Europe River/Bus trip 2018: Budapest

Oct. 26. We arrived at our final destination, Budapest, and the traffic is the worst I have ever seen.  We were suppose to arrive at our hotel at 4:30 and we didn't arrive until 6 because of bumper to bumper traffic.   We are staying at the Mercure Corona in a good location on Karoly street, which is close to the huge city market.  The rooms were very small with no storage space but we were so glad to get off the buses and stay in one place that we requested to stay the full 5 days we had in Budapest.  

On Oct. 27 (my birthday) we took a city tour.  Rainy a little in the morning and cool.  Ellen had the bus sang Happy Birthday to me.  We went up Gellhart hill to the Citadel known as the Statute of Liberty for Budapest.  Beautiful views.

Ellen and I with Pest in the background.  The two cities were joined to make Hungary's capital in 1873, Buda on the hilly side and Pest on the flat side.

Our new best friend, Gladys, of Perth, Australia 

Next we went to Castle Hill which is a complex of buildings and a UNESCO World Heritage site.  The views from the Fisherman's Bastion are a highlight of any visit.

The parliament building

Fishermen's Bastion where there were so many tourist looking at the views.

The Gothic church of St. Matthais at Castle Hill.

Inside the church

We stopped at Heroes square with its monument to the leaders of Hungary.

Tomb of the unknown soldier 

For lunch we went to the Buda side to the lush green area and had a wonderful traditional lunch. They served goulash and game soup out of big kettles.  Then we had meat and potatoes, and a marvelous chocolate dessert.

Nicole and Emil from Quebec, Galdys, Ellen and all the rest of our cruise enjoying lunch.

Lovely part of Buda

I wanted to celebrate my birthday so I bought a small bottle of champagne for happy hour that evening.

The cruise group went on a river cruise that night to see the city lights.

Including folk music and folk dancers

Ellen balancing a wine bottle on her head

View of the Parliament building

The White bridge

Getting off the small cruise boat

We said our goodbye to most of our cruise buddies that night.  Ellen and I took Sunday, Oct. 28, off from sightseeing and rested.  I had a slight cold and we both were very tired.

We did run into a few of the cruise members on the remaining two days we had in Budapest.  We joined Gladys and Negash for a tour of the huge Central market the next day, Oct. 29.

Negash and Ellen in the market.  The market had fruits and vegetables, souvenirs, and a food court.

Ellen and I decided to go back to the Castle hill that afternoon.  We took the local bus, which was packed, and spent a little more leisure time enjoying the views on a beautiful day.

Entertainment in front of the St. Stephens statue.

The St. Matthais church

It was a very warm beautiful day!

That night we had dinner with some people from the cruise at a local Hungarian restaurant.  

The dessert was another decadent chocolate crepe.

Oct. 30. Today we walked to the Gellhart baths.  We sat in the thermal baths which were 40 degrees Celsius, swam in the big swimming pool, and had a massage.

After lunch we walked to the monument Shoes by the Danube.  This was very moving and we were appalled at the tourists laughing and trying to put their feet in the shoes.  During 1944-45 the Nazis murdered over thousands of Hungarian Jews, many by lining them up by the Danube, shooting them in the back of the head, they fell into the river and only their shoes remained.

We walked by the Parliament Building which is the third largest parliament building and is very Gothic and beautiful.

An art museum across the street.  Love the architecture -

We went to St. Stephen's Basilica which can seat more than 8500.  The interior is dark marble.

We had gelato on the street close to the basilica.  It was scooped on a cone to look like pedals.

Yes,that is me in the flower.

Ellen walked home and I went to the Jewish quarter and saw the Great Synagogue which has a Jewish museum and Holocaust monument.

There was a cemetery in the gardens where over 2000 are buried in 24 mass graves during the aftermath of the Jewish ghetto during 1944-45

This is the Tree of Life which lists all the donators that helped the synagogue and the Jewish people survive.

Ellen and I had a lovely Italian meal that night and then the next morning she flew back to Phoenix.  I stayed until around 12 on Oct. 31.  I quickly visited the National museum which was right across the street from our hotel.

Paintings on the ceiling in the museum.

Map during ancient times.

Room dedicated to WWII.

There was so much history about Hungary but I had so little time.

I took the inexpensive bus to the airport.  It was jammed packed again but I managed to get a seat.  Then I took EasyJet airline to Amsterdam.  Everything is very crowded in Europe: the tourist attractions, the airports, the public transportation.  I will be glad to get back to my small town.  But I will come back again.  Maybe even another cruise that will make the entire route!