Our cruise begins today so we began the trip to the ship with a city tour. There we visited an interesting open air museum of buildings from across the years and across Romania. Each building had information on the village and region it was brought from. Each once houses a family. Very interesting tour
After a great lunch, we are On to the ship!
You might remember in the days Nicolae Ceaușescu, the Romanian dictator from 1964 to 1989, when he was assassinated, he built grand buildings covering the old city cents. Today we visited the repurposed palace which was to be the communist government offices, which today houses the elected parliament of the country. Romania has come a long way in 35 years!
The avenues around the parliament were part is the project in the 1980s. Some house ministries while some remain unused.
Also being built in the city right now, is a new grand cathedral, designed to be the large orthodox cathedral in Eastern Europe
Our traveled through the braiding mountains and along some very country roads to see one of the 132 fortified churches from the 13th to 14th c.
We visited them the old walled town of Sibiu for a walk around the streets and to see the cathedral. We had time for a leisurely lunch before our drive back to Bucharest.
The Lutheran cathedral outside and in!
The countryside and villages along the way
We arrived back in Bucharest to a new hotel, the one Viking uses, the JW Marriott Grand, and had a great dinner in their steak house.
We arrived in Bucharest a couple days early to relax and see a bit more of the country before our Viking Danube River cruise. We had booked an over night trip to Transylvania with a private guide. There are 4 of us only so it is a very enjoyable group. The other couple, Drew and Janet, are also going on the same cruise in a couple days!
Our trip has taken us up to the 2 famous castles of Transylvania. The first. Peleş Castle, the summer palace of the Royal family of Romania built in the 1870s.
Inside it is very grand
We then visited Bran Castle, a more medievil 13th C castle fortress from which Vlad the Impaler and his father and grandfather all ruled in the 14th and 15th centuries.
This is a much more rustic fortress
We had a nice lunch in the main square of Brasov where we visited the Black church
We chose the overnight trip so that we wouldn’t have to ride back to Bucharest in 1 day, and because it added a stay in Sighișoara, the hometown of Vlad the Impaler and, for us, the opportunity to stay inside the fortified city.
The square and buildings inside the old city are charming
In the evening light
Neither of us were toooo hungry but a cup of herbal tea and these wonderful desserts, homemade ice cream and the Romanian national dessert of these small cake-like sweets made with boiled cottage cheese, a cheese dumpling, with whipped sour cream and blueberry jam. Papanasi it is called. It sounds strange but they were delicious!
Nice end to a long but interesting day!
Started in almost a white out! Snowing and about 6″ in surfaces near the airport! We had to be de-iced before flying since the temp was about 27°F. Then, after arriving in Istanbul, we have 6 hours before our connecting flight to Bucharest. It will be a long day but having access to the airport lounges sure helps!
We visited today the Monastery area with 5 carved cave churches and dwellings for the monks form around 1100 AD
Inside several are painted (but could not photograph many because it is forbidden. Just a few examples
Our last stop, imagination valley, structures you can imagine
And the castle
What shall remain without pictures, both Emmett and I had a hamam, a Turkish bath, with massage. Let’s just say, it was an experence! And we are very smooth and soft now!😁
This amazing place deserves apost of its own!
Our room
Looking outside a bit more
From across the valley / road
We started early today, 5 AM Wakeup for early flight. It was less flying time than the drive after we arrived to get to the area, to pick up our guide, Ibrahim. Our first surprise! Snow! We visited a bit of the underground cities first.
Some of the snow clad hills and mound, many carved with caves, as we drove around the Rose valley
We stopped at the rug weavers and, of course, i found 1 I loved for the hall way.
We visited the pottery workshop too and saw how they make this signature wine decanter for the region. It is a Hittite design. The family has been making pottery here for 200 years
This is how you pour from it
There are amazing artistic piece here costing 1000s of USD, but we resisted. Here are some of the artisans working
And some of the amazing pieces. Some are even fluorescent dyes
We visited on a local tour today, to lower and upper Duden Falls
We visited the leathery silver merchant in Turkey and all of Europe. I got a lovely new ring with a stone called Sultanite, which changes colors in different light
We enjoyed a nice lunch, a walk thru the old city, starting at Hadrian gates, down to the harbor for a boat ride
Republic Square, the center of the city, with a statue of Mustafa Kemal, the Ataturk, the father of modern Turkey. The fluted minerette in the background is the symbol of the city
Our visit to Antalya is over. Tomorrow we fly to Cappadocia.
Much like our Christian Christmas markets! We happened to find this event, a bit is serendipity in the park by our hotel.
Everything from soaps to jeans, perfumes to shoes, as well as toys and crafts. And of course food, so we had our dinner here tonight
And Turkish ice cream for dessert
Pretty sky, but the sun sets behind the mountains to the west
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