MS Amadeus Riva: Day 6! I was awake early (0515, intentionally) because I wanted to see the sun rising over Budapest. We had moored near the “Liberty Bridge” on the Pest (east) side of the Danube - the photos I took were only pretty previews of the coming day. Surprisingly, I was the only passenger on the Sun Deck between 0545 and 0645 but I (again) enjoyed the solitude and silence. After doing some reading and day planning (maps, etc.), I explored the “Early Riser Breakfast” venue (also deserted) and spoke with some members of the crew (0730). After finishing, I returned to my room to get ready for our day ashore. The passengers were split into three groups for their excursions and, for once, I had selected the most popular tour: “Budapest Highlights” (the other two were for the Jewish Quarter and another “Foodie” venue). We all boarded our buses at 0900 and were driven through popular areas of the city, first through the Pest (east) side and later (by way of Elizabeth Bridge) through the Buda (west) side. Our tour guide for the initial drive, Rita, talked a mile a minute and was pointing at so many things (Synagogue, St. Steven’s, Opera House, embassies, etc.) that most words failed to register. Instead, I desperately tried to get photo angles that would depict at least some of the grandeur, beauty and context of these landmarks. On top of the high speed narration, she told stories with little relevance to our drive and never really mentioned anything about the city’s history. We eventually made a quick circuit around Heroes’ Square and then backtracked towards our starting point. For most of this hour of driving, I felt like the Griswold Family trapped on the English Roundabout. Somehow, a few of the photos turned out alright... As we approached the base of Castle Hill (Buda), I grew tired of all the speaking and started tuning out Rita. I was fortunate at this point that our bus made a mad dash (amazing bus driver skills) through a tunnel - this silenced the tour guide. We ended up at a roundabout near the funicular station and west end of the famous Chain Bridge. We quickly returned back through the tunnel and parked. From there, we were driven on little electric “golf cart buses” towards the top of the hill. We actually drove through the tunnel and circuited the roundabout again to get there - baffling... One bonus: now we had a different guide, a man named Doha. Once at the top, we walked together through a crowded square (thousands of people were there) in front of Matthias Church. Doha took us inside the amazing building, which used to be the site of the Coronation ceremonies for Hungarian Kings (including some Hapsburgs). After about 30 minutes of information about history, architecture, art and music, we were told we had an hour to explore. Taking advantage of some advice given to my by my cousin (Gerard), I quickly made a bee line for the Fisherman’s Bastion - from there, it was possible to see spectacular views of the entire city, the Danube and miles of surrounding countryside. Just seeing the Parliament House from that vantage point made a trip to the top of this hill worthwhile! Fighting my way through some crowds, I next walked to Buda Tower, a tall building built in memory of Mary Magdalen. Nearby, I took lots of photos of Holocaust Memorial placards, many interesting buildings and some remnants of the castle walls. It was quite hot (95 F) and sunny and I was soon drenched with sweat. Remembering on anecdote provided by Doha, I detoured into the Hilton Hotel and located (after passing through their Bar) the ruins of a 13th Century Dominican Monastery, an old church tower dedicated to St. Nicholas, the facade of a Jesuit school, a wine cellar and a Roman Milestone. All had been discovered during the building of the hotel and each was cleverly incorporated into the hotel’s day-to-day workings. Very nice find! Returning back towards Matthias Church, I had to join up with my group (1200) - fortunately, our leaders carried prominent signs that couldn’t be missed. We got a real treat at noon, when the church bells and nearby building clocks began to chime. A young bride was getting ready to walk into the church on her dad’s arm - would have stayed to watch but we started walking away too soon… Meanwhile, the clear blue sky had changed dramatically to dark and ominous, with lightning striking targets to the north. Our ride down the hill in the little golf carts (open to the elements) seemed like flimsy transportation but the weather held off, luckily. We were waiting for some folks with mobility problems during this scenario and this led to some heavy duty frustration on the part of some of my fellow passengers. Our tour directors and guides were patient and resourceful (though I could tell they weren’t enjoying the constant ignoring of instructions, arguing and passive aggressive tactics). For my part, I really enjoyed my breezy ride downhill, got into a comfy bus seat, sipped my water and watched as the skies opened up during my ride to the ship. We re-boarded by 1300 after an amazing morning of sight seeing and incredible experiences. I immediately made my way to lunch - much of it was traditional Hungarian fare (salad with polenta & citrus fruit, “paprika flavored” soup, goulash with rotini pasta, “soft cake” for dessert). With Bitburger (2) accompanying the food, I did some more visiting with nice ND folks, Emory folks and Nancy. Afterwards, I changed and repacked for my afternoon adventure - we got SEVEN free hours to explore and I was determined to go out again, rain or shine! (I forgot to mention that I tried to find other people to walk with me during my trek around