March 30, 2026 Bucharest, Romania This is the view from our hotel room window. The large building to the left is the Palace of Parliament. It is the largest civilian administrative building in the world. The building on the right is the National Cathedral of Romania (Eastern Orthodox). The building is not yet complete, and is controversial because of the huge cost. Fun Facts about Bucharest Legend says the city was founded by a shepherd named Bucur, whose name translates

March 28, 2026 Constanta, Romania Good-bye Viking Rinda  Today we disembarked from the Viking Rinda and started on our land tour to Bucharest. This cruise was so interesting!  We learned a lot, and enjoyed tasting the local food and wine.  Thanks again to the Viking crew, led by Captain Peter Sevcik, for creating such a wonderful experience.  Fun Facts Romania Inventions from Romania – the first automatic espresso machine, and the modern fountain pen The earliest Homo sapie

March 27, 2026 Pleven, Bulgaria Karen and Nancy standing in front of a sign with the name of the town, Pleven, in both Cyrillic (left) and English (right). Fun Facts About Pleven The name "Pleven" is derived from an old word meaning "barn" or "granary," but it also translates to "well-wooded place," reflecting its rich, fertile, and green surroundings. Evidence of human life in the region dates back to the end of the 5th millennium BC, making it thousands of years old. The  S