Continuing the Danube River Cruise Part 2: The Adventure
Saturday May 3, 2025 FLL to FRA
We decided to take advantage of the Delta Rewards Employee free flight passes for this trip. Unfortunately, they do not include code share airlines. So, we are flying Delta to Frankfurt (FLL-ATL-FRA) then bought tickets on Lufthansa to Bucharest roundtrip (FRA-OTP). We just learned this week that the Ft. Lauderdale Air and Sea Show will be on Saturday May3! Total disruptions and delays will occur at the airport. It is also a big Cruise Port day with ~10,000 cruisers coming off the ship. Instead of leaving at 2pm on Saturday...we will likely have to be on the 6:45am flight to ATL so as to not miss our flight to Frankfurt.
We took the 6:30am flight to Atlanta on standby. Since we don't leave for Frankfurt for 8 hours... we decided to try to get into the SkyClub. Since we are on a non-revenue ticket, the answer was no. Next stop was for the Centurion Lounge and yippee...we are in! Better than the SkyClub, they had avocado toast! Our flight was supposed to leave at 5pm tonight, however, they swapped our plane so we had a 3 hour delay. This turned into 4+hours due to some maintenance issues on the plane.
We did have a bonus when we saw Patrick Mills as our co-pilot. Patrick was one of Jim's co-pilots on his last 2 retirement flights.
Sunday May 4, 2025 FRA to OTP
We arrived in Frankfort missing our connection on Lufthansa by about 10 minutes. Much drama which I will detail later but 2 hours at the service desk and we were rebooked on a Tarom flight leaving at 8pm local time. We arrived in Bucharest at 11:pm for an extra $340. With baggage gathered and grabbed a taxi for a confirmed price of $40 USD.
We walked into our hotel at the Intercontinental Athenee Palace just at midnight.
Monday May 5, 2025 Bucharest
Bucharest is known as the "Paris of the East". It is the capital city of Romania. This was the view from our hotel as the sun was rising.
Hotel lobby. Getting ready for our tour of Bucharest!
The Arc de Triomphe which is much smaller than the one in Paris.
The Parliament house is the 2nd largest building in the world after the Pentagon. We also saw the Royal Palace Square which was the scene of the 1989 riots that led to the collapse of the communist dictatorship.
The tall building that is under renovations is the Count Dracula Fortress.
This Orthodox Christian church had many frescos depicting the bible. This scene shows the sinners being taken to hell.
The sphere behind us represents the geographic center of Bucharest.
We couldn't leave Bucharest without trying the traditional food of mici. It was a pork sausage that was very good. We had the set menu to make sure we got the full experience!
We departed from Oltenita Port. There really wasn't much around the port as it was in a rural part of the country.
This is the view from our room! We got the last room on the boat and unfortunately, we are in the "basement", cabin 104. It is a very tiny room and the shower has barely enough room to turn around!
Tuesday, May 6, 2025 Rousse, Bulgaria
We arrived in Rousse, Bulgaria located in the NE part of the country on the right bank of the Danube, opposite Giurgiu, Romania. Bulgaria has a population of ~7.5million. It was established in the year 681. Denis was our guide who was a Brit who has been living in Bulgaria for ~20 years.
We took a tour to 2 of Bulgaria's most historically significant sites. On the way, our first stop was Kaloyanova Krepost (Castle). This was a replica of a medieval fortress for a bathroom break, snack and drink. I tried the pear Rakia, a traditional and most popular Bulgarian drink made from fermented fruit distilled to ~40%. It is drunk straight and is very strong and burned going down.
The rest stop looks like Ponty Python's Camelot and the statue King Arthur. In reality, the statue is King Kaloyam who was a Bulgarian hero from the 12th Century. He led the anti-Byzantine uprising of the Bulgarians and Vlachs. Which resulted in the restoration of independence. This was the beginning of the second Golden Monarchy being established.
Arbanassi was the site of the Bulgarian victory over the Byzantines. 4 poor young men were able to conquer the fortress and capture the leader.
The fortress up close. We walked all the way up Tsarevets Hill to see the castle and church once occupied by the Bulgarian Kings.
One of the many statues in Arbanasi.
Our next stop was Veliko Tarnovo which was occupied by the rich Ottoman that were ruling the country. They did not want to be living in the valley with the Bulgarians. We visited a 15th century Nativity Church, where every inch of the vaulted interior is covered in ~3500 unique frescoes depicting 2000 biblical scenes. We went to a small shop and had a traditional sweet and I tasted a Brandy Rakia. Very similar to the pear Rakia.
The streets were of cobblestone, and we could see the meandering Yantra River. We then visited the Konstantsalieva House built in the 17th century depicting a traditional Bulgarian home during that time period.
Lunch was at Yantra Grand Hotel. We had cucumber, tomato and Feta cheese followed by pork kabobs and potatoes. Dessert was chocolate/vanilla/strawberry ice cream, and it was really good.
