Vienna, Danube Cruise, Transylvania, Salzburg, and Munich -- April 24-May 21

Saturday, April 27 - Vienna

Today got off to a rough start because I had jet-lag insomnia last night. We had a tour scheduled for 10:00 am so it was up and out even though I would have loved to stay in bed (although that would not have helped with the jet-lag).

Right after breakfast, we headed out to meet Gerhard Strassgschwandtner at the Maria Theresa statue located between the Kunsthistorisches Museum and the Natural History Museum. Gerhard is the Director of The Third Man Museum in Vienna. If you’ve seen this classic 1948-1950 film noir, you’ll definitely want to book a tour with Gerhard. We booked his “Cold War in Vienna” tour. Gerhard provides excellent background on life in Vienna during WWII and the early days after the war, when the city was divided by four powers - the US, the British, the French and the Russians. As was true in Berlin, Vienna was completely surrounded by the Russian sector. The US was adamant that the Russians should not control Vienna alone. This Cold War period is the setting for The Third Man. Gerhard led us on a walking tour of the area around the Hofburg Palace buildings, showing us photos of Hitler and his Nazi compatriots at these same buildings. We also got to see these same buildings secured by the four powers who held joint occupation duties. Gerhard also showed us photos of the condition of many of the nearby buildings following the bombings later in the war (buildings and rubble that would form part of background for the movie, much of it shot in Vienna). I, particularly, loved that Gerhard pointed out sites where filming took place, such as Harry Lime’s apartment building and the entrance to the sewers that Orson Welles ran into near the end of the movie.

Following our walking tour, Gerhard took us to The Third Man Museum. It is filled with unbelievable memorabilia - Trevor Howard’s annotated scrip, hundreds of stills and movie posters. Multiple video interviews with cast and crew. A chance to watch some video clips shown using a 1936 movie projector. Actual cameras used on the set as well as a myriad of set artifacts. There was just so much more to see than time allowed, but it was great having Gerhard provide a personal tour, pointing out the significance of the rare pieces and describing how he was able to obtain these movie treasures.

If you are interested in just visiting the museum, it is only open to the public on Saturdays from 2:00 - 6:00 pm, but if you book his tour, you have the whole museum to yourself (with Gerhard’s commentary). We had watched the Criterion Collection copy of the movie along with all of the commentaries prior to coming on this trip. I would highly advise doing this if you are a movie buff and might be considering this tour. We loved it.

After our Third Man tour, we were going to have lunch at the Naschmarkt (near The Third Man Museum), but my lack of sleep had really caught up with me, so I suggested we head back to the hotel. However, I did want to see where the Kadlin was moored, so we hopped on the Ubahn and located the address and the river boat. The day today was absolutely beautiful - blue skies and a high of 71F. Walking along the Danube Canal was delightful! After this detour, we made it back to the hotel. I had some mint tea and stretched out for a bit. We opted for another Executive Lounge light dinner tonight. I have to say that their evening cocktail dishes have been very tasty and different each evening. A glass of wine and I was ready to head to the room to write up my report of the day’s activities and call it an early evening. I hope I feel like full touring mode tomorrow when we board the Kadlin.

April 28 - Vienna

Today was embarkation day. The skies were blue once again. We had a leisurely breakfast, packed our last items into our bag and called for an Uber. Boarding was quick and we were in our room quickly. Lunch was being served on the Aquavit Deck. After lunch, we took some time to explore the ship.

It was our first time on one of the European Long Ships. Earlier in the year, we had taken the Viking Saigon on the Mekong River. I actually like its design better since the staterooms on it are much larger. The basic French Balcony is 303 sq ft on the Viking Saigon (that’s the cabin style we chose). Here on the Viking Kadlin, a French Balcony is only 135 sq ft. Since we do value personal space, we opted for the Veranda Suite on this ship (still only 275 sq ft, but more room to move around). We certainly paid more, but we do appreciate the space.

After we finished checking out the Kadlin, we decided to head over to the Ubahn to go one station to Prater Park. After our Third Man tour yesterday, we wanted to see the Ferris wheel that is featured in several scenes. The park is huge so we also accomplished completing our 10,000 steps for the day.

We had a short rest prior to our safety drill and the Welcome Briefing. Then it was on to dinner. Dinner was good, but nothing terribly exciting. The best thing I tried was the Liver Dumpling Soup.

After dinner, we headed to the Lounge to hear the resident pianist. We danced twice - one selection was a Waltz which we particularly like to dance. The day had caught up with us so we headed off for one last walk on the upper deck, then to bed.

April 29 - Vienna

This morning, we slept in a bit and then had to rush to make our Panoramic Tour. We’ve done most of the big sites in the central city area, but decided it would still be fun to hear another tour guide’s take on Vienna. The bus drove us past the Prater (glad we went yesterday to see it up close), and many other beautiful buildings with fabulous architecture. The bus stopped to let us off at the Maria Theresa statue between the Kunsthistorisches Museum and the Natural History Museum. Then we headed directly into the Hofburg Palace area. The first part of the Palace was built in the 13th century and the last of the building was completed in 1913, just before the First World War. By the end of the war, the Hapsburg Empire was gone and the building was at an end. It’s actually quite interesting to see how one new building phase was added to the next as each new Emperor wanted the latest and greatest style.

Once we left the Hofburg Palace area, we walked the pedestrian friendly streets around the main thoroughfares, Karntner Strasse and Graben. Our guide pointed out many interesting shops and cafes along the way. In the middle of Graben, there is a Holy Trinity plague column. During the plague of 1679, Emperor Leopold I is said to have begged God to save the city. Leopold then built this column in thanksgiving.

Ultimately, our tour ended at St. Stephen’s Cathedral. We were given an hour of free time. Mike and I decided to head back to one of the coffee houses the guide had pointed out, Demel’s. There they make a wonderful treat known as a kaiserschmarrn. It is a cake that is broken then covered with a delicious plum compote and lightly sprinkled with powdered sugar. It was a great late morning snack.

After our coffee break, we still had time to take a quick look inside St. Stephen’s before our time to meet the guide again to head back to the Viking Kadlin.

April 29, evening - Vienna

For our last event in Vienna, we were able to book the Viking musical tour. It’s an exclusive arrangement that Viking has with Alma Deutscher, the child prodigy who wrote her first opera at age six. We had seen an interview of her on 60 Minutes some years back, so we were excited to have the opportunity to see her conduct, play the violin, and to hear several of her original works. The program was so well constructed! Besides the original works, we heard Strauss and Mozart works to round out the evening. I highly recommend this tour if the option is available.

Wednesday, May 1 - Bratislava

Today, we arrived in Bratislava early. We would need to leave by noon, so there was only the included tour to choose from. We had an excellent guide, who gave us lots of information about the differences between her life during Communist times and her life now.

We started at the Slovak National Theater and the Promenade Square. Our next major site was St. Martins Cathedral where nineteen Hungarian kings and queens have been crowned (more than anywhere else in Hungary). This is very representative of the fact that borders in this region have changed many times. The exterior of the church is quite beautiful, and there is a gold crown that sits atop the steeple. The interior has nicely carved wood altarpieces. Next, we saw a bit of the remaining 15th century town wall. We saw several other picturesque locations before reaching the town square. The Main Square is where one finds the fountain which celebrates the 1563 coronation of Maximillian II, the first Habsburg emperor.

