We boarded the Viking River Cruises’ longship Tor in Budapest, the capital of Hungary. This landlocked country is the heart of Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Romania, Serbia Montenegro, Croatia and Slovenia. We arrived here yesterday by motor coach from Prague, Czech Republic. With stops, the ride was about seven hours on a road known as “the longest stairway in Europe.” Bumpity bump bump bump. It’s hot here. Probably close to 100 degrees, if not that. The locals tell us this is unusual. I bet it’s the new usual.
Budapest is the merging of two cities, Buda and Pest (pronounced Pesht), separated by the River Danube. The city is full of baroque, neoclassical and art nouveau architecture, which we enjoyed on our morning tour today. The star attraction for me was the beautiful Matthias Church, constructed in the florid late Gothic style in the second half of the 14th century and extensively restored in the late 19th century. Today it is once again undergoing a refurbishing.
About our riverboat, the Tor. She was launched this year and carries 190 passengers. She is a “green” ship, featuring energy-efficient hybrid engines, solar panels and an organic herb garden on the top that provides the chef with fresh ingredients. We’ll be on board for two weeks and are very comfortable in our two-room suite with WiFi and balconies. Tonight we are underway to Bratislava, Slovakia on a two-week cruise on the Danube, Main and Rhine rivers to Amsterdam.
From Buda, looking to Pest:
Parliament:
The River Danube:
The Chain Bridge:
Matthias Church:
The funky Deloitte building caught our eyes, and provided a counterpoint to the classical architecture:
Postcards 