Passage to Eastern Europe - Live report 6/10 - 6/26

[rjscott]

Sharon,

It is frustrating trying to bring home locally made souvenirs. We experienced that when we travelled in Australia. They have the same issue we do with 'made in China', but I was persistent and found shops that specialized in local goods.

Yes, there are vendors on the Charles bridge, and some very interesting goods.

 

Vysehrad does have a Metro stop, if you're ok with riding the metro. Your concierge should be able to tell you how many stops from your hotel to Vysehrad.

 

Becki

[sunseeker17]

Becki,

Thanks for the amazing report. Getting excited about our trip. Really want to

hear more about your trip to your grandparents village, as I am sure others do as well. Also specific names of restaurants that you enjoyed. Any other advice

is appreciated.

Hope you are feeling better.

Teri

Edited July 3, 2014 by sunseeker17
Forgot to finish post.

[rjscott]

Teri,

Thanks! I always enjoy reading others'reports, so just try to give back in turn.

 

I will look at our receipts for the name of the restaurants where we ate. Are you looking for local food?

 

I'll do a little post-mortem on our overall cruise in a day or two to cover generalities all in one place.

 

Becki

[Globehoppers]

Becki,

 

Great narrative of your trip and wonderful suggestions.

 

We are doing this same cruise on 20 July and have added 3 days on front in Bucharest and 3 days in Prague on our own.

 

Your recommendations and observations are spot-on. We lived in Belgrade and Bucharest in the late-80s and know both cities well. We also adopted a girl from a Romanian children's home and looking forward to returning to seeing the changes since the Ceaucescu era - and we know its a totally different city while the countryside is mostly unchanged. I have driven the Bucharest-Belgrade route many times and enjoyed the scenery along the Danube from both side of the river. Will be new to see it from the water.

 

For those reading and doing a similar trip I would recommend sticking bottled water and beer. We drank the water in Belgrade without a problem, however, water in Bucharest had to be boiled and distilled in home use. Americans are not used to the "bugs" in Romania.

 

While it is difficult for those visiting Romania for the first time to imagine the poverty and horrors of the Ceaucescu era, there are still indicators of the abuses of his reign and of the poverty. The sterile communist era apartment blocks versus the historic and romantic old quarters. These are good to notice and understand. Most guides will be able to discuss the changes since December 1989.

 

Belgrade - the "White City" - will be a treat for us. We plan to lunch in Skadarlija in old town Belgrade, an area famous for its great local cuisine - and local Serb cuisine is excellent and inexpensive. And, maybe visit where we used to live...!

 

Since we are "returnees" to this region we have contacted private tour companies and designed our own tours in Bucharest and Prague. That said, your recommendations and comments are very much appreciated.

 

Is anyone else on Embla 20 July?

 

Best and Thanks

[rjscott]

Globehoppers,

Wow! So exciting for you! I can only imagine the emotions you will be feeling seeing all your former "haunts". Have a wonderful trip. Will be looking for your report. And thank you for your compliments.

 

 

Becki

[Hydrokitty]

Today we docked in Vukovar, where there was plenty of evidence of bombing during conflicts. The most visible was a large, brick tower seen from several miles out, with gaping holes left by bombs and shells. Vukovar was our transit point to Osijek, a short bus ride away. Along the way, we saw many storks' nests on the chimneys of the houses. These nests are huge and are quite a problem for the property owners, as they have to work with local officials to get them removed. A few times we saw chicks in the nests, which was very exciting.

 

In Osijek, we saw a beautiful church and had a performance by a young lady who sang several songs. She had a pure, sweet voice and it was a very moving performance.

 

Becki

 

We were in Vukovar on June 29th! Saw the same lady sing in the church and it was truly lovely. Did she finish with Amazing Grace at your concert? We all started to sing along with her and I was surprised I remembered all the verses! Some people thought she sang to long, but we loved it. We also saw stork nests but most of them were atop poles. Saw many babies, as well as parents following the machinery that was cutting down the wheat. Fields of sunflowers in full bloom all over the place.....last time I saw anything even remotely like that was Holland in bloom when the plane took off and we could see the fields of tulips. Each field was a different color!

Hope you're feeling better now. I really enjoyed your narrative! We did pre-trip to Prague and it was wonderful!!!!