Our guide led us to a few more locations near the square, but we were soon on our own to sample the local Bratislava “bagel” with some coffee. We chose one stuffed with poppyseeds and one stuffed with walnuts. Both were delicious, but I think I like the walnut version best. Fortified from our snack, I talked Mike into climbing up to the castle before heading back to the ship. It was quite a climb, but not very far and the view from above was great. The castle dates to the Middle Ages, and had been burned and rebuilt several times.

I’m disappointed that our stay in Bratislava was so short. I know I’d like to return and really explore the city.

May 1, afternoon - On the Danube

During lunch, the Kadlin got under way toward Budapest. Viking had several activities planned for our sailing afternoon. First was a wheelhouse tour. The captain explained about all the equipment he uses to navigate. He also gave us a demonstration of how the wheelhouse is lowered for going under low bridges.

After the wheelhouse tour, it was time to go through our first lock (actually, it was our second lock but since our first lock was at 1:30 am that morning, I’m counting this as our first lock). We started watching from up on the top deck, but as the ship began to lower, I headed downstairs to see what it looked like from our cabin. While it may not be as dramatic as going through the locks of the Panama Canal, going through locks is always fun!

After we were through the lock, it was time to go to the lounge to watch the chef demonstrate how to make pogaca, a cheesy Hungarian scone. Of course, we all got to sample a hot pogaca right out of the oven. Before we’d even finished our pogaca, servers arrived with towers of teatime treats. That was soon followed by Program Director Michal providing us with a presentation on the history of the Balkans.

It was definitely a busy day because after we changed for dinner, it was time to go to our Viking Society cocktail party, soon after followed by dinner. While we were at dinner, it was announced that we would be arriving in Budapest around 10:15 pm before the lights on the public buildings are turned off. Around 10:00 pm, almost everyone headed to the top deck to enjoy the view. It was spectacular! And best of all, we got to dock right in front of the Chain Bridge. The location was excellent.

Thursday, May 2 - Budapest

We woke up to a sensational view from our cabin. The Kadlin was on the outside so we looked right at the Chain Bridge and Castle. I had my first coffee of the day staring at this beautiful sight.

After breakfast in the dining room, it was time to meet our included Panoramic Budapest tour. We started out on the bus doing a drive-by viewing of many of the city’s famous sites. Among these was the Opera House, The House of Terror, Heroes’ Square. We also saw the Museum of Ethnography, the Great Synagogue and Hungarian Jewish Museum, St. Istvan’s Basilica, and many more sites too numerous to list. After crossing the Chain Bridge, we saw the funicular and then went through the tunnel and ascended Castle Hill. We left the bus and walked to Matthias Church. There we had a tour inside.

After that, we were let loose to spend time on our own. First, we went over to Fisherman’s Bastion for the marvelous view back toward Parliament. Then we headed back toward a shop we’d walked by on the walking tour. It sold “kurtoskalacs” or chimney cakes, a local pastry I definitely wanted to try. They do look like pastry chimneys, and once they are taken off the fire, they even smoke as they cool! The dough is crusty on the outside and tender inside. They come coated in a choice of several ingredients. I chose the traditional cinnamon coating. It was great!

We walked over toward the Royal Palace, but just had time to take a quick view at the observation area since it was time to head back to the bus. The bus did a final panoramic view of Margaret Island, the Margaret Bridge, the Parliament, and the shoes memorial. Then it was back to the Kadlin for lunch.

May 2, afternoon - Budapest

After lunch, it was off to the Szechenyi Baths. Going to one of the thermal baths in Budapest seems to be the thing to do, so we decided to give it a try. Viking provided us with a nice bag filled with towel, robe, slippers (I’d suggest that flip flops are the way to go if you have them with you), and even a few snacks. The Szechenyi baths are one of the most famous found in the middle of the City Park. You have a personal changing cabin that you can lock, then you can head out to the outdoor baths or to the indoor baths. We explored all the baths, but ultimately settled on three of the interior baths with temperatures ranging from tepid, to warm, to hot. We basically stuck our toes in the cool and cold pools and moved on. We ended up the afternoon in the outdoor pool, which was comfortably warm. Would I do it again? Probably not, but I’m glad we gave it a try.

After we returned to the ship, we relaxed until dinner. Right after dinner, we had some stellar views from the front of the ship where we were dining. Later, after a few cocktails in the lounge, we headed back to our room where, again, we enjoyed the most outstanding view of the Chain Bridge and Matthias Church.

Friday, May 3 - Budapest

Today, it was an early start for the Highlights of Budapest tour. Our guide picked us up outside the ship and we took the #2 tram down to the Parliament where we began our walking tour. The main focus of this tour was an inside tour of the Parliament building. Once inside, we actually used the Parliament audio tour devices to guide us through the Parliament. It was an amazing building and by using the Viking tour, you do not need to queue for tickets. If you do it on your own, plan to buy your tickets online days prior to the tour.

After leaving Parliament, we walked with our guide through Kossuth Square, (Kossuth was the leader of the 1848 revolution against the Hapsburgs). Walking by the Supreme Court and the Ministry of Agriculture, we came to the Monument to the Victims of the 1956 Uprising. After leaving the Parliament behind, we entered a park containing several monuments. There was a monument to Attila Jozsef, an Hungarian poet, and the Holocaust monument. In Liberty Square, we saw a controversial monument to the Soviet soldiers who liberated Hungary (but didn't leave), a statue of Ronald Reagan, and a statue of George H W Bush (the first American president to visit Hungary). Further on, there was a Monument to the Victims of the Nazis and a counter monument to the victims of WWII Hungarians. Near this memorial area is a fountain with sensors that will detect when someone is entering and stop the flow of water momentarily – a fun place to take photos. After this walk, it was time for lunch in a local restaurant. We had some nice salami and cheese to start, followed by goulash (with a red pepper paste for those of us who wanted to spice up our goulash) and a cream dessert.

Following lunch, we walked by St. Istvan’s Basilica. At this point, many tour members chose to leave the tour to go inside. We headed back to the Kadlin with our guide since we wanted to walk across the Chain Bridge before heading to our room for an afternoon nap.

We spent the rest of the day on the Kadlin relaxing, having dinner and enjoying evening entertainment. We left Budapest about 10:30 pm, heading upstream to find an open spot to turn around. By the time we headed back downstream, it was after 11:00 pm and the major lights of the historical buildings were turned off, but I snapped a photo of the Parliament just as we passed and I think it looks great even though it wasn’t lit.

Saturday, May 4 - Mohacs

Another sunny day greeted us in Mohacs, Hungary. This town is known for having repelled one attack of the Ottomans before being defeated in a second attack. Our main objective this morning on our included excursion was the historic city of Pecs. The countryside we viewed from the bus on our way to Pecs displayed verdant agricultural land.

Once we arrived in Pecs, we walked to the Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul to view the stunning architecture. Before entering, we saw the original saints that once adorned the top of the building. The foundations of the building date back to the 4th century Roman period, but the current building is of Neoclassical design from 1891. The inside blue and gold walls are covered with paintings of the 12 apostles. The interior is quite beautiful.

We strolled outside the Church to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Late Roman Early Christian cemetery of Sopianae, the Roman predecessor of Pecs. The burial chambers and memorial chapels of the cemetery shows the unique early Christian sepulchral art and architecture of the northern and Western Roman provinces of the Roman Empire.

