Budapest is not one city, but two — Buda and Pest, separated by the Danube — with Buda being the somewhat wealthier. English is understood almost everywhere, but is often spoken so heavily accented as to make understanding it a challenge. Nonetheless, the locals are intensely proud of their city, and more than happy to […]
Budapest On Our Own — September 12, 2015
After lunch, armed with a City map from the Gefion Concierge, Nick and I took off on a 5-mile independent wander of Budapest. The Viking Cruise usually offers an optional tour of Dohany Street Great Synagogue; but it is Saturday, the day of Shabbat, so the Synagogue was closed to visitors. We had passed by […]
Touring the ‘Buda’ side of the Danube River — Sept 12, 2015
From the Hero’s Square our group got back on the buses to visit we crossed the beautiful Chain Bridge to the Buda side of the Danube river. The buses dropped us off by the entrance to the Buda Castle, which our guide told us had public restrooms. I was about to learn about the most […]
Heroes’ Square, Budapest — September 12, 2005
Our first full day in Budapest started with a very healthy breakfast buffet abroad the Viking Gafjon before we boarded our buses for our first shore excursion. The Viking program director divides the excursions based on both personal interest and various levels of physical capability. By the end of the tour we had it down […]
First Day in Hungary — September 12, 2015
At a casual glance, Budapest seems like the archetypical big city – highways, graffiti, a mix of old and new buildings all of which seemed in need of maintenance. Trucks and busses competed with cars for space on the too-narrow city streets. Public transit cut its swath through the middle of everything. Slowly, however, I […]
Our Grand European Tour — September 11, 2015
Nick and I took off from Austin Bergstrom Airport September 9, 2015; but this trip started as the dream years ago. When Barb and I were young working moms in Chicago we ‘pinkie-swore’ that someday, when we were older, and the kids were grown, we would do something “Scathingly Brilliant” like go to Europe. About […]