July 31 - Leaving Budapest

When we got up, after sleeping in as long as we wanted, we didn't have a lot to do. The hotel let us stay for a couple hours later than regular check-out time, so we had about 3 hours to wait until boarding our ship. We were checked out just before noon, and left our bags for storage at the hotel. Then, it was spend some time walking the streets near the hotel, looking at the shops and restaurants.

The young lady who had greeted us outside the restaurant where we ate the first night there was working, so Dawn suggested I get a photo of her. When she was finished greeting some guests, I asked her if it would be alright to take her picture, she agreed. So I got a nice photo of her outside her restaurant.

Then we walked into the square and decided to sit in the outdoor part of another cafe and have some ice cream and a pop. We were under the awning, so out of the sun, and when the breeze blew, it was quite nice. We watched the people walking by, and listened to the conversations of those around us. There really is nothing different about these folks from us, except the language.

We managed to make this last for about an hour, and then I wanted to have a look at what was just up the way from us. We walked up the square, and found one of the bridges that crossed the Danube. We knew approximately where our boat was docked, so we decided to go onto the bridge (It seemed to be only for pedestrians and bicycles) so see a little farther down the river side. The breeze was blowing down the river, and without buildings blocking it, the breeze felt great and cooled us down. We knew our ship was at mooring place 9, and the ships right by the bridge were at number 6. We could see 7 and 8, but 9 wasn't very visible due to the boats in front.

I walked farther out onto the bridge (almost half way across) to see if it was visible. We knew it was docked outside of another ship, and I thought I could see it, so at least we now had an idea of where to go. I had spoken to someone from Gate 1 to find out exactly where the ship was, and because the area is quite long, they were only able to tell me the number of the gate, and the name of the building close to where it was moored.

About 2:30, we headed back to the hotel to collect our bags and get a taxi to the ship. We probably could have walked, but decided to ride. The driver let us out a ways from the gate because the road didn't go along the shore at that point, so it would have saved us 5 Euros if we had walked, rather than take a couple minute ride.

Boarding was a pretty easy process. We left our bags at the shore and crew members took them aboard. We had to walk through another ship, go upstairs a couple flights, then cross to our ship, and go down a flight to get to the office area. We gave them our passports, they checked to find our room, and then a crew member took us to our cabin and showed us around.

The ship looked new (we found out later that it had been commissioned at the beginning of April this year) and our room was really nice to see. First, the air conditioning was working very well, and it was chilly in the room, which was a welcome relief. Although not large, it was comparable to the rooms we had on the ocean cruises, and very similar to the room we had in China on that river cruise. A very nice bathroom that was bigger than the ocean cruise bathrooms, but not quite as big as the Yangtze cruise bathroom. We did have a large glass door, which was our balcony door, but there was no room between the door and the balcony railing, so it was only for show. At least the door was large, making the whole wall a window.

Once unpacked, we went up on the top deck to just sit around until the Welcome and Safety Briefing at 5:45 pm. This lastest until about 6:45, when there was a talk about the port we would be at tomorrow. They gave us some pointers, and spoke about what was on the itinerary for the day. Then it was time to head down a deck to the dining room for the Welcome dinner.

We had met and spoken with a few people while waiting for the events just mentioned, and so sat with one of those couples who were from Southern California. A couple other fellows from Fort Lauderdale came and joined us, and as we ate, we got to know each other. The dinner was a 5 course meal, starting with soup, then a cold appetizer followed by a hot appetizer. The the main course (there were 2 special items to choose from, as well as one that is available all the time). We chose the chicken stuffed with prosciutto and cheese. Before dessert was delivered, there was a big entrance with the wait staff carrying a cake around the restaurant. We thought it was to show what was for dessert, but as they were passing our table, they stopped, lit a sparkler, and presented it to Mark, the retired firefighter from Southern California. Today was his birthday, and he was certainly surprised that they knew about it. Dessert was actually the chocolate cake, similar to what we had on the tour yesterday, but presented a bit differently. All in all, a very nice meal.

