20240809 Viking European Sojourn River Cruise Day 8/27 - Vidin Bulgaria and Belogradchik Fortress - stairs and more stairs

Viking European Sojourn River Cruise Day 8/27 - Vidin, Bulgaria - Belogradchik has it all - rocks and a fortress

We awoke this morning still underway on The Danube. We were surprised by this as we were awakened at 3:30 by what sounded like engines doing something - we assumed docking. That's one thing about room, 118. It is loud. Whatever that was early this morning was very loud. In addition, we have something else that cycles on and off all the time. We hear it going on and off whenever we're in the room. Since we're on the docking side and at the water level, whenever we dock, our window becomes useless as it is right up against the pier. I am not a fan of the rooms on this level, but the suites on deck 3 carry a huge premium price. We'll see as we get through this cruise whether river cruising will be in our future.

When you dock an ocean cruise ship, docking is an event with a pilot, a slow approach to the dock, six to ten ropes get tossed to secure the ship, and local officials have to clear the ship - an entire process. Docking a river cruise ship is a non-event. They pull up to the dock, toss a couple of ropes, and you're good to go ashore. Our excursion meeting time was 8:45 outside of the bus. We docked at 8:20 and people were getting off the ship at 8:30. 

This morning's included tour was a short bus tour of Vidin and then a drive out to Belogradchik to visit the Belogradchik Fortress and Belogradchik Rocks. The drive through Vidin was unremarkable. Our guide was quite vocal about her disdain for the period when Bulgaria was under communist control and the negative effects Bulgaria suffered. She pointed out a few highlights but offered no time for photos.

We continued on for the roughly 45-minute ride to Belogradchik. We rode past endless fields of sunflowers. They weren't very picturesque as they were about ready to be harvested to produce sunflower oil. The plants were facing down and dry. I imagine that in the prime growing season, the countryside is spectacular.

Approaching the Belogradchik Fortress

The fortress, built in an area surrounded by the imposing Belogradchik Rocks, dates back to the first or second century when this area was part of the Roman Empire. It was enlarged during the control of the Ottoman Empire and now is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Entry to the fortress is through a series of gates

The view of the fortress wall and the naturally occurring iron-rich limestone rocks is visually interesting

This second gate leads to a performance theater where shows are regularly produced.

There are roughly 200 steps, both metal and stone to reach the top

The natural rock formations were very interesting

You can see folks at the very top

The views into the valley were striking as well

Getting to the very top provided views of Belogradchik below

A nice view of Arlona and The Balkans in the distance

A church down below

Working our way back down

On the way back to Vidin, we drove past the St. Konstantin & Elena Church. This Christian Orthodox church has a most unusual paint scheme given that most have more muted tones. 

St. Konstantin & Elena Church

We arrived back at the ship and grabbed lunch. Arlona decided to take a walk and take in the sights.

A small heritage museum just up from where we docked

Vidin, written in the local Cyrillic alphabet

A statue in the town park, facing out to The Danube

Monument of Freedom

Another statue 

The Bulgarian flag

Baba Vida Fortress - a medieval fortress in Vidin

The Cultural Center "Jules Pascin" - a local synagogue

The Vidin Gate, built between 1740 and 1750

Downtown Vidin

A fountain in town

There was some interesting architecture and decorations

The Bulgarian Coat of Arms

Peoples' Friendship University of Russia - can you tell this is a communist-era building?

Viking brought two high school students on the ship for a Q&A session. It was interesting to hear their perspectives on life. hey followed it with a folklore session where younger dancers and adult musicians performed traditional dances.

Tonight, they had a Viking Explorers Society gathering for all returning Viking guests. We usually don't attend these but did tonight. It was a nice affair and we met other guests who have cruised Viking in the past.

Ivan, our program director, gave a talk about the Balkans followed by a talk about upcoming optional excursions. That ran up until dinner. We continue to meet new guests each day and dinner was enjoyable. 

After dinner, Ivan conducted a ten-question music trivia game where you had to guess the artist name, song title, decade the song was released, artist's country, and the exact year of the song's release +/- two years with a bonus point for getting the exact year. out of ten questions and a possible 60 points, we scored 32 along with our Australian partners. It was a respectable showing but far out from the 48-point winners. It was all good fun.

