Well we have ended up with a change in the ship schedule - not sure why??? Anyway today we visited the town of Vidin. Vidin is one of the oldest towns along the Bulgarian Danube bank. Vidin has existed for over 2000 years in the same location in Bulgaria. The small town is economically depressed, but has a lovely, tree-lined city park along the Danube that leads from the cruise ship dock to Baba Vida (Babini Vidini Kuli), a medieval fortress built by the Bulgars in the 10th to the 13th centuries. Baba Vida is one of the last remaining intact Bulgar fortresses.

Vidin also has intact sections of the city wall, a large downtown square, and a lively city market, so it's a fun place to spend a few hours exploring on foot. Some of the old buildings along the river are quite impressive, and the architecture of the town is an interesting blend of many cultures such as Roman, Bulgarian, Turk, Communist, and modern.

Vidin's ancient Jewish community left its mark with an imposing synagogue built in 1894. In terms of size and aesthetics it was second only to the Sofia Synagogue though it has now descended into ruins.

A surprising little town that we enjoyed visiting. On board ship we had a celebratory lunch which included suckling pig and the most amazing array of desserts. We were not sure what the occasion was but we all dug in and thoroughly enjoyed the meal accompanied by local wines.