Dinner was going to be followed by entertainment with Budapest Operetta. We decided to forego that pleasure, and instead went up on the top deck to wait for the ship to leave. We would be traveling upstream, and going by most of Budapest after dark. This would be an opportunity to view the beautiful lights on the amazing buildings. Ahead of us, in the direction we would be going, there was clearly a large thunderstorm, and the clouds were building toward us. The light show behind the amazing buildings was spectacular in itself. 

The ship was late leaving because there was some sort of emergency, and they had to wait for an ambulance to come and get someone. The longer we waited, the closer I got to falling asleep, so I finally went back to our cabin. Dawn stayed up on the deck to watch the departure, and she said once the ship started moving, it got quite chilly and windy. Most of the people left, and once we were past the main part of the city, she came back to the room. Shortly after she returned, I could hear the rain hitting our window. However, this was not a problem because we were both trying to go to sleep. A cool room, a comfortable bed, and warm blankets - what more could we want?

June 30 - Day Trip to Danube Bend

We were off again at 8:30 for a whole day tour. This was a tour 3 historic sites and took all day for us to experience them. We finally got back to our hotel at 6:45 pm. We were tired, hot and sweaty and it was good to be back in our room.

Many of the Budapest streets were closed for a Triathlon that was taking place that morning. Our taxi to the tour beginning had a lot of trouble finding a way to get there, but after some doubling back, driving down some streets the wrong way, and generally working hard to get us there, the driver finally made it. We were greeted by a young woman who verified we were on the tour and then showed us to the bus. There were only a couple people on it, and it was quite hot. We were going to get off to try and stay cool when more people started showing up, and the driver started the bus and ran the air conditioner.

Our Bus

By the time we left, the bus was full to overflowing. We thought they might have oversold the trip, but there were exactly enough seats for the 32 paying customers. The tour guide had to sit on the floor at the front of the bus because there was no seat for her.

Off we went. We had driven by the same places a couple times by now, so were able to recognize a number of the buildings and streets we were on. The bus also had trouble finding the way out of the city, due to the triathlon, but he finally got by the road closures. Once on the highway, it took about 45 minutes to get far enough from the city center and we began to see less dense areas and individual homes. The roads were busy (it was Saturday morning and we were going to a place of tourism and relaxation) but we made good time to our first stop.

Entrance of the Cathedral

Main Altar

The first place was the site of the head of the Roman Catholic Church in Hungary. It was at Eszergom which means Center of the Catholic Church. We had a visit inside the cathedral, which is a huge building. It doesn't look what we think of as a church from the outside - tall columns, flat marble walls, and very imposing. Inside, though, was a different story. It was huge with lots of arches and very high domed ceilings. One room was the original chapel which was quite small, but the added on parts were simply huge.

1000 Pipes

There was a pipe organ with over 1000 pipes that only gets played on Sunday at 10 am. It must be beautiful to hear. While we were in there a fairly large group of people gathered and sang what sounded like something from the Renaissance era. They may have been a choir who traveled there to sing. The acoustics were amazing, sounding very clear and loud. I thought at first that it was recorded music because I couldn't figure out where the music was coming from. Finally, I noticed where they were gathered and realized that they were the ones singing.

View of the Valley

After about 45 minutes we moved back outside and looked at the view over the Danube Valley. This was also quite lovely to see. It reminded us of home, with the rolling hills and lush greenery. We took a few photos.

Bridge to Slovakia

From Slovakia

Beside the Cathedral was the Visegrad, the former Royal Residence. We didn't go inside, but it was quite a building. Shortly after leaving here, we went across a bridge into Slovakia, just to get a photo opportunity of the Royal Residence and the Cathedral. In total, we were in Slovakia about 20 minutes before going back across the river and off on our 45-minute drive for lunch.

