Eastern Danube Fall 2009 - Silistra,
Silistra, Bulgaria
Mon 28 Sep 09
A few parting thoughts about Bran Castle and Dracula [pronounced "DROCK - ooh - la"}. Dracula was a nick name given to Vlad to means Devil [a lot of people did not really care for him], but he is a national hero! A picture of the actual castle is attached.
Yesterday we got a city tour of Bucharest ["BYOU - car - est"]. It really is a beautiful city. It has been called the Paris of eastern Europe, much of the architecture, monuments and even streets are reminiscent of Paris. The country is struggling with the lingering effects of communism on the economy. The shift to democracy has not been painless and it will take some time to recover.
We left Bucharest Sunday afternoon and drove south to the Danube. There was not much of a port, but the ship is great! Very well appointed, nice cabins and good food.
last night we sailed about 2 hours to the far side of the river to land in Bulgaria. Silestra is not a big town, but it is an easy place to dock. We went on another long bus ride, to reach the Black Sea. Varna is the 2nd largest city in Bulgaria and a Black Sea resort. The highlight of the visit was a visit to the Archeological museum. This contains artifacts going back to pre-historic times. Their prized exhibit is ancient gold works from 4500 BC [as well as other beautiful pieces that had many of the women drooling!]. On the way to Varna we stopped at a soviet era hotel for coffee, tea cookies. You could really get a feel for the soviet influence ... large rooms, no personality.
We had a nice lunch on a pirate ship by the water [reminded you of Pirates of the Caribbean].
We just left Silistra and are heading east.
BTW, we have had great weather [in the 70s every where] ...
Take care ...
Denis
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Denis Greening (Travel)
Blog: http://dgreening.travellerspoint.com/
