Live from Viking Kadlin Eastern European Capitals Cruise and Post Extension to Transylvania April 28-May 17

[Australia08]

Friday, April 26 - We are off on another Viking River Cruise (our second).  As we usually do, we arrived several days prior the the cruise embarkation. We left JFK on Wednesday, the 24th, flying via Amsterdam.  We had a longer layover than I usually like, but the price was right for business class so 5 hr layover it was.  The flight still got us to Vienna by mid afternoon.  We had a relatively quick journey by rail to center city and a short walk to the Hilton Plaza hotel.  We tend to stay at Hiltons when we travel since we are Diamond members and almost always get upgraded.  Our arrival day was no exception.  We enjoyed a light dinner and wine at the Executive Lounge and called it an evening.  I took a melatonin to make sure that I got a good night’s sleep, read a couple of chapters in my book and turned out the lights.  

 

This morning, we slept in until 8:00 am, then got ready and had breakfast in the Executive Lounge.  We had some trip business to take care of after breakfast, mainly to obtain some Euros and get a 72 hr transportation pass for Vienna.  With those chores out of the way, it was time to take the tram from outside our hotel to the Kunsthistoriches Museum.  We used the Rick Steves’ guide to tour.  Our main focus was the 1st floor, starting with the Italian Renaissance paintings, then moving to the Northern Renaissance paintings.  I used to teach about some of these paintings in my World History course, so I was enjoying it all - especially the Pieter Bruegel, the Elder paintings.  

 

 

 

Besides Bruegel, this museum has a wonderful painting by Vermeer,

 

Ruebens, Titian, Canaletto, Caravaggio, (sorry, I didn’t take photos of these),

 

Arcimboldo,

 

Raphael,

 

and Velazquez.

 

A wonderful sculpture by Antonio Canova greets visitors at the first set of steps.

 

Obviously, there are many more paintings than these, but these definitely stood out to me.  

 

When we finished with the paintings gallery, we decide to take a break in the museums beautiful cafe.  

The dome above the cafe!

The cafe from above

 

After the coffee break, we went through the Kunsthammer, the personal collection of objets d’art of the House of Hapsburg.  Let me just say, there was a lot of gold and silver in this collection.

One item was Benvenuto Cellini’s golden salt cellar - quite impressive!  

 

Then it was on to another gallery that held Egyptian, Greek and Roman treasures of the Hapsburgs.  

This Egyptian gallery is actually supported by ancient Egyptian columns!

 

We just made a quick trip through the Egyptian, Greek and Roman gallery since it was close to closing time.  This museum definitely requires more than one visit!

 

Since we were still experiencing some symptoms of jet-lag, we decided to head back to the hotel, have another light dinner in the Executive Lounge and call it a night.  

 

[ural guy]

Looks like a great start to your trip.  Hope you have smooth sailing and plenty of spring flowers.

[Canal archive]

Sounds absolutely super the art especially the paintings are so wonderful you run out of superlatives, I just hope the Egyptians don’t ask for the columns to be returned! Keep up the good work I’m with you and I suspect so are just a few more, in spirit.

[pontac]

I'm interested to read your account of the cruise and to see Viking Daily front pages as I've just booked this cruise for 2025 on (I think) the same ship but it's named Kadlin.

 

We did the cruise Passage to Eastern Europe in 2019 from Budapest to Bucharest which covers much of the same route so I am keen to find out what to expect on this.

[Australia08]

Pontac - You are absolutely correct - it is the Kadlin.  Sometimes, i forget to proofread right away, and if you wait too long, you lose the ability to edit. 

 

Thanks, Canal Archive and Ural Guy.

 

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.  

 

See how beautiful the day is!

 

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 *** 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.  

 

Harry Lime’s apartment building

 

The entrance to the sewer where Harry Lime “escaped” in 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.

 

 

 

Care packages sent to the Viennese post-war 

 

A sewer mood piece

 

A mock up of the sound studio ferris wheel car used for filming - visitors can try out the scene where Joseph Cotten meets with Orson Wells on the ferris wheel

 

Mike’s fingers replicating a pivotal scene from the movie - in Black and White, like the movie!

 

A clip from the cemetery scene - note the actual tombstone in back

 

Yes, Gerhard has the tombstone!

 

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.

[Ritabob]

Thank you for allowing us to follow along.

RB 

[pontac]

16 hours ago, Australia08 said:

showing us photos of Hitler and his *** compatriots at these same buildings.

 

The sentence make sense without the starred out word, but in case anyone is puzzled by it CC software has starred out what the National Socialist German Workers' Party (In German: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP) was commonly known as.

 

It was known by  the four letters ANIZ but not in that order, and that was what was starred out.

 

(I was similarly censored in my trip report on a Bordeaux cruise when talking about a visit to wartime submarine pens) 

[Australia08]

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.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 29 by Australia08

[gnome12]

35 minutes ago, Australia08 said:

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.

I'd like to just point out that the size of the ship in Europe is limited by the size of the locks. There is no such restriction in SouthEast Asia. That doesn't mean that Viking couldn't have larger cabins on European ships, but that to do so would by necessity reduce the number of passengers carried.

[Australia08]

The Mekong ship only held 80 passengers - so that was another plus. So much more intimate. I’m sure costs over all in Southeast Asia are simply less. That was a big benefit. It had a lot - a small pool and gym. I’m thrilled with what we have on this ship, just liked the other better. 

[twototravel]

@Australia08 Following your trip closely. We are on the same itinerary in March 2025 but starting in Vienna with the post trip to Transylvania as well. Our ship is supposed to be the Rinda. 

[Australia08]

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.

 

 

 

[Australia08]

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.

 

A street that is a favorite for film directors

 

Michaliska Street - St. Michael’s Gate - the last surviving tower of the city wall

 

The Main Square - its fountain 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.  

 

The Bratislava Castle Gate

 

 

 

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

 

 

[CruiseIreland]

Really enjoying your trip report. You did so much in Vienna. We only had a day there on our Gate1 river cruise last August. Loved Bratislava too. Keep it coming! Ken 

[Australia08]

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! 

 

 

 

A concrete view from our room

 

 

 

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.  

[Australia08]

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.

 

Yes, this shot was taken from our cabin veranda!

 

Great view without even going on the veranda.

 

This photo was looking upstream from our veranda.

 

 

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 buildings that I didn’t get photos of from the bus.

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.

 

 

Edited Saturday at 02:51 PM by Australia08

[Australia08]

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.

 

 

 

 

[pontac]

13 hours ago, Australia08 said:

After lunch, it was off to the Szechenyi Baths.

 

Was it a Viking optional excursion, or did you do it on your own? I'm assuming a Viking organised excursion since they loaned you the bag of essentials. 

[Australia08]

17 hours ago, pontac said:

 

Was it a Viking optional excursion, or did you do it on your own? I'm assuming a Viking organised excursion since they loaned you the bag of essentials. 

Yes, it was a Viking optional excursion. We thought it might be less confusing rather than heading over on our own. The guide made sure we knew where our cabins were and gave us the general layout of the facility in advance. That way, we got into the water sooner. 

[twototravel]

@Australia08 We are considering the baths excursion as well, although I've read elsewhere that Viking may alternate the one you visit. Since our trip is in March, the indoor pools will probably be crowded. I hope you had an opportunity to visit our favorite gelato place - Gelarto Rosa. They scoop the gelato into cones make a rose. We liked this better than the chimney cakes 🙂

At the end of your cruise, I would love to hear about all the optional excursions you took. We should be getting the opportunity to select ours in a few months. There's so many that sound wonderful, but would end up costing a fortune if we signed up for all of them.