Fortress on the Mountain

Lunch was at a restaurant on top of a mountain. It was beside what was once a military fort to protect the Danube Valley from invaders. It looked like there was a wedding scheduled for later on in the day. A section of the dining room was set up for the wedding party, and outside, there were 6 identical models of Audi parked in a row. The steps up to the restaurant were decorated with the wedding colours, as well. Lunch was chicken soup with pasta, the main course was turkey and potatoes (lots of them), and the dessert was chocolate cake. It was a filling lunch, but not spectacularly good. The view from the dining room, and outside on the deck was very pretty, overlooking the river valley and the fields below.

Outdoor Cafe

Audi's Gathered for the Wedding?

After lunch, it was back down the mountain and another 45 minute drive to Szentendre, a small town on the bank of the river where we were to catch the public boat back to Budapest. This town was supposed to have a guided walk around the town to see some of the sites. We walked a little way, and then decided to stay near the public boat. We sat in an outdoor restaurant, watching the people walk by and had a pop. We asked for lots of ice, and this place was very accommodating. They don't use a lot of ice in Europe, we have found, and it is somewhat difficult to get cold drinks.
Finally, it was time to board the boat. We decided to sit on the top deck (it did have a cover, but it was outside). The boat was very full, with all the seats upstairs were filled. At least when we were moving, the wind allowed us to feel somewhat cooler. The sun had also gone behind the clouds, so we didn't get the direct sunlight. The locals clearly knew what we didn't, and picked the side that was going to be in shade while we traveled the 22 km back to Budapest. However, they did sit in the bright sun while we were waiting to leave, so in the end, I think we had it a bit better.

Up the Street From Cafe

It was fun to motor up the river, seeing the sites on both sides. It was somewhat sparsely populated for a fair amount of the trip. There were lots of summer places; cabins, small houses, bigger houses, some camping in tents. We didn't see a lot of swimming in the river. The girl at the restaurant said the river was pretty dirty. The part that we traveled in was quite muddy, looking a lot like the colour of the North Thompson as it goes by Westsyde.

Upstairs on the Public Boat

Well like all good things, in and hour and fifteen minutes, the trip came to an end. Once off the boat, we had to find a taxi to take us back to the hotel. We found one sitting at the side of the road and asked if he could take us to our hotel. He told us to wait and called for another taxi to take us there. When it got there in a couple minutes, the driver didn't appear to know where the hotel was. He kept asking us a street name, but we didn't know street names, so weren't able to confirm if that was where it was. He asked another driver who said it was on the street our driver was indicating. I pulled out my phone and used the GPS which basically showed that our hotel was not where he was going to take us, so he used our directions and we got there within about 10 minutes. It cost a bit more than the taxi from the previous day, but was within range. We were out of the local currency (Hungarian Forint), so I paid in Euros and got change back in Forints. After checking with my exchange program, it turned out to be about $12 Canadian.

We were both very tired, and after cleaning up, we relaxed. I began to write this post, but was falling asleep, so rather than end up falling off my chair, I stopped and laid down and had a nap. It was difficult to wake up, but I knew I wouldn't sleep through the night if I didn't stay awake.  I did share a selection of our photos with mom, so got something done before it was time to go to bed.

Tomorrow, July 31, we board our ship, the Monarch Empress. We will have to figure out where it is docked so we can get a taxi there when it is time. However, that is for later today.

June 29 - Tours in Budapest

We were awake this morning at about 6:30. Showered, dressed, and went off to breakfast at the buffet. It was quite a nice buffet (not like the ones in Helsinki and Malmo, but still quite nice). The coffee was good, and so were the scrambled eggs and sausages. It was a good experience and we will be eating here for the next couple mornings.

We had to be ready for our pickup for the tour of the Hungarian Parliament House and Budapest Sightseeing Tour by 9:00, so back to our room. The driver arrived about 15 minutes early, and we hurried down to the lobby, so he could drive us to the tour company office. We had a wait until 9:30, and then boarded a bus. There were about 25 people altogether in our group.

