Budapest - A Tale of Two Cities

We made it to Budapest about 4 hours behind schedule, BUT we are here and it's beautiful. I had been worried about snow delaying us in Chicago, but that was not a problem. We did get stuck due to a mechanical problem and missed our connection in Frankfurt but arrived in Budapest about 6:30pm. I had notified the cruise line and they were waiting for us.

As we neared the Danube where our boat was docked, we caught sight of the symbol of Budapest -- the beautiful Chain Bridge which is lit at night. The boat looked warm and welcoming with its Christmas decorations and friendly staff waiting for us. All of our group was already on the Amalegro and waiting for us join them for our first night on board. If all the meals and wines are as delicious as this night's were, I'll have to buy an extra airline seat to get home. They served Hungarian wines (red and white) , and I loved the dry white reisling. Wine is included with dinner so we weren't shy about 'sampling' them. It was a clear, cold evening, but we all went up on deck to see the moon and the sparkling lights of Budapest and the Chain Bridge.

This morning was one of the most gorgeous mornings I've ever seen in Europe in the winter -- not a single cloud in a beautiful blue sky. Again, breakfast was delicious with almost any option you can imagine. I did manage to pass on the Mimosas, but it was hard. About 9am we took off for a tour of Buda and Pest which are the 2 cities that united to become Budapest. Starting with Pest,the newer city, we drove down beautiful tree-lined streets, reminiscient of Paris and stopped at Heroes Square with statues erected to commemorate Hungarian statesmen. From there we crossed the Danube to the Castle District to visit the Fisherman's Bastion providing a gorgeous view of the river and the beautiful buildings of the city as well as the Buda Castle, the Royal Palace, St. Stephen's Basilica and more. Back on the Pest side, our bus dropped us off at the Christmas Market with a brief time to explore and grab our first hot Gluhwein (spiced red wine) in a Budapest mug. Our boat had sailed out of Budapest while we were touring the city and headed up the Danube, but we caught up with it in the small town of Esztergom. Following lunch on board, we have been cruising the Danube Bend past quaint towns nestled on the curve of the river bank. The winter sun has just set (about 4pm) culminating our wonderful day in Hungary. Tonight we continue sailing and will be in Vienna when we awake tomorrow morning. Linda