We have crossed north of the Bulgarian border and are now cruising the Danube line separating Romania and Serbia. Officially, we're in Serbia and tomorrow, we'll dock in Golubac, Serbia.  We will transit the Iron Gates Locks tomorrow morning around 6:00 AM. If I feel inspired, I'll get up for some photos, but the odds aren't good. We gain an hour tonight as we move from UTC+2 to UTC+1 overnight, so there's a slim chance.

20240808 Viking European Sojourn River Cruise Day 7/27 - Bussing around Bulgaria

Viking European Sojourn River Cruise Day 7/27 - Bulgaria - Ruse, Veliko Tarnovo & Arbanasi

Today was our first full day on the Viking Lofn. After spending a night on the ship, I can say unequivocally that the base rooms on deck #1 are...small. OK - really small. The room itself. Small. The bathroom. Small.The shower. Small. If I'm not being clear - SMALL. We have to plan out who is walking where or we run into each other. If I had it to do over, I would opt for a larger room, except that Viking charges a massive upcharge for the larger rooms with balconies. 

OK - enough whining...let's get into today. We got up and headed up to the main restaurant on deck 2 for some chow. Breakfast is served buffet-style and offers a nice variety of ready foods plus cooked-to-order eggs and omelets. 

The other option is a more continental option on Deck #2 on the Aquavit Terrace.

Shortly after breakfast, we hopped off the ship and boarded Bus "C" for our tour taking us south into Bulgaria. we passed this building, a large local brewery.

After cruising through the hills and farms of Bulgaria, we made a stop for some local pastries, some water, and the requisite restroom stop. The place was called Kaloyanova Fortress.

The venue looked like it gets used for weddings regularly

We got back on the bus and continued south, deeper into Bulgaria. Our guide, Peter, told us about the history of the area, including information about the Ottoman Empire occupation, the communist era, and the present day.

We made a stop to try local rose liqueur, rose brandy, or wine. We tried the rose liqueur. It was sweet, syrupy, and had an interesting rose flavor.

Our first major stop was at a local museum, the Emilian Stanev House in Arbanasi. It was a house that had been preserved, showing how people lived at the time. Unfortunately, the group was so large that we could not fit into the rooms. What it meant was that a small part of our group heard the guide and saw what he was talking about as the rest of us only heard him on our listening devices. Then, he moved into the next room, allowing us into the first room. We looked at the first room and heard him describe the second. That's how the tour went. 

Entering the home

The wall construction was interesting - the rocks were secured with mortar - bands of wood served as buffers for stabilization

The doors were ornate and beautiful

The ceiling was stunning

Kitchen area

Yup - that's a toilet

This is a heater - it drew heat from a fireplace

There were fig trees out back - they were ripe...and delicious

Our next stop could have been better. We walked to an Eastern Orthodox Christian church  - The Church of the Nativity - built during the Ottoman Empire occupation. Churches, when allowed, had to be modest with little external identification. This was built in the 1600s and all the attention was given to the interior. The walls were covered in incredible frescos from the 1600s and 1700s. They were original and had only been cleaned, not restored. They told the gospel story and were incredibly detailed. Unfortunately, the arcane rules of what is now a museum did not allow photography of any kind. I'll never understand it.

Our lunch stop was at a local eatery. We had cucumber, tomato, cheese salads, vegetable soup, and chicken stew.

A local, Bulgarian beer was a must - it was light and tasty

Dancers and musicians performed

They pulled up a few guests to dance - of course, Arlona was chosen

Arlona and her new dance company

We continued on to Veliko Tarnovo. we took in the scenic views and did a little shopping.

It is me, or does this look like a touchdown?

The Tsarevets Fortress looked really cool - we wish we had time to explore it.

We wandered through town and did a little sightseeing and shopping.

we found this silversmith shop

The artisan - Arlona bought a filigree pendant that matches other pieces she owns

We made the two-hour drive back to the Rhine River. Our Viking Lofn was sailing to meet us in Nikopol, Bulgaria. 

Lofn, arriving in Nikopol

We had to board by passing through another ship - that seems to be a common thing with river ships. Shortly after everyone was aboard, we were off, sailing for Vidin, Bulgaria.

The Captain had a welcome toast with an introduction of his officers

We dined on the Aquavit Terrace tonight, enjoying an alfresco dinner. We also enjoyed a nice sunset on The Danube.

We sat in The Lounge as I wrote this entry. Now, it is time for some shuteye as we have an 8:45 AM tour tomorrow in Vidin, Bulgaria.