on the TV in your room. There are not quite enough seats in the lounge for every guest on the ship, so we like to go a bit early each evening. On evenings when there is a special performance or big event scheduled, they do set up enough chairs for everyone. 

Day 2, March 18. Vienna, Austria

On this sailing, the Viking ship stays docked in Vienna for the first three days. The ship is essentially your hotel on the river while you participate in the included and/or optional excursions in Vienna.  One of the advantages of sailing with Viking is one included tour in every port.  So while we had three days here, only one tour was included. There are usually several included tours of varying interests and activity levels to choose from on each day. Many days also include a leisurely paced tour for those who may need to walk more slowly. You will be able to read descriptions of the tours and pre-book your tours on the My Viking website after you book the trip. Not to worry, if you don’t book them ahead of time, it’s easy to do so at Guest Relations once on the ship. Often, we had time to do an included tour and an optional tour on the same day.  Optional tours are of course an extra fee.  All the tours we booked on this trip were through Viking, although we do often book private tours, depending on the location and our interests.  On this day, we took the included tour called Vienna’s Sights Up Close. It was a smaller group than the usual tours (which can include 30-40 participants), and included walking through downtown Vienna, with no bus rides.  We saw some of the same places we had seen on our first day in the city, but this time we had a professional tour guide to explain some of the history.  The local tour guides that Viking contracted were all excellent. 

Day 3, March 19. Vienna, Austria

We booked Behind the Scenes at the Spanish Riding School, an optional tour which included getting to see the Lipizzaner Stallions. They sure were beautiful, and very sleepy, as they had just eaten their breakfast and many of them were napping.  We were jealous…as we tend to vacation hard and figure we can sleep when we get home.  We were not allowed to photograph the horses inside the stables, just outside in the paddock area, where we saw a few stallions in their stalls.  Our tour also included a carriage ride through the city and it was a lot of fun!  We found a coffee in our free time (did I mention we never pass up a good coffee shop) before walking back to the ship.  Many of the folks we met chose the optional trip to Schönbrunn Palace.  We had been there in March 2023 on our Danube Waltz sailing, so we do recommend seeing it. (Vienna, Bratislava, and Budapest were all included on the Waltz.) Back on board the ship, we attended the port talk, had dinner, enjoyed a Viennese opera performance, and sailed through our first set of locks. 

Day 4, March 20. Bratislava, Slovakia

Today we docked in Bratislava, the capital and largest city in Slovakia. We took the included Bratislava Walking Tour, which hit a few of the highlights in downtown Bratislava.  We chose the Bratislava Castle excursion last year and while we enjoyed it, you do not get to go inside the castle on that tour.  We think Bratislava is under rated.  It’s a beautiful city with lots of Hapsburg history and lovely architecture.  St Martin’s Cathedral was a highlight this time.  Eleven Hapsburg Kings and eight Queens were coronated in this cathedral when Bratislava was known as Pressburg.  If you don’t know who Maria Theresa is, you will feel as if you know her personally when your stay in Bratislava is over.  The tour guides will drop you in the heart of the city at the end of the tour if you desire, so we found a quaint coffee shop in our free time (we never pass up a good coffee shop) before an easy walk back to the ship on our own.

Day 5, March 21. Budapest, Hungary

We docked in beautiful Budapest, the capital of Hungary, for an overnight stay. There is no city as lovely as Budapest at night when it is all aglow in lights.  It really is breathtaking.  We had previously done some in depth touring of Budapest, including spending a full day with a private guide.  Last year, we stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel on the river and woke up to the gorgeous reflection of Buda Castle pictured at the beginning of this article! This time we skipped the included tour and set out on our own to hike up Gellért Hill and take in some beautiful views.  It’s an easy to moderate walk uphill on a paved path that most people in decent health can do.  You can take public transportation or a taxi from the ship to the bottom of the hill, but we chose to walk from the ship and back, as we were docked near the Széchenyi Chain Bridge and wanted to walk across the bridge.  We had great weather for mid-March and knew we needed to take advantage of it with all the good food we would be having on this trip.  After descending Gellért Hill, we had some Hungarian Goulash for lunch and took the funicular up to Castle Hill.  We spent the afternoon walking around Fisherman’s Bastion and Matthias Church before walking back to the ship. If you get a chance, be sure to climb the stairs to the top of the Matthias Church tower. We did that on our last trip to Budapest and the views are definitely worth the climb. 