This bus was very comfortable. It was a regular sized tour bus but had large, comfortable seats with lots of room. There were 2 seats on one side of the aisle, and only 1 seat on the other side. Unfortunately, we were only on this bus for a short while until we got to the Parliament House. The guide who took us there got us in, set up with the sound equipment, and then told us where she would meet us at the end of this part of the tour.

Parliament House

We started off by entering through a security area. I forgot my phone and wallet in my pocket so had to be wanded but we still got in. Then we had to climb upstairs to start the tour. They offered us an elevator, but we figured we could make it. After we started, they told us there were about 140 steps, which we soon regretted, but weren't able to turn back. After a few rest stops, we made it to the floor where the tour started.

Ornate Architecture

Like what our experience has shown from other European cities, the architecture is pretty spectacular. It was very impressive to see the domed ceilings, the gold-leaf covered columns, and the beautiful stained glass windows.

We were able to take pictures everywhere except the room where the Crown jewels were stored. In this room, there was a roped-off enclosure where the King's crown, sword, and a couple globules were stored. This was guarded by 2 soldiers who stood very still, only moving once a minute to move their sword from one shoulder to the other. The soldiers were changed every hour. It must be very difficult to stand so still for 60 minutes, especially when it is so hot and humid

Legislative Room

We had a look at the room where the legislators sat during their session. It is like what you might see on TV, very similar to pictures of the US Senate room. Apparently, the sessions are televised, and all the discussion is recorded and made available to the public. It sounds like a very open legislature.

After going through a few more rooms, we were finished here and went to the souvenir shop to meet our bus guide. Once everyone was present, we left and went to where the bus loading area. Here we waited until another bus came, which was to take us on the tour of Budapest. We said farewell to our first guide and met a different one. This bus was not so roomy as the first one, and there were already folks on it who were only taking the sightseeing tour. Some of our first party were only on the Parliament House tour, so they left us, too.

Then it was off to view some of the areas of Budapest. This is a city of about 1.8 million people. The country only has about 10 million people, so it is by far the largest city in the country. Most of the tour took place on the Pest side of the Danube River. This area is flatter and contains most of the historical buildings and architecture. Many of them were damaged or destroyed during WWII, but they are putting things back together.

View Through one of the Gates

We drove by a number of very impressive buildings and stopped at a couple places so we could take photos. Our final stop on that side of the river was at Castle Hill, which was a large castle area where many of the main departments of the government are located. They are still in the process of rebuilding some of the structures,

many of them have been completed, keeping with the original styles. Again, very impressive.

View of the City and the Danube

Towards the end, we crossed one of the bridges to go on the Buda side. There we drove up to the citadel, which gave some very impressive views of the city. This was basically a photo stop, and once this was done, we went back to the hotel where the tour began. From there, it was walk to the market again for a few things, and then back to the hotel room to rest until our next tour, which was a Dinner Cruise on the Danube.

 We paid for transportation to and from the Dinner Cruise, so were waiting for the taxi by 6:30. Our driver showed up, and off we went to this boat. It was one of those tied up along the shore, and when we arrived, a young man came and collected us from the taxi. He gave us the tickets we had purchased online, along with a couple free drink tickets.

Similar to our Dinner Cruise Boat

Then it was a short walk to the boat, and wait until the gates opened to allow us to board. This was a simple process and handled well with a waiter taking us to an assigned table. We were sitting with a couple from France, a couple from Germany, two young women from the US who were in Budapest at the European Lacrosse Championship (one was the trainer for the Scottish team, the other was her friend (a police woman) from New York). The Americans were not shy and spoke to everyone, the man in the German couple spoke a bit of English and was able to speak with us, his wife and neither of the couple from Paris had any English so we didn't learn much about them.