After visiting the UNESCO site, we headed into the main part of the town of Pecs. The walk in this historic city was very relaxing. As we entered the square, we saw the former Mosque of Pasha Qasim and the usual Plague Memorial. After a short amount of free time, we headed back to the bus. On the way, we saw the remaining Medieval tower and walls of the city.

After returning to Mohacs, Mike and I walked into town. It’s rather sleepy, but there are a few sidewalk cafes and ice cream shops. The park near the end of the pedestrian street had a statue of the Busos. Legend has it that during the Ottoman reign, the Sokci people would dress up in masks and costumes (wooden masks, fur coats, stockings, cow bells, maces, pitchforks) and hide in nearby swamps and make loud noises to scare the Turkish soldiers away. Mohacs has an annual Busojaras Carnival to celebrate winter’s end and also to celebrate this legend.

Sail away was at 7:00 pm so we bid farewell to Hungary. Before we retired for the night, we were in Vukovar, Croatia.

Sunday, May 5 - Vukovar/Ilok, Croatia

After breakfast, we were off on our buses on about a 40-minute drive through the beautiful Croatian countryside. Again, it was a wonderful sunny day.

Since it was a Sunday, our morning tour, which normally includes some time for free time and shopping, was changed up a bit and some items for purchase were present at the city hall in Bilje, where we heard a lovely concert by a local woman. Everyone, included tours and the optional tour we took (Highlights of Croatia) stopped at this location and later went to the Old City Walls of Osijek, a former Hapsburg fort.

After the great walking tour, it was nearing lunchtime. The optional tour we were taking included lunch with a Croatian family. We’ve taken these kinds of tours before and always enjoy them. Our guide divided us into groups. Our group of 11 got dropped off at House 2. Our family was ready to greet us and begin to entertain us. The husband and wife who had been married for 53 years did not speak English, but their adult daughter was there to translate and give us a lot of information about the family, their history (including info about when they had to leave their home when the bombing during the Balkans War of the 1990s occurred), and lots of information about the wonderful foods we were eating for lunch.

I highly recommend this home lunch aspect of the tour. Every group on our bus argued over who had the best experience. The food and hospitality were exceptional cultural experiences!

After leaving our home visit, it was back on the bus to head to our afternoon Croatian wine experience in Ilok (where the Viking Kadlin was now moored). On our way, our bus made a quick stop for us to see the bombed water tower, of the city of Vukovar (where we had started our day). In 1991, Vukovar came under siege during the Yugoslav Wars, becoming the only town in Europe to suffer such destruction since World War II (unfortunately, it was not the last). We also learned about the two men from the town (they are pictured on a nearby sign) who kept putting up another national flag on the top of the water tower each time one was destroyed.

After our brief stop at the water tower, it was off to the winery in Ilok. This town has been producing wines for over two thousand years. Along the way to the winery, we saw many vineyards from the bus. We visited the KAST wine cellar on the main street of Ilok. After a quick tour of the winery, it was off to the tasting room to sample three whites and two reds. It was a great way to cap off our first day in Croatia.

By this time, it was time to head back to the Kadlin, take a last view of the medieval town of Ilok, with its captivating castle on the hill, and get ready to head on down the Danube.

Monday, May 6 - Novi Sad

We actually had a wonderful view of Petrovaradin Fortress as we arrived in Novi Sad last evening. Again, we lucked out with our veranda facing this great nighttime sight enticing us to enjoy a bit of a nightcap outside.

In the morning after breakfast, we started our touring day with the included Walking Tour of Novi Sad. Novi Sad is Serbia’s second largest city. The Old Town is filled with a variety of baroque, neoclassical, and secession styles of architecture. Again, we were enjoying beautiful weather.

We passed by the local market, but since it was Orthodox Easter Monday, most of the stalls were closed. But there were a few hard-working market sellers who must have decided to open since a Viking boat was in town. One of our first tour stops was outside a cafe to enjoy ustipci which are fried dough balls served with several fruit sauces and whipped cream.

Wandering through the quaint streets, we eventually reached the Grand Cathedral and the main square of the Old Town. We continued our walk to the former Jewish Synagogue. There we enjoyed a concert performed by members of the local Jewish community. After the concert, we walked a different route back to the Kadlin.

After being fortified with a great lunch on the Kadlin, it was time for our afternoon excursion, “Fruska Gora National Park Hike and Monasteries”. This is a fairly demanding excursion. You are bussed to the first monastery, the 14th century Velika Remeta Monastery. Since this was Easter Monday, lots of families were out enjoying the day off and the great weather. A priest was at the first monastery, handing out traditional hard boiled Easter eggs to celebrate the holiday.

After our visit inside the monastery, we were off to hike to the second monastery. The hike is through Fruska Gora, Serbia’s oldest national park. Altogether, it is home to sixteen medieval monasteries, all built between the 15th and 18th centuries. Michal, our Serbian program director, had described this hike as a nice walk through the woods. Yes, we did enjoy a walk through the woods, but, the first half of the hike is “up.” I think you need to be in pretty good condition to hike this first half. Of course, the treat once you reach the top is that it is downhill to the next monastery, Grgeteg Monastery.

No photos were allowed in the Grgeteg Monastery, however, our timing meant that we were able to experience a short bit of a service that was in progress. Beware, however, because there is lots of incense that is used in the service!

After our visit to the Grgeteg Monastery, we walked just outside the monastery gates to a nearby guest house, where we were served platters of local meats and cheeses. We also got to sample three quite generous pours of local wine - a white, a rose, and a ‘black,” what they call their red wine.

After eating and drinking a bit more than we probably should have, it was time to get back on the bus and head back to Novi Sad. I really enjoyed this excursion and would highly recommend it to anyone who is in pretty decent health (mobility-wise).

By the time we got back to the Kadlin, it was almost time for the daily port talk followed by dinner. I did have a nice surprise when we returned to the room. Earlier when we returned from the morning walking tour, the flower arrangement in our room had been removed. It was beginning to droop just a bit, but I was sad that it was gone. When we returned from the afternoon hike, a new flower arrangement had appeared. I was so thrilled - funny, how fresh flowers can brighten my day! We also received a fresh plate of various kinds of cookies everyday (another reason my weight is definitely not decreasing on this cruise). They tried to counter this with different fresh fruits every day, but somehow it was the cookies that disappeared each day, not the fruit!

Tuesday, May 7 - Belgrade

Up and going early. Our tour was called “The Best of Belgrade.” We started off seeing several of the things that the included tour saw - one of the most important was Kalemegdan Fortress. Very little remains of the old fortress atop the white stone ridge on Kalemegdan Hill which gave Belgrade its name - “white city,” but a nice park, some museums and beautiful views are still present. The location of Belgrade at the confluence of the Danube and Sava Rivers is one of the reasons Belgrade was such a strategic city.

Next, we were off to St. Sava Cathedral, which is one of the largest Orthodox churches in the world. The church is named for St. Sava who was one of Serbia’s greatest saints. It was built on the site where St. Sava’s remains had been desecrated by the Ottoman conquerors. The building was begun in 1935, but discontinued until after WWII. The dome was finally finished in 1989, but work on the interior continued until it was finally opened to the public in 2004. The gold and mosaics inside are breathtaking.

After our visit inside St. Sava’s, it was on to Tito’s Memorial (museum and gravesite). It was interesting to see the outside of the home he lived in that was near the gravesite and museum. Tito is quite revered by most of the citizens. Our tour guide felt that he was able to negotiate well, preventing Serbia from coming under the thumb of the Soviets (like Hungary and Czechoslovakia), but remaining free of too many Western ties, allowing Serbia to have more independence.