Day 6, March 22. Budapest, Hungary

On this cruise, the ship overnights in Budapest, so we had an extra day to enjoy the city.  We booked the optional Highlights of Budapest tour which included a visit inside the beautiful Parliament building.  It really is a beautiful building, and we do recommend this tour if you have a chance. The tour included some time in Liberty Square and a lovely lunch.  We spent the afternoon walking around the Pest side of the city, visiting the New York café for a coffee (we never pass up a good coffee shop), and visiting the Shoes on the Danube Memorial, before making our way back to the ship on foot. 

Day 7, March 23. Mohács, Hungary

On this day, we were docked in Mohács, Hungary.  We took the included tour called Historic Pécs, so didn’t get to visit Mohács. This tour started with a bus ride to Pécs, followed by a walk through parts of the city. Our guide was excellent and very knowledgeable. Pécs was established in the 2^nd Century, BCE. Within Pécs is a modern cultural center built on a colorful past, with beautiful architecture influenced by the Austrian, Roman, and Ottoman Empires.  It has the largest number of Turkish Ottoman buildings of all the Central European cities. It is also the home to the University of Pécs, the oldest University in Hungary.  

Our tour took us to the Catholic Pécs Cathedral, also known as Saints Peter and Paul’s Cathedral Basilica, with its more modern Roman style influences, owing to its reconstruction in the late 1800’s, after sustaining damage during the Turkish occupation. We also visited the Early Christian Necropolis of Pécs, which is a UNESCO Heritage Site that contains a burial chamber and the remnants of a 4^th Century CE Roman church building and city. We spent some free time in Széchenyi Square, and saw several Ottoman style buildings, including the mosque of Gázi Kászim pasa . 

Back on the ship, we met our Captain and had a brief tour of the wheelhouse. Our young Captain spoke seven languages and explained that the official language of navigation on this part of the Danube is Russian. We were surprised to hear that. We enjoyed dinner and free time for the rest of the evening.

Day 8, March 24. Vukovar, Croatia

We docked in Vukovar, Croatia, on the Danube border with Serbia.  We chose the included tour, Osijek Citadel and Vukovar’s Eltz Manor Museum.  Our drive to Osijek took us past several buildings which had been heavily damaged in the War of Croatian Independence in the 1990’s.  Many of the buildings still stand in same condition they were left in after the bombings, including the train station, a pharmacy, and the water tower.  It was a somber reminder of a very recent conflict that we in the US felt very far removed from at the time.  Our walking tour visited the Osijek old town area, where we saw the Church of Saint Michael, the former military command buildings and bastion, the old city hall and town square, and the War of Independence Memorial.  On the way back to Vukovar, we enjoyed a visit to the Eltz Manor Museum. 

Day 9, March 25. Novi Sad, Serbia

Today we docked in Novi Sad, Serbia. In the morning, we took the included walking tour through downtown Novi Sad and saw a few of the highlights. Our tour took us through a city market where locals were selling fresh food and bakery items. We stopped at a booth where our guide had the owner prepare some Uštipci, which are fried dough balls. They were served with some jams and cheeses and were quite delicious. We then continued on through the city center to the beautiful Novi Sad Synagogue, where we were treated to a lovely choir performance. Our walk then took us through Danube Park, with its many sculptures, on the way back to the ship. 

When we returned to the ship, we set out on the optional Fruška Gora National Park hike with lunch and visits to two monasteries. This was an easy hike on wide trails that any normally healthy folks could accomplish with no trouble. The guide walked slowly and made sure everyone had plenty of time. He even had to call back a few of the faster walkers to wait for the group (guilty as charged). We did hear a lady complaining about sticks and stones on the trail, and how they should have been warned that they might encounter those.  We found it funny, as this tour was literally called a TRAIL HIKE IN A NATIONAL PARK! Our lunch was at the Fruškogorski Đeram restaurant near the Grgeteg  Monastery, and included local specialties and wine. Later, we enjoyed dinner with some new friends and a quiet evening on the ship. 