Back to the boat for dinner and Disco Dancing with our new friends!
Wednesday, May 7, 2025 Vidin, Bulgaria
We arrived in Vidin at 10:00am. Vidin is a small border town in NW Bulgaria. It borders with Serbia and Romania and has a rich history of beautiful architecture and stunning natural surroundings.
Emil was our guide told his story of how on 11/9/1989 the Berlin Wall fell. The next day the Bulgarian Dictator was out of power after 35 years of reign. Bulgaria joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007. The country was struggling to survive and the EU came in and assisted them financially and in learning how to live in a democracy. The country produces grains, corn, wheat and sunflower seeds.
We traveled to the Balkan Mountains to Belogradchik to see the stunning rock formations that have been sculpted by time.
New Friends: Lena Ng, and Jaski and Kirin from Mumbai
Our new friends: Lena and Terry Ng from Singapore
Jim always at the top!
and his selfie of course!
Panarama with Lena posing.
Baba Vida Fortress dates back to the 10 century. It is believed to be the country's only preserved medieval castle.
There always has to be silliness!
Our entertainment tonight were the young people performing a Bulgarian Folklore dance
Thursday, May 8, 2025 Donji Milanovac, Serbia
We passed through Iron Gate 2 at 3am. We did not go topside to see and since we are in the "basement", we couldn't see anything. We went through Iron Gate 1 about 8:30am. It had 2 stages to raise us up a total of 35 meters. I find it amazing that Americans do not know how lock and dams operate.
Waiting our turn!
This is the gate going down to enter into the second stage of the loch.
Jim provided the time lapse video of the loch.
The rock sculpture of Decebalus, (r. AD 87–106), the last king of Dacia, who fought against the Roman emperors to preserve the independence of his country, which corresponds to present-day Romania. The sculpture is located near the city of Orsova, and was carved between the years 1994 and 2004, on a rocky outcrop on the Danube River, near the Iron Gates, which form the border between Romania and Servia. The Latin inscription, "DECEBALUS REX-DRAGAN FECIT" is translated to King Decebalus made by Dragan". Dragan was the businessman who commissioned the carving.
We docked at Donji Milanovac for our tour. This is the smallest town in Serbia. It was cold and raining!
The ancient people thought that the rock had powers as lightening often strikes it due to the iron ore in the rock. The sun arises over the Rock on Summer Soltice.
Lepenski Vir is an archeology site discovered on the Danube River bank and excavated 1965-1970moved to this modern museum. The site found Mesolithic from 9500 to 7500BC, Late Mesolithic from 6300 to 5900BC and Early Neolithic from 5900 to 5500BC. They found intact skeletons, and many objects. The 136 skeletons were only missing 2 teeth and they were significantly older and taller than other civilizations at the same time.
The Golubac Fortress along the Danube River. This Fortress has been restored and is a museum. It was originally built during the 14th century by Medieval Serbian State.
Obligatory selfie! Followed by Karaoke after dinner.
Thursday May 9, 2025 Belgrade, Serbia
Ina's Birthday
Thanks Lena Ng, for the birthday decorations! Loved it! Of course, Jim photo bombed!
Belgrade is the capital of the Serbs since 1403 located where the Danube and Sava Rivers meet on the Balkan peninsula. Belgrade is translated as "white town" and has a population of ~1.7 million. Because the city was destroyed 44 times...there are many different architectural styles including Habsburg, Ottoman and Tito-era buildings.
Saint Sava was the youngest son of Servian Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja. He became a monk and established the monastery of Hilandar, which became one of the most important cultural and religious centers of the Serbian people. He became Archbishop in 1219 and established the Orthodox Church after a split with the Byzantines.
The church will hold 10,000 people and they all stand for the 30 minute service. There are no musical instruments in the church and the music is generated by the priest chanting.
The Belgrade Fortress is now a national park.
Obligatory selfie at the Belgrade Fortress wall overlooking the Sava River.
The ladies: Jaski, Ina and Lena at Belgrade Fortress.
Lunch was served with a birthday cake and happy birthday song from the waiters!
We went to a Bohemian Restaurant and show.
The Entry to the Restaurant
There was so much food with Raiki!
Because it is my birthday! I thought that it was going to singe my eyebrows.
Lena never misses a chance to dance!
The sign on our door when we returned from dinner with a birthday card from the big wigs!
Saturday May 10, 2025 Novi Sad, Serbia
Terry got to be leader for a little while!
Novi Sad was established in 1748 and now has a population of ~350 thousand and the second largest city in Serbia. Novi Sad was granted independence from Austria by Queen Maria Theresa and the name is translated as "New Garden".
