Well the ship is a lovely memory that we left behind this morning in Budapest.
Budapest, the surprising gem of Eastern Europe. We sailed into the city at about 11pm
to be greeted by the most amazing light show you can imagine. Light beams lancing into
the sky, purple lazer streaks & strobes & the magnificent buildings beautifully lit.
After 10 countries & countless places I think this may be the true gem of Europe & is the
one city I probably would have liked to spend more time in. This is even more surprising
considering that the stops were getting a little more ordinary as we were travelling futher
behind the former iron curtain. Communism having left its obvious legacy. Bratislava
seemed to be really struggling.Yet a small distance down river was this vibrant lovely place.
We anchored in the city heart, right beside the historic 'Chain bridge'& the sundeck in the
evening after sunset was spectacular & pleasantly cool place to be. The 4 of us enjoying a
bottle of wine & the scents of the city. (I think the air is thick with the smell of paprika)
The excursion was beaut & included the mandatory ABC & castle. The most interesting thing
was the underground caverns under the castle buildings, which we checked out during our free
time.There is a complex of about 8 miles of these caverns & they were cool & fascinating.
We went from 38 degrees above ground to about 20 degrees in the caverns.
Today it was difficult to leave the boat & the thoughtful crew behind but we caught a taxi &
after ten minutes of life threatening terror, were dropped at the bus station.
We are now halfway back to Vienna where we will be picking up another car for our week in
Austria. The bus is completely full & I am typing this to take my mind off the fact that
they only ever have the A/C on very low & it is HOT, even though it is a cool day outside.
Europeans believe A/C is unhealthy, so everywhere is always hot. Anyhow only about another
hour & we will be in Vienna to pick up our car, where we will crank the A/C up to the
refrigerate level...........
Budapest, the surprising gem of Eastern Europe. We sailed into the city at about 11pm
to be greeted by the most amazing light show you can imagine. Light beams lancing into
the sky, purple lazer streaks & strobes & the magnificent buildings beautifully lit.
After 10 countries & countless places I think this may be the true gem of Europe & is the
one city I probably would have liked to spend more time in. This is even more surprising
considering that the stops were getting a little more ordinary as we were travelling futher
behind the former iron curtain. Communism having left its obvious legacy. Bratislava
seemed to be really struggling.Yet a small distance down river was this vibrant lovely place.
We anchored in the city heart, right beside the historic 'Chain bridge'& the sundeck in the
evening after sunset was spectacular & pleasantly cool place to be. The 4 of us enjoying a
bottle of wine & the scents of the city. (I think the air is thick with the smell of paprika)
The excursion was beaut & included the mandatory ABC & castle. The most interesting thing
was the underground caverns under the castle buildings, which we checked out during our free
time.There is a complex of about 8 miles of these caverns & they were cool & fascinating.
We went from 38 degrees above ground to about 20 degrees in the caverns.
Today it was difficult to leave the boat & the thoughtful crew behind but we caught a taxi &
after ten minutes of life threatening terror, were dropped at the bus station.
We are now halfway back to Vienna where we will be picking up another car for our week in
Austria. The bus is completely full & I am typing this to take my mind off the fact that
they only ever have the A/C on very low & it is HOT, even though it is a cool day outside.
Europeans believe A/C is unhealthy, so everywhere is always hot. Anyhow only about another
hour & we will be in Vienna to pick up our car, where we will crank the A/C up to the
refrigerate level...........
Entry to tunnel from chain bridge into tunnel to drive up to ABC & castle.
Inside Budapest ABC.
Parliment house on the Danube. Taken from ABC.
Inside Labyrinths 60 feet under castle
During an evening walk we came across a large group of young people near the river bank, dancing loud & lively folk dances barefoot with a singer & a band. They were kicking up a dust cloud & having a great time.
Chain bridge, taken from the river bank near the dancers.
Parliment house from the river.
Museum & chain bridge from the river.
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