Vienna, Bratislava & Budapest

Thursday 24 April

The ship sailed at 2:00 am and in the morning we were greeted by the sight of the United Nation’s buildings in Vienna, bathed in sunlight, which was a big improvement from the grey, rainy days we have had for most of the cruise. After breakfast we left for a tour of Vienna and unlike most of the previous days we were driven around the old town past many of Vienna’s old and famous building and parks, also the old Ferris wheel.

We were dropped off at St Stephan’s Cathedral and had to take ourselves around inside as the guide didn’t accompany us. Walking from the cathedral down a narrow shopping street lined with shops bearing the names of many well known and expensive brands we arrived at the front of the old Winter Palace and then on to the old National Library. Inside the main room the book shelves were arranged in two levels and contained 100,000+ old manuscripts and many old globes dating back over 500 years, the room was connected at one end direct to the Winter Palace.

Leaving the library we walked across the square and bought tickets to watch the magnificent Spanish Riding School Lipizzaner white stallions and riders rehearsing. Returning to the boat we decided to have a quiet afternoon, the first since leaving Amsterdam, before going to the music concert tonight.

The concert was held in the Auersperg Palace and the Residenz chamber orchestra performed works by Mozart and Strauss, supported by two singers and two dancers, a very enjoyable two hours.

Friday 25 April.

Today at breakfast we surprised many of travellers by wearing our Anzac badges, which Ann packed before we left home. After breakfast the majority of the passengers left for a tour of Schonbrunn Palace but as we had visited it before we decided to have a quiet morning and stay onboard.

After breakfast the boat sailed for Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, the group who went to Schonbrunn will rejoin the boat at 4:00 this afternoon.

At 1:30 we left for a walking tour around the town of Bratislava, which is slowly recovering from its years of Communist rule and compared to the many towns we have visited over the past four weeks, it is very run down, however the people are working to restore the old buildings and the cobblestone streets. After our recent visit to Vienna and its magnificent old buildings, it’s hard to imagine this is the capital of Slovakia but the presence of the many embassy buildings, all old, in the squares reminded us that this is a capital city. There weren’t many outstanding scenic buildings but one with a cannon ball from the Napoleonic wars and another only 1.9 metres wide provided some interest.

Shortly after entering the town hall square we were subjected to a heavy thunder storm which even surprised our guide as there wasn’t any indication of the change when we left the boat with the result by the time we returned we were very wet.

Tonight being Anzac Day we were planning a memorial celebration on the sun deck and a game of Two Up to follow, this is now going to be difficult as it will have to be held in the lounge and even the shortest person can almost touch the ceiling it will be impossible to give the coins a good spin. Instead we had a short memorial service followed with Anzac biscuits and some “Bundy” rum. Our cruise director had searched Vienna to buy golden syrup and oatmeal and then had to explain to the chef how to make them. He also searched for the “Bundy” and when he purchased the bottle the man in the store said “now that I have sold my bottle, I will have to order another”.

After dinner we were entertained by the group “Aphrodite”, five young women playing violins, cello, flute and piano, they played arrangements of popular songs from several musicals and other popular tunes.

Saturday 26 April.

We were on deck early to watch the boat sail past Margaret Island as we approached Budapest. The Danube is almost at flood level and the boat has been travelling at 30 km/hr so we left Bratislava much later than planned so we wouldn’t arrive in Budapest in the dark. Our first impression was of a very old grand city, but we later learned that more than 70% of the city was destroyed in the war; the Hungarians have done a wonderful job of restoring the city.

Sailing under several bridges we passed the parliament house which is on the Pest side of the river, this was modelled on the English parliament and is the third largest parliament building in the world, while high on the hill on the Buda side, the restored palace dominates the scenery.

After breakfast we went ashore to walk along the shopping street and up to the Great Market Hall, this is housed in a large building which from the inside, the steel framework reminded us of some of the old Victorian era railway stations. The ground floor of this building was devoted to fresh food while the upper level contained hand crafts, souvenirs and food stalls, we wondered how so many similar fresh food stalls, side by side, could make a living.

After lunch we left for a tour of some of the city sites on the Pest side, passing the square in front of the Parliament, scene of the 1956 uprising and on to the Heroes’ Square which was built in 1869 to celebrate the 1000^th anniversary of the founding of Hungary, this was designed to provide the history of Hungary and its many Kings and Saints, represented by statues. Each side of the square is flanked by a museum, built to represent a Greek Temple.

We then drove past the synagogue, the largest in Europe, built in the style of a mosque, before crossing the Danube to the Buda side and driving up the hill. Buda is very hilly and contrasts to Pest which is flat and contains many churches, old fortresses, the restored palace and the Fisherman’s Bastion which is an ideal place to see the Pest side of the river.

This evening was our last night on the boat and the chefs prepared an excellent meal with many choices of dishes for our farewell banquet. During the fourteen days we have been on board the two boats we have been supplied with wines at dinner from the various Regions we have sailed through. However tonight the “free” drinks continued after dinner and any orders at the bar were free of charge. Some people decided to party on after the Gypsy Dancers had finished their performance but as we had to vacate our cabins by 9:00 in the morning the majority of the passenger headed to their cabins to pack.

Sunday 27^th April

Every one was up early on the final morning, some people left the boat at 4:45 am to catch their flight home. Many had later flights or were staying on in Budapest so the Cruise Director arranged for us to be taken to a central restaurant where a room was provided for our luggage and we were then taken to an old village, Szentendrei, about an hours drive away. This village has been the home of artists for many years; the best known is probably Margit Kovacs who worked in clay and who has left many hundred sculptures, plaques, plates and murals which are displayed in a museum in the house she used to live. Nearly every house along the narrow streets contains a craft or souvenir shop and it is obvious that the village now survives from the visiting tourists.

Returning to Budapest, we caught a taxi to the Pension that will be our home for the next two nights and after the luxury of the last fourteen days on board, it is a very sparsely furnished accommodation with the facilities down the passage. From the style of the building and rooms and its proximity to a church I suspect it was a convent in earlier life. “Oh Well back to reality”.

Monday 28^th April

Today we walked through a lovely park past the Budapest Zoo and on the Heroes’ Square where we witnessed the Brazil Ambassador laying a wreath on the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, there was a Hungarian Honour Guard complete with drums and bugles at the “Present Arms”. I don’t know what is special about today but there was already a wreath from the Turkish Ambassador and as we walked down the Avenue from the square, two more ambassadors were escorted in their cars, with sirens blaring, to the square to lay their wreaths.

We spent the rest of the day strolling along the main streets admiring the magnificent buildings; some restored others needing a lot of “TLC”. Budapest must have been a lovely city before WW2.

Tomorrow we leave by train back to Vienna.