Views of Eastern Europe from the shores of the Danube

Back in October, I joined my parents on a two-week river cruise with Viking down the Danube between the cities of Budapest, Hungary, and Bucharest, Romania. The river level was at historic lows due to drought, severely limiting the mobility of boat traffic, but amazingly, we still got to see every stop on the itinerary, and the weather was absolutely phenomenal for 14 days straight. Not a single day was marred by rain or excessive cold. To the contrary, it was unseasonably warm, or at least pleasantly autumnal.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from a trip that took us to five different countries — Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Romania. It was an experience I won’t soon forget.

Hungary

Budapest: Looking west at the illuminated Chain Bridge over the Danube with Buda Castle on the hill on the other side.

Budapest: Looking east from Fisherman’s Bastion on Castle Hill, across the Danube toward the imposing Hungarian Parliament Building on the east shore.

Budapest: “Shoes on the Danube,” a solemn memorial to the Jewish victims who were shot into the river by Arrow Cross militiamen during World War II. The Chain Bridge and Buda Castle can be seen in the distance.

Budapest: The interior of the Dohány Street Synagogue, largest synagogue in Europe and second-largest in the world. Located within the boundaries of the former Budapest Ghetto, directly outside the synagogue is a cemetery and memorial honoring Hungarian victims of the Holocaust.

Budapest: The Hungarian Parliament Building illuminated at night.

Kalocsa: The elegant interior of St. Mary Cathedral in Kalocsa, Hungary, a town about 90 miles south of Budapest.

Croatia

Osijek: Holy Trinity Square in the center of Osijek, Croatia, a city heavily damaged during the Croatian War of Independence in 1991 and 1992. The place has new life now but there are plenty of reminders of the devastation, including bullet holes in the facades of some buildings and ruined structures that were never rebuilt.

Ilok: Touring and tasting at Iločki podrumi, a centuries-old winery in Ilok, Croatia.

Serbia

Belgrade: The House of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia in Belgrade, Serbia (formerly known as Yugoslavia).

Belgrade: The Sava River (left) meets the Danube, viewed from Belgrade Fortress. New Belgrade on the other side.

Belgrade: The downtown pedestrian mall is a thriving spot with a wealth of shops and outdoor cafes. Its vitality and openness came as a pleasant surprise given this city’s fairly recent history of conflict.

Belgrade: The Temple of Saint Sava in central Belgrade.

Iron Gates of the Danube: Sailing through the gorge where the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains and Balkan Mountains meet. Serbia is on the right, Romania on the left.

Iron Gates of the Danube: Mraconia Monastery on the Romanian side.

Bulgaria

Belogradchik: An ancient fortress set amid a collection of unique rock formations on the north side of the Balkan Mountains above the village of Belogradchik, Bulgaria.

Belogradchik: A view of the village below from the rocks at the top of the fortress.

Veliko Tarnovo: Autumn foliage around the Yantra River frames the view of this picturesque city in north-central Bulgaria, built on a series of steep foothills north of the Balkan Mountains.

Veliko Tarnovo: A view of the city from above, pictured outside Ascension Cathedral, the crowning centerpiece of the medieval Tsarevets Fortress.

Romania

Sinaia: Autumn in the Transylvanian town of Sinaia, Romania, with the Carpathian Mountains as a backdrop.

Sinaia: The stately profile of Peleș Castle above the town of Sinaia, Romania, on a beautiful autumn afternoon.

Bran: Autumn foliage frames Bran Castle, the so-called “Dracula Castle” in Bran, Romania.

Bucharest: The interior of the Palace of the Parliament, the second-largest administrative building in the world behind the Pentagon. Built at the behest of Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu between 1984 and 1997, the exterior of the building is stark and forbidding.

Bucharest: A light show at night at the fountains of Unirii Square in central Bucharest, another landmark ordered by Ceaușescu during the 1980s. Who knew that Bucharest had something in common with Las Vegas?

Mogoșoaia: Autumn color decorates the long entrance to Mogoșoaia Palace in Mogoșoaia, Romania.