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The lower Danube: a historic Eastern European Odyssey from Budapest to the Black Sea.

Article Excerpt
The Danube has provided a river route for human migration, invasions, and trade though Celtic, Greek, Roman, Mongol, Turkish, and modern times, in effect linking the Occident and Orient, Christianity and Islam. The layers of civilization and strife that have occurred along its banks make for an incredibly complex history lesson, as we would discover on our two-week cruise.

Blue the Danube is not, rather some variation on muddy brown, especially in April with the river in flood stage. Arriving at the Danube landing on the Pest side of Budapest we found the long, white Viking Europe securely tied to a floating pontoon and buffeted by an eight mile-an-hour current that carried rafts of tree trunks and floating debris thumping along the riverboat's hull.

On this first trip of the season, we numbered just 60 (capacity is 150), 39 Americans, 20 British, and one Australian who at age 13 had escaped from Communist Hungary, not to see his family again for more than a quarter-century. The crew hailed from countries fringing the Danube, so many visit their families on a regular basis. At open-seating meals, we eventually met most of our shipmates and enjoyed uncomplicated European-style fare served in sensible portions. Breakfast and lunch offered menus and buffet selections, while dinner was from the menu only.

Built in Holland in 2001 for Viking River Cruises, the Viking Europe has huge windows through which to view the passing scene--whether in the restaurant, one of the two lounges, or in the cabins. Rooms on two of the three cabin decks have windows that slide open. Decor is Scandinavian modern with light and medium wood tones and complementing medium blue and rust fabrics.

We enjoyed the better part of two days tied up in Budapest. Once a rich country, Hungary's architecturally diverse capital is a pleasure to explore...

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