After our visit to the Tito site, it was on to our wine pairing lunch in some of the underground tunnels owned by the Panajotovic wine-making family. This was the best wine experience we had on the cruise. Our hosts led us through each of six wines, providing a delicious course for each wine. The wine was great and the food choices were well-planned.

After our extended lunch, it was back to the Kadlin for a quick nap. After dinner that evening, there were Serbian folk musicians and dancers in the Lounge to entertain us.

Earlier in the day, we had noticed lots of Chinese flags around the city. Our guide had told us that Chinese leader Xi Jinping was arriving in Belgrade that day. That evening, we noticed that they had lit the major bridge in red and had the flag and Chinese greetings on one of their tallest buildings. Interesting to see as we got ready to set sail at 11:00 pm.

Wednesday, May 8 - Donji Milanovac

A beautiful morning arrival to this small town. We took the morning included excursion which was a walking tour. Our young guide first took us to the local school where the guide taught us about the Serbian alphabet and language and middle school students told us about their school routines.

After that, it was off to St. Nicholas Church, the local Orthodox church, where we were greeted by the priest and introduced to an a cappella singing performance by the choir. As we headed back to the Kadlin, we had a chance to admire the roses that were growing throughout the town.

While this town didn’t have a lot to offer, we thought the short walking tour and concert were a nice change from the hustle and bustle of Belgrade the previous day.

We only had about 20 minutes to hurry back to our room and take a quick bathroom break before it was time for the optional excursion - in our case, “Lepenski Vir.”

I loved our excursion to Lepenski Vir, a UNESCO site often referred to as the “first city in Europe.” When Tito and Ceausescu decided to join forces to build a dam on the Danube, a group of archeologists quickly worked to explore the area that would be flooded. During this relatively short period of exploration, they discovered sixteen Mesolithic and Neolithic sites in the area. They only had time to carefully move one, Lepenski Vir, to higher ground. This is the site we visited. Based on their excavation and study, we learned that the site had been founded more than 8500 years ago. The excavation also revealed the different levels of settlement. Our guide pointed out an impressive mountain across from the settlement that was probably used by the people of Lepenski Vir for its solstice properties. The iron in the area rock led to the area’s name, Iron Gates

Although the archaeologists made replicas of the artwork, pottery, and other items of daily life to place in the settlement layout we viewed that was undercover at the site, the actual amazing artwork, pottery, and items of daily life that were found on site are protected behind glass and located in the museum room to see. These pieces were spectacular!

There were 136 graves, holding 180 people at Lepenski Vir. Obviously, these graves provided very valuable information about the population and the culture of Lepenski Vir.

After leaving Lepenski Vir, we made a stop at Kapetan Misin Breg, an art gallery of statues and wooden carvings located on a picturesque hillside. The art work is to enjoy (it is not for sale). We were treated to a nice plate of Serbian snacks and some rakia, however. While the art gallery stop was nice for the snack and views, the real reason to sign up for this excursion is to see Lepenski Vir. It was amazing!

We were all back on board by 1:00 pm for lunch. By 3:15 pm, we were sailing through the Iron Gates area. It was great to sit on the top deck and listen to the commentary by our cruise director about the history of this area as he pointed out the geographic and famous rock carvings along the way. After several hours of our scenic sailing, it was time for the daily port talk, followed by a special Balkan dinner served family style.

Thursday, May 9 - Vidin, Bulgaria

Today, was our first truly rainy day on the trip. Mike and I had been to Vidin before (we were in Bulgaria for a total of 3 weeks, part Rick Steves’ Tour and part on our own about 2 years ago). Vidin was one of the cities we visited then. We laughed that it was a “Vidin” day because it was raining the last time we were in Vidin.

Our included walking tour went ahead as planned since we had a nice pedestrian way to use most of the tour and everyone had their umbrellas.

We started the tour at the Vidin sign (written in Cyrillic, of course), then headed right into the center city. We saw a mix of earlier Hapsburg architecture as well as the ubiquitous Communist-bloc architecture. We walked by the memorial to the Jewish population of the city which was actually saved during WWII. The Bulgarian leader during the war had refused when Hitler wanted the Jews of Bulgaria sent to the concentration camps. Interestingly enough, most left Bulgaria for Israel after the war.

As we continued to walk, we also saw signs of the old walls of the city, too. Next, we walked by the area dubbed the “Triangle of Tolerance,” where you could see an Orthodox Church, a preserved mosque, and a neo-Gothic synagogue. Ironically, only the Orthodox Church is being used for its intended purpose since there is no real Jewish or Muslim population in the city any longer.

The real highlight of the tour for most people was the 10th-century medieval fortress, Baba Vida Fortress. Long a symbol of Vidin, the fortress hugs the river with its thick medieval walls, solid towers, and strong gates. We had been through the fort before (spending more time then than this time), but we did enjoy visiting it again.

While there was certainly time that one could stay in the city to visit other spots, or shop, almost everyone headed back to the dry Kadlin. We actually didn't leave Vidin until around 3:00 pm. Later in the day, we did make a quick stop in Nikopol to pick up the passengers who had taken the tour to Belogradchik Rocks and Fortress (they had left earlier in the morning from Vidin). By the way, we obviously did not take the Viking tour of Belogradchik, but we did take a tour of this site two years ago. It is in a great setting. The rocks surrounding the fortress are huge and had many fantastic shapes, over time being given names to represent their shapes. The way the fortress is built into the rocks is interesting, too. If we hadn’t already been there, I think we would have chosen that optional tour.

In the late afternoon, the program director gave a talk in the lounge on the Post Communist and recent history of the Balkans. After the port talk, it was time for a bit of a chilly dinner in the covered Aquavit Terrace area. Most nice evenings, it was impossible to eat out here. While dinner was served here as well on in the Restaurant, there were several couples who claimed these tables each evening, by sending one person to hold the table. This was very irritating to most of the other passengers who felt it would be nice if everyone would do a bit of sharing. We, definitely, didn't want to be part of the drama of laying stake to a table prior to the port talk. Therefore, we didn't usually eat out there unless the whole terrace (uncovered, too) was open. This only happened if we were staying in port until the dinner hour was over. Tonight, however, we were finally able to sit out there because it was too cool for most passengers due to the rainy weather.

Friday, May 10 - Pleven, Bulgaria

This morning was another gray morning. We took the included “Panoramic Pleven Tour.” Others were heading out to Veliko Tarnovo and Arbanasi. I would highly recommend this second optional tour since we visited both locations when we were in Bulgaria two years and really thought they were great. We only spent an afternoon in Arbanasi, but we spent two whole days in Veliko Tarnovo. In Veliko Tarnovo, you’ll see several interesting monuments, but it’s the landscape of the city hanging on the hillside that is so beautiful. The highlight in Arbanasi is the Nativity Church, where there is a guided tour in this church that is filled with striking frescoes. So do this tour, if you haven’t been there before.

Since we had seen Veliko Tarnovo and Arbanasi before, we did the Panoramic Tour. Actually, we really enjoyed seeing Pleven Epopee, a monument created by thirteen Russian and Bulgarian artists to commemorate the Siege of Pleven during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877. This panoramic artistic display is very much like the cyclorama display at Gettysburg. Since we had seen several other battle sites of the Russo-Turkish War while we were in Bulgaria two years ago, this display just added to our knowledge of how Bulgaria gained its freedom from the Ottoman Empire.

