And Now the Cruise Begins

Friday-Saturday, September 11-12

Friday was our transition day, moving from traveling and sightseeing on our own to joining our river cruise that will take us from Budapest to Amsterdam over the next 2 weeks.  We packed up and moved our bags to the hotel lobby and arranged for our afternoon taxis to take us to the hotel in Pest where we would meet up with our cruise company, Avalon Waterways.

In what we thought was our final visit to our Buda hill neighborhood, Jerry, Kathe, and I walked over to Matthias Church.  We had been admiring it from outside for days, and now was the time to see it up close.

And its interior lived up to the grandiosity of its exterior.

After this treat of a visit, it was time to move across the river and hook up with our river cruise.  Avalon was registering two different tours on two boats, and the lobby of the InterContinental was full of people and bags and excited, anticipatory buzz.  Everything was handled smoothly and efficiently, and soon we were transported to our ship, the Avalon Impression.

The onboard check-in process couldn't have been much smoother.  What looked like the entire crew was lined up to welcome us aboard.  We were given glasses of juice and ushered into the lounge.  Shortly, we were called to get our room keys and be led by our trusty steward, Jerry (really?), to our home for the next 2 weeks.

After our obligatory safety drill--which was a bit limited by the fact that it had started to rain and who wanted to greet a new boatful of people by making them stand outside to practice with their life vests?--we got champagne and canapés in the lounge and were introduced to key crew members.

Very shortly after dinner was served, we set sail from our upstream dock. We initially moved further up the Danube and came down the other side of Margaret Island.  This was done to great effect, since by the time we got to the city center, the city monuments were lit up and quite glorious.  Many of us stood out on the top deck to watch this glorious setting, in spite of the fact that it had started to drizzle seriously.  It was just too good to miss, even if I did look a bit like a drowned rat by the time I got back inside.

After this cruise into town, we docked right near the Great Market Hall, a good location for further explorations the following day.

On Saturday morning, we headed out on a city tour.  The bus drove by some things we had already seen on our walks, but also took us to new territory.  We drove the full length of Andrassy Ut, all the way to the city park.  We got to see the zoo and a large festival that was dedicated to ox sausage, with the long-horned ox on display as well.  We spent some time walking Heroes Square and hearing more about the history of Hungary.

We then drove to the Buda Castle area.  Our understanding was that we would visit the Royal Palace, and we were looking forward to that.  However, a large wine festival was going on on the grounds of the palace, and we couldn't gain access to the area without buying a pass to the festival.  Given that we were part of a bus tour at this point, that wasn't really an option.  The tour group headed to Matthias Church, which, of course, we had just seen.  So we took a stroll through the hill's very nice residential neighborhood. We got some nice views to the Buda hills and wandered amongst people out with strollers or their dogs.  There are some nice lanes and buildings, with broad walking areas and park benches everywhere.  This is considered a very good area in which to live.

We headed back to our new home, the Impression, where we had the afternoon free to explore our Pest neighborhood.

(Thank you, Chuck, for this nice picture of the Impression.)

The captain joined our table at dinner, and we got some insights into river cruising and heard some stories about his life. (He spends the winters in the Canary Islands. Rough, huh?)

We had a busy first full day on our cruise adventure and were eager to head on up the Danube.

A Day in the Hungarian Countryside

Thursday, September 10

When planning this trip, where we would not have a car, one of the disappointments was that we wouldn't see much if any of the Hungarian countryside.  Some friends of Chuck and Kathe had recommended a company called Tours by Locals, which has options all over the world. We scanned possibilities out of Budapest and landed on one that offered us several different experiences.  This was our day for the selected tour.

We met our tour guide, Rita, at the western train station (Budapest-Nyugati) and took the train north to Nagymaros (about 45 minutes). 

We walked to a little ferry that crosses the Danube. A van met us on the other side and whisked us to the top of the hill and Visegrad Castle.

We climbed up toward the castle, where we were greeted by this fine fellow, tethered but still looking quite regal.

Then we made our way out to the castle and the crest of the hill.

The views from this spot are nothing short of wonderful. You can see for miles both up and down the Danube.  Looking upriver, you see what is known as the Danube Bend.  We could also see the ferry we'd just ridden, which looked like a toy from this height.

We came back down the hill and were driven to the Visegrad Royal Palace.  Oddly, this site was only unearthed about 30 years ago and is still being excavated and restored.

After exploring the palace, we walked down the road to a restaurant for lunch.  Then our van delivered us to the heart of the little town of Visegrad to a shop and museum of Palinka (PAW-ling-ka), a traditional Hungarian fruit-based liqueur. We visited their cellar and then tasted their pear, cherry, and plum versions.  Our tour guide shared stories about her grandfather making this spirit.  Her stories really added to the experience.

