Day 2 - Budapest and on to Vienna

Today was spent on a bus and walking tour of Budapest, the capital of Hungary. The city has many architectural wonders, including castles, cathedrals, war monuments and government buildings. Much of the city was bombed in World War II, so much of the rebuilding has been replications. Budapest is actually a good-sized city with much to see and do. Over 1/3 of the population of Hungary lives within its confines.
Today was a memorial day for Hungary so we were able to see a military wreath-laying at the Heroes Plaza. Then we went higher to the Buda side to view the city from above and marvel at the restored St. Matthias cathedral.
After lunch we set sail for Vienna -- a trip that will take 10 hours. So the afternoon was spent basking in the sun on the open upper deck was the river rolled by, enjoying an apple strudel making demonstration by the head chef and pastry chef, with a sample at the end.

Tonight we will sleep while the ship continues on to Vienna, arriving there in the morning.

(Internet connection has been erratic today, so this blog will be short.) But, more to come...

The Adventure Begins

Our long-planned Viking River cruise on the Danube began today.

After a 6 1/2 hour flight from Newark, we landed in Frankfurt and made a transfer to the flight to Budapest, where the cruise starts. The travel went smoothly, arriving on time with German precision. The folks from Viking met us at the airport and shuttled us to the waiting ship.

Budapest is a city with a colorful history. Some of it dates back to Roman times, has a strong Christian influence but was captured by Moors in the 17th century and had churches turned into mosques. Later the Moors were turned out, Germany took over the city; the Germans were routed by the Russians and Hungary became part of the Soviet bloc. As such the city is a conglomerate of architectural styles, some stunning and others the worst of utilitarian planning.

Today we spent most of the time around the ship, waiting for our room to be ready, then given the mandatory explanation of shipboard safety (life jackets, etc.) and our first taste of the excellent cuisine we'll enjoy. We enjoyed a stroll around the outside deck where we got a view of the Chain Bridge, the first span to join the two cities of Buda and Pest. The photo is of Jan with the bridge behind.

More to come...