Capella, Best of the Balkans

[Kristal Blade]

Oops, that’s what comes of posting after dancing the night away! No idea how so many pictures got attached to the post, but I’m sure you got the gist of the update in spite of the nonsense extras.

We have arrived in Vidin and it’s a showery day. That won’t keep us in, we have our brollies and raincoats.

Time to get the morning cuppa…

[Canal archive]

Been there done that Kristal just shows you’re enjoying yourself. It’s a drippy day here today and we’re off to our friends wake so reading everyone’s holiday antics is just what I need.

[Kristal Blade]

Vidin was an interesting port stop. But we had rain! Only the second time this cruise so we aren’t complaining.

Our first stop was the fortress. We enjoyed that a lot because you could clamber around inside looking into the different rooms. Several people gave upon that because the floor is made of big cobbles and in the rain they got slippy. The guide told us to make our own minds up about whether we should walk up the steep sloping floors or not.

From there our bus took us to Belogradschik. It was a lovely drive. The last 25 minutes or so was along a twisty road up the side of a mountain with beautiful autumn trees lining both sides of the road. I loved it! Once in the town we were dropped at the fortress which gives great views of the unusual sculptured rocks. 
The pathways here were even more challenging. More slippy stones and lots of steps cut into the rocks. With the rain still being on it was quite treacherous in places but there were handrails at the worst bits. I have to admit I didn’t get to the top. The final staircase was a steep metal ladder type stair. I chickened out because I’m a bit of a pussy about heights! But I sent my hubby on to take some photos.

The hour long drive back was made interesting by the guide playing some traditional folk songs and telling us about her life before communism. We were back right on time for lunch and there was a lovely, warming potato soup on offer.

We have dried off our wet gear, but we won’t be needing it tomorrow because we don’t go ashore, we are cruising back through the gorges.

[Kristal Blade]

A very relaxing day on the Danube today. We woke up to mist but it cleared just enough for us to see this fortress.

We spent the day chatting, eating crepes after a cookery demo, playing scrabble then being in a winning team in the music quiz. The prize was a bottle of palinka.

We had a very pretty sunset tonight.

We are getting ready for dinner now. 
Back to Serbia tomorrow.
 

[Kristal Blade]

Yesterday was busy. We had a great visit to Novi Sad in Serbia. A very pretty town centre with a big central square with well preserved buildings. We visited the fortress first then moved into town. We took the bus tour organised by the ship. Mid morning there was a break at a little cafe and we split off from the group after that because it was an easy stroll back to the ship.

We enjoyed visiting the outdoor market. Some delicious looking fruits and veg including some we didn’t recognise!

We got back on board in time to get some lunch then spent the afternoon playing board games.

The temperature has dropped a lot. It was only 11C first thing and we had on our hats and gloves as well as thicker jackets. We had a sprinkle of rain, but got back before the heavy rain started.

Sadly we had our disembarkation talk in the evening. I think I will do some packing today as we don’t reach Kalocsa till the afternoon. I will try to post some pics from there later.

[Kristal Blade]

A misty start to our morning…

 

[Kristal Blade]

We had a brilliant day yesterday. In the morning we won the quiz. The theme was Europe and the questions were a real mix of fun and general knowledge. Our prize was a bottle of fizz which we shared straight away. 
About 3 we arrived at Kalosca and we went straight to Pusta to the farm where we had a horse show. That was terrific! It was a windy, rainy day, but the rain stopped and we had seating under cover to watch the events. The arena was very muddy but the horses just galloped through it. 
We were given wine, palinka, bread spread with pig lard and sprinkled with paprika and a cheese scone. The bread with pig lard tasted better than it sounds.

Back on board it was a quick change then off to the farewell gala dinner. 
We have just arrived in Budapest so the trip is nearly over, but we have had a fun time.

 

[Kristal Blade]

I’m going to try adding a video now so you can get a better idea of the horse show.

 

 

 

[Kristal Blade]

I think both the clips should be ready to watch!

The light levels were low, but it should give a better idea of the events.

[Kristal Blade]

Our beautiful view…

it’s great to wake up in Budapest!

[Canal archive]

The guy controlling the multiple horses wow but that little donkey is something very special, he’s (she’s) had to work so hard, but I have a soft spot for donks.

[notamermaid]

Bread with pig lard - that is Schmalzbrot! 🙂 Used to be eaten a lot round here in Germany.

 

Thank you for reporting with all the great photos and the videos.