Following our visit to the Epopee, we headed to the pedestrian zone of Pleven. While we saw several fountains, went inside the St. George Chapel Mausoleum, and took a quick visit into St. Nicholas Church (a wedding was taking place there so we couldn’t stay long), almost everyone agreed this was a very lackluster part of the tour. The damp weather didn’t help improve our opinion.

It was back to the Kadlin for lunch. Many afternoons, lunch tables were also set up in the Lounge. It was a great spot where you could have a table for two for a change. It also had the added benefit of being able to hear Emil’s piano music while dining.

Our afternoon was spent doing some packing since we had two tours planned for the next day and Sunday would be disembarkation. The Kadlin spent the afternoon moving from Svistov, where we had been picked up from our Panoramic Tour, to Russe, where the Veliko Tarnovo tour guests were picked up. The evening, as usual, consisted of dinner and then after dinner cocktails. The beautiful sunset was much appreciated after the drizzly start to the day.

Saturday, May 11 - Constanta

We woke up this morning transiting the Danube-Black Sea Canal on the way to Constanta. By the time breakfast was over, we were docked in Constanta. Our morning tour was “Constanta on Foot,” although we took a bus out of the port area up a short distance into town where the actual walk began. We viewed the Capitolina Wolf statue and the statue of Ovid. Another structure of note was the Turkish mosque with its 155-foot-high minaret. The city was filled with lots of beautiful architecture in different states of restoration.

After wandering the lovely streets for about a half hour, we came to the Orthodox Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul. Its interior was quite ornate and we were lucky enough to be there during the beginning of a service.

After our visit to the cathedral, we walked a short distance and saw the Black Sea. Today’s brilliantly blue sky made the Black Sea look anything but black. We enjoyed some time on the Promenade, then we were given free time to have a coffee, walk along the marina, or head over to the beach if we wanted to wade in the Black Sea.

After returning to the Kadlin and enjoying lunch on the Aquavit Terrace, we were ready for our afternoon tour, “Wines of Southern Romania.” We drove in the bus to the Dobrudja region where we visited the Murfatlar Vineyard. We had a quick visit to the wine cellar and learned about the history of wine-making in this area. Then it was back on the bus to go to the wine restaurant that had been built for Nikolai Ceausescu. He was known to have entertained Tito, Gorbachev, and several other famous leaders at his wine restaurant. We were greeted with the traditional salt and bread as well as musicians playing traditional songs. We were introduced to five wines while we enjoyed platters of local cheeses and meats, fruits and nuts. My only complaint with this part of the tour was that our guide promised to link specific cheeses and meats with specific wines, but the women pouring the wines did their job too fast so the process was rather unsynchronized. Nonetheless, we had a great time sampling!

After returning to the ship, we enjoyed a final evening on the Kadlin. Wow, had two weeks gone by quickly!

Sunday, May 12 - Disembarkation from Viking Kadlin, on to Bucharest

This morning was time to depart and head to the JW Marriott in Bucharest. It was about a three-hour bus ride including rest stop. The weather was nice and I must admit I dozed a bit on our way. We also hit a bit of traffic on the way into the city.

We had a walking tour of the old town area of Bucharest that seemed to create some difficulties for a few guests. There were a few people who wanted the guide to slow down (personally, it seemed like a pretty slow pace to me). On the other hand, there were a few people who kept insisting we hurry to the restaurant, our ultimate destination, because they wanted to use the restroom. It was a no-win situation for the poor guide.

We did see some interesting buildings along the way, but overall, the old town area of Bucharest seemed a bit more run down than earlier cities on our itinerary.

We finally reached our lunch spot, Hanul lui Manuc, located in the oldest operating hotel in Bucharest. While lunch was tasty, there were too many chairs crammed together at each table, making it less than comfortable. There was a folkloric dance group accompanied by traditional music.

After lunch, the guide pointed out more historic buildings and churches as we walked back to the buses. Once on the buses, we still had about a half hour or so of panoramic bus touring before we reached the Marriott. The only photo I took was of the Parliament as it was just too difficult to take photos of the other monuments, gardens, homes, and historic sites that were being pointed out from the moving bus. I was fine with this added sightseeing, but many of the people on the bus just wanted to get to the hotel. I know that Viking was trying to push our arrival to around 4:00 pm so all the rooms would be ready.

Our room at the Marriott was spacious and comfortable. We didn’t have much time to relax though because we had booked the optional “Sights and Flavors of Bucharest”. This was a progressive dining experience. We started off at the Hanvi’ Berarilor Casa Elena Lupescu brewery for samples (pints) of a dark and a light beer, accompanied by hearty appetizers. Then we headed to another area of the city to the Hanvi’ Berarilor Casa Opera Soare, to enjoy our main course accompanied by Romanian wines. This restaurant appeared to be owned by the previous brewery we visited. Last, we headed to Uranus, another gastronomic brewery location owned by Hanvi’ Berarilor, where we enjoyed Romanian palinka and a dessert platter of crepes, papanasi (the traditional Romanian cheese donuts), and Romanian style apple strudel. We really had a good time on this tour. None of the courses were rushed and all of the food and drinks were delicious!

By 10:30 pm, we were headed back to the hotel. I was looking forward to a nice soak in the deep tub using the lovely bath salts that the Marriott provided.

Monday, May 13 - Bucharest

We were sad that our “Insight into the Palace of Parliament” tour had been canceled due to a last-minute official event. I had always wanted to go inside this “over the top” building, second only in size to the Pentagon. It has more than 3000 rooms and was representative of just how obsessive Nicolas Ceausescu, the failed dictator, was. I have to admit that we were happy to have a day where we could relax a bit. We have most often booked ocean cruises with quite a few sea days to break up touring. That just doesn’t happen on a river cruise where there are activities and tours every day. Therefore, today was our day to relax. We started by sleeping in a bit, having a late breakfast, then, finally, taking a leisurely walk around the large Parliament building that we wouldn’t be able to enter. We were amazed by the building’s size, but it was obvious that it was of rather shoddy construction. Of course, it was only half finished when Ceausescu was executed, so I’m sure the people of Romania weren’t too keen to be sinking more money into a vanity project by a leader they realized had squandered much of the country’s money.

We had decided that our goal for the day was to head over to Revolution Square by a meandering route through the Old Town. Along the way, we encountered some type of labor parade. We watched the marching workers for a full twenty minutes before we found a convenient spot to cross their path.

Once we got to the Revolution Square area, we first admired the statue of King Carol I on horseback, just across the street from the Royal Palace. King Carol was from Germany. The Romanians, having no royal family, selected this German prince to lead them once they became a modern state in the 1860s. He seemed to really take to this new position, becoming a real cheerleader of Romanian culture.

We only had to cross the street to find ourselves in Revolution Square. There, we first walked through the memorial park, which contains a tall monument honoring the more than 1000 Romanians who died during the 1989 revolution. The park is right in front of the former Communist Party Headquarters, where Ceausescu had his office and spoke to the people from a second-floor balcony. There were several interesting placards to read about the event, including photos of Ceausescu’s helicopter rescue from the Communist Headquarters Building when the crowd turned against him

Ceausescu was not able to hide for long. He and his wife were arrested, given a brief trial, shot on Christmas Day 1989, and their bodies exhibited on national tv. While there is no doubt that Ceausescu was a repressive dictator, this revolution that took less than a week and resulted so quickly in the former leader’s execution seems a bit unsettling.

