The Glorious Danube - Epilogue

Looking back at a wonderful 11-day voyage along the Danube with Uniworld Boutique River Cruises...

So, we finally had to say farewell to our water-borne 'home' for the best part of the last two weeks. The flight connection from Vienna back to London on the final morning went extremely well and the return home wasn't too severe (it wasn't raining, for a change!).

It was our first full river-cruise, and it couldn't have been any smoother or more memorable. Uniworld (with arrangements by UK tour experts Titan Travel) were ideal hosts and we were hugely impressed by the gracious onboard style, service and cuisine.

Nothing was ever rushed but everything was accomplished with ease, and the overall feeling of travelling in such elegant fashion with a large number of new-found friends was almost overwhelming. 

And, while the River Duchess didn't boast anything overtly flashy in terms of the onboard entertainment, there was always something to enjoy, from good conversation at the 24-hour coffee station to some amazing musical and folkloric shows in the main lounge.

Every meal was memorable and every crew member seemed to go out of their way to make things as seamless and enjoyable as possible. And, if the weather wasn't quite ideal at this time of year (just a bit too much rain, notably in Bulgaria and on our transit of the Iron Gates), it was certainly never cold and unpleasant (as it was back in the UK!).

If there was one mild criticism, perhaps we did spent a bit too long on the coaches on some days as we toured Bulgaria and Croatia, while more time in the surprise Hungarian city of Pecs would probably have been a good idea.

But, overall, the itinerary was extremely well balanced, superbly organised and highly educational, and we never lacked for information, history or just a good place to stop for a coffee!

Of the countries we visited, we probably saw enough of Romania and Bulgaria, but all of Serbia, Croatia, Hungary and Slovakia proved surprisingly beguiling and worthy of a return trip at some stage, while the journey through the Iron Gates gorge (below) was a real visual highlight.

Food-wise, we were wowed by the big Captain's Gala dinners at the start and end of the cruise; by the wonderful al fresco dining experience one evening; and by the superb array of fresh, local produce and signature national dishes offered throughout.

Complimentary wine or beer with lunch and dinner is an excellent selling point and we never had to think about what we might like at any given point, as our needs and wishes always seemed to be met as soon as we thought of them - right down to the wonderful late-night snacks that awaited us when we returned from evening excursions.

And, while we were impressed by every aspect of the service on board, we also need to single out several real stars, who all helped to make the whole cruise go with that perfect combination of personable and efficient:

Captain Michael Hofmann: the German master, now resident in Romania (and owner of his own watermelon farm!), was a huge hit with all concerned, especially for his rare sense of humour and ability to convey the real sense of fun in sailing along the Danube. I have rarely encountered a ship's captain with more natural bonhomie.

Cruise Manager Christine Bremberger: every river-cruise clearly needs a Master Planner to make sure all the shoreside arrangement go off without a hitch, as the importance of good daily excursions is paramount here. Christine must be one of the hardest-working people in the company as she was always either organising, conducting, narrating or explaining what we were seeing and doing at any given point. No request was too small or too complicated for her to handle.

Hotel Manager Jaroslav Veselka: our Slovakian cruise host was a master of quiet organisation, smooth efficiency and genuine friendliness. Once again, no request was ever met with a negative and everything seemed right at his fingertips in terms of ensuring the onboard operation ran like amiable clockwork. Our surprise wedding anniversary celebration was a great case in point, but, again, it was handled with effortless aplomb.

Maitre D' Dimitar and his restaurant team were always spot on with their service and ability to provide a great dining experience, and no meal went by without one highlight or another - although the soups were an amazingly consistent highlight and dessert was always a rare pleasure.

All in all, it is hard to imagine what more the Duchess could have done to make our cruise more enjoyable - except, perhaps, to have halted the space-time continuum, allowing us to stay on board for a lot longer. Perhaps next time...!

Oh, and after our wonderful trip to the Croatian school in Laslovo, I need to do a quick shout-out to my youngest 'follower,' Dalton from Plainfield Elementary School, Illinois, and my big Super Bowl pen-pal from earlier this year. Study hard, Dalton!

This ‘Imperial Capitals of Europe’ voyage can be booked at www.uniworldrivercruises.co.uk, with Titan Travel (in the UK only) at www.titantravel.co.uk or, for more on river-cruising in general, seek out the luxury cruise-agent specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd on this link.

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

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The Glorious Danube - Croatia

Continuing our epic Danube River voyage – the Imperial Capitals of Europe – on the River Duchess of Uniworld from Romania to Austria...

Surprising Croatia - Part 1

Having had a full day's exposure to the Serbian part of the former Yugoslavia, it was time to cross the border into the neighbouring country of Croatia, another of the 'new' states that came into being with the collapse of the former communist regime led by Marshall Tito.

Our arrival point was Vukovar (above) - a stunning and sobering town just across the river from Serbia, where fully 90% of the buildings were destroyed in the civil war of 1991-95. The evidence of that brutal and heart-rending conflict was literally everywhere, both in the bullet and shrapnel damage of the surviving buildings and the fact that most of the town was virtually brand new, all rebuilt since the local residents returned in 1998.

While the 'who did what to whom and why' remains a tough and controversial question, the feeling of being in a 'victim' environment was much more stark and notable than in Belgrade, with the bullet and shell-riddled buildings serving as mute testimony to their ill use at the hands of Serbian invaders.

With that background in mind, the sunny morning and flower-bedecked town seemed to make light of the tragic past and concentrate purely on a hopeful future, ready to forgive if not to forget.

We were greeted by our guide for the day, Marco, at the dock (a recurring theme on this trip), and were able to walk through the town to our coaches for our delve into Croatian culture. And it was to be a thorough experience.

