Budapest - October 10 - 11, 2015

Farewell, beautiful Prague!!  Bright and early we boarded our very comfortable Viking bus, destination, Budapest, Hungary.  Along the seven hour drive, we stopped for an absolutely delicious lunch at a drum roll......gas station.  But wait, this European gas station isn't your typical Quick Trip.It is a "Marche" station complete with an incredible assortment of fresh, delicious food.  We enjoyed a great sandwich, along with Hungarian goulash!  After a little nap, we arrived at our Viking River Cruise Ship, the Alsvin, docked alongside the Danube in Budapest.

We settled ourselves in Suite 231, and then joined the orientation in the lounge.  We met a lovely couple, David and Karen, from New England and we all enjoyed a fabulous dinner.  Afterwards, we relaxed with Teri and Alan for after dinner drinks in the lounge.

Sunday, October 12, 2015

Luck would have it, that a marathon would be running right in front of our ship, so the tour buses couldn't get to the ship until the afternoon.  This was not a huge problem, as Teri and I went off to explore on our own while the guys rested.  We enjoyed looking around in the little shops, cheering on the runners, and visiting the "Shoe Memorial" along the Danube.  This memorial was quite moving and somber. Numerous bronze shoes were cast along the river to give tribute to the hundreds of Jews executed here during WWII.

After lunch we boarded our bus to tour Hungary's lovely capital.  The Danube cuts through the heart of the cityy, separating the Buda Hills and the Old City from the elegant bouelvards of modern, "Pest."  We saw the National Opera House, Heroes' Square, Parliament, Fishermen's Bastion and Matthias Church.  We crossed both the Chain Bridge and Elizabeth Bridge during our journey.  Tonight, we enjoyed the company of Dwayne and Janie, also from New England.  Tonight, we sailed away around 9:00 PM, and the lights were simply breath-taking.  Bon voyage!