 

notamermaid

 

[Kristal Blade]

We had a lovely final day In Budapest. Took the ship tour up to the castle and enjoyed lots of free time around the Fisherman’s bastion. We found some new statues and the Buda Tower which we had never seen before.

Back on the coach we went to Heroes’ Square then jumped off the coach at the Chain Bridge we walked back to the Parliament via the Jewish shoe memorial. Such a simple monument, but so effective and poignant. We strolled slowly back to the ship and picked up what I think is a fun local gift for friends… you’re thoughts may vary.

Anyway, paprika is everywhere, but not everyone would welcome 50g or more so I went slightly off piste and bought single packs of Knorr goulash flavour soup! I can pop one in an envelope and post to the friends I won’t see for a while. 
Back on board we did the dreaded packing. Managed to squeeze everything in, including all the soup.

We had a folklore music and dance show before dinner. Very well done. It included a bit of audience participation which was fun.

Our last dinner was good. We gave some additional tips to our servers. I know they are included but these ladies have worked hard to meet our preferences every night. Had one final night cap in the bar and a boogie with our Australian chums to AC/DC!

[Bill Y]

Thank you Kristal Blade for your very informative report, and hope that you have a good journey home.  I am glad that there was a ships excursion to the Castle area of Buda, I was surprised on our “European Gem” cruise that we were not taken there, but when I visited myself and did not see any full size coaches up there I thought that it might have been because there were restrictions.

The question for you once you recover from your journey home. Would you choose this time of year again? We had considered this cruise a few years ago but were put off by Travelmavel only offering it April and October, April we thought was too early for settled weather and October to late. Although the weather is often more settled in the autumn the nights have drawn in and we do like to sit in the lounge after dinner watching the scenery drift by listening to the music. We were impressed by the duo on Capella easy listening not karaoke.

 

[Kristal Blade]

Hi BillY

There were lots of different river ship groups at the castle when we were there, including Viking and Ama. What was good about our trip was that there were different points where you could opt out. You just decided yourself where you wanted to spend longer. So lots of people stayed at the castle (maybe half the group) then some left at Heroes’ Square and our departure at the Chain Bridge was the last drop off before the return to the ship. I think maybe 6 or 8 people did the entire circuit.

 

we are waking up at home after a full day of travel. We went from ship to coach to plane to 2 trains. But all went smoothly in spite of a delayed take off and landing time.

 

Would we choose this time of year again? Good question. We loved the trip, it was lovely weather, much warmer than we had anticipated but the early darkness was annoying. I would think September or early October would be a great time to do this itinerary, but nobody seems to go at these times. It was pitch black by 6pm at the very latest, sometimes 5pm so not much to see out of the windows.

 

I have returned home with a cold. Runny nose but no cough. One of our table mates lost his voice completely but had no sore throat. Lots of coughing round the ship so I’m not surprised I caught something. There was a real reluctance to “cover your cough” never mind mask up!

 

Now to get back in the home routine! The washing machine will be on duty and we need to do the shopping, but I’m going to start my day with a yoga class!

[Bill Y]

7 hours ago, Kristal Blade said:

Would we choose this time of year again? Good question. We loved the trip, it was lovely weather, much warmer than we had anticipated but the early darkness was annoying. I would think September or early October would be a great time to do this itinerary, but nobody seems to go at these times. It was pitch black by 6pm at the very latest, sometimes 5pm so not much to see out of the windows.

Thanks for your reply,

 

I looked at Travelmavel/APT and Emerald and found that they did not do this cruise late spring or summer and wondered why not, too hot etc? but I notice that Riviera do. So may decide to do it when the evenings are lighter. I do not mind it being dark on an ocean cruise because there is nothing to see once you are out to sea, but an river cruise no. I liked the Mekong and Douro were you only sailed during daylight.

[Kristal Blade]

39 minutes ago, Bill Y said:

Thanks for your reply,

 

I looked at Travelmavel/APT and Emerald and found that they did not do this cruise late spring or summer and wondered why not, too hot etc? but I notice that Riviera do. So may decide to do it when the evenings are lighter. I do not mind it being dark on an ocean cruise because there is nothing to see once you are out to sea, but a river cruise no. I liked the Mekong and Douro were you only sailed during daylight.

Good to know about the Douro, we are trying to decide which river to visit next. Going to stick to Europe as we have Japan and Australia cruises in the pipeline.

Any suggestions??!