We walked back to the ferry and crossed over to Nagymaros once more.  We walked to the train station and rode to Vac (Voss).  Here our focus would be on Hungarian wine.  We walked across Vac to the main square, filled with houses of many colors and an old church.  

Our wine museum was housed in a very old cellar--a couple of the walls date back to Turkish times, around 1300.  

The owner was so proud of their collection of old Tokajs.  She poured us a drink of their own special Tokaj.  When Jerry mentioned that he would like to taste Hungary's most revered red wine, known as Bull's Blood, she quickly told us not to drink the Tokaj. We must drink the Bull's Blood first.  She went and fetched a bottle and opened it and poured us a rather generous taste.  

After sipping on our wine a bit, Madame took us through her cherished caverns and collection.  No English spoken here, but her pride and knowledge were in full evidence.  

After our tour, we returned to the main cellar to continue tasting our wine.  Suddenly the owner disappeared.  When she reentered the room, she had a little tray for each of us, essentially a flight of different styles of Tokaj.  This was an unexpected treat and very tasty.

We walked back to the train station, where we bid our our tour guide, Rita, farewell.  She headed home to Nagymaros, and we headed back to Budapest.  Rita had not only made the day happen, but had added her historical knowledge, many family stories, personal opinions on the EU and the Communist era, you name it.  It really was very different than a typical tour.  It was both informative and personal.

It certainly was a full day.  Lots of history, lots of walking and climbing, some fun wine tasting.  Let's just say, we were all pretty subdued on the ride back to the city.

Budapest Highlights

Monday to Wednesday, September 7 to 9

On Monday, we took a direct EuroCity train from Prague to Budapest.  It's a 7-hour trip through the Czech Republic and Slovakia.  It was a good way to get a taste of the countryside.  We could see a lot of evidence of the Communist era, but also of rebuilding and new construction.

Praha Hlavni Nadrazi (Prague Main Train Station):

We were staying on the Buda side of the river, and most of the sights are on the Pest side.  So, while we were in a very nice neighborhood of apartments and restaurants and stellar views, we knew we needed to figure out the transit system.  Our hotel was very close to a stop for a bus that takes you into the heart of Pest and to the hub of Metro and tram lines.

On Tuesday, our highlight was a tour of Budapest's grand opera house.   We planned to take a bus over to Pest and walk up Andrassy Ut, Budapest's version of the Champs Élysées.  A good plan, except our bus got to the bottom of the hill and went kaput.  Rather than wait for a replacement bus, we decided to walk across the legendary Chain Bridge.  Not quite what we planned to do, but it was a good chance to commune with the Danube.  We then walked on to Andrassy Ut, which is filled with luxury shops like Armani, Gucci, Omega.

Chain Bridge:

It was interesting to see the old opera house.  It looks just like you expect a major European opera house to look.  We got to hear lots of stories of former royals and political leaders.  Given the politics of the time, the Budapest Opera House was not allowed to be bigger than the one in Vienna.  So what they did was indeed make this one smaller, but made it grander.

There were a lot of other people going through at the same tour time we chose.  There were tour guides for French, Russian, Hungarian, German, and English groups.  There were so many of us English-speaking folks, they had to break us into three groups of 30 or so apiece.

We visited what felt like every nook and cranny of this elaborate building.  We heard about its history and about some of the royals who came here.  At the end of the tour, we got a mini-concert--two arias by a singer in costume.  Surprisingly, this very brief concert was held in the grand staircase and not the auditorium--though I will say that if the acoustics of the staircase are any indication, those of the auditorium must be quite impressive.

By late afternoon, we headed back to our Castle Hill area.  Our friends, Chuck and Kathe, were flying in from Portland via Amsterdam.  We all arrived at the hotel at about the same time, a couple of us looking a bit more fatigued than the the others.  (It might or might not be the ones you'd guess.)

On Wednesday, Kathe, Jerry, and I set out on the bus again.  This time, it made it across to Pest, but it didn't go where we expected it would, according to the transit map we were using.  We ended up walking a bit more than expected, but made our way to the Great Synagogue, only to find a sign that said "Due to Technical Difficulties, No Admittance Until 1:00pm." (We were standing looking at this sign at a bit after 11:00am.)

So we hopped on a tram and moved on to our next planned sight.

Our goal was the Great Market Hall.  Now, there's one thriving, humming place.  The main floor is for food vendors--all sorts of meat purveyors, cheeses, fruits and vegetables, and lots and lots of paprika.  Downstairs is for the fish market, and upstairs is for Hungarian crafts and souvenirs.  Also upstairs is a food court.  We happened to walk through that area right at the height of lunchtime.  It was a complete crush, but it sure was interesting to see some of the things people were eating.

