Never had I seen two more forlorn-looking blokes in my life. Slumped behind rusting bars in the bowels of medieval Vidin Castle, known colloquially as "Baba Vida", and the oldest and only preserved such fortress in all of Bulgaria.
I stared at them momentarily before moving to the next chamber, a large stone cell with scattered remnants of a time gone by. It’s just as well these walls couldn’t talk, as I’m sure it’s the stuff of nightmares.
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| Awaiting their fate. Two prisoners in Baba Vida castle. (RE) |
The fortress is the main landmark in Vidin, population ~50,000, located on the banks of the Danube River and featuring two concentric walls, multiple towers, and a moat. All of this dates back to Roman times and a subsequent history that includes periods of Austrian and Hungarian control before the Ottomans used it as a weapons warehouse, prison, and even a residence.
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| Bikes in Bulgaria. The streets of Vidin. (RE) |
We’re touring the billiard table-flat streets on smart bicycles from AmaMagna, the vessel transporting us along the famous river on a week-long itinerary through the lesser-visited parts of Eastern Europe.
The cool, crisp air keeps the town clear of any unnecessary activity, and we’re free to explore the historic sites, which include churches, a mosques and even a restored synagogue that sadly no longer maintains a congregation
After a bit of back-and-forth gesturing, I manage to get a postcard away before heading back to the AmaMagna before we’re treated to a cultural performance from a dozen very enthusiastic school children in traditional costume
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| Children in tradional costume delighted guests with a Bulgarian dance performance (RE) |
Another superb meal is followed by music trivia. Yes, we won. But my thoughts are still with the two unfortunate chaps I left behind in the dungeon of Vidin Castle, whose fate I don’t want to imagine.
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Our AmaWaterways 7-night ‘Festive Delights’ Danube River cruise winds through Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Croatia, culminating in Budapest.
For more information or to reserve an AmaWaterways river cruise and land package, contact AmaWaterways on 1800 867 126 (AU) or 0800 005 636 (NZ) or visit amawaterways.au or amawaterways.nz.
ExpeditionCruising.com’s publisher, Roderick Eime, is sailing as a guest of AmaWaterways on assignment for Luxury Travel Magazine.
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