A Photo Journal from Our Trip To Eastern Europe

We began in Bucharest with a Three Night Pre-Cruise Stay at this Lovely Hotel

Had Dinner at the Famous Caru’ Cu Bare Restaurant to Celebrate Dave’s Birthday.

Where We Enjoyed the Good and Hearty Food as well as the Entertainment.

Happy Birthday, Dave!

We Toured Several Buildings Evidencing the Power and Influence of Former Communist Party Chair Nicolae Ceausescu Including the Romanian Parliament, One of the Heaviest Buildings in the World.

Bucharest Has Some Gorgeous Buildings as You Can See Here.

As Well as Inviting Dining/Shopping Arcades

We had a Lovely Day in Transylvania on a Private Tour that Visited Peles Castle as Well as its Impressive Gardens.

Jonathan Shining a Purple Light On Peles Castle

We then Visited the Famous Bran Castle, Where Vlad (of Dracula fame) Lived.

Admired the Jewels.

And Castle Views

We Then Had Lunch in and Walked Around the Charming Transylvanian Town of Brasov Which Has a Christmas Tree of Rockefeller Center Proportions.

The Next Day Before Boarding Our Ship in Giurgiu, We Had a Private Tour in Bucharest Where We Learned About the Vivid Street Art Scene as Well as its Alternative Music Scene.

The Street Art in Bucharest Was Varied and Insightful.

And Perhaps Not Surprisingly Including Some Depictions of Vlad.

Before Leaving Bucharest, We Got to See It’s Arch of Triumph Which is One of the Reasons Bucharest is Known as the Paris of the East.

We Traveled about an Hour from Bucharest to Board Our Ship, the AmaBella in Giurgiu, Romania.

Which Set a Festive Christmas Mood in the Lobby,

As Well as the Hallways

Our First Port Was Rousse Bulgaria and from Here, We Were Taken Two Hours South to the Medieval Town of Veliko Tarnovo Which Included a Concert at the Church of St. Peter and Paul.

Which Offered Impressive Frescoes

We Then Toured its Famous Tsarevets Fortress

And Walked Around the Charming Town Which Was Already in the Holiday Spirit with a Skating Bear

Shopped Along It’s Cobblestone Streets

And Jonathan Attempted to Reach Out to the “Locals”.

We Also Saw Welcoming Shops With Purple Flags

Our Next Port Was Vidin, Bulgaria with Its Baba Vida Fortress

Back on Ship, We Were Treated to Local Entertainment

As Well as a Special Chef’s Tasting Menu for Our ASTA Travel Advisor Group

Woke Up Early to Witness the Ship Going Through the Locks

Before Going Through the Famed Iron Gates

And the Eastern Danube Gorge

Including Its Romanian Monastery

Before Crossing into Serbia and Visiting its Golubac Fortress in Heavy Winds

Which Visit Ended with Seeing a Beautiful Sunset Over Our Ship.

We moved onto the Somewhat Gritty But Also Cosmopolitan City of Belgrade, Serbia. Here is a statute honoring the country’s spirit.

Which Spirit They Used to Defend Themselves at This Fortress

There Were Great Danube Views from the Fortress

We Then Toured the Massive Sava Cathedral, one of the Largest Orthodox Cathedral’s in The World and on the Day the Congregation Was Celebrating the Festival of St. Michael.

St Salva’s Interior Did Not Disappoint.

With Gilded Ceilings,

And Clerestory Windows.

Our Tour Also Included a Visit to a Museum Honoring the Life and Work of Famed Inventor Nikola Tesla (who is believed to have been a member of the LGBTQIA community)

Here is the Urn that Holds His Remains.

We Spent the Afternoon Exploring This Fascinating City on Our Own Including its Shops and Cafes

Its Historic Buildings and Churches Like the Gilded Spire of St. Michael’s.

And Its Modern Side Including Its Impressive Waterfront District. Belgrade is Getting More Cosmopolitan and Modern by the Day.

Back on Board, We Watched the First Snow of the Season from the Comfort of the Ship.

Our Next Port Was Vulkovar, Croatia, a Town Beloved to Croatians Despite It Having Been Badly Damaged by War

We Toured the City’s Politically Significant Water tower as Well as the Baroque Eltz Manor Shown Here.

As Well as Its Archeological Museum That Chronicles the Life of the Eneolithic Vucedol culture.

Our Last Port (before we disembarked in Budapest) Was Mohács, Hungary the Gateway to the Enchanting Town of Pécs Known for Its Fine Ceramics Zsolnay Cultural Center.

That Offers an Impressive Collection of Ceramics from Various Periods

Including Some Wonderful Art Nouveau Pieces

Dave Braving the Cold to See All that Pecs Had to Offer.

Including the Rather Humorous Statue Outside the Current Zsolnay Factory

Churches and Other More Typically European Buildings Than We Saw in Most of Eastern Europe,

And This Statue/Memorial to Hungarian Hero (and one of Jonathan’s favorite classical composers) Franz Liszt.