Day 10, March 26. Belgrade, Serbia

Today we docked in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia.  We chose the optional Best of Belgrade tour and were not disappointed.  We enjoyed a guided tour through Belgrade Fortress and the surrounding areas with beautiful views from the hills above Belgrade.  We also enjoyed an in depth tour of the beautiful Church of Saint Sava, and a trip to the Museum of Yugoslavia, where Josip Broz Tito, the former long running Communist leader of Yugoslavia, is entombed.  We learned that Tito was a very popular leader among his constituents at the time.  Our guide remembered getting a new dress and shoes to attend his funeral when she was 10 years old.  We have such a western view here in the US that all Communism is bad, and I am not saying it’s good or desirable, but when we travel to these places and meet people who grew up under Communist rule, we learn that there is good and bad in every form of government.  

We followed the museum with lunch at the Panajotović wine cellar. They had a candlelit table prepared for us, and we tasted four wines paired with different foods. It was a lovely lunch and a great way to end the tour. Of course, we had to buy a bottle of wine to take home. Back on the ship for the evening, we attended the port talk, had dinner, and attended the Serbian folklore performance with live musicians and dancers, featuring traditional instruments of rural Serbia.

Day 11, March 27. Belgrade, Serbia (Scheduled Donji Milanovac)

We were supposed to sail on to Donji Milanovac, Serbia today, and dock there, but the weather had other plans. You have to be flexible on any type of cruise, even river cruises.  Today was very windy and the authorities closed the Danube and no one could sail. We spent the day and night docked in our original position in Belgrade.  We saw lots of barges and working ships being forced to dock along the river for over 24 hours until the wind subsided. Viking pivoted (I’m sure they always have a backup plan) and organized an excursion to the Roman ruins in Viminacium, which was a major port city and a military camp on the ancient Danube route.  We saw thermal baths, tombs, and a gladiator arena where the remains of a bear and a camel had been excavated. We also saw the remains of a one million year old mammoth recovered from a nearby ignite mine.  If you love archeology as we do, Viminacium is a fascinating site that we recommend seeing if you have a chance. 

Back on the ship for the evening, we attended the port talk and had dinner, then had a tour of the kitchen. It’s always interesting to see how hard they are working back there to prepare all of our meals and special dinners.

Day 12, March 28. River Cruising Day (Scheduled, Vidin, Bulgaria)

We were finally able to sail again on day twelve.  We had missed the ports of Donji Milanovac yesterday and Vidin, Bulgaria, today, and now had to make up some time.  Today was spent cruising the Danube through the Iron Gate region. We were very lucky with our sunny weather on this trip. The scenery along the route was lovely and we enjoyed a great day of sailing the river, sitting outside, and enjoying the scenery, as did many of our fellow travelers. We had a Bloody Mary in the morning outside on the Aquavit Terrace, and lunch under the covered section of the Aquavit Terrace. We cruised by the famous Decebalus rock sculpture at the Iron Gate, which marks the border between Serbia and Romania. The sculpture is the tallest rock relief in Europe, at 180 feet tall and 82 feet wide.

While it was a very enjoyable day, we were sorry to miss our planned excursion to Belogradchik Fortress and our hike to the Vistas of the Iron Gate.  We saw the refund for those optional excursions almost immediately on our account. 

Day 13, March 29. Pleven, Bulgaria

Today we were back on schedule, docking in Pleven, Bulgaria. We took the included tour, Panoramic Pleven,  which had us walking through parts of Pleven. The downtown area of Pleven is filled with historic buildings alongside more modern architecture, plenty of restaurants, parks, and shopping. Many local families were out enjoying the weather. We had some free time while there to enjoy a snack and a drink. We also took a short a bus trip to the Pleven Panorama museum as part of this included tour. The Panorama told the regionally famous story of the Siege of Pleven during the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-8.  While at the museum site, we purchased some small souvenirs from a local outdoor vendor.