Budapest. In the end, I was completely unsuccessful - everyone else wanted to sleep and avoid more walking.) So, I departed the ship alone at 1415. Budapest is the kind of place it would take a week to REALLY visit and explore. Sadly, we will be departing this evening so my time and options were extremely limited. With help from Gerard (my cousin who visited Hungary in the 1980s) and some useful guidebooks, I had a few targets in mind. One was the famous Holocaust Memorial called “Shoes on the Danube”. I noticed they’d be easy to locate if I just walked north on the Pest side. The rain had stopped and the overcast kept the heat down a little bit - still, 90 with humidity is still hot… A benefit of using this route was that I was able to get some steps on the Chain Bridge (pedestrian only). After walking on some closed streets (set up that way for a September 20 National Celebration), I reached the somber landmark (1445). It was actually quite crowded and I’m not exactly certain how I got two good photos. Moving north a bit further, I arrived at the spectacular - I really mean it - Parliament Building. I could have stayed there for hours, marveling at all the detail, but it started to rain at about this point. Walking east, I reached Liberty Square, which seemed to be a monument to the freedoms gained with the fall of Communism - there were statues of Ronald Reagan and GHW Bush located in prominent places. I next checked out some shopping and eating areas as I made my way towards the Basilica of St. Stephen (the king of the Magyars who decided his people should be Christians). I’d hoped to go inside but the queue for tickets was horrendously long (because if the rain). Instead, I walked east until I could see the tall towers of the Dohany Street Synagogue. This interesting architectural wonder has been maintained as a somber monument to the terrible treatment the Jews received during WW2. While it was closed for the Sabbath, I was able to get a feel for the place from the outside. Walking south and west, I headed towards the Great Market Hall. Some folks on the ship had visited it early in the day but it was closed by the time I arrived (1610). I was able to briefly go inside, though, and got a feel for the magnitude of how many “shopping type” people would be really happy to visit. Departing, I decided to cross the Liberty Bridge to explore some other interesting landmarks - this time on the Buda side. I climbed part of Gellert Hill, named for the Saint (and Martyr) who first brought Christianity to the Magyars. There was an interesting Cave Church up there and I explored it for a little bit. I briefly considered climbing the rest of the hill but was so drenched in sweat (the full on summer sunshine had returned) that it didn’t feel like a smart idea. Up until this point, I'd hoped to go to church in Budapest but never did find a Saturday Mass during my rambles. Instead, I went back towards the Danube and visited the Gellert Hotel, which contains refreshing thermal baths. Oh how I wanted to use them! I hadn’t brought a suit, though, and was getting tired of walking. Reluctantly, I backtracked across the river until I could see my ship. Hoping to spend my remaining Hungarian Forints on a local beer, I looked for a small cafe - spotting one just across the street from the pier, I grabbed a comfortable (covered) seat at Anna Café. I asked the waitress if she could recommend both a brew and local dessert. She came through on both counts: I enjoyed one of the house lagers and fell in love with one of their “cake-inspired” ice cream sundaes. Gorging myself in the pleasant shade, I almost forgot that I’d only been in Budapest for one day. What a day it was, though! August 17 = a whirlwind of over eight miles of walking, photos aplenty, historical geekery and comparing architectural styles. As I boarded the ship at 1730, I was convinced that it might take weeks to really see the city. Maybe I should start planning my return... Since I'd already eaten, I spent some time in my room, resting, reading, blogging, doing Duolingo and drying off. During this window, I skipped the Port Brief but eventually thought it might be nice to join everyone in the Dining Room. I arrived at the moment of last course and got to taste some pork loin with mashed potatoes (delicious). Also sampled a bit of Greek Salad & Chardonnay wine and even met the sous chef. As all the passengers departed the dining area, I followed the crowd to the Sun Deck as the ship got underway (2100). Departing from our pier, we resumed our course upriver. We’d been promised an unforgettable passage through Budapest and I’d have to say the crew delivered! Cruising serenely, surrounded by unpredictable smaller vessels, Amadeus Riva blasted out the bars of “The Beautiful Blue Danube” (by Strauss) as we passed thousands of lights on nearly every historic building, all the bridges and the Parliament House. We were also given champagne to celebrate the experience. Goosebumps! The temps had dropped significantly and there was a stiff breeze so most everyone went below after we reached the north end of Margaret Island. Unlike them, though, I stayed (along with a new fisherman friend, Steve from ND) in my easy chair on the bow until we reached the Megyeri Bridge (Route M0 “Beltway” for Budapest). While watching lights on the shore, the rest of the darkness was split by lightning in the distance - it began threatening even worse as we approached the Danube Bend. After leaving the Sun Deck, I did a small amount of reading before bed (2245). As I drifted off to sleep, I heard the sounds of some serious rain and wind... Spectacular finish to an unbeatable day!
