Passage to Eastern Europe: Bucharest III (8/18/2021)

Wednesday, August 18, 2021 (continued)

We continue walking in the Old Town of Bucharest.

Monument (1924, by Ernest Henri Dubois)
to Eugeniu Carada, considered to be the
founder of the National Bank of Romania (1880),
and also a statesman involved in the 1866
Constitution based on the one in Belgium

Clătită/pancake stand

One end of the pancake stand

Strada Lipscani, a pedestrian street in the Old Town

Carturesti Carusel/Carousel of Carturesti
(building 1903 in Art Nouveau style),
a chain bookstore flagship since 2015

Here we purchased a couple postcards.

Bookstore interior

Caru' cu bere/translates as "beer wagon"
(1899) is the oldest beer house in Bucharest

Caru' cu bere interior; our included lunch venue

Fasole bătută/white bean spread and zacuscă/
spicy red pepper and eggplant spread

Salatǎ de Varzǎ/white cabbage salad with a dash
of paprika; this dish was very sour

Spicy mustard accompanies Mici or Mititei/mini-sausages
without casings, made from a combination of pork, beef,
and lamb, plus "regular" sausages and roasted potatoes

Several food delivery carriers wait outside the restaurant

We had less than 30 minutes of free time.

Biserica Mănăstirii Stavropoleos/Stavropoleos Monastery
Church (1724) is part of an Eastern Orthodox convent for nuns 

A newer section of the monastery houses a collection of
ecclesiastical objects saved from churches that
were demolished during the Communist regime

We were constantly being warned to watch our step
on the cobblestone streets and walkways

Because we did not find a post office, our local guide, Oana, offered to take our postcards and mail them for us!

"Even Bucharest" has a comprehensive public transit
system with a Metro/subway, buses, trolleybuses, trams,
and light rail, including this speeding V3A-93 articulated
tram on a grass trackbed (benefits include reducing urban
heat island effect, providing stormwater filtration, absorbing
noise and providing habitation for insects and invertebrates)

We were picked up by our motorcoach to be driven the 70 km/43.5 miles to Giurgiu, a port on the  Dunărea/Danube River.

Monumentul Ulise/Odysseus Monument
 (by Ion Iamcuț) in Giurgiu, Romania

I will take this opportunity to introduce the Viking river longship; this one is the Viking Ullur. The longships each have 95 staterooms for 190 passengers. We had only 83 passengers to start this cruise.

Passengers leave the motorcoaches to embark on
the Viking Ullur, by foot, by walker, by wheelchair

Viking Ullur staff are lined up to greet
arriving guests (as we are to be called)

The reception desk where we were checked in and received
our key cards before being escorted by a staff member
to our stateroom, finding our luggage had already arrived

Across from reception is the "gift shop"

Nearby is the concierge desk for services obtaining
local theater tickets, dinner reservations, etc, plus a
map on the monitor, which tracks the ship location

At the top of the stairs on Deck 3, there is always a
painting symbolizing the namesake of the ship:
Ullur, stepson of the Nordic god Thor, is a god of the hunt
 who is a skilled archer and also a wizard

The computer nook; although internet and WiFi are
available, connections are not reliable

The library

At each entrance to the lounge, there is a beverage station;
in the mornings pastries are also available,
and after lunch cookies are available here

The bar in the lounge

The lounge with the onboard musician, Gigi, to the far left

Beyond the lounge is the Aquavit Buffet, where
light fare is available at all meal times

There is a Captain's Welcome event with champagne
and hors d'oeuvres this evening

Outdoors on the Aquavit Terrace that allows for
al fresco dining on the bow of the ship

Deck 4 is the Sun Deck

The wheelhouse can be raised, or lowered for
passing under low bridges

Mechanism for raising and lowering the wheelhouse (KSS)

The shaded section of the Sun Deck

Shuffleboard and the herb garden

Golf putting, and beyond under the umbrellas
is the smoking section

Traffic on the Danube River; we are in Romania,
and across the river is Bulgaria

The dinner menu offers regional specialties;
this is Ciorbǎ de perişoare/spicy soup with
meatballs and vegetables, and sour cream

Mamaliga/polenta (cornmeal porridge) topped with
Telemea/Romanian cheese usually made
with sheep's milk, over a beef stew

Papanaşi/fried dough stuffed with sweetened
curd cheese, covered with jam and heavy cream

Next: Arbanasi, Bugaria.