After, leaving Revolution Square, we took a slightly different route back to the Marriott, walking through the Parculi Gradina Cismigiu, a lovely 19th century park. We also stopped by a grocery store along the way to pick up some cheese and crackers to go with some wine we had purchased earlier on the trip. We had been eating so much lately that we had no desire to go out for dinner.

Tuesday, May 14 - Bucharest to Brasov

Today was the first day of the Transylvania extension. We left about 9:00 am. My complaint was that the bus was packed. I believe there were 44 of us. I really think that Viking should have used two buses, but that would have required another guide. It was a problem for the guide on several occasions when we toured buildings. We were all strung out going through the rooms, so when she was describing something in one room with maybe 10 tour members, the rest of us would finally reach that room and not really see what she had been talking about (besides the fact that she was already describing something else in another room). This was not her fault - there’s just no way that she could handle that many people effectively. In those tight quarters, even 22 would be a challenge, but 44 was crazy!

It took us some time to leave Bucharest traffic, but once we were on the open road, the landscape began to get interesting. We had a brief rest stop, then headed into a higher elevation.

When we reached Peleş Castle, the bus had to let us off on the road outside the castle estate grounds. We had to walk the short distance to the castle. The area was wooded and quite beautiful. Peles was built by King Carol I in the 1880s. As I mentioned in yesterday’s report, he was from Germany and wanted to build a German-style castle (think Neuschwanstein). Unfortunately, the facade was under restoration so one has to image what it looks like without all the scaffolding. We went into the inner courtyard while our guide got our tickets.

Once we entered the castle, we started to separate because we had to go through rooms in smaller groups since there were lots of other tourists, too. The rooms were dominated by dark woodwork, gilt-framed paintings, beautiful chandeliers, and lots of expensive knick-knacks. We visited just some of the many rooms (the Hall of Honor, King Carol’s Study, Room for Audiences, Music Room, Dining Room, Moorish Room were just some that we visited).

After our castle tour, we reboarded the bus and headed back into Sinaia, the nearby town. There we were given time for lunch on our own. While I think everyone enjoyed this hour break, Mike and I really liked the brewery restaurant we dined in, one of several restaurants that our guide suggested. Most of the tour members headed into the closest restaurant. Only one other couple joined us at the Ursus Restaurant, a little further up the street. Mike and I both had soup - I had the chicken with sour cream and herbs, Mike had the bean with smoked ribs. Both were delicious! Since we were served quite quickly, we decided to split an order of the papanasi (the fried donuts with jam and sour cream) to see how it compared to the papanasi we had two nights ago. When two huge plates of papanasi were served, we assumed the waitress had misunderstood. No, that was one order that they had split for our convenience. After our great lunch, I dozed on the bus as we headed on to Brasov.

When we reached Brasov, we headed to the Radisson Blu to check in. While not as nice as the Marriott, with smaller rooms, our room did have a great view of the Brasov sign. And the Radisson Blu is in a great location right off the pedestrian walkway and square, with lots of restaurants. After settling in, our guide took anyone who wanted to go on a walk around the downtown area.

Once the brief walking tour was over, everyone split up. Many of us decided to go to the Black Church. It is the largest Gothic church between Vienna and Istanbul. It got its name when it was burned during a fire in 1689. The inside really demonstrates the importance of the guilds when it was built. Many of the original pews are decorated with the seals of various guilds. There are also many Turkish carpets filling the nave. These were donated by European traders and pilgrims who passed through Brasov.

Tuesday, May 14, continued:
After touring the Black Church, we took a leisurely walk back to the hotel, enjoying the fact that the weather was so nice. Then, we headed up to the Sky Bar area of the Radisson Blu to enjoy the view. Tomorrow would be a full day of touring Transylvania so we had a light dinner and turned in early.

Wednesday, May 15 - Transylvania

Today was our optional “Transylvania Highlights” tour. It seems like most people wanted to take this optional tour, but there were only about 30 spots available online to book in advance. Later, near the end of the river cruise, there were more spots available, but many who hadn’t booked in advance had other plans so we lucked out with only about 30 tour members on the bus (not as crowded as with the whole group on the Transylvania Extension the day before).

Our first stop was the fortified Saxon church at Prejmer. This was just a short ride from Brasov. This fortified church had been built by the Saxon peasants and craftsmen, emigrants who had been granted land in this area (the church begun in 1218, the fortifications in 1300). Not only did we see the fortified walls surrounding the church, we got to see the half-timbered building inside that housed the townspeople when they needed to flee to the protection of the fortified church during periods of invasion. There was a room reserved for each family of the town - you can still see the numbers on the doors that were linked to each family. There was much of the original structure left, including the original portcullis.

After leaving Prejmer, we had about an hour drive to our next fortified Saxon church at Viscri. The Transylvanian landscape was beautiful. Once we arrived in Viscri, we left the bus and had about a 20-minute walk to the church. Part of the walk is uphill, so one or two tour members chose not to walk, instead staying in the village. By the way, the first house of note pointed out to us was the home of King Charles. He visited quite regularly prior to becoming king, and has visited at least once since becoming king. Our tour guide said the locals leave him alone and he likes to hike and be in nature.

By the time we arrived at the fortified church, we could see that it was quite different from the fortified church at Prejmer. This church is one of the oldest built around 1100 CE. Our guide provided a wonderful historical review of the church and the people who constructed it. He gave us ample time to ask questions, then explore the church and courtyard on our own.

After leaving Viscri, it was on to lunch in Sighisoara. While Sighisoara is considered the best preserved of the seven original Saxon towns, I personally felt that it was too commercial. The bus dropped us off at the bottom of the hill on which the old town is perched. It was about a 10 minutes steep climb up the hill (no problem, but for those who might find it challenging, there was a van ride for a slight fee).

Our lunch was in a room in the building where Vlad Dracul was allegedly born. OK meal, but again, we were crammed in the room. When those served first were done, they assumed all of us were done (we were served last). We weren’t. They should have had more servers.

After lunch, it was starting to sprinkle, so our guide sent us to the clock tower. There is a museum inside which was included in the tour. You need to be able to walk up narrow, uneven steps, some are spiral. The artifacts inside are so-so, but the views from the top are worth the climb. I especially liked being able to see the clock figurines from the inside looking out. After our visit to the clock tower, we met again to take a brief walking tour of the town and walk to the statue of Vlad Tepes and then to the overlook.

After our walking tour, it was time to head back to the bus for our one and a half to two-hour drive back to Brasov. Once back in Brasov, we headed out to dinner on own while other tour members headed to an optional Transylvanian dinner. I’m glad we chose a quiet wine bar and had the opportunity to quietly enjoy our last evening in Brasov.

Thursday, May 16 - Brasov to Bucharest

Today was the last day of the extension so after breakfast at the hotel, we were back on the full bus again. Our destination was Bran Castle, more commonly referred to as Dracula’s Castle although there is little to no connection to Vlad the Impaler. But tell that to all the souvenir sellers. The castle does date from the 14th century, however, so if you like medieval, this is a fun visit. In the 20th century, the Romanian royal family used it as a country retreat. There are lots of narrow, uneven stairways, but it is worth the climb. Once again, we had problems with the guide describing things four rooms ahead of us, but by this time, we didn’t care. We just stopped to read things ourselves and tuned her out.

