Sarah and I had sailed with Viking in 2014, from Amsterdam on the Rhine, into the Danube-Main Canal and along the Danube to Budapest. This time we intended to start at Bucharest (the city's port on the Danube) and again end up in Budapest.

This blog starts with our pre-cruise visits to Transylvania and Bucharest. I goes on to follow the journey from Romania first to Velika Tarnova and the Vidin in Bulgaria. We the experienced the undouted primary feature of this part of the Danube: the Iron Gates. The on to Belgrade in Serbia, Vukovar and Osijek in Eastern Croatia and Kalocsa in Hungary: finishing in Budapest.

The photographs shown in the video were taken by Laeonary Miron, Programme Director.

The castle and others like it were built to defend the Carpathian passes  against Ottoman incursions. Bran built in 1377 helped to make the horseshoe shaped Carpathians a near insurmountable barrier. Transylvania in those days  longed to the Austria-Hungarian empire. The neighbouring  province of Wallachian had no such natural barrier and its rulers were prepared to pay the Ottomans to leave them alone. Some of them decided though to fight. One such is known to history as Vlad the Impaler.

Vlad the Impaler ruled Wallachian in the 15th century. He devised all kinds of cruel forms of torture. He wood drive stakes through the bodies of captives in such a way as to avoid touching vital organs: thus causing  slow death while the victim suffered unspeakable agony. He captured 20.000 Ottoman soldierS: killing the lot and sticking their heads on pikes. This had a salutary effect on a relieving Ottoman army. 

He was the inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula: meaning the 'Devil's son. bran is Dracula's Castle'..

On 22nd December 1989 Nicolae Ceasescu spoke from he balcony of the central committee of the Communist Party in Revolution Square  His words were drowned out by  sections of the crowd . He attempted to escape by helicopter but was captured and executed along with his wife Elena. 

The square has a memorial to those who were killed  this time by the Communist secret police. 

Opposite is the Royal Palace home of the national art collection.

At the north of the square is the Athenee Palace Hotel: as featured in Olivia Manning''s' 'Balkan  Trilogy'.

The Communists wanted to industrialise the country. People were driven by force into Bucharest to work in nationalised factories. They were housed in cheaply built apartment blockS. After the fall of Communism ownership of individual flats passed to the occupants. No one had responsibility for the upkeep of the block. As a consequence, they are falling apart. They are known  to all as Communist Condo's.