This monument on the Danube represents the Jews and Gypsies that were exterminated 1941 to 1945 by the Nazis. More than 1300 people were executed and thrown in to the Danube River. A total of 4,000 Serbs, Jews and Gypsies went missing during the Novi Sad Raid on January 21-23, 1942.
It is evident that entire families were exterminated by the last names of those commemorated at the site.
In the town square, these 3 buildings are referred to as "3 Old Ladies".
The Catholic Church and the 3 old ladies were built during the Hungarian rule.
The Orthodox Church Bishop's residence. The statue is of the town mayor, Jovan Jovanović Zmaj, was a Serbian children's poet and Pediatrician. He never took money for treating the children.
The Orthodox Church.
Notice the child sitting on the adult's shoulders as he rode through the streets. He had one hand on the child's leg and the other the handlebars. The child is not wearing a helmet either.
In the afternoon, Jim went to the Petrovaradin Fortress (nicknamed the "Gibraltar of Danube") with Kirin and Jaski. The clock tower has what they call the "crazy clock". They reversed the big and little hands so that the hour could be seen from far away.
Ina went to the museum of beekeeping and wine tasting at Zivanovic Wine cellar with Terry and Lena in Sremski Karlovci. Teodor Zivanovic started the winery in 1770 and still maintained by family today and is managed by today's owners Zarko and Borko Zivanovic.
We visited the wine cellar which was quite small.
The wine cellar is over 300 years old. The mold on the walls help to keep the cellar a constant temperature.
Another of their claim to fame is this bottle of wine was on the wine list of the Titanic when it sank. We did not really enjoy their wine. They only produce for local use at this time.
We took a walking tour of the town. This is all that is left of the Fortress.
Found our old Joe's favorite pose with his ball.
A wedding was happening in this Orthodox Church. Interestingly, there were only 8 people in attendance (including photographer and priest).
There were school children from very young to teenager participating in a traditional singing/dancing performance.
Just a quick snippet of the kids practicing while waiting their turn.
Back to the ship for trivia night. Jim, Kirrin and Terry placed 3rd. The ladies did not fair so well.
Sunday May 11, 2025 Ilok, Croatia
Today is Mother's Day!
We enjoyed a walking tour of Ilok. It is a quaint Croatian town where East meets West above the Danube River amid the sloping vineyards of Fruska Gora. It had a population of 45K prior to WWII and then 23K post war.
This building left over from WWII shows the difference in the old and new restoration.
Service was in process when we came to the Catholic Church. The service is broadcast outside because the church is full inside.
Ilocki Podrium d.d. Stari Podrum Winery. Jaski, Kirin, Jim and Ina getting ready for some wine tasting.
Some of the wine survived WWII.
Getting the wine straight from the barrel tap.
This wine is "White King Traminac" and is Queen Elizabeth's favorite. They continue to order cases of this wine when a special function is held by the UK Monarchy.
Vukovar, Croatia
The Battle of Vukovar began on 25 August 1991 and lasted until 18 November 1991. During the battle for the town, 1,800 self-organized lightly armed defenders and civilian volunteers defended the city for 87 days against approximately 36,000 troops of the Serb-dominated JNA.
The city suffered heavy damage during the seige and was eventually overrun. It is estimated that 1,800 defenders of Vukovar and civilians were killed, 800 went missing and 22,000 civilians were forced into exile.
Vukovar-Srijem County line.
Statues carved from wood.
Su Komang our waiter the entire cruise. He is from Bali and was awesome! komangsu95@gmail.com
Monday May 12, 2025 Mohacs, Hungary
Mohacs Port and no this is not our boat. LOL. Mohacs was one of the first independent settlements founded by the Hungarians on the right bank of the Danube River. The population is 17K and decreasing.
A rainy day this morning.
We went to the medieval Saint Nicholas Watermill that was a reconstruction. This is the way it looked when it was purchased.
It took many years to restore it and add the living quarters on.
It has a working wheel from the water.
We toured the Buso House Museum that is dedicated to the town's Carnival event. According to legen, the native Sokac people escaped from Mohacs to avoid the Ottoman troops. Returning to the town at night, they dressed in terrifying masks and making noise with instruments and drove the Ottoman troops from the town.
We had dinner at our favorite table and waiter.
Jaski had them play some Bollywood music. Jim apparently had his own style.
Tuesday May 13, 2025 Budapest
We say goodbye to our new friends and the Danube River. We took a taxi to the Ibis Terminal Hotel for our early morning flight home tomorrow.
Wednesday May 14, 2025 Going Home
We boarded our Lufthansa flight from BUD to FRA without incident. Grabbed our bags from baggage claim and went back through security for our Delta Flight to ATL. We scored Delta 1 seats! We made our connection in ATL and arrived back in FLL and home by 7:00pm
I filed my first travel insurance claim ever with Allianz on 5/15/25. I received the maximum payment in less than 2 days! I requested $409 and received $400 directly into my bank account.