Making Our Way to the Danube

We had just a little time this morning to go over to the St. George Rotunda and have a peek inside now that the floor is dry! No photos are allowed in this small space. The frescos are very old and are different ages. The walls were painted over during the Ottoman period when it was converted to a mosque but after the Revival, the frescos were uncovered again. 

Our destination today was to make our way via charter bus to Vidin where we will embark on our river cruise boat, The Amadeus Queen. Vidin is about 4 hours from Sophia and through the Balkan mountains. The trip was broken up by a rest stop and then a stop in Montana (not the US Montana!) for lunch. We have our same tour guide, Maggie, who entertained us with more Bulgarian information and stories which made the time pass faster. Speaking of fast, our driver Boris was pretty speedy especially around the bumpy curvy roads. I think we caught some air a couple of times!

The mountains that we drove over were much smaller than what we’re used to in Colorado, probably because none of them are higher than tree line. Also I noticed more deciduous trees than pine trees. The leaves are just starting to turn here. Another thing we noticed when we were out of the mountains were the humongous farms. When the communists took over after WWII, the farmers lost ownership of their farms. After Bulagaria changed to a democratic government in 1990, the new government gave back the land to the families who originally held the title. By that time, many of the families had stopped farming and were living in the cities so many rent their land to those who are still farming. Several farmers have joined forces to  farm large plots of land. 

When we finally arrived in Vidin, they dropped us off at Baba Vida, a medieval fortress. “Baba” means granny in Bulgarian and legend has it that it was built in the 10th century by the daughter of a Danubian Bulgarian king who ruled Vidin. It then became Vidin’s main defense fortress. Unfortunately we couldn’t go inside because of renovation but we could walk around it. 

While we were touring, the buses were busy unloading all of our luggage onto the ship. Then they turned around and picked us up to deliver us to the ship.

The Amadeus Queen is a part of AmasWaterways and is registered in Germany so it flies the German flag. It is a very nice ship and our room has a large window to peer out of.  We’re grateful that the ship doesn’t rock like they do on the ocean - just smoothly moves up the river. There are no lifeboats - just life jackets to help you swim to shore!

Since the staff has treated us like royals so far, I think this will be a fun cruise!

Did we make a wrong turn?!

Nice rest stop

We weren’t the first to stop here!

The rest stop greeter

In the Balkan mountains

A sight you don’t see often!

Montana and many Bulgarian cities have these apartments that were built by the communists. Very concrete and industrial looking.

Very large farms

Many homes near Vidin have their own little vineyard in their yard

Baba Vida- a fortress built in the 10th century

This used to be where the drawbridge was. There also was a moat.

Where the cannon and later the firearms were fired.

The roses in the park by Baba Vida are still blooming

Don, Lori, Barb and Antonio walked to another little church while waiting for the bus to take us to the ship.

The Amadeus Queen

First dinner..let the eating begin!

Lori took these fantastic shots as the ship began its journey.