Sailing the Danube

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Day 3 - Sat. Sept. 24 - Budapest



Today we actually started to feel as though we were on vacation, got up relatively late and over a leisurely breakfast we decided that we would take a sightseeing cruise on the Danube so we ordered tickets on line before we left the apartment. We took another relaxed stroll through the city starting with Váci Street, a pedestrian mall on the Pest side of the river, which is lined with stores and restaurants. One of our shopping missions for the day was to locate and purchase a travelling alarm clock for John; he has to catch an early morning plane to Berlin on Monday. We ended this portion of our stroll at the Elisabeth Bridge with lunch at the Monk’s Café that bordered the gardens of the Inner City Parish Church. The Elisabeth Bridge, along with all the other bridges in Budapest, were destroyed during the 2^nd World War. When this bridge was rebuilt the planners deliberately put a jog in the roadway so that the church could remain untouched.



One thing that we have all commented on is the fact that thought there are 2 million inhabitants in this city and there are flocks of tourists, a fact that surprised us this late in September, you never really feel hemmed in or unsafe. While we have encountered street people none have bothered to approach us.



After another very delicious lunch we wandered down to the river and walked along the pedestrian paths overlooking the trolley tracks, a two-lane roadway and the docks. The docks for the sightseeing boats and the cruise boats occupy distinct areas along the riverbank. Since we had selected the Legenda Sightseeing Cruise we made our way to Dock 7 for our 3:30 pm departure.



The hour-long cruise took us downstream first before reversing its course up the river through the heart of the city and around Margaret Island, a recreational park in the middle of the river where you could get off the boat and take a walk, hop off - hop on style. The cruise provided an audio guide in 30 different languages. Interestingly the recording portrayed the Buda side of the river as a male voice while the Pest side was female. The history of the city was detailed as we enjoyed a glass of champagne while we travelled upstream and a “Duna Bella” lemonade as we travelled back to the dock.



Following the cruise John went in search of a newspaper printed in English and succeeded in purchasing an international edition of the New York Times. We are a little out of the loop on what is happening back at home. An easy stroll took us back to the area of our apartment, then dinner and off to bed.

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