{"id":24696,"date":"2016-07-10T01:13:18","date_gmt":"2016-07-10T07:13:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/?p=24696"},"modified":"2022-05-24T05:28:51","modified_gmt":"2022-05-24T09:28:51","slug":"vikings-passage-eastern-europe-vidin-bulgaria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/2016\/07\/vikings-passage-eastern-europe-vidin-bulgaria\/","title":{"rendered":"Viking’s Passage to Eastern Europe – Vidin, Bulgaria"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Broken Dreams of Vidin<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Vidin,<\/a>
Vidin, Bulgaria: capsule to another time. Photo \u00a9 2016 Aaron Saunders<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Aaron Saunders, River Cruise Advisor<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saturday, July 9, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s the middle of the afternoon on a Saturday. The temperature hovers near 32\u00b0C, and I can literally hear the sound of cheese pizza sizzling on the pavement. No, really: there are two slices of cheese pizza that someone has left on a concrete block next to a bench overlooking Vidin, Bulgaria<\/strong>\u2019s main shopping street.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A shopping street that, I might add, is utterly deserted. Hostel<\/em>-deserted. A few old men sit drinking beers at a caf\u00e9 that looks as worn-out as they do. They stop talking as I walk past. Their heads follow me and then, once I\u2019m safely out of earshot, they resume their conversation. Old habits die hard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Good<\/a>
Good Morning, Starshine: the sunrise over the Danube near Vidin, Bulgaria this morning. Photo \u00a9 2016 Aaron Saunders<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"Sailing<\/a>
Sailing the Danube near Vidin this morning. Photo \u00a9 2016 Aaron Saunders<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Today, Viking River Cruises<\/strong><\/a>\u2019 Viking Embla<\/em><\/strong> arrived in Vidin as we entered our fourth day on this Passage to Eastern Europe <\/em><\/strong>river cruise. Up again just after six, I was greeted by another gorgeous sunrise. I enjoyed an early-morning stroll around the Sun Deck, and then headed down to the Restaurant at seven for the start of breakfast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Breakfast has to be one of my favorite meals aboard a Viking River Cruises ship. The line makes its own yogurt onboard, which is the best I\u2019ve had on any ship, period. It also serves up a wide variety of buffet items, including some Norwegian specialties (say hello to fish!), an assortment of cheeses, fruits, cold cuts, and fresh-baked breads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Viking<\/a>
Viking Embla’s striking Dining Room. Photo \u00a9 2016 Aaron Saunders<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s an omelette station where you can have your own creation cooked-to-order. If you\u2019d prefer, a menu is available from your waiter, and contains things like French Toast and pancakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Viking offered two tours this morning: an included, four-hour excursion to Belogradchik<\/strong> to see the Belogradchik fortress known simply as Baba Vida<\/em>; or an optional home-hosted cooking excursion that offers up the chance to experience local cuisine and to make the traditional Bulgarian pastry known as banitsa<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Fresh<\/a>
Fresh apples are placed in hand-carved wooden baskets on tables….Photo \u00a9 2016 Aaron Saunders<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"while<\/a>
…while additional menu items are available to order from your waiter off a small menu of specialties. Photo \u00a9 2016 Aaron Saunders<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"I<\/a>
I can’t get enough of Viking’s homemade yogurts (but I wish they were offered onboard the ocean ships, too!) Photo \u00a9 2016 Aaron Saunders<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Today, I chose to do neither \u2013 and this is an option you can definitely take part in, if you so choose. Instead, I chose to sit in the lounge and avail myself of the excellent Cappuccino while I completed a pressing deadline. While I might have been the only person working, I certainly wasn\u2019t the only one enjoying the lounge: a dozen or so guests elected to stay onboard as well, reading or playing cards or socializing amongst each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The<\/a>
The gorgeous Viking Lounge aboard Viking Embla: not a bad place to spend a relaxing morning onboard! Photo \u00a9 2016 Aaron Saunders<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"The<\/a>
The social heart of Viking Embla, drinks, cocktails and light bites are served throughout the day here and on the Aquavit Terrace. Photo \u00a9 2016 Aaron Saunders<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In the end, I had a much-needed relaxing morning enjoying the Viking Embla<\/em>. It was absolutely perfect, and it was concluded with a delicious (and light) caf\u00e9 lunch served in the lounge at 1:00 p.m. Regular sit-down lunch is available in The Restaurant, but I often like the caf\u00e9 lunch served in the Viking Lounge for its lighter fare that typically consists of soup, sandwiches, salads and desserts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A look at what\u2019s happening onboard today:<\/p>\n\n\n\n