Blogs from Hungary, Europe - page 3

An early start was on the cards so we could get out of Budapest before the traffic picked up. We aimed for 7:30am. We plugged in the address of our accommodation and got very confused. It was somewhere about 55kms west of Budapest, not 65kms south of Budapest where it was meant to be???? The town name was Tassi. It seems there are a few of them and they have the same street name as our apartment in both. So where did we book? I got an awful feeling that we may have booked the wrong place. We checked and double checked and then realised there were duplicated town/street combinations. We had booked the right place - we think. As we set off this morning it wasn't as hot as we expected. There was actually a ... read more

The afternoon heat is stifling. Our washing was dry within 30 minutes and not long after we ventured out we were hot and sticky all over again. There was only one real destination this afternoon and that was the basilica. And it was a sweaty walk uphill to get there, but Oh so worth it when we did. As you can imaging the inside was huge but not over stated. There is a lot of maintenance going on do we couldn't see the inside of the dome which is a real shame. We explored the crypt under the church in cool air, we lingered a while down there. The highlight was, gowever, the walk up to the dome that Tom and I did (Jeff has a slight aversion to hights). There were 411 steps to the ... read more

On Thursday and Friday Fletcher spent most of the days at the Congress where a new council was elected and various committees reported on their activities. I vegged out completely on the Thursday but on Friday morning I walked up to the very vibrant shopping area and square behind the hotel. Here I explored the various shops and buildings. Market stalls had been set up in preparation for St Stephen's day which is Sunday.I bought myself a hat and some make-up, but after an hour and a half I was tired so wandered back to the hotel for a cold drink. Fletcher returned and shared my club sandwich and then in the evening we went to the Local Organisibg Comittee dinner. This was even grander than the opening dinner. It was held in the Museum of ... read more

We (Tom, Pam, Sheryl, Daryl & Kerry) decided 3 weeks ago that we were going to book a river cruise with Vikings from Budapest to Amsterdam. We were going to live on a long boat which held under 150 passengers. Vikings have always had a good reputation and since the drought throughout Europe, Vikings was one of the shallowest boats so could continue to sail along the Danube, Mainz & Rhine Rivers. Cabins, entertainment, comfort, food, and standard of organisation where all offer at a high standard. Staff were exemplary. Our cabin person John was fantastic. His day started with making our bed while we are eating our breakfast and cleaned the room, and the last task was turning our bed down and ensuring our room is spotless. John switched music on through the TV and ... read more

FRI, 26 AUG 2022 – Day 14: Zagreb - Budapest - Today we’ll cross into Hungary and head for the capital, Budapest. Cited as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, it straddles the historic Danube River and boasts numerous UNESCO World Heritage Sites - its natural geo-thermal springs are a highlight. Enjoy a driving tour of the city, and then use your free time this evening to explore, or join our optional excursion to the Széchenyi Medicinal Bath, one of the most famous icons of the city and Europe’s largest medicinal bath. Overnight – Hotel Star Inn Hotel Budapest Centrum, by Comfort... read more