[rjscott]

Oh, yes, she did finish with Amazing Grace and she asked us to sing along as well. The first song she sang brought me to tears, as she sang it first in Croatian, which is very similar to my grandparents' Slovak language. And, after my emotional visit to their village the day before, it was just overwhelming. I did see the sunflowerss, but not the women and babies in the fields. That would have been something to see.

Glad you enjoyed Prague. Sounds like you had a great time.

 

Becki

[rjscott]

I wanted to compile in one post some notes on our trip for ease of reference for those either making the same trip or visiting some of the countries/cities mentioned in my report. I've so much appreciated all your comments and compliments as I've written, and thanks for letting my "fat finger" misspellings slide. ;) As I read back, I can't believe some of those errors. Can't even chalk it up to wine w/dinner, as I don't drink! :p

 

Ok, here we go;

 

Bucharest: I was surprised by how very modern the city was. Lots to see and do. Good restaurants. We enjoyed La Mama, Boutique Restaurant Chocolat, and Tratorria Il Calcio, all walking distance from the Radisson. At the Tratorria, however, we did have an issue with ordering a steak, as it is ordered in grams, so be aware of that. In Bucharest, if using credit cards, they will want a PIN when you sign, and our friends had a problem with that. I don't know if their PIN was only for debit or what, but at a couple of places, their PIN was not accepted, so we used our card and it was fine. Also, only a few places would accept Amex, so be prepared to use Visa or MC and you will be fine, but again, they will want you to input a PIN as well at restaurants and gift shops. Also, there are some places that will only take cash, in the local currency, so, before you sit down to order, or make a purchase, ask if you want to use a credit card or use euros or $'s. Some places we were able to use euros or dollars, but it is imperative to ask first. The Radisson has an ATM in the lobby and it is possible to take a small amount of local currency if you plan to use only a small amount while there. There is a local grocery within walking distance of the hotel if you have some items you want to stock up on. I wanted some diet cola, and we were able to buy some bottles there and use a credit card to do so.

The Viking tours provided in Bucharest were very interesting and enjoyable, but be aware that at the People's Palace (the Parliament building), you will need to provide your passport, leave it while you tour the building and be subjected to a TSA-type search before you even begin the tour. Also, the tour is not for the mobility challenged, as there is a lot of walking and a lot of stairs.

There was an optional tour to Old Town for those who preferred it. There were some nice shops and cafes in Old Town.

 

Vidin: The ship will dock in Vidin for the excursion to Belogradchik and the Rocks and fortress. You will be back on board in time to walk into Vidin if you like to see the few sights there and do a bit of shopping if you need to. There is a mall with a grocery and pharmacy. Across from the mall is a lovely church. We took photos of the church, but it was just being locked up as we approached, so we had to content ourselves with photos from the outside. The grocery is a good place to pick up sodas and/or snacks and they will take credit cards. On the way back to the ship, there is a marvelous bronze monument to the wars. Also, very near the ship is a very nice artisan's shop, which sells locally made goods.

 

Belgrade: A good tour of the fortress and old and new Belgrade is provided. Time is given in the heart of the city for a bit of shopping or sitting and having a coffee or other beverage. In the afternoon, a shuttle bus is provided for return to town for further exploration.

In the evening, a special dinner, 'A Taste of the Balkans' is provided, focusing on the specialties of each region.

 

Kalocsa: The ship docks in Kalocsa. If you are at all interested in purchasing paprika, I suggest purchasing it from the little store at the top of the hill where the ship docks. My friend and I did this before we left on our excursion and it was less here than in Budapest at the Central Market.

I know there were some posts about the horse show in Puszta, and cruelty to the horses, but we did ask about that and we did visit the stable afterward and saw no evidence of that. It would be difficult to get a horse to perform in the manner in which those horses do if they do not trust their riders.

 

Budapest: When I learned that we would be staying at the Marriott instead of Le Meridien, I was disappointed. But, when I saw the location, and then the view from my room, that disappointment disappeared. The view was outstanding and our room was very nice. The hotel is within walking distance to everything and the breakfast that was included was very extensive. We did take an evening boat ride on the Legenda to see the buildings lit at night, and it was spectacular. We ate lunch kind of on the fly; Central Market has good Hungarian food at good prices, if you can stand the crowds. It is authentic. We ate one night just a short walk from the Marriott at Dunacorso Restaurant, which served Hungarian food, and it was very good, very reasonably priced, and had great views of the river.