After we finished touring the castle, we were given free time until 1:30 pm to explore the grounds, the small town (basically filled with tourist traps and tacky souvenir shops), and have lunch on our own. The guide suggested that the Queen’s Tea Room on the grounds was a good place to eat, or we could go into town. Mike and I thought the Queen’s Tea Room looked inviting and went there, even though it was too early for lunch. We had a coffee, then went back out to explore the grounds. By the time it was lunchtime, we headed back to the tea room. It had been packed when we were having coffee, but now there were few people there for lunch. We were surprised that no one else from our tour was there. They missed out because the lunch was great. Mike had a risotto that he liked, but I think I won with my seeded chicken schnitzel. It was the best schnitzel I had the entire trip!

By 1:20, we were the last ones back to the bus. I think the rest of the tour members were tired, only grabbed something fast, if anything, for lunch, and just wanted to get back to Bucharest.

It was about 3 1/2 hours back to Bucharest because we hit a lot of traffic as we entered the city. When we got to the hotel, we checked into our new room, had an early dinner on our own, and prepared to leave Bucharest the following day.

Friday, May 17 - Bucharest to Salzburg (via Vienna)

This morning, we had a late breakfast since our transfer to the airport was not until 10:30 am. We had arranged our own air, but Viking will provide a free transfer if you book their pre or post excursion even without their air. That was very convenient for us.

The transfer was by van for the two couples who needed transfers at that time. The airport check-in was fine, but the business lounge at the airport was awful. Food in cardboard containers, mostly fried. So many people crowded in that there was no room to sit. We were not impressed. We weren’t impressed with Austrian Airlines (booked through Lufthansa) either. While we are used to European business class with three seats across and the middle seat blocked, the service on this flight was extremely poor. The seats felt like they were ready to fall apart. Service was lacking and definitely not friendly.

We had originally booked our flight to Vienna to spend some more time, then travel further on our own until May 30. We had an unexpected family event arise that would take place on May 24 in the US which required us to change our original plans so I kept the Vienna tickets and added on train tickets to Salzburg, heading back towards our flight back to the US in Munich on May 21. Our flight got us to Vienna on time, but our train from the airport station to Salzburg was canceled. We were able to figure out a work around, taking a commuter train into Vienna, then transferring to a direct train heading to Salzburg, but it involved a lot of dashing and changing from the commuter station to the main station. After all the running, we got to the main station and found out that the train was delayed by an hour.

All worked out in the end and we got to Salzburg about an hour late. We had a relatively short walk to our hotel, the Imlauer Hotel Pitter and settled in. I had booked a regular double room, rather than their deluxe or suite rooms since the prices in Salzburg seemed so high. The hotel was fine (we really loved their restaurant!), but our room was too small for our preferences. We weren’t in it that much, but I think I’ll pay the extra on rooms in the future.

We had snacked at the OBB Travel Lounge while we waited for our delayed train, so we weren’t very hungry but wanted a little something. Besides, it had been about 20 years since we’d last visited Salzburg and wanted to walk for a bit. We grabbed our umbrellas because it looked like it might rain.

Wow, Salzburg that evening was beautiful! And it did begin to drizzle a bit. We, however, were on our quest for something light to eat, so we strolled the streets of the Old Town, enjoying the fact that the rain was keeping the streets quiet and atmospheric. All the other tourists were staying in their hotels. We finally saw a beer house (Restaurant Zipfer Bierhaus) that had a light menu. That seemed right up our alley. It was great. It was filled with all locals. A few of the tables were filled with musicians (they dropped their instruments near the front door when they came in). It was the perfect atmosphere to relax after our busy travel day.

Saturday, May 18 - Salzburg

Today, we were giving ourselves a rest day since we had a longer tour day tomorrow to Berchtesgaden.

We started the morning with a great buffet breakfast at our hotel. It was probably the best hotel breakfast we had during this trip. Many types of interesting cheeses, sausages, smoked fish, breads, hot items, made to order omelets that were great, and pour your own champagne (with plenty of juices if you wanted a mimosa variation). On top of that, the view was great since breakfast was in the Sky Bar on the top floor of the hotel. You could also choose to eat outdoors on the balcony, but it was a bit cool this morning so we opted for inside.

After our late breakfast, we planned to just walk in the Old Town. As I mentioned earlier, we had visited Salzburg previously and had done all the usual tour stops. Today was just to enjoy the views and get some exercise after our huge breakfast. By the way, it was another beautiful day weatherwise!

We walked by the hotel on Goldgasse where my son and I had stayed in 2003 - it was a family-run Rick Steves hotel (then reasonable), now it has changed hands and is much more upscale and expensive. We also saw the Salzburg Cathedral, St. Peter’s Abbey & Church, Augustiner Kloster, many food stalls at the Saturday market (including some of the lovely seasonal food items - I especially love the white asparagus and chanterelles), and had a daytime view of Restaurant Zipfer Bierhaus, where we ate the evening before. From almost every location, we had fabulous views of Hohensalzburg Fortress, towering over the Old Town.

By this time, we had wandered about three hours, and we were ready for a break. We still weren’t hungry enough for lunch and we knew we had a dinner reservation for 6:00 pm at the hotel that evening, so we opted for a beer garden restaurant run by a neighboring hotel. However, we were kind of “beered” out so we both ordered Aperol spritzes since the day had warmed up. By the time we spent a relaxing hour at the beer garden, we had about an hour and a half to head back to the room and change before our evening reservation at our hotel Sky Bar. We were able to secure a balcony table for what turned out to be a wonderful evening of food, drink, service, and views. Mike chose a beef consommé with truffled oxtail ravioli and vegetable pearls. I chose a soup of white asparagus with bresaola and cream cheese. We drank a bottle of Gruner Veltliner white wine.

Mike ordered Wiener Schnitzel with parsley potatoes, lingonberries, and lemon for his main. He said it was good, but not as good as my seeded chicken schnitzel had been at the Queen’s Tea Room (at Bran Castle in Transylvania). I ordered the Ragout of asparagus with gnocchi, herb salad, macadamia, pecorino, and pepperoni mayonnaise. It was fantastic!

For dessert, we shared a Lime-Curd Mousse with almond pastry, berries, and mango.

We spent about three and a half hours eating, drinking, talking, and enjoying the views. It was a wonderful and relaxing evening, made even nicer since we knew we only had to go down two floors to our room.

Sunday, May 19 - Salzburg to Berchtesgaden and Back

This is a day I had been looking forward to - our historical tour of nearby Berchtesgaden that was so important during WWII. My husband and I had always been interested in WWII - probably due to the fact that our fathers had both participated, his father in Europe, my dad in the Pacific. We have visited many sites associated with the war, but somehow always missed the Eagle’s Nest and the Berghof. Today was the day to fill in those missing pieces.

We had another one of the great Imlauer Hotel Pitter breakfasts, then walked to the bus stop to catch our ride to Berchtesgaden. We had checked out the stop the day before so we knew exactly where to head. The bus was on time and we were off on our 30–40-minute ride. The ride itself is quite scenic.

We had taken an earlier bus than we needed, so we had plenty of time to walk up the path from the station into Old Town Berchtesgaden prior to meeting our guide. It was Sunday morning, so it was rather quiet in the Old Town.

