Passage To Eastern Europe Viking River Cruise
Day 8: Friday, November 04, 2022 - Vidin, Bulgaria
The day's statistics:
- Weather: upper 50s
- Steps: 8,210 Linda; 10,229 Steve
This morning's breakfast was with Jill (a Brit) and David, former MD residents that now live in UT.
We had our usualy breakfast today of egg benedict for Linda, and buffet for me; with pineapple juice and coffee.
We had a little free time - a little more than an hour - this morning as our excursion was scheduled to leave at
10:00 - primarily because we weren't even at the port yet.
At about 8:20 we finally arrived at our port.
When we got off the ship for our excursion, I was able to get a couple pictures of it.
We boarded the buses for our one hour drive to Belogradchik Rocks and Fotress.
Our guide was Vivina, and our driver was Tony.
Right near where the buses were, in a small park, was this "Memorial of the Victims of Communism"
(the Danube is in the background).
It didn't take long to get out of town and into the countryside.
We came across some wild - we think - horses running up the shoulder of the roadway in this mountain area.
More scenery.
We arrived in the town of Belogradchik, in the Balkan mountains, where the Rocks and Fotress are. But before we
got to the rocks and fortress, we had to drive through the town.
The fortress was at the top of a high peak and overlooked the town below.
We were headed to the rocks on the other side of the wall.
The iron in the stone turns it red, and the layers are visible here too.
Inside the gate was this fortress map.
The new wall - brownish - build in the 19th century on top of the old wall - gray - built in the 14th century.
Getting closer.
Some of the rock formations have descriptions, though maybe not completely recognizable from this angle with this
particular lighting. Starting on the right: dog, man, elephant (a LOT of the stone), the gate opening [not a rock
formation, but for reference], two people kissing.
There was a main gate - nothing too impressive - and a secondary gate.
Getting ready for the climb. It was a series of steps - some rather steep. But not too challenging.
Looking out at the town again. You can see the first gate in the lower left corner too. A couple other shots
with the zoom and the angle adjusted.
We made our way through the first fortified doors at about 80% up.
Looking out over the town from an even higher elevation.
For perspective, the arch in the very low right corner is the fortified door from above.
This rock looks like an ape or chromagna man.
One of the formations - the man as seen from below.
And the formation that looks like the kissing couple from below.
The majority of travelers stayed at the main level. There were a quarter to a third that climbed up the final
section to get to the tippy-top. Linda didn't want to try the final leg, but I did - and it was far easier
getting up there than it was getting back. At least for me.
This first image here is one Linda took; and the second one is a zoom in on the steep staircase to the peak.
Our program director Adrian made the trek to the top too (no, that's not me as I would never be able
to comfortably stand that close to the edge like that).
I started the climb up. There was a fairly steep staircase, or carved-into-the-rocks steps. I took the road less
traveled... The last flight of stairs isn't visible in either picture here (it was in the zoom image above), but it
is to the left near the top of the stone steps in the second image here.
Just before ascending the final staircase - of which I don't have a better image than the one above - I got this shot.
The top was comparatively flat. I got two ~150° panaramas - [let's just say] one to the East and one to the West.
A smaller panarama of just the town below.
A couple non-panarama shots from this level.
There was a [likely] local resident that was flying a drone from the top. I can only image how fantastic those
images must have been. Probably.
These gates protect visitors from the wells. These were water collection basins that could be used for collecting
water should there be a seige on the fortress and access to other water was eliminated.
Our time at the top of the fortress was over and was had to decend. Linda somehow got this image with almost no
one in it.
At the bottom, we got a selfie before leaving the fortress.
After the fortress, we had a little time for a convenience stop, some snack and or beverages, and some souvenir
shopping. By "little time", I mean 15 or so minutes.
We boarded the bus and headed to our next stop. On the way, some random sights.
At first we weren't sure what this sort of sign meant (this wasn't the first time we saw one like this, just the
first time I was able to capture one). But we're pretty sure we figured it. Since we had just LEFT Belogradchik,
and we had just passed through a 'T' interestion, we figured out that the sign mean "Belogradchik is NOT in this
direction". It might seem obvious [now], but I don't recall ever seeing a similar sign on any streets in the US -
signs that pretty much say "this ISN'T the way to go".
A war relic.
Another shepard tending his flock.
More sights.
Tried to get a picture of this tree, but it was photo-bombed by whatever that monument / sculpture thing is in the background...
And continuing.
A couple sculptures.
The international train station, and a train. (The "domestic" train station is behind the international one.)
Even the Bulgarians have to do laundry...
The post office.
Before heading to lunch, we paused by the coffee station. This stop was just for the pictures, but we frequently
stopped by to get coffee on the way to the lounge before the port talk.
The machine provides various coffees, cocoa, or water for teas. And they have muffins in the morning, and cookies
in the afternoon and evening.
It was time for lunch.
On our very first cruise, lunch included a buffet market fare wherein people can take from a selection of usually
regional appetizers.
Last year (our second cruise), due to COVID, the waiter (Sam) would bring a set of appetizer dishes to us to choose
from.
This year, this lunch was the first - and only - lunch that appetizers were brought to use. We eventually learned
that appetizers were available on the buffet, but they were self service. We were fine without, but it would have
been nice to have the option.
We ate with Michelle and Marty (the couple from South Salem, NY).
Linda had the Umami Asian salad.