 

Prague: We stayed at the Corinthia, which was Viking's postcruise hotel as well. This is a very nice hotel, and although somewhat distant from city center, it has several options for getting into the city. A very bountiful breakfast is included in the room rate. We found the food to be the best here and most authentic. Prices were a bit higher as well. My husband loved the beer. The food stalls around Old Town square were very popular with their hams on a spit, their chimney cakes and crepes, and a host of other treats to tempt. Our favorite restaurant in Old Town was on our last night and was in an old bunker. It was Restaurant U Zlate Konvice. It's kind of a strange place, with lots of animal pelts on the walls and medieval armor and stuff, kinda like a hunting lodge, but the food was very good. I've already noted the problem with our getting a taxi back to our hotel that night. It was a disaster.

 

Transportation: Other than the taxi issue our last night, we had great experiences with our transportation to/from the airports and from Budapest to Prague. From Bucharest airport to the Radisson, we used Bucharest Airport Transfer and we were very pleased. Our driver was there to greet us and although at first there was an issue with the size of the vehicle, he resolved it quickly to our satisfaction and we were very pleased with the service.

 

From Budapest to Prague, we had researched using the train, or a private transfer service. At that time, Viking did not offer their transfers unless you had booked their postcruise extension. My husband really didn't want to use the train, as he was unsure about the luggage accommodation. Every answer we got when researching it was very vague. So, when he found that Prague Airport transfer would come to Budapest and take us four to Prague in a limo-type van, he was all for that, as it would also shave off about an hour of travel time. It was a bit of a splurge for us, but really worth it, as it was very comfortable, and we 4 were able to sit facing each other and chat as we rode and stop when we wanted to. I would highly recommend this service to anyone with a party of 4 traveling from Budapest to Prague or vice versa. We then also used them for our transport from our hotel in Prague to the airport. Very prompt and professional.

 

A few of you have asked for more information about my visit to my grandparents' village. When we booked this trip over a year ago, it was not with the intention of making that visit. In fact, at that time, I had no idea exactly where my grandparents were from. I grew up knowing they were from Yugoslavia, but not much other than that, as they had come to the U.S. at a young age. They married here, and were part of a very active Slovak community in Akron, OH. Our church in Akron had both Slovak and English services. I was very close to both of my grandparents and miss them greatly to this day. Last fall, my husband had some issues with his one foot, and had to wear a boot for over 6 weeks. While he was housebound, he decided to do some ancestry work on the computer. He did both sides of the family, but really got into doing mine. He was able to find a great deal of information on my grandparents and I was thrilled when he found that both my grandparents were from the same village in what was listed on their immigration papers as Hungary. Then, this past January, my brother died very suddenly and unexpectedly. My sister-in-law found, among his papers, information that he had gathered regarding our grandparents that further confirmed some of the information my husband had been a bit unsure about. So, then I started looking at our itinerary for our Passage to Eastern Europe cruise and saw that we would be within 2 hours of that village while in Belgrade. Would it be possible to visit that village? I now wanted to do this for not just myself but for my brother also, now that I knew he had been searching as well. I really tried not to be overly optimistic, but once we boarded the Rinda, we met with Maira, the concierge and told her what I wanted to do. She was fairly confident that it was doable, and set about making phone calls to a contact in Belgrade to secure me a driver/guide who spoke English. She also had her contact to make contact with the minister at the church in Glozan, the village in what is now Serbia to see if he could open the church for me to look at records to confirm my grandparents were indeed from there and had attended that Slovak church. It all came together and the day we were in Belgrade, we were off to Glozan. It was a very rainy day, but we made it there in just under 2 hrs, and the minister was there to greet us and take us into the church. We showed him the documents we had and at first he was unable to find either of my grandparents. However, one of the documents for my grandfather had a different birthdate, so the minister brought out this very old large book of records, and there he found my grandfather's record of baptism, with the names of his mother and father and the witnesses as well. To put my hand on that record was life-changing. It made me weak in the knees to see it. We then searched for my grandmother's record but could not find it. The minister did his best, even searching for her mother and father's marriage record, but to no avail. He could only conclude that they must have gone to church in another nearby village. He then called two families with the same last name as my grandfather to see if they would be willing to meet with me to see if there was any family connection. They were not, and that was ok. I understood their reasoning. When I first planned to come to Glozan, I thought if I could go to the church, stand on the ground where my grandparents had stood and put my hand there on the building, I would have been satisfied to have done that. So, I had gotten so much more than that. We went into the church and took photos. The church has been standing since 1720. There is a plaque that shows all the ministers who have been there since the church came into being, and so we know the minister who would have baptized my grandfather. How cool is that?! The minister talked to me about my grandparents, wanting to know what their life was like after they came to the U.S. Did they remain committed to the church? Oh, yes they did. The area around Glozan is a lot of farm land. The minister was very interested to hear that my grandfather had land and had two vegetable gardens every summer. It was such a wonderful experience. Thank you to all who asked about it, as it gives me a chance to relive it.

