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Published: October 15th 2023
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There has been perfect weather for this entire trip and we feel blessed. Today the forecast is for light rain until 11 a.m. which is the time we are meeting to do our daily explorations. It will be much cooler today but that is okay because I packed for much cooler temperatures than we have had so far. It has been downright hot most days but we’re not complaining at all about that.
Right now I am sitting in the hotel restaurant having delicious coffee and looking out the window at the Fisherman’s Bastion - an incredible view early in the morning when the hordes have not yet arrived. So I sit back and enjoy and give Anne some time to sleep. I’ve been hard on her this week because I don’t sleep past 6 a.m. and I disturb her morning sleep. I try to quietly dress and slip out to the restaurant.
At 11 a.m. we meet up with Kevin and Michelle to walk again - this time to the Church in the Rock. We sort of know the general direction we need to go - always downhill - but after walking and going down many steps, we
feel that we’re not getting any closer. Luckily Kevin has internet and does a google search and we’re back on track again. It has been an interesting walk because we we’ve gone through areas where we haven’t been before. So you see we weren’t lost we just took the scenic tour. The route takes us to the funicular rail cars so we check that out while we’re there and before continuing on. Eventually we arrive at Gellert Square and climb the hill to the Church in the Rock. The church isn’t open for us to go in but we do get some good pictures of the rock cliffs and the fortress buildings along the way.
The existing church was built inside a natural cave by Pauline monks in 1926 and is thermally heated. It’s referred to as the Cave Church, Rock Chapel and Church in the Rock. There was a fortress built on Gellert Hill centuries ago and some of the small fortifications are still seen along the roadway.
Next stop is the Opera House but it’s too far so Kevin gets a Bolt taxi again. This man is a godsend - he is a techie and knows
all the tricks on how to find anything on line. The Bolt whisks us off to the Opera on Andrássy Utca. There is a hilarious sphinx outside the opera house that causes some smiles from everyone (you’ll see the pic). Inside the Opera is magnificent. Budapest is in the process over many decades of restoring and rebuilding their significant historical buildings of which the Opera was one. After touring inside, we set off again to walk back across the Chain Bridge to the funicular. Up we go and then a short jaunt back to the Hilton.
Aahhh…a cold beer is waiting for us in our little frig. We have until 5:45 to relax and have a drink and catch up on the travel blog before going to dinner. Riso is the restaurant of choice tonight - Mediterranean (nice change from Hungarian food). As usual, I have eaten too much simply because it was delicious and the company was great. We could linger and enjoy more time but I know our friends have to leave in the middle of the night for their flight. Arrival back at the hotel about 7:30, in time to finish off the bottle of smooth
red wine purchased at the grocery store yesterday and do some final sorting of the suitcase.
It’s hard to say goodbye to our wonderful new friends but, you never know, we might meet again some day. Bon voyage, Kevin & Michelle.
Sorry - too many pictures today.
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