We met some lovely local people, including our guide, who was a public school teacher.  He shared his frustrations with the current state of education in Bulgaria and was hopeful for positive changes.  We opted out of the Sofia, Bulgaria excursion, which was an overnight trip to Bulgaria’s capital city, and quite an extra expense.

Day 14, March 30. Constanta, Romania

We docked in the town of Cernavodă, Romania today.  Our included tour was Constanța on Foot.  We took about an hour bus ride into Constanța and enjoyed a walk through the city and down to the Promenade by the Black Sea.  The city has a fascinating history and many influences from centuries of rule by Greece, Bulgaria, the Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Byzantine Empire.  

In our free time, we found a lovely café by the Black Sea where we had the prettiest Gin and Tonics and a bite to eat (and you thought I was going to say we never pass up a good coffee shop).  Back on the ship, we all enjoyed a farewell party held by the Captain and crew, as we were disembarking the ship the next morning.  

Later that evening, we left the Danube and set sail for Constanța down the manmade Danube-Black Sea Canal. I am not exactly sure why we docked in Cernavodă, and then took a bus to Constanța and back, before sailing on to Constanța, but I am assuming it had to do with the port authority and docking locations in Constanța. 

Day 15, March 31. Bucharest, Romania

Today we woke up in Constanța, Romania, on the Black Sea, where we disembarked the Viking Rinda. Disembarkation was an easy process. Viking will transport all your luggage to the bus. You will want to keep your backpacks or a personal item of some sort so you have space for your jackets, water bottles, and any other comfort supplies you may need for the ride to Bucharest. We were sad to be leaving the ship but looking forward to seeing Bucharest, the capital of Romania.  We enjoyed the included Panoramic Bucharest tour as we left the ship and traveled from Constanța to Bucharest.  

The tour was a brief overview of the highlights of the city.  We saw the outside of the Parliament building and the Romanian Athenaeum, the Arcul de Triumf (yes, a copy cat of France’s famous Arc de Triomphe), many beautiful parks, and some not so beautiful Communist era buildings. We enjoyed a nice lunch at Hanu’ lui Manuc Restaurant, where we were served a family style lunch with wine included. 

After checking in to our hotel, the JW Marriott, we chose the optional Sights and Flavors of Bucharest Tour.  We recommend this tasty and fun evening tour if you have the chance. It was a progressive dinner where we had appetizers and beer at Hanu’ Berarilor Casa Opera, dinner and wine at Hanu’ Berarilor Casa Elena Lupescu, and desserts and schnapps at Hanu’ Berarilor Uranus. Two drinks at each location were included with this excursion, and non-alcoholic drinks were also available. The guides were great, the food was delicious, and the evening was beautiful. Come very hungry if you choose this tour, and plan to have fun.

Day 16, April 1. Bucharest, Romania

This was our second day in Bucharest at the Marriot.  We chose the optional Insights into the Palace of Parliament tour and it did not disappoint.  Romania’s Parliament building is the second largest administrative building in the world (after the Pentagon), the most expensive, and one of the heaviest.  It is said to be sinking 6 mm per year and compressing the layers of sediment on which it is built, even while it remains 70% empty and incomplete.  Along with both chambers of the Romanian Parliament, the building also houses three museums and an international conference center.  It is ornately adorned and no expense was spared.  

While it is magnificent, there is unfortunately a sad history surrounding the Parliament, which includes displacing residents, forced labor, and theft of government money by the dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu. You may recall that Ceaușescu was the Communist leader of Romania for many years. His government was overthrown, and he and his wife escaped by helicopter from the Communist party headquarters in what is now known as Revolution Square. He did not live to see the parliament building completed, as he was executed in the Romanian Revolution on Christmas Day, 1989. We briefly visited Revolution Square, and saw some of the significant buildings while on this tour. We learned a lot about Romanian history, and we definitely recommend doing it if you have a chance. 

Later that evening, we all had some free time and dinner was on our own. A few of our fellow travelers ate at an Italian restaurant across the street from the Marriott, but we chose to walk to the Hanu’ Berarilor Uranus restaurant for dinner. It was about a 15 minute walk through safe streets to get there. We just followed the map on our phones. We sat outside in the garden this time (we sat in the wine cellar the night before on the tour) and enjoyed traditional Romanian Sarmale, which are cabbage rolls stuffed with ground pork, smoked pork, rice, and spices, then wrapped in sauerkraut and slow cooked until tender and golden. We had them on the Sights and Flavors of Bucharest Tour, and I simply could not get enough of these cabbage rolls on this trip. 

