We begin the river cruise in Constanta by the Black Sea

We left Sinaia and headed back to Bucharest.  Irina guided us through a little walk downtown and then we stopped for lunch at a nice restaurant.  At this point all of the travelers for the river cruise meet.  

Back on the bus, we had a long ride to Constanta where we boarded the ship.  

Our cabin is 108 and our window is at eye level with the water.  The benches in the cabin turn into beds at night.  Cabins on other decks have larger windows or a balcony. We are on the lowest deck.

In the dining room tables of 4, 6, 8, and 10 are available.  Seating is open to any table you would like for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The next morning we went on a guided tour of Constanta, a Romanian Black Sea port that is the country's oldest continually inhabited city.  Dating back more than 2,500 years, Constanta boasts a wealth of fascinating architecture and history. Myth holds that Jason and the Argonauts stopped here after recovering the Golden Fleece. 

We toured inside the Museum of Natural History and Archeology, which provides collections of goods found in the Roman Edifice of Tomis, located next to the museum.

After touring the museum we then entered the building next door which was built over the Roman Edifice of Tomis.  Built in the 4th century, the Roman Edifice was discovered during an excavation in 1959.  In its glory times, the edifice represented the largest building of its kind in the whole Roman Empire and served as a link between the port and the ancient city.  

The mosaic hall represents the actual meeting place of the merchants and officials of that time.

This was the place where the trade and storage of goods was conducted.

The highlight was seeing the beautiful mosaic floors.

We walked over to the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, which is the seat of the Romanian Orthodox Archbishop of Tomis as well as a monastery.

We were able to step inside the church during a service for the Pentecostal holiday.  The church was built in the 1880s but destroyed in World War II.  It was rebuilt in 1951.

The interior painting, done in Byzantine style with Romanian decorations, has a great beauty.

It was then time to dip our feet in the Black Sea at Mamaia Beach before heading back to the ship.

We returned to the ship and set sail on the Danube-Black Sea Canal.  We entered the first locks as we were eating lunch.

The Danube-Black Sea Canal is 40 miles long and cuts off 200 miles of going through the Danube Delta that flows into the Black Sea.  

Red line is the Danube-Black Sea Canal

After the second lock in the late afternoon, we were at the Danube River. 

 And now the river cruise begins.

View from our cabin window

To continue reading about our Grand European River Cruise, scroll back up toward the top of the page and click on the link in the right column entitled, "Bulgaria and the Iron Gates".