Budapest, Hungary

October 4-6, 2016

October 4
We sailed this morning and arrived in Budapest midday.  I had no idea it was such a beautiful city. We docked in the city center to make access to the city easy but moved later to another part of the city to facilitate departures and arrivals.  Budapest is the end of one leg of our cruise and the start of another cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam.

Budapest is the capital and the largest city of Hungary, and one of the largest cities in the European Union. It is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation center.  The city covers an area of 525 square kilometers (203 sq mi). Budapest became a single city occupying both banks of the river Danube with the unification of Buda and Óbuda on the west bank, with Pest on the east bank on 17 November 1873.

The history of Budapest began with Aquincum, originally a Celtic settlement that became the Roman capital of Lower Pannonia. Hungarians arrived in the territory in the 9th century. Their first settlement was pillaged by the Mongols in 1241–42. The re-established town became one of the centres of Renaissance humanist culture by the 15th century. Following the Battle of Mohács and nearly 150 years of Ottoman rule, the region entered a new age of prosperity in the 18th and 19th centuries, and Budapest became a global city after its unification in 1873. It also became the second capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a great power that dissolved in 1918, following World War I. Budapest was the focal point of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, the Hungarian Republic of Councils in 1919, the Battle of Budapest in 1945, and the Revolution of 1956.

Cited as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, Budapest's extensive World Heritage Site includes the banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter, Andrássy Avenue, Heroes' Square and the Millennium Underground Railway, the second-oldest metro line in the world. It has around 80 geothermal springs, the world's largest thermal water cave system, second largest synagogue, and third largest Parliament building.

We took the coaches to the castle district.  There is the wall around the district and a lane of stores that lead up to the church and the castle walls from which you can see the entire city.  We walked up the lane to the wall, then climbed up for a view of the city.  It was quite lovely.

Memorial to WWI

Abbey over looking the Danube and Budapest

House of Houdini - one of the stores lining the walk up to the Abbey

More of the shops lining the walk to the Abbey

The Abbey over looking Budapest

I think everything we saw in Eastern Europe was going through some renovation.  They do it as they have the money.  Some of it is done with loans from the EU

Beautiful tile work

Overlooking Budapest

Another view of the tiled roof

Inside the Abbey

Pipe Organ

Heroes Square Budapest

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Then we went into the church which also was quite beautiful.  I’m not sure what else to say, it is like so many of the medieval churches but beautiful.  We finished going through the church, then walked back down the lane, stopping to shop along the way, then back to the boat.

Memorial to victims of the Holocaust.  Germans lined Jews up along the river and shot them.  You can see shoes from men, women and children.  Since they lined them up in rows and shot through them (to save bullets) not all were fatally shot.  There were people waiting down river who pulled survivors from the river. 

View of the Abbey and wall from the river

The real treat started with our cruise at 9 pm when the Captain re-positioned the boat.  We needed to move out of the center to facilitate folks leaving from the first cruise and passengers arriving for the second leg of the cruise.  The lights of Budapest, especially the municipal building, were simply amazing.  And the river was like the main drag, with boats like ours cruising and sightseeing boats mixed in.  But once we did the complete length of the city, it was easy to see why it was so popular.  What was interesting were the number of dinner cruise boats that went buy.  Most of us headed up to the top of the boat to get a good view and it was just amazing how spectacular everything was.

The abbey and wall at night

Parliament building at night

October 5, 2016

Today was a free day while passengers came and went.  I took the shuttle downtown and got on the Hop on Hop off bus.  I didn’t really see much more, but it was a nice way to get off the boat and get out and about and see the city.  I got off the shuttle in the pedestrian area and walked down to the Hard Rock Cafe.  Bought pins, a couple of t-shirts then had a Fiesta Burger and mojito.  Very yummy. The food on the ship is delicious, but I miss just a plain old hamburger and fries.  It was awesome.

October 6, 2016
Today is a repeat of Tuesday for the new passengers.  I did all the tours Tuesday and went out on the town Wed so today was a stay in and rest, blog and email.