Day 17 (Extension Day 1), April 2. Brasov, Romania

This was last day of the Viking Capitals of Eastern Europe river cruise and Day 1 of the extension.  While many folks were checking out and heading home, we began our extension into the Transylvania region of Romania.  After disembarking the ship, we were loaded onto a tour bus. There were about 45 passengers out of the approximately 198 passengers on the ship, who opted for the extension, and we had an almost full tour bus. At times it seemed a bit crowded, and we would have preferred a smaller group, but overall it was a great trip. 

There is a lot of walking on this extension, much of it a bit hilly, and we did have a couple of people with mobility issues (walkers or canes) who were not able to participate fully in some of the sights. The physical requirements are made clear on the Viking website, so I’m sure those people were aware of the difficulties they would encounter. There are no leisurely group options (which go at a slower pace) on the extension, as there are on the ship. 

The extension began with a scenic a trip to Brașov, Romania where we would spend two nights. Our drive took us through the Forest of the Riches, where 6000 Eurasian Brown Bears live, but we were not fortunate enough to see any of them. It was a beautiful drive and nice to be out of the city. We had a bit of a mix up on our first day. While enroute from Bucharest to Brașov, we were supposed to visit Peleş Castle, as part of the included tour, but due to a mix up with dates and timing, we found it closed when we arrived. The guide was just as surprised as we were, and after a couple of phone calls, we headed on to Bran Castle, and planned to return to Peleş Castle on the way back to Bucharest on Thursday April 4.  

We instead had a guided tour of Bran Castle, which was built in the 1300’s. It was a lot of walking up some very tight stairwells, so if you are claustrophobic, this might be the time you go shopping for some Dracula souvenirs. Bran Castle and the famous Romanian leader Vlad the Impaler are supposedly the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s book Dracula. Lots of controversy surrounding the inspiration, but they are sure capitalizing on it, as everything around the castle area is Dracula everything. We found Bran Castle interesting, but an unimpressive tourist trap, but that’s what you get. 

We had a late lunch or early dinner in a pizza place across the road from Bran Castle, as did many of our group, before heading to the hotel in Brașov for the night, as it was a bit later in the day than originally planned. We stayed at the Radisson Blue in Brașov, we were very pleased with the hotel, and it was an easy walk to Starbucks. Dinner was on our own that evening, but we skipped it and turned in early since we had a very late lunch. 

Extension Day 2, April 3. Brasov, Romania

Today most of the participants of the extension participated in the optional all day tour of Transylvania. Honestly, I don’t know why anyone who booked the extension would not go on this tour, but it was an option, and not an included part of the extension. If you don’t do the tour today, you can do some exploring in and around Brașov on your own. The guides will give you options of things to do. (Yesterday’s tour on the way to Brașov was included, and tomorrow’s tour is also included.) There were about 35 of us who took this tour. 

We started the day on a full size tour bus and headed for visit to the Prejmer fortified church. Many of these fortified churches exist and all have actual forts built around them for protection. There were enough rooms inside the fortification for all the villagers. This tour included a trip inside the sanctuary of the church, and inside the fortifications with some walking up narrow stairs in tight quarters, but was very doable for most in the group. 

Our next stop was the small town of Sighișoara, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where we took a small shuttle train up the to  the town square. We walked up the stairs in the church bell tower, and again, seemed to be very doable for most people in the group. Definitely walk up the stairs inside the tower if you can. The tower houses the Seven Day Figures, which represent not only the seven days of the week, but also seven ancient gods, seven planets, and seven basic metals. The figures are quite impressive, albeit a bit creepy. 

Lunch was at Casa Vlad – Dracul, where they were still capitalizing on the Dracula theme. This included lunch was very enjoyable. We had a little free time after lunch to enjoy the town, so we walked up the covered wooden stairs to see the School on the Hill. The building dates from 1619 and the views are beautiful. 

