Budapest

Parliament
see all photos »

What a fantastic day. The insight bus has sooo much more room than the last tour bus, making the ride very comfortable. We set off for our 2-3 hr drive from Vienna to Budapest. We stopped at the border and the border guard actually came on the bus and stamped our passports and we were off again within about 15 mins. The guide said years ago they would spend nearly the whole day at the border waiting to be processed. The drive from the border to Budapest was very smooth on their new highway. The sights were just amazing - rolling hills of green crops and quaint villages - beautiful. We first stopped at a lookout point to get a full view of both sides of the river - Budai and Pest. It was a lovely clear day and we could see for miles. We then travelled to the old city of Budai where the royal palace is located, as well as Mattias Cathederal and Fishermens Bastion. We walked through the cobbled streets straining to here our guide as she explained these landmarks. We entered the Cathederal then walked around the bastion which reminded us all of a fairytale castle with its pointed towers - all we needed was repunzel and we would have been right.

Mattias Cathederal
see all photos »

It was then off to the river Danube (pronounced Donou in Hungary), for our river cruise and buffet lunch with traditional Hungarian dishes of paprika chicken, stuffed cabbage leaves and spicy sausage, along with cold meats and salads and cheese and tortes for desert. Phew... what a feast. It was then on to a brief city tour by bus where we disembarked at Heroes square, a monument to the orignal formation of Hungary by the seven nomadic tribes.

Hungary - definitely not Hungry!!!

Heroes Square
see all photos »

We then checked into the Budapest Hilton and had an hour to rest before heading off to an early dinner. This was a three course meal at a fancy restaurant, with musicians provided to entertain us while we enjoyed the culinary delights. It was then off to an optional tour that we had signed up for to see some traditional Hungarian folk dancing. This turned out to be a good night to go as the usual troupe had been replaced with the State Folk Dancing group so we got to see the best of the best. The women with their colourful costumes and the women and men dancing was fantastic - just made you want to get up and start stamping your feet and clapping your hands, and thighs and shins to join them.

State Folk Dancing Troupe
see all photos »

We ended the night returning to the old part of Budai to view the city illuminated at night. A most beautiful site to behold. Joe and I both agree that it was an amazing day and the tour is going to have to do a lot to try and top this day.