View from the Top Deck

The boat left and moved downstream. The sun was in our eyes and we couldn't see a lot. Like all cruises, there was a photographer who came to take photos of each couple (for sale before the end of the journey). Then we set off to get our dinner at the buffet. It was quite good - fish, chicken, beef of some sort, dumplings, and potatoes. There was also a few different types of salad, but we didn't get anything there, instead filling our plates with the main courses. I also had another bowl of Hungarian Goulash, which was still quite good.

One of the Castles

While we ate, a string group played for the audience - first from the stage, and then walking around and playing at many of the tables. They were good and seemed able to play whatever was requested.

Sunset From the Top Deck

When dinner was over, we went up on the top deck to watch the passing shoreline. The boat only went a short distance downstream, then turned and went upstream for a ways and then turned again, and went back to our river slip. The entire trip took 2 hours and was very enjoyable. The views were spectacular, and as it got dark, and the lights came on to highlight the buildings and bridges, it was very pretty.

Once back at the slip, we disembarked and then were taken by taxi back to our hotel. We are up early again tomorrow for another tour. This one is for most of the day and is a bus tour to someplace called the Danube Bend.

View of the Steeple on the Hill

                                     

Passing under one of the Bridges

July 28 - Arrival in Budapest

After our long flight from Toronto to Budapest, we finally arrived about 10:45 am.  We were about 2 hours late leaving Toronto due to a number of issues, but made up time during the flight and arrived about 40 minutes later than we were originally scheduled.

It took a while to go through immigration, collect our bags, and find the transportation to our hotel, but we survived. It was very hot inside the airport, and outside it was raining and thundering. I saw a bolt of lightning hit the ground a short distance from our plane, just as we touched down. Too bad about the weather as it had been sunny and hot (as well as humid) here over the past while. I don't think this will last too long, but we are forecast to have thunderstorms again tonight.

The hotel is about a 45-minute drive from the airport. We were early for check-in, but our room was ready so they let us in. It is quite small but big enough for us to stay in for a couple nights. Nice bathroom with a shower, a queen bed, and a TV. What more could we ask for?

Our Room

We were pretty tired, so lay down for a rest and were soon snoring away. I struggled awake after an hour, but it was pretty difficult to get mobile. Then, I realized I had left my medication on the sink counter at home. So, we went off to see if there was some way I could get some to last.  We were pointed to a pharmacy, just up the block from the hotel. After finding the pharmacist who could speak some English, he gave us a suggestion about what we could do. Our plan was to find a fax number and I could call the doctor in Kamloops to get the prescription faxed here. Not going to happen.

Then, the pharmacist gave us a card for a company who will send out a doctor who will provide prescriptions for those not here. I cost 230 Euros to get the doctor to the hotel, but he prescribed the medication I needed, checked that the pharmacy had the meds, and provided me with official forms I could present to our travel insurance company in order to get a refund.

Down the street from our hotel

Well, we purchased enough meds to get us back to Kamloops on this trip, so I should be good to go now.

Our hotel is pretty much beside the big outdoor market and walking mall so we walked around a bit. Lots of little tourist shops, much like those in Alaska and other cruise ports. Lots of little restaurants, too. We stopped and had supper at one of these, sitting outside on the sidewalk. The reason we stopped there was because the little greeter girl spoke such good English, and we struck up some conversation with her. They had schnitzel on the menu so because we didn't get any while in Germany, we thought we would try it here.  It was quite good, and we were sure full. We both started with a small bowl of Hungarian Goulash soup. This was very good, just like our vegetable soup that Dawn makes now and again.

Restaurant where we had dinner

Then it was back to our room. We have a couple tours tomorrow, so have to be up early. Hopefully, we sleep well but I'm expecting that we will wake quite early. Right now I'm having a real problem keeping my eyes open. It is only 8:45 pm, but I don't think I'm long for being ready to sleep.Rest