Yes, how you see the world does matter. Loved, loved floating down the European Rivers- the time flew. We made experiences as memorable as the places we saw. The crew/staff improved remarkably. Did those Bubba and Boca "pep talks" help?
Boca loved the napkin fold.
And she made sure she had plenty of pics of how to fold that napkin....so Bubs could become an expert of course.
The food also improved but still not up to par for being the "World's Best River Cruise Line". What are they eating on the other boats?? Needed a bigger variety and more fresh fish. Beef was Omaha Beef? The wine selection was also sub-par for "world's best"....are they drinking Manashevitz on the other boats? These 2 issues were Bubs main beef- tee hee. But Boca and Pleep didn't mind, with all the beautiful scenery and mostly fun excursions a grand time was had by all. Boca will miss lying on her bed watching the castles and beautiful countryside go by...never mind the 68 locks we went through.
Traveling in good company is key.
This was a very different experience than ocean cruising- our tour was an older crowd, but quite lovely nonetheless. Pleep thought they were a lot more slow mo than his ocean cruising buddies. Or was that just the waves? And overall it did wear Bubs out some days (hey who is the oldie in the group??) a grand time was had...
Now we are on our own till we catch up with another Tauck Tour- Portugal and Spain- in a couple of weeks. Looking forward to not settling for the ordinary. A shout out to Annie, our pal from Southern Cal who is going to join ol' Boca and Bubs.
Pleep looked out the window and asked, hey what is all that construction going on over at the Palace??? Oh, that's the NEW Patriarchate Romanian Orthodox Church. Bucharest is the headquarters for the Romanian Orthodox Church and yep the soon to be the largest O church in Romania is using those 4 cranes and obviously a bunch of dough to build. Never mind the palace is crumbling and the grounds are a shamble and the people complain about the expense on the upkeep for the palace they have to kick in and and and and on and on. Maybe the Patriarch's bro is in the construction biz?
So we hop on down to breakfast to bid adieu to cruise mates...and who sits down next to me, the actress Jayne Seymour, sans make up. OMG. She looked fantastic...ol'Boca in full war paint wanted to slink away. Of course Jane had the body of a ballerina. Great. Way to start the day off- having JS watch the Boca and the Pancake Show. Boca channeling her inner IHOP?
Anyway, next stop some Hop on Hop off bus fun. Hey Boca, didn't you already do the city tour...yep but Boca and Bubs love the ride on top in the open air. We walk to the "5 min away bus stop"....by the Palace of course. Hey Bubs how often do they mow the lawn? Does anybody weed around the palace?
Oh, and there's the new Church....cross yourself twice Bubs, so these folks can find the Euro's to pony up for it...
Why in the heck is this chunk of cement in the middle of the sidewalk??
Pleep had a great idea....why not sell the Palace Parliament to Donald Trump (like the state of Florida did/ Mara Logo up in Palm Beach). Let him renovate, put a jumbo casino in, throw in some hotel rooms, lots of luxury shopping and a car dealership or two, a private club or two...yeah, that's the ticket.
One hour later we find the bus stop.....you know, the one that was only a 5 min walk.
And exactly as Trip Advisor reviews said...no narration, no time schedule etc. The bus driver had to be a former Commie Cab Driver...but hey, they have to live too. No smiling allowed? And what do you want for 8 Euros? We did have a sunny day and thankfully due to a previous city tour by Tauck we knew what we were looking at. Note to boss: go check up the other Hop On's in Europe and get some training for your folks.
Romanian Orthodox Patriarch's HQ
Of course a stroll over to HQ is a must. Patriarch Daniel of Romania was voted in, 2007. Quite the hacienda he has...the former Palace of the Chamber of Deputies is now the Palace of the Pat, also known as the Palace of the Great National Assembly during the communist regime. The parliamentarians left in 1997 and returned the hill and buildings back to the Patriarch (he's kinda like the Pope of the Country).
Last stop must buy another suitcase...ya gotta schlep those icons somehow...where's the Tumi shop? What do you mean the luggage is 3x the price of what we pay for it in the states?
So Pleep had a suggestion.....