 

 

Becki

[purduemom1]

Becki,

You certainly had an amazing trip and to be able to visit your grandparents village must have just been the icing on the cake! I hope to do something like that someday so I can visit the town where my father was born. He and my grandparents came here from Italy in the early 30s. I have located their records on the Ellis Island site and now I hope to visit their town.

 

Thanks so much for all your info about sightseeing and the places you visited...including your shopping tips. Will you be printing out all your posts so you can put a trip journal together?

Sharon

[joanne2]

What a beautiful story. I'm crying.

[rjscott]

Sharon,

I have copied and condensed them into a trip report. I have shared photos and my report of my visit to Glozan on Facebook with my family and friends. It was very well received by my cousins.

 

Joanne, thank you. I am touched.

 

Becki

[rjscott]

One thing I forgot to touch on was the issue of beggars, gypsies and pickpockets in the tourist areas. We did not experience much of this, thank goodness, but did see some children, mothers with babies and elderly people begging near the hotels or tourist areas. But these seemed to be individuals and not in groups, and other than one young girl outside the Radisson in Bucharest, they did not approach us closely. As far as pickpockets, we weren't often in large groups where we would have been jostled by pickpockets. If we were, my husband kept his wallet in his front pocket. I had a Travelon anti-theft crossbody purse, which has a cable in the strap to prevent slashing and also mesh in the body of the bag. It also has a latch that prevents it from being opened easily. It's small enough to not be cumbersome but large enough to carry my wallet, some personal needs products I always need on hand(tissue, eye drops, aspirin, etc) , sunglasses, etc. Also, I left my "bling-y" jewelry at home, so as not to draw undue attention to myself.

 

Becki

[goofy559]

One thing I forgot to touch on was the issue of beggars, gypsies and pickpockets in the tourist areas. We did not experience much of this, thank goodness, but did see some children, mothers with babies and elderly people begging near the hotels or tourist areas. But these seemed to be individuals and not in groups, and other than one young girl outside the Radisson in Bucharest, they did not approach us closely. As far as pickpockets, we weren't often in large groups where we would have been jostled by pickpockets. If we were, my husband kept his wallet in his front pocket. I had a Travelon anti-theft crossbody purse, which has a cable in the strap to prevent slashing and also mesh in the body of the bag. It also has a latch that prevents it from being opened easily. It's small enough to not be cumbersome but large enough to carry my wallet, some personal needs products I always need on hand(tissue, eye drops, aspirin, etc) , sunglasses, etc. Also, I left my "bling-y" jewelry at home, so as not to draw undue attention to myself.

 

Becki

 

 

We did not see much of this either. However,two incidents stand out for me: in Belgrade, while the guide was explaining where and when to meet, our group was definitely being cased by an individual - he was spotted and warned off. Also in Belgrade another lady had her passport stolen (we were required to carry them in Serbia). As our next day was spent sailing, they did not catch up to us until the following day, but were very well treated by viking. Overall, I felt very safe and even abandoned by pacsafe purse by about day 3 for my regular bag, but, it was still necessary to be vigilant.

 

Lisa

[rjscott]

Lisa,

Gosh, how did the lady have her passport stolen? When we had to have our's with us, I carried them in my Travelon purse in the locking compartment. I do agree, the best security is to remain vigilant.

