Serbia’s Golubac Castle dominates this part of the Danube River, as seen from the deck of the Viking River Cruises Neptune. Photo by Gene Korte

Our odyssey on the second longest river in Europe began in Vienna and it took us seamlessly through five countries of the former Soviet bloc. Unexpectedly, the shoreline was mostly pastoral and tree-lined with only the occasional town or city. And of the metropolises on the river’s edge, Budapest with its architectural splendors was the most stunning.

The Viking River Neptune, our home for 14 days, is a well-organized, bright and friendly floating hotel with first-rate food and wait staff. Menus often matched our locales, giving us a taste of each country through daily fish, vegetarian and meat entrees at lunch and dinner. We found this ship perfect for travelers like us who are looking for a comfortable classy way to see new parts of the world with a minimum of international travel fuss. The always-interesting daily bus excursions were included in the trip price and we unpacked our luggage just once, and thankfully the ship’s crew took care of all our passport details in and out of each country.

Award-winning Viking River Cruises offers scenic cruising in 19 vessels along the rivers of Europe, Russia, China, Southeast Asia and Egypt.

…

This southern city is home to hundreds of historic homes located on a peninsula across from Charleston Harbor and Fort Sumter where the Civil War began.     Photo by Gene Korte.

Charleston continues its rise in the ranks of top destinations worldwide.  And why not?  More than 300 years old, Charleston, named for England’s Charles II, began its colonial life as a flourishing seaport. Because of that centuries-old history, this place is filled with hundreds of historic homes. And among the attractions of the countryside are grand old plantations full of sweeping movie-scene vistas.

Over the centuries, Charlestonians have been shot at, burned out, beset by earthquakes and hurricanes. More than a few were forced to walk the plank on pirate ships. The British occupied the city for more than two years after the Revolutionary War. And the most devastating war of all here, of course, the Civil War, began at Charleston’s very own Fort Sumter.

Despite all this, including Hurricane Hugo in 1989, which caused billions in damage, Charleston has dusted itself off and reinvented itself.

Once rich from slavery, today Charleston celebrates its black culture, becoming a 21st-century destination for history and music festivals, food, fun and beaches, too. Charleston is the New South.

A grand and glossy hotel

The Charleston Place on Meeting Street, charlestonplace.com, has all the earmarks of an Orient Express hotel. No matter where their hotels are, they will have the perfect blend of welcoming style and comfort. And the location is always perfect, too. In Charleston that means this eight-story landmark hotel, with a staff full of Southern hospitality, is in the heart of the historic district near shops, parks and the city’s Museum Mile. One of the many ways this posh hotel shows its family friendliness is the Spa Kid program where children can enjoy the Cinderella treatment, too.

The hotel’s celebrated Charleston Grill is not the place to be for a quick bite between meetings. Rather, it’s where you want to take your time, enjoy the feast of flavors and textures and say to heck with worrying about the bill. From the first taste of the thinly sliced venison carpaccio and the teeny tiny lettuces with champagne vinaigrette we savored the moment. It was difficult to choose from the menu because we couldn’t have everything. Evening favorites were the grilled kahala fish from Hawaii, even the humble collard greens, and at the evening’s end — all that chocolate.

To continue reading this article, go to http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2008-11-16/travel/0811130207_1_meeting-street-fort-sumter-charleston-peninsula