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.