The AMA Magna was leaving from Vilshofen Germany on March 8. As with all of our trips, we like to arrive at least a day earlier in order to avoid flight delays and cancellations.

So we arrived in Munich on March 6 and were transferred to the Andaz Munich. The hotel is only a few years old and encompasses all the modern amenities. We were very fortunate that since it was still pretty much off season, our room was ready when we checked in at 830am. The rooms are beautifully appointed and the service by the staff was excellent.

It’s a straight walk from the hotel to the city center..about 40 minutes. We acclimated ourselves to the area, had a short nap and decided we would tour the next day as it was cold and dreary.

The next day was sunny with blue skies and off we went to meet our guide, Ozzy , owner of Oz Tours. We spent the next hours walking and learning about the history, culture and politics of Munich. Ozzy was incredibly informative and very knowledgeable about Munich and Germany. Afterward, we decided to walk back to our hotel…definitely achieved more than 10000 steps!

And March 8 we left by bus for Vilshofen where we boarded the lovely double wide AMA Magna. The ship has large staterooms even in the lowest category and because of its size, there are 3 restaurants in addition to the main restaurant. There is even a pickleball court! That evening, before dinner, we were treated to an Oktoberfest celebration which AMA does on every sailing.

And every evening before dinner there is a sip n sail cocktail hour and after dinner, there is nightly entertainment.

The food on Avalon Waterways was truly delicious and the casual dinner in the Panorama Lounge that is offered in addition to the Dining Room menu is a great alternative. The crew was incredibly friendly and their service was excellent…definitely a cruise line we will travel again.

We awoke to spectacular skies and prior to disembarkation, we received our antigen tests for returning to the USA…we were negative!

We then boarded a bus for a four hour trip to Zagreb. Upon arriving in Zagreb, we had lunch followed by a walking city tour. We realize now that we should have spent 2 nights in Zagreb as we were too tired from the early departure and long bus ride to truly enjoy this wonderful city. Some of our group dined locally in the evening while many chilled out at the hotel due to early morning departures.

Our transatlantic flight home on American was once again in premium economy and well worth the additional cost for the wider seats and additional legroom.

Upon arriving in Belgrade, we embarked on a walking food tour that embodied a typical Serbian breakfast, snack and lunch. We were totally stuffed but still managed to eat a great deal at our local Serbian dinner that evening.

Cruising the next morning we went to the upper deck to experience the ship going through the locks and traveling the Danube with Romania on one side and Serbia on the opposite shore. In the afternoon we hiked through Djerdap National Park and were rewarded with incredible views. That evening we took a short walk from our ship to Golubac Fortress, Defender of the Iron Gates.

In the morning we decided to explore the lovely town of Vidin and it’s pedestrian area. I managed to purchase 3 pairs of shoes for $ 100 from a shopkeeper who spoke no English…sign language prevails everywhere when you’re too lazy to use Google Translator. That evening we were treated to an authentic Bulgarian Folklore show prior to dinner.

We relaxed the next morning and enjoyed the ship’s amenities especially the club lounge where coffee, tea, juice ,cookies and doughnuts are always available. Our afternoon was a bus ride and then a guided hike to Krushuna Waterfalls.

The next day back in Bucharest we toured the Spring Palace of Nicolae Ceausescu filled with opulence and  grandeur. We also enjoyed a city tour driving past the Arch of Triumph and the Parliament building.

In the afternoon we boarded our Avalon Waterways ship to cruise the Lower Danube. Our stateroom was well appointed with plenty of room for our clothes and toiletries. One wonderful feature is that the very comfortable bed faces the floor to ceiling sliding glass doors so you are always enjoying the scenery that is floating by.

After spending the night at our hotel in Brasov, we visited Prejmer, the largest fortified church in Southeast Europe. Later we visited the Old Town of Brasov. Our evening highlight was a visit to Bran Castle, home of Vlad The Impaler on whom the Dracula stories were based. And imagine our delight and surprise to learn upon returning home that our 11 year old granddaughter Maddie had just completed a project on Vlad and even constructed an amazing replica of him. Maddie is incredibly talented!

Transylvania April 19 2022…The next morning we visited Sinaia Monastery before driving through the Carpathian Mountains to Peles Castle which was the summer residence of Romanian kings. This spectacular castle was the first European castle with electricity. We arrived at Cantacuzino Castle for lunch and were unexpectedly able to tour this incredible space …and much to our delight, it snowed!

Arrived in Bucharest Romania just in time to join our fellow travelers on a walking food tour of the city. The Balkan, Ottoman, French and Russian influences were evident in the many foods we sampled.

Bucharest has many beautiful buildings which are in stark contrast to the edifices built during the Communist era.