Eventually, we caught a tram back to the synagogue.  There was a long line for tickets, but in due time we managed to get in.  It is the largest synagogue in Europe and the second largest in the world.  It is quite grand and a bit unexpected in that it looks more like a Christian building than a traditional synagogue. It has balconies where the women used to sit. (They now sit on the sides on the main floor.) We also walked past the small cemetery and through the memory garden with its Tree of Life monument to those lost in the Holocaust. It is a steel sculpture of a weeping willow tree, each of its leaves etched with the name of a victim. 

When we got back to our Buda roost, we took advantage of the pretty light and wandered through the Fisherman's Bastion and admired the views across to the beautiful Parliament building and other Pest monuments.

 It was such a clear and pretty evening, we made much the same stroll after dinner.  The views of the monuments at night is quite mesmerizing.  In fact, it was difficult to pull ourselves away from those views.  The confection that is the Parliament building is impressive at any time of day, but it is a particular delight at night, and we had a perfect vantage point.

Chain Bridge:

St. Istvan's Basilica:

Our visit to Budapest has been so different from our experience in Prague.  They are both great cities, each divided by a river, each with famous bridges, and each with a castle on the side of the river away from the main downtown.  But Prague has a very small old center that concentrates one's touring and wandering.  Budapest, on the other hand, has many old buildings that are sprinkled throughout the city.  Everywhere you look there is another treat.  I think of Prague as a cobblestone experience, where Budapest is filled with monuments and grand buildings on what feels like a grander scale.

The Many Faces of Prague

Friday to Sunday, September 4 to 6

With some romantic notion in our heads, we landed in Prague--only to find out that it is one gigantic party happening in the streets.  We cannot remember ever being in a more peopled place.  Maybe it seemed crowded because we were mostly in the Old Town and the streets were narrow.  But there was a sea of people, coming through wave after wave, tour group after tour group.  And that seemed to be true wherever we went.

The view from our hotel room: 

We were pretty bleary eyed when we got to Prague on Friday afternoon.  Traveling from Portland to Amsterdam and on to Prague (with a 3-1/2 hour layover and both flights delayed) will do that to you.  But, knowing that we had very little time to sample this town--which is actually a city of over 1 million Czech souls--and knowing we needed to stay upright in order to reset our body clocks, we set off to see what we could of the Old Town.  

Pretty quickly, we landed on the famous Charles Bridge.  And that provided a shattered image, right from the start.  Aswarm with thousands and thousands of people and almost as many vendors of art, jewelry, souvenirs, and a handful of musicians, it was difficult to even really see the bridge, its sculptures, and its views of the Vltava River.  We persevered, but this was a harbinger of how much we needed to shift our expectations.

The Charles Bridge: 

We wandered the narrow, cobblestone streets and found our way to the Old Town Square just in time to watch the Astronomical Clock do its thing. This hourly event attracts quite a crowd, as you can imagine.  We strolled some more and remarked on the fancifully decorated buildings.  One dared not stop abruptly, lest you get mown over. When we did step aside to look in a window or take a picture, we had to time our reemergence into the stream of people.  Kept us on our toes.

The Astronomical Clock and Old Town Square:

For dinner, our hotel had recommended a restaurant for Czech specialties, about a 5-minute walk away.  We were about to be introduced not only to the food of the Czech Republic, but to the self-proclaimed beer culture.  The food was very good--a smoked pork knuckle (like a small ham on the bone), which was very tasty, and Potato Haruske, small gnocchi-like dumplings in a sour cream, tangy sauce, and cold grilled vegetables.  There was enough food to have served at least two other people.  The beer, too, was very nice.

As we walked back to our hotel, we got turned around--not hard to do in the maze of streets in the Old Town, but very unusual for me.  We kept consulting our map; we stopped to ask directions. After our third stop to ask a shopkeeper for help, we finally found our way back--45 minutes after we set out!  

Beèr is definitely a part of the fabric of the Czechs.  It is everywhere, and you get a funny look if you want something less than at least .5 liter.  They will ask you several times to clarify that you don't want more.  You see people strolling the streets with large cans or bottles of beer, drinking as they go.

