Budapest, Hungary

 We had hoped to arrive in port while it was still dark in order to see all the buildings lit up, but it was after 8AM, when we arrived in port.  Still a sight to behold, I ran up onto the sun deck to get some photos of the spectacular buildings that dominate on both sides.  The House of Parliament on the Danube’s left bank is especially eye catching with the long facade and many slender towers

Hungarian Parliament Building 

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We could only speculate about this amazing structure

Liberty Statue, or Freedom, on Gellert Hill in Budapest 

Liberty Bridge connecting Buda and Pest with art Nouveau Hotel Gellert in the background 

Our guided tour of the day took us by bus first, through both Buda, and Pest, the two cities that comprise what we know as Budapest, then a walking tour through the old part of town of Buda, to the magnificent Matthias Church and the Fisherman’s Bastion .  The view from the Fisherman’s Bastion  was amazing, looking over the city, and also onto the cathedral, with its multicolored tile roof, and its many  towers.  Our guide took us inside and described the architecture, and pointed out an overlook high in the front of the church, where we climbed the stairs to a great overview of the cathedral. 

The Fisherman’s Bastion 

The views from the Bastion were amazing, and a young woman was posed on one of the window sills with her high heels and dress blowing in the very cold wind for a photo shoot. Beautiful, but cold!! 

Fisherman’s Bastion is a well known monument near Buda Castle, popular as a tourist destination for the magnificent views. 

The Neo Gothic Matthias Church of the Buda Castle, in front of the Fisherman’s Bastion. Two kings were crowned here, Franz Joseph I and Charles IV 

The unusual and beautiful colored tile roof, which we learned once inside, is ceramic tile, colored and arranged to form the pattern. 

Incredibly ornate decorations on the walls as well 

We climbed the winding stairs at the front of the cathedral for an overview from above. 

The room at the top leading to the lookout. 

A closer view of one of the steeples shows a raven, said to have sneaked into the chamber on the wedding night of the prince, and stolen the royal ring, which you see in his beak. Because of the legend, one of the spires, and the color of the guard, is black. 

Next to a church under renovation, as so many things we have seen are, stands the statue of the holy trinity, for which the square is named. Note how the covering for construction shows a painting of what the church looks like. Clever. 

Our guide  had also pointed out on our walk to the square the best place for strudel, which she says is much better here than Vienna, and when we were given free time to roam, we headed there to see for ourselves!  Indeed, it was delicious, and came in different flavors in addition to the predominant apple, and we sampled the poppyseed with cherry, as well as a sweet cheese, both of which I personally enjoyed far more than the apple.  It was delicious!  We also stopped in a nice little store with beautiful regional dolls and linens, and of course paprika and souvenirs.  

We made our way back to the bus, and finished our morning tour just in time to catch a cab to the Parliament building, where Susan had gotten tickets for all of us to tour the inside.   Equally spectacular inside, we enjoyed the gold and beautifully painted walls, and the chambers.  Under the dome was a guarded glass or plexiglass box displaying the Holy Crown, dating to the 12th Century, and we were able to view it, but not take any photos. 

grand staircase, only used occasionally and ceremonially. 

Figures along the columns lining the walls. 

Spectacular doors 

One of the figures from the top of the building. 

After the tour, we started walking back toward the ship, with a stop at the very moving memorial to the Jews who had died in 1945, replicas of their shoes in bronze lined along the wall where they were murdered.  A moving tribute to a horrific part of history.   

The Chain Bridge has been under construction for two years, and about to open in a couple of days, but the construction still made our way walking back a bit tricky, so coming across the path to the Christmas market, we took that route.  Full of all kinds of different foods than we have seen, it was quite tantalizing, but not much else.  We have noticed a prevalence of food and drink at many of the markets, and a woman said that since the pandemic, the markets have changed considerably.  They are open this year for the first time after being closed because of the pandemic, and she wondered if some of the vendors just gave up doing it.  

Millennial Square 

St stephens Basilica 

Four Season Hotel used to be a palace, and walking by as we returned to the dock, we could imagine spending a night there! 

In any case, it was very cold, and we finally arrived at the boat, a longer walk than expected, with freezing faces!  Clem said he is tired of the cold, and ready for some Florida sunshine!  

Tonight we said our goodbyes to the crew and the many folks we have enjoyed chatting with over the two weeks, and we will head out early in the morning for Prague.