The drive out of town, and out into the more rural areas, was greeted by more war-ravaged buildings, mixed in with the strikingly new construction seemingly everywhere, great testimony to the human spirit's ability to survive and move on.

Our first stop was the village of Laslovo, where the local Elementary School was waiting to receive us. Yes, that’s right – a visit to a local school, where the children from age 6 all learn English and are keen to practice the language on all their visitors.

The welcome reception took the form of a series of songs, speeches and even a Punch-and-Judy type show, all performed by the children themselves, from the youngest to the oldest (about 14/15). And then it was time to take a tour of the school itself, courtesy of a gaggle of young, ultra-keen and hyper-active kids, who clearly have done this before and absolutely delight in the opportunity to showcase themselves and their culture.

After an all-too-brief hour’s visit in the company of these heart-warming children and their teachers (we spoke to one teacher who was only five when the war broke out and was saved by his mother, who ran through a cornfield to escape the invading army while other family members and friends were not so fortunate), we re-boarded our coaches to learn more about this relatively young country from guide Marco – a non-stop repository of Croatian history, politics and culture (another feature of Uniworld’s ground tours, as every guide was superbly equipped to impart their knowledge and understanding).

Next stop was the city of Osijek, the biggest in this part of the country and a charming mix of modern Europe and medieval fortress, with a superb monastery tucked away in its heart. The original fortress was replaced by the impressive Watergate moated fort in 1710, a massively walled emplacement designed to withstand cannon shells and built under the supervision of Prince Eugene of Savoy.

Here, we were treated to a sample of the Balkan firewater slivovitz (never to be taken lightly!) and a full tour of the medieval town with its truly beautiful main square, complete with cafes and bars. At once both photogenic and tragic (still bearing some of the scars of the civil war), it proved yet another surprise on our grand tour of eastern Europe.

After Osijek, we moved on to the village of Karanak, where we were sorted into groups of 12-14 for lunch. But that is also a story that needs a lot of telling, so I’ll add that in Part 2…

This ‘Imperial Capitals of Europe’ voyage can be booked at www.uniworldrivercruises.co.uk, with Titan Travel (in the UK only) at www.titantravel.co.uk or, for more on river-cruising in general, seek out the luxury cruise-agent specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd on this link.

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

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The Glorious Danube - Travelling The River

Continuing our epic river-cruise along the Danube on the River Duchess of Uniworld, travelling through eastern Europe...

Romania to Serbia, Part 1

Having detailed much so far about life on board, I thought I would take some time to provide a look at the destinations we are travelling through.

This is Uniworld’s ‘Imperial Capitals of Europe’ cruise, an 11-day glide through the heart of eastern Europe, from Romania to Austria, and taking in Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Hungary and Slovakia in between, a huge slice of European history, culture, geography and architecture (plus food and wine!).

The basic idea is to use the riverboat as your ‘mobile home’ along the way, providing a comfortable and elegant mode of transport through these many different areas (like the old-fashioned coach tour but much more leisurely and relaxing).

Having flown in to Bucharest (the majority of he rest of the passengers arrived via Istanbul, where Uniworld had arranged a 3-day pre-cruise stay), we were immediately afforded a literal taste of Romanian culture with a healthy lunch at a big local restaurant.

That was followed by a full coach tour of the city, stopping en route to marvel at some of the architectural gems of the city, like Nicola Ceausescu’s massive Parliament building and the central square where the local people finally stood up to the vicious dictator in 1989.

From Buharest, we were whisked south to the town of Girgiu – and the River Duchess, the beautifully remodelled 132-passenger vessel that operates this voyage west to Vienna. Our first view of the mighty Danube – Europe’s second-longest river after the Volga in Russia – was also a memorable occasion, a huge stretch of inexorable east-flowing water, with Bulgaria on the south bank.

Our ‘welcome aboard’ was the first sign that this was to be a truly stylish and memorable journey, with the crew providing fresh fruit juice and cold towels to wash away any traces of the road, and a quick escort to our cabin.

That evening g we ‘set sail’ – all the way across the river to Ruse! OK, so not the biggest journey in the world but an introduction to another new country to us. Dinner that night was a pure delight, a genuine taste of Uniworld’s graceful cuisine, featuring local tastes but delivered in best continental style from an amazingly efficient galley. Portions are (happily) not large, but with a starter, soup course, main course and dessert, it is certainly sufficient for most appetites.

Next morning, it was up bright and early for breakfast and then off on an all-day coach excursion into the hinterland, destination the 16^th and 17^th century towns of Veliko Tarnovo and Arbanassi (the latter being a UNESCO World heritage site).

The weather was unremittingly grim, sadly, but the ship provided umbrellas and we were still able to enjoy some eye-catching sight-seeing, a walking tour of Arbanassi (including the 17^th century merchant’s villa), a traditional lunch and a little shopping in Veliko Tarnovo with its array of local crafts.

Our longish journey back to the ship (which had moved up-river to Nikopol) took us through some of the poorest countryside in Bulgaria, and it was sobering to see such levels of near poverty  in this big rural area.

We sailed again that night – a bit further this time! – and awoke next day on one of the most evocative sections of the Danube between Romania and Bulgaria. Two mighty locks needed to be negotiated (the second, a double lock that took a full 90 minutes to pass through), providing plenty of visual stimulation, along with commentary from our Cruise Manager Christine.

The highlight, though, was saved for the final hour before dusk as we navigated the Iron Gates, the immense Danube gorge where the granite river walls soar more than 300ft above each side and narrow to just 160ft at one point. It makes for a stunning visual panorama, with our Duchess the only thing on the river in the fading brooding light and the sheer cliffs soaring on either side.

To be continued...

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