I had the roast chicken and cole slaw.
We reviewed the lunch menu.
All the meals also had artisan bread on the table, be it some sliced something, or rolls of some kind.
Linda had the Tomato Rasam broth, Energy bowl, and Apple compote tart.
I had the Assorted crudité platter, spaghetti alla Napoletana, and almond caramel ice cream.
We couldn't spend too much time chatting as it was time for our next excursion.
We were headed to the Baba Vida Fortress, and our guide was Benny, and our driver was Gregory.
A few minutes down the road we spotted a... stink bug on the windshield.
We got off the bus and first saw the rose garden. The sculpture of the girl represents the strength of Romanian
girls and women; and a couple flowers from the same garden.
Across the parking lot were the stables and gun powder storage.
We walked around the fortress to the entrance.
Just before going inside the fortress, we took a selfie.
The moat.
The main entryway and doors.
This section shows the different build layers. The gray granite at the bottom is the original Roman layer,
the next layers, the brick and stone, are the Bulgarian layers.
A map of fortress - this was just inside the entryway.
An original canon base.
Some more fortress sights.
An original lift mechanism component.
Some beehives - that would have been used at the time [though not specifically these] - and canon balls.
Some worship space.
Some "retention space" (aka dungeon).
A prisoner recreation area.
Passageways.
Some sights from outside / on top of the fortress.
Back at the lower level, the arches were believed to have originally been openings that were eventually walled up.
A last shot from the back of the fortress.
On our way back to the bus.
At 3:30 we boarded the bus and headed out for the Dos Alamos Winery, about 20 minutes away.
Shortly after leaving the fortress, we came upon more protective wall.
Finally got a good shot of a gas station. (Admittedly, don't know what "Blue Force" gas is, but the others are
more in line with regular pricing - though even the blue force one exceeds $4.00 / gallon).
At this time, 1 Lev = $0.55. So this gas is 2.96 times 3.8 (liters per gallon) is 11.25, or $6.19 per gallon.
Some more sights on the way to the winery.
We arrived at Dos Alamos Winery.
Before entering, a shot of part of the vineyard - the white posts hold the grape vine wires.
We were going to have a wine tasting, in the darkly it wine cellar.
We had a couple whites, a rose (phone focused on the table, not the glass - in both shots), and a red.
It turns out they had some snacks prepared for us as well. We were advised what food paired best with which wine.
Our host, and the owner of the winery.
There were a LOT of barrels with wine in them to age.
While we visited, the owner and his wife opened a barrel and we had the first tastes of the new vintage. We were told
that this wine was going to be bottled on Monday (it was Friday).
The host used a large baster like glass tube to extract the wine. He dipped it in, let it fill,
put his thumb over the end, then released it to pour it into a glass.
After the barrel tapping, we were then permitted to drink however much more of whatever wines we sampled that we wanted.
And I don't mean one more glass, we were given the green light for an "open bar". Linda and I each had another glass -
Linda had a glass from the new barrel, I had one of the previous samples. We didn't over do it.
After the tasting was done, on the way back to the bus, we had an opportunity to buy bottles - we purchased one.
By 6:00 we were back on the bus and returning to the ship for dinner.
The sun was set already, and additional picture taking was very limited.
We headed to the lounge - but not for the port talk. At least not yet. First up this evening was the
Explorer's Toast. (Explorers are prevous Viking travelers.) We drank somethng called Aquavit. While we don't care
for it, it is an alcohol beverage that is stored in barrels and must cross the equator - not once, but twice -
before it can be served. This tradition came about when the first alcohol did just that "by accident".
Adrian was our host for this event. He asked the group - probably half of the passengers - "Who has traveled more than
once before?" Most hands went up. "Twice?" A couple hands went down. "More than five times?" Most hands went down.
"I've never had this happen before, but we have a couple that has travelled twenty-two times!" Wow. Just... wow.
That's a lot. I guess they like traveling with Viking. I mean, really like it. Everyone applauded.
Last year when we traveled, the highest count was just five.
During this toast, passengers are also reminded that Travel Certificates can by purchased for future cruises.
Shortly after the Explorer's Toast, it was time for our daily port talk. Our next port was going to be in Serbia.
One difference in Serbia is that we would be required to carry our passports around with us in case we are asked
to show them. Serbia was the strictest country with regard to this.
Then it was time to head to the restaurant for dinner.
Dinner was with Jill and David, and Sheila and Jon from the UK. Sheila and Jon just happen to have been the couple
that did all the traveling. And Jon told me that Adrian actually made a mistake. They didn't take tewenty-two trips.
They took twenty-SIX. And yes, they do take the same cruise more than once, and this was their third time doing the
Passage To Eastern Europe one. They either do different excursions, do their own thing, or just stay on the ship.
He said that Viking sends them a Christmas present every year.
We reviewed tonight's menu (the actual menu was clearer than the photo of it is).
Four of the six at the table ordered the Kashkaval pane (Bulgarian fried cheese), including Linda.
Linda also had the Norwegian salmon & lump crab grutin, and Tikvenik (Bulgarian pumpkin pie.
I also had the Fried cheese, and the Norwegian salmon & lump crab grutin, as well as the [what appears to be]
Tukay wine mousse and carmelized walnuts.
After dinner and chatting with our fellow travelers, we returned to our cabin, to relax a little, wash up, and
go to sleep.