Ozbrecht 2017 - Europe's Rhine & Danube Rivers
Budapest, Hungary
Day 17 - July 9
The Danube Bend, early in the morning. We heard this was a beautiful stretch of the Danube, so we woke up early and went up to the Sun Deck. The Danube Bend is just upstream from Budapest. The clouds opened up and the sun came out just in time
Entering Budapest. We were told that entering into this city was one of the most awe-inspiring sights in the world. It would not disappoint. Pictures to come
St. Anna Temple
Matthias Church
St. Anna Temple
Buda Castle
All viewed from the Modi as we floated into town
St. Gellant Statue
Budapest’s Statue of Liberty
On our bus tour. This is the Budapest Opera House
The House of Terror, containing exhibits related to fascist and communist activities during and after World War II
Heroes’ Square and the Millennium Memorial. Construction began in 1896 to commemorate the thousandth anniversary of the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin and the foundation of the Hungarian state.
The Dohany Street Jewish Synagogue
Matthias Church with the Fisherman’s Bastion in the foreground
The Square of the Holy Trinity.
Matthias Church is just around the corner
Matthias Church. Originally built in the Romanesque style, it was later remodeled using Gothic influences
Behind the church is the Fisherman’s Bastion and wonderful views of Budapest. Coming up
Another beautiful cathedral roof
Matthias Church on the left,
Fisherman’s Bastion on the right
A few pictures of Budapest and the Danube from the Fisheman’s Bastion
Budapest Parliament
Matthias Church, one more time
View of western Budapest. Technically, this is Buda, the region on the western side of the Danube. It includes the castle district and Matthias Church. The eastern side of the Danube is Pest, and includes the Opera House, House of Terror and Heroes’ Square.
Buda and Pest were at one time separate villages that later combined. I wonder if they debated whether to call it Budapest or Pestbuda
A small castle nestled in the rock
The Vaci Ucta Street Market, just a couple of blocks from where the Modi is docked. More shopping!
The Modi Sun Deck. We didn’t spend a lot of time up here; a couple of afternoon river cruises, as well as some treks up here to get great evening pictures.
Never did use the track you see around the deck chairs. We walked plenty off the ship.
Modi’s Aquavit Terrace. A small outdoor lounge area at the bow. If you chose, you could eat your meals here. We always used the Dining Room
Modi’s main lounge.
That’s Sheila, Andy and me back there
Our onboard musical entertainment each evening. Husband and wife, known as the Shake-Up Duo.They were great - so personable. And such cute accents: “Sometink in the way she moves”
Edison, our waiter each evening
Darinka
Petra - the bungee jumper
Zoltan
Hungarian musicians & dancers
Budapest - one of the most beautiful cities at night
Statue of Liberty
Day 17 - July 9
Budapest, Hungary
In our Viking travel brochure, there was a short article on the “Danube Bend.” When we asked about it, we found that we would pass through it early in the morning, so we awoke early, about 5:30, and made our way to the Modi’s Sun Deck. Although it was cloudy, it was a gorgeous stretch of the Danube.
After the Danube Bend, the ship arrived in Budapest. Most of the travelers joined us on the Sun Deck, for the entrance on the Danube into Budapest is not to be missed. And what an entrance it was! The river is lined with centuries-old buildings of many designs. So many steeples, domes and statues! Jaw dropping beauty; don’t miss the pictures!!
Budapest was originally two cities later combined into one: historic Buda on the west bank of the Danube and cosmopolitan Pest (“Pesht”) on the east. We began with a bus tour of Pest, and saw the Opera House, the House of Terror, Heroes’ Square and Millennium Memorial, and the Dohany Street Jewish Synagogue.
We crossed the Danube into Buda, and came to the Square of the Holy Trinity, which includes the Fisherman’s Bastion and Matthias Church. The church has a roof similar to St. Stephen’s in Vienna – colorful tiles make the exterior very pretty. But it’s a very small church compared to St. Stephen’s. The top of Fisherman’s Bastion is like a castle wall, and is just a few feet away from the church. The bastion offered unbelievable views of Budapest and the Danube running through it.
Free time in the afternoon. We walked to Vaci Ucta Street Market, just two blocks from where Modi is docked. It is a blocks-long strand of shops and restaurants. A little shopping, then we stopped for some gelato (girls) and beer (guys).
It was our last dinner on the Modi, and all the travelers leave at different times in the morning, so we said our goodbyes to travelers and crew. In our 15 days on board, we have made some very close friendships. Will we see any of them again? The Lord only knows.
After dinner there was one final show – Hungarian musicians and dancers gave us a flavor of the local musical customs. And after the concert, we headed up to the Sun Deck one final time. The beauty of the Budapest nights are famous, as so many of the wonderful structures are lit up at night. Again, we weren’t disappointed!