[Bill Y]

21 hours ago, Kristal Blade said:

Good to know about the Douro, we are trying to decide which river to visit next. Going to stick to Europe as we have Japan and Australia cruises in the pipeline.

Any suggestions??!

We have only done the Douro and European Gems (Amsterdam – Budapest) in Europe, so cannot recommend other European rivers. The Douro is a relaxing scenic (not industrialised) river cruise. The only large towns are Porto and Salamanca reached by excursion. This seven day cruise is often available with extensions to include Madrid or Lisbon.

 

The cruise I would highly recommend once you have done you Japan and Australia cruises is the Mekong. It’s so much more than just a cruise, normally a few days are spent in a hotel at Siem Reap with visits to the Angkor Archeological Park. We chose to include a pre cruise extension, Hanoi then Halong bay two nights on a small cruise junk, well worth it. Ocean cruises often have Halong bay as a destination but they are not allowed into the bay, you would have to take an excursion.  Sometimes Hue and Hoi An are also options. Most of our cruising has been on ocean ships but we are running out of new places to visit so have tried River cruises attracted by the program of included excursions.

[Kristal Blade]

I am wondering about northern France. Not so bothered by the wine cruises but fancy seeing Giverney.

 

We have had a land tour in Cambodia, visited dozens of temples! 
 

Having done lots of ocean cruises we appreciate unpacking once then being transported to each new destination without having to think about it so river cruises are a great alternative.

Edited November 16, 2023 by Kristal Blade
Spelling error

[Canal archive]

Kristal, Jazz has done a superb report of his cruise last year with Scenic as usual I’ve forgotten how to link to it. It’s a fantastic cruise and with one of the few companies that actually moor in Honfluer. Giverney is really worth a visit and the early start.

 

 

We did again this year.

Edited November 16, 2023 by Canal archive

[Host Jazzbeau]

Here you go:

 

[Kristal Blade]

14 hours ago, Canal archive said:

Kristal, Jazz has done a superb report of his cruise last year with Scenic as usual I’ve forgotten how to link to it. It’s a fantastic cruise and with one of the few companies that actually moor in Honfluer. Giverney is really worth a visit and the early start.

 

 

We did again this year.

Thank you,

I have spent a happy few hours reading through the review.

Definitely got me thinking seriously about this as our next river trip and Scenic sounds like our sort of company!

[melsimpress]

Hi 😃

We are a couple of Aussies heading to Budapest for a Best of The Balkans tour on the Capella.  Our tour starts April 9 2024, so was very interested in your take on the trip, Krystal Blade. 

Many thanks for that!

We have been on about 11 ocean cruises but this is our first river cruise....really looking forward to it and as we don't know what to expect, any hints are very welcome.  The clothesline with suction caps idea is excellent. Are the evening dinners formal? and are the tips we may want to give, in Euros or US dollars?

Cheers🍸

[Kristal Blade]

You will love your trip, melsimpress,

Dinners are relaxed most nights, there is a Captain’s welcome and final dinner when you can dress up a bit. But you could always just throw a pretty scarf on over whatever you have on and you will look great. Sorry, that was a bit of a gender specific dress wear comment! Men don’t need a tie or suit, my husband took a dark blazer, but he often took it off cos it was so warm. He has a couple of jazzy shirts that worked well on formal nights. It’s not as fancy as a sea cruise.

Tips in Euro are best.

Enjoy!

[Bill Y]

4 hours ago, melsimpress said:

Hi 😃

We are a couple of Aussies heading to Budapest for a Best of The Balkans tour on the Capella.  Our tour starts April 9 2024, so was very interested in your take on the trip, Krystal Blade. 

Many thanks for that!

We have been on about 11 ocean cruises but this is our first river cruise....really looking forward to it and as we don't know what to expect, any hints are very welcome.  The clothesline with suction caps idea is excellent. Are the evening dinners formal? and are the tips we may want to give, in Euros or US dollars?

Cheers🍸

Capella is a Travelmarval ship part of APT, both  are marketed in Australia and the UK as tips included both on the ship and on excursions we, have been with Travelmarvel three times in different parts of the world including  Amsterdam to Budapest on Capella last year and on all trips tips were not expected or angled (solicited) for. There is no formal dining on river ships, most people dress for dinner as people would in the MDR on non-formal nights on an ocean ship. If you don’t want a full service dinner lighter options are available in McGeary’s bar at the rear of the upper deck although we did not try it.

 

You probably already know this, most excursions are included in the price unlike ocean cruises, but there will be a few optional ones at extra cost.