By the time we walked around the town and then walked back down, it was almost time to meet our guide, Steve Lewis. He was already there to meet us so we were able to get an early start on the tour. I had booked this tour using GetYourGuide, but learned that Steve does have a website, so if you want to book, I’d definitely suggest doing that. Through GetYourGuide and Viator, only his 1/2-day tour is listed - on his personal site, he always offers a full day tour. We definitely would have taken that (had we known). Steve and his wife run their tours. They have done extensive research, interviewed survivors of the period and children of survivors who remember living there, and they provide a very history focused tour. They even live in one of the old SS barracks that had since been converted into apartments. They really know this area well.

We immediately started our climb up toward the Berghof. Along the way, Steve pointed other SS quarters, the site of Bormann’s home and Goering’s home, along with other homes of German leaders of the era. Steve also pointed out sealed bunker entrances along the drive. The scenery was stunning as we continued to wind our way up toward our first major site - the Berghof, Hitler’s retreat during WWII. When we reached the area, Steve pointed out the structure, close to the Berghof that remains from the period - a former hotel, Hotel zum Turken. Bormann did not like it being so close to the Berghof so he had it “purchased.” It then was used by different security services. While it did sustain some bombing damage at the end of the war, it had been restored by a relative who had regained control of the property after the war.

Right next to the hotel, Steve pointed out the final checkpoint before the Berghof as well as the service entrance and main driveway of the Berghof. During this time, Steve was also showing us period photos on his iPad.

We parked right at the entrance of the main driveway and walked up to the actual site where many famous photos have been taken. We stood in front of the location of the huge picture window and viewed the scenery that hasn’t really changed since Hitler lived there. It was eerie.
We walked around the site which, of course, is now wooded. The Allied bombing at the end of the way had almost destroyed the Berghof, but the West German government called for it to be completely removed in 1952. The only original things that remain are the supporting wall of the southern slope and a few small remnants of the foundation.

Sunday, May 19, continued:
We were the only people there until about ten minutes before we left, when a couple of hikers came over to see the area. The government does not encourage the official Eagle’s Nest tours to come here, even though there is a small tourist-style sign placed at the location. Steve said that none of the tourist literature of the area include directions here. It’s interesting to note that the official tours go to the Eagle’s Nest, where it is documented that Hitler only visited 14 times. Yet, he spent 1/3 of the wartime years at the Berghof, where many momentous decisions were made. We were just glad we were able to come to this site and would be able to see the Eagle’s Nest, too. After our stay at the Berghof, we headed further up the mountain road to the Obersaltzburg Documentation Center.

Unfortunately, on the 1/2-day tour, you don’t have time to really visit the museum part. We did have time to visit the bunkers that are open to the public. The construction of these bunkers began in 1943 as Germany began to suffer more bombing. The tunnels that connected the bunkers were dug by slave labor. There was plenty of signage along the walkway to learn a lot about each bunker area. I especially liked an area where you could watch a video of the building of the bunker system.

We could have stayed longer, but we needed to head to our timed-entry bus to take us up the Eagle’s Nest (actually called the Kehlsteinhaus chalet). Only official buses are allowed to access the very narrow (original) road up to the Eagle’s Nest. Since the Eagle’s Nest is at such a high elevation, it doesn’t open until mid to late May. We lucked out because it had opened just the previous week. The drive up was beautiful.

Although Hitler did not visit the Eagle’s Nest very often, Eva Brau loved it. When we arrived at the parking area, most of the bus passengers headed straight for the elevators that whisk you up to the chalet, which is still quite a distance up. Steve took us to a side door that was clearly marked Verboten. But Steve had a key to the door and he led us in to see some of the equipment used for chalet maintenance. It also gave him time to explain some more history and allow the crowds at the elevator to disperse. By the time we got to the original polished-brass elevator, we had it to ourselves.

When we reached the top, Steve walked us through the rooms, providing explanations and more iPad photos of the Eagle’s Nest rooms and exterior from the period. This was great because a lot has changed inside the building. It is a restaurant now. Steve could point out what was original, partially original, and totally changed. After his brief tour of the Eagle’s Nest, he left and gave us another 45 minutes to explore on our own before meeting him back down at the parking lot. We walked up the mountainside behind the building to get a good view. Again, the weather was on our side. When it was time to head down to meet Steve, we discovered that the original bronze elevator wasn’t working so it was an unexpected hike down to the parking lot (actually, we enjoyed it).

The buses were kind of off schedule due to the elevator malfunction since buses can only travel in one direction at a time due to the narrow road, so we had to wait for about twenty minutes in the parking lot. Once we got back to Steve’s car, it was a quick trip back to the bus station to catch the bus back to Salzburg. It had been a great tour and we highly recommend Steve’s tour!

Once we got back to Salzburg, we decided another visit to the hotel’s Sky-Bar Restaurant was in order. It was a great decision because we had another great meal. After dinner, it was time to pack for our journey to Munich tomorrow.

Monday, May 20 - Salzburg to Munich

Today was a travel day. We enjoyed another great breakfast at Imlauer Hotel Pitter, and then had a last champagne toast to Salzburg on the restaurant terrace. Then it was off to the train station to take the noon train to Munich. The trip was uneventful, but scenic. There’s a lot of construction going on at the Munich main station, so instead of trying to store our bags and walking to Augustiner for a beer, we decided to just head on to the Munich Airport Hilton where we planned to stay since we had a morning flight back to the US the next day. It took about forty minutes to go from Munich main station to the airport train station. When we arrived, it was a nice walk to the Hilton (although it was a bit confusing since you had to enter through a tunnel and take an elevator up one level). Hilton had upgraded us to a Jr. Suite so that was nice.

We headed to the Lounge about 6:00 pm and had a great dinner. Different than most Hilton Executive Lounges that serve from large buffet style containers, this lounge served individual servings in ramekins. And the food was excellent - much better than the standard fare at most lounges. We were also able to sit inside or out. Since it was a beautiful evening, we sat outside on a landscaped patio. Kudos to Munich Hilton - we will definitely stay here again.

Tuesday, May 21 - Munich to the USA

The next morning, we had a nice breakfast at the executive lounge, then headed over to check in for our flight around 9:30 am. No problems there and we were on our flight ready for our 11:45 am take off. We had a non-stop flight on Delta and everything went well.

A few final thoughts:

On the Kadlin, we ended up really enjoying our stateroom (an AA Suite). We know that we prefer having space in our stateroom. Unlike many Viking passengers, we like a place to escape to. We stay up late at night - that’s just us. We don’t go to bed at 9:00 pm so we spend a bit of time in the Lounge after dinner for a drink or to dance, then head back to the room (sometimes with an additional drink) to read, talk, listen to the water whish by our room, etc. Having that space to comfortably sit was nice. I liked the fact that we had fresh flowers, wine in our room, and lots of cubbies for storage. We liked it so much that we’ve booked another river cruise in that style cabin. This time it was a last-minute special price so much less expensive per day than our Danube cruise was.

One thing we noted was that there are times that the boat seems too packed with people, notably during port talks or performances. It would be nice if Viking had more room in their lounges or had fewer people on each boat. Most of the time, it is not a problem but for events that everyone wants to attend, some people will be standing. We started watching some of the port talks in our room, just to have a comfortable place to sit and avoid having to show up in the Lounge a half hour before events.

My last note is that we wish there were more four top tables. We’re not the people who have to sit by ourselves when dining, but just sitting with one more couple is preferable - this is mainly because it is just easier to converse over the noise. The large tables in the Restaurant are too large. It’s difficult to hear the people at the end of the table if you happen to be at the other end.