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40 | Viking Explorer Society News A Passage TO EASTERN EUROPE Journalist Kerry van der Jagt explores the intriguing history of lands once hidden by the Iron Curtain. W O R D S K E R R Y V A N D E R J A G T T he first evening, we're in Bucharest and diving straight into every kind of Romanian delicacy imaginable as we indulge in a multi-course progressive dinner. A bit like those roving dinner parties of the '70s, without the fondue and fruit punch. Our Sights and Flavours of Bucharest tour is a moveable feast of sour soups and spicy cabbage rolls, of hand-crafted cheeses and fried doughnuts with cherry jam. We enjoy appetizers in a craft brewery before mains in a restaurant housed in an art nouveau-style inn, where the story of the femme fatale Elena (the great love of King Carol II) is just as savory as the dishes. After dessert in a graceful Neo-Romanesque villa, we finish with a drive past the Palace of Parliament to see its fairytale lights. It's the beginning of our 11-day Passage to Eastern Europe journey aboard Viking Lofn, cruising the Danube River from Bucharest, Romania to Budapest, Hungary via Bulgaria, Serbia and Croatia. With its Scandinavian design and name meaning Norse Goddess of Comfort, the 190 -passenger Viking Lofn offers small ship sailing at its finest. To this sumptuous base, Viking adds enrichment lectures, a curated reference library, destination focused dining and performances by local musicians, all tailored to connect guests with the places they are visiting. For my husband and I, it's our interest in the breakup of the former Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, which attracted us to this captivating itinerary. We'll cruise through five countries of the Lower "Eastern" Danube, each vastly different from each other, and different again to the more familiar "Western" portion of the river. I'm here for the history and architecture, but will happily consume my body weight in doughnuts when required. Viden in northern Bulgaria is our base for exploring Belogradchik Rocks, a spine of rock formations on the slopes of the Balkan Mountains. It's a fascinating walk amid the rust-hued boulders, but it's the crumbling remains of an ancient fortress that captures This Page: Fortress Kalemegdan Park Belgrade