 

Becki

[purduemom1]

Becki

Thanks for the heads up. I have read about the pickpockets etc and we will be aware as we tour. I too have a Travelon purse with the cut proof strap, the locking clasp and the slash proof front. Love it! Also we use money belts if we need to carry our passports and for extra money and credit cards. Can't be too careful!

Sharon

[rjscott]

Sharon,

We also had the money belts with us, but didn't feel the need to use them this trip. (We had used them on a trip to Israel where we were in some very crowded areas, and where there were many groups intermingling. ) Still, it could have been that we were in Europe early in the season, and things were not at their peak. So, could to be aware.

 

Becki

[purduemom1]

Sharon,

We also had the money belts with us, but didn't feel the need to use them this trip. (We had used them on a trip to Israel where we were in some very crowded areas, and where there were many groups intermingling. ) Still, it could have been that we were in Europe early in the season, and things were not at their peak. So, could to be aware.

 

Becki

 

Thanks, Becki, for the comments. We are going in early Nov and I am hoping that the crowds will be very manageable.....for several reasons, security being one of them.

[Globehoppers]

We selected Viking's Passage to Eastern Europe based solely on itinerary, that being Bucharest to Budapest via Belgrade. We also wanted to celebrate our 43rd wedding anniversary on the Danube as we had been assigned at the US embassies in both countries in the late-1980s, adopted our daughter from a Romanian children's home in 1990, and were looking forward to seeing the differences in both countries following a generation of change. The itinerary and ship itself didn't disappoint. Dealing with corporate Viking was a true nightmare.

 

Following booking, I contacted Viking's air arrangement service since we have had good experiences with other cruise company air programs. I was quoted a price of $2,000 R/T per person. Quick check with airlines suggested pricing on any airline would be less than $1,500 pp before any serious searching. I commented about the excessive charge on a CC board and received a Viking Customer Service response on the board suggesting I call them...

 

The cruise schedule included a one-day pre-cruise stay in Bucharest and 2 days post-cruise in Budapest. Having visited Budapest many times, we were interested in additional pre-cruise days in Bucharest and contacted Viking to ask if they could add one day to Bucharest in lieu of the extra day in Budapest. The response was not only "no," but "don't even ask." We then contacted the hotel in Bucharest and added days.

 

After “checking-in” on Viking’s website 2 months prior to departure, we became a bit concerned 3 weeks prior to departure that we had not received any cruise documentation. Calling Viking, I was told that the travel agency had to request the documentation and Viking would send it directly them to the agency, not to me. After a few phone calls and another week, we received the documents. I was interested in the arrival and departure times for the ports of call, especially Belgrade, and that was not included. Only generic day in port information which was already available.

 

Approximately 2 weeks prior to scheduled embarkation in Bucharest, CC became alive with low water problems on the Danube which was generating changes in river cruise itineraries, to include our scheduled boat Embla. We contacted Viking to inquire about possible changes and the first response was "how did you hear about that?" I was then requested to call back, the same number, and speak to a "specialist," really just another operator. The second representative reluctantly offered that, yes, they were having problems and they would keep me informed via email. I explained that we were departing early for the cruise to accommodate the extra days in Bucharest pre-cruise, and was assured that we would be updated on Embla’s status prior to our departure from the US. On return home I discovered an email informing of the ship change sent after departing for the trip. Not helpful.

 

Due to the low water, Embla was "stuck" on the north side of Budapest and Viking sent Aegir to cover the cruise, an identical boat. However Aegir, according to reports on CC, was suffering mechanical problems and had stopped dead-in-the-water several times on its current schedule requiring passengers to be bused between Danube ports. I again asked Viking about this and was told "not to worry, we'll have a ship there...” Nothing more.

 

This came on top of Viking’s demand for full payment immediately following booking over a year prior to the cruise. While not unusual for river cruises, other river cruise companies offer discounts for immediate full payment. Not Viking.

 

The ship itself was very nice. Good cabins (305) and great staff. Especially enjoyed evening dining in the Aquavit terrace away from the extremely noisy main dining room. Food was very good with a great variety. The included shore excursions, the 50-bus variety, were better than anticipated. We did use privately arranged tours in Belgrade and Bucharest.

 

Would we travel with Viking again? Probably not, despite the nice river boat. Dealing with Viking headquarters was the worst cruise experience we have ever had (and we have cruised a lot).