A Morning Tour of Budapest and an Afternoon Sail

We were outside bright and early enough to be among the first to the breakfast buffet (thank jet lag for that!), so we were also prepared for our 8:30 tour departure.

 Bus drivers in the older cities of Europe should all get medals - they certainly are deserved in a place like Budapest, with its narrow roads and sharp bends. And to top it off, there's all kinds of construction going on, from roads to building restorations. Even the iconic Chain Bridge is currently closed to traffic as it is finally getting a long overdue restoration. One more to add to our long list of monuments and noteworthy sites covered in scaffolding. The project should apparently take two years, but our tour guides weren't sure that timeline would stick.

 After a 'panoramic' (read looking out the bus windows) tour of the city, where we were on the wrong side of the bus to get photos of the interesting stuff, we crossed over to the Buda side to visit the St. Matthias Cathedral and the Fishermen's Bastion.

 There is over 1,100 years of history in the city, which celebrated its millennium in 1896, and much of it is now a Unesco World Heritage Site. Hungary has been conquered by so many other nations that our tour guides told us that if we had to pick sides in a war, see what Hungary chooses and take the other one! So many of the great buildings in Budapest had to be completely rebuilt after World War II's tremendous bombing, it is amazing that they all look and feel like they've been there for hundreds of years.

 Our tour guides gave us such a lot of history during our 3 1/2 hours together that we couldn't possibly remember it all. We'll have to make do with a few photos of St. Matthias Cathedral and the Fishermen's Bastion.

 

Habsburg Empress Elizabeth (or Sisi, as she was
commonly and affectionately known) was
a woman before her time and preferred
Budapest to Vienna

 

Once we returned to the ship, unfortunately without the ability to visit the market, it was already time for lunch as we were sailing for Bratislava at 2:15.

 Once again, Hungarian specialties were on the menu, including Chicken Paprikas, which Monica had, and Beef Stew, that Larry chose from the buffet. Both were delicious, but the star of the show was something that our tour guide had described to us in the morning. There is an old established restaurant in Budapest owned by the Gundel family for over 100 years. Over that time, they have created many recipes that have become Budapest traditions, but this one is the hands-down favourite: The Gundel Pancake.

 The pancake is a thin crepe, spread with a mixture of ground walnuts and cream with a dash of rum and rolled up. The whole thing is covered with a dark chocolate sauce, and a little more rum, and in the restaurant it is apparently served à la flambée. Our culinary team made some for our lunchtime dessert, and of course we had to try one.

Beginning: Our version of the crepe was folded, not rolled

Middle: Here you can see the nut and cream filling

End: That was all that remained. It would
not have been proper to lick the plate!

After lunch we set sail, once again passing through the heart of the city, so we had ample opportunity to take more photos as Taryn (our Canadian tour director!) gave us commentary. Here are some of the sites a) in daylight, and b) from a different angle.

 

The Liberty Bridge. It was originally the Franz Josef
Bridge after the Emperor, but was renamed once
he lost power over Hungary

The Rock Chapel is a catholic church carved
into the rock at the base of Gellert Hill

The Chain Bridge in her scaffolding

St. Matthias and the Fisherman's Bastion
from the water

 

The Parliament Building

The Margaret Bridge - yes, it does have a bend in it!

Here you can tour in a Duck Bus instead of 
a Duck Boat!

As we sailed away from Budapest, we passed a few interesting sites:

 

This impressive tower leads to an extensive
wall leading up and over the hill. We haven't figure out
what it is called yet.

A very impressive 'manor house' on the river

Local specialties are served in the Panorama Lounge
during Cocktail Hour. Here is a selection of
home-made salamis with varying degrees
of paprika heat. They were delicious

During dinner we had a heavy rain shower blow through so we couldn't sit outside afterward. We stayed in the Panorama Lounge and watched the sun set over the river instead.

We were still not completely over the jetlag, so it was another early night. We should be ready for Bratislava in the morning and our evening dinner and concert in Vienna tomorrow.