Our afternoon included a stop at the Biserica Evangelica Fortificata, or the fortified church in Viscri. The church itself is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with construction beginning in the 13^th century.  If you are able, definitely climb the stairs to the top and have a look at the beautiful views.

We walked through a small village and saw lots of locals going about their day gardening and tending to their animals. Most of the villagers grow a garden and many have small orchards as well. We saw farmers plowing and planting, and farmers and doggies bringing their cows and sheep back home after allowing them to graze free all day.  Apparently, all the pigs are allowed to graze free and not come back home. The cows and sheep all come home at 5 pm like clockwork.

When we returned to the hotel in Brașov, many people participated in the optional (extra cost) evening excursion which included dinner at the Sergiana Restaurant and a walk around town to see some of the highlights in Brașov. We knew that we (read…I) would be exhausted after our all day excursion, so we opted to have dinner on our own at Sergiana, as did a few others. We can highly recommend this restaurant that serves traditional Romanian dishes. They served real pork cracklins as an appetizer. These were delicious and just like the ones we made as kids growing up on our hog farm in Indiana. Pork rinds and things labeled as pork cracklins at home in the US are not the same thing. Pork is the traditional Romanian meat, due to being under Ottoman rule for so many years and the Ottomans not eating the pork. The only people the Romanians seem to dislike today more than the Ottomans are the Russians, and both for very valid reasons.

Extension Day 3, April 4. Brasov, Romania

Happy Birthday to me!  We walked to Starbucks this morning for some coffee before checking out and boarding the bus for the trip back to Bucharest, with an included tour of Peleş Castle on the way.  This time there were no glitches and we really enjoyed the guided tour of this lovely castle. This castle is relatively young as European history goes, and was built starting in 1873 for King Carol I of Romania. The castle and surrounding grounds were beautiful. 

It is a bit of a walk from where the bus drops you off to the castle, and all up hill on the way back to the bus. Our guide ended up calling a cab for a few of the folks in the group. Apparently, this is common practice when visiting this castle, as we saw many taxis waiting at the bottom of the hill for tourists. The guide did make it clear that we were responsible for the taxi fare, which didn’t appear to be stopping the people who used it. (We have no idea what the cost was, but it couldn’t have been much.)

The castle is located in the small town of Sinaia, named for the Sinaia Monastery, which was built there around 1695, and named after the Biblical Mount Sinai. We had lunch on our own at a quaint restaurant in Sinaia, with more traditional Romanian fare. Of course, I had to have some more stuffed cabbage rolls, or Sarmale. I couldn’t get enough of that delicious dish on this trip! 

Back at the JW Marriott hotel in Bucharest for the night, we were tired and ready to get packed up for our trip home the next day. We had a lovely birthday dinner at the steakhouse at the hotel. We highly recommend dinner at this steakhouse. The service and food were all wonderful and it was the perfect ending to a great trip.

SummaryWe had a very fun and informative trip. We love to travel for the history, the culture, and the people. We find people all around the world are the same: working, raising their families, trying to make a living wage and still have enough left over to enjoy life. Things here in Eastern Europe are expensive and gas prices are about 6 USD per gallon, at the time of this writing, so we saw the same struggles on this trip that we are experiencing at home in the US. 

Overall, we were pleased with this Viking trip.  The ship was lovely, the service was impeccable, and the included and optional tours were all enjoyable. If we had it to do over again, we would probably choose to do the Transylvania extension on our own with a private tour company. The large group of 45 people made some of the sightseeing very slow and did not leave us enough time to see some of things we wanted to see with the small amount of left over time. You have to be flexible with a Viking tour, as many of the participants are older and have varying mobility issues. While we are in generally good health and near age 60, we understand that and we had a great time, but we felt like we could have maximized our time and enjoyment if we had done the extension on our own. Viking contracted with Karpaten Tours of Romania for the extension, and we would recommend staring there when doing research for this trip. https://www.karpaten.eu/en/home

Disclaimer: We mainly use iPhones for photos, and while all photos were taken by us, I use the Apple clean up tool to remove people and extraneous objects from the photos. Therefore, you may see some weird or wonky shapes in the photos.