Capitals of Eastern Europe

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 Sv

March 26, 2026 Vidin, Bulgaria Please note that this dog has a green tag in his ear. That means he is a street dog that has been to the vet, had his shots and was neutered, then released back to the streets. But they don't have to scavenge for food, the locals feed them. Based on what we saw in Vidin, the locals are very generous!!! Fun Facts about Bulgaria and Vidin Bulgaria Bulgaria supplies up to 85% of the world's rose oil, considered among the finest and most expensi

March 25, 2026 Donji Milanovac, Serbia This statue commemorates the 1996 discovery of prehistoric mammoth remains in this area. Fun Facts About Donji Milanovac It is said to have around 90,000 roses—about six for each inhabitant. One of the main attractions of Donji Milanovac is its proximity to the Djerdap National Park, known for its breathtaking landscapes and diverse flora and fauna. The city lies on remains of an 8000-year-old Mesolithic settlement. The town tends

March 24, 2026 Belgrade, Serbia The Belgrade Fortress looks out over a park and the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers. Fun Facts About Serbia shares borders with Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. WOW! Fun Facts About Belgrade Luciano Pavarotti performed his first opera outside of Italy in Belgrade, where he performed La Traviata. One of Europe's oldest continuously inhabited cities, with a history s

March 23, 2026 Novi Sad, Serbia What do you think is the nickname for this bridge over the Danube? (Answer at end of blog.) Fun Facts for Serbia and Novi Sad Serbia Produces the world's most expensive cheese (£1,000+ per kg) made from donkey milk. The word "vampire" is of Serbian origin, stemming from stories in the early 18th century. The majority of Serbian surnames end in "-ic" (e.g., Djokovic), which typically indicates "son of." Serbia has produced several top-tier ath

March 22, 2026 Vukovar, Croatia Our blog today will be a little different.... First things first! Karen brings coffee to our room. Thank you Karen! Today we had to be ready to leave the ship and get on the tour bus by 8:30. So we were up early. This is the view from our room at that time: Next we turned on Viking TV to check the weather and see if there have been any updates to our itinerary over night: Then we were off to breakfast on the ship. Besides this great buffe

March 21, 2026 Mohács, Hungary A small village along the Danube, just before we docked in Mohács. Fun Facts for Mohács The name of the town translates to “moth-eaten." The town has historically been a melting pot, with a significant Croatian, German, and Serbian populations influencing its culture. A Busó (from an annual carnival) is a large creature with a wooden mask, fur coat, stockings, and a cow bell. Correction from Yesterday's Blog: Here is the correct language- Durin

March 20, 2026 Budapest, Hungary Three Viking River ships docked in Budapest. When we left the ship this morning our ship (Viking Rinda) was the ship closest to the dock, and one ship was next to us. When we returned the ships had done a little dance, and now the Rinda was the furthest one out in the water. It sort of felt like the shell shuffle game! Karen and Nancy's Day - Today we walked to an island in the Danube to go Bird Watching. The island is in the middle of t

March 19, 2026 Budapest, Hungary Budapest may be divided physically by the Danube, but the citizenry demonstrate a united population, accepting of differences, and looking forward to the future. Fun Facts Hungary Hungary has such a rich history that one National Day simply won’t suffice to commemorate it all. The first Hungarian National Day takes place on March 15th in memory of the 1849 Revolution and War of Independence. Next, on August 20th, Hungarians commemorate the c

Wednesday, March 18, 2026 Bratislava, Slovakia Girl with an Olive Branch Fun Facts about Slovakia and Bratislava Slovakia Slovakia has more than 6000 caves! That’s right. This small country is a treasure trove of subterranean wonders, from the ice-filled depths of Dobšinská Ice Cave to the intricate dripstone formations of Demänovská Cave of Liberty Pop artist Andy Warhol’s parents came from Slovakia. His parents emigrated from the small village of Miková in the northeast of

March 16, 2026 Vienna, Austria Today we are taking a side trip to Salzburg, Austria with Tom and Katie. The sounds of Salzburg include the music of Mozart, and the movie "The Sound of Music", so it will be worth waking up early, and taking a 2 1/2 hour train ride each way, in order to learn more about that iconic music. Snow-capped hills and mountains outside of Salzburg. Quick note regarding yesterday's blog: We really enjoy interacting with those of you who respond to the

March 16, 2026 Vienna, Austria This is a statue of Athena, goddess of wisdom, which is located directly in front of the Austrian Parliament Building. Some say that the it might have been more helpful to move it into the building... hmmm.... Maybe we need an Athena statue in DC? Fun Facts For Austria: Cultural Icons: Famous people from Austria include Mozart, Sigmund Freud, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and composer Johann Strauss. Austria is credited with inventions like the sew

March 14-15, 2026 We are on our way! So far everything is going smoothly (knock on wood!). After all the publicity about long TSA lines we decided to leave earlier than previously planned to get the airport with plenty of time to get through the lines. Amazingly, there were no lines! There was only one person in front of us, and no one behind us. So we had time to chat with the TSA agent for a few minutes. The news had run a story about some airports collecting donatio