And then there's the partying part of the beer culture.  Oh my.  Prague is so known for its good and very reasonably priced beer that groups of young men come from all over to drink and party--and I'm talking all night long.  Don't think I'm exaggerating. Our hotel was in the "center of the center" of the Old Town.  Jerry and I started to refer to the quiet hour of about 6am to 7am as the golden hour.  On Friday and Saturday nights, we would wake up repeatedly during the night to the sounds of drunken groups of young men singing. "Volare" or "Swing Low Sweet Chariot"--loudly and badly sung--at 3:30am or 5am anyone? Thankfully, Sunday night was a bit less rowdy. I mistakenly thought it had quieted around 12:30am and was disabused of that notion around 3am, but we really did get more solid sleep time that night.

Saturday was the day we planned to see the Prague Castle complex.  It includes St. Vitus Cathedral, the top-rated sight in Prague.  We planned to use the tram system to get across the river and up the hill.  Those of you who are on Facebook with me know that this trek does not start out on a happy note.  

We weren't the only tourists using this mode of transit. We had to change trains once across the river, and the train headed to the castle was absolutely jammed.  We debated waiting for the next train, but unfortunately decided to hop on. Would that I could rewrite this part of it, but it was the choice we made.  We were right at the stairwell and door, and as we twisted and lurched our way up the hill, my sole thought was to keep from falling into the stairwell.  This apparently is a perfect set up for an easy mark for a pickpocket.  As I clung to the pole for dear life, a middle-aged woman joined me by inserting her hand on the pole just below me.  This is a very effective distraction. She made direct eye contact and smiled slightly.  I noticed that she had a black scarf on her arm, which I thought a bit odd.  (Later in the day I heard someone describing a pickpocket with a dark scarf over her arm to shield the view as she hands off her prize to her accomplice.) Well she should smile. I had just contributed noticeably to her day's haul.  She got off the stop before the castle.  When we exited at the next stop, I looked down and noticed that one portion of my supposedly secure, cross-body bag was unzipped. I looked in, and sure enough my wallet was long gone.

This simple act had a deep effect on my attitude.  I felt stupid.  This person had put her hand in my bag. This person had gently, deftly helped herself to my Czech koruna and my Euros.  It also felt pretty darned unwelcoming.  I wanted to yell at somebody (probably mostly me). I wanted somebody to do something.  But, in truth, there really is nothing that can be done.

Prague and I were not getting off on the right foot.  Jerry repeatedly reminded me that we were okay, and the sum, while ample, was not going to derail our trip.  Eventually, the mood lessened and we embarked on our tour of the castle grounds.  Our ticket did not allow us to enter St. Vitus until 1pm, so we set off to see the Royal Palace and St. George's Basilica first.  With a little bit of mitigating luck, we happened on the noon changing of the guard.  Though the changing happens hourly, the noon one includes a band on the palace balcony and some shooting.  (As far as I know, no one was hurt.)  The music made it all feel more regal.  Even though we couldn't see a lot of it, we got a few good views and a feel for the event.

Just past 1pm, we headed for the entrance to the cathedral.  It took us 5-7 minutes just to walk the length of the line.  But since it is the most touted of Prague's sights, we soldiered on.  (Jerry is almost allergic to standing in lines, so this was no small thing.) The line actually moved along fairly well, and soon we were inside.  It is a big structure and has some of the most beautiful stained glass we've ever seen.  It was easily the highlight of the day.  

St. Vitus and the window by Mucha, notable Czech Art Nouveau artist: 

We finished off our visit by walking down off the castle hill through St. Wenceslas' vineyard, where we stopped for a simple sandwich, a glass of rose, and a fabulous view over the city.  

When we made our way down to the tram station in Mala Strana (Little Quarter), we ultimately decided strolling across the river and through the town was a lot better than getting back on the tram. Even though we would have been super vigilant, who needs that kind of stress?

Sunday's planned exploration was the Jewish Quarter, which Rick Steves describes as the most affecting and intact in Europe.  Once again, we weren't exactly the only people visiting, but it was a good exposure to a long-time Jewish community that was heavily diminished during WWII.  We toured through the New-Old, Klausen, Pinkas, and Spanish Synagogues.  The walls of the Pinkas are covered floor to ceiling with the names of those who perished, and then you walk through the ages-old Jewish cemetery outside its doors.  All very sobering.  We ended on a different note at the Spanish Synagogue, considered by many to be one of the most beautiful in Europe.  It is not a subtle space, but it is spectacular and colorful and enchanting.

The Spanish Synagogue: 

We had a very nice dinner at an earnest little Italian restaurant, where we were seated next to a window that overlooked the dessert station.  It was quite fascinating to watch the two pastry/dessert wizards work their magic.  Afterwards, we walked back to our hotel, taking a detour to visit the Charles Bridge at night.  What a lovely difference.  We still weren't exactly alone, but the vendors were all gone and the views were magical.  The castle hill and cathedral were all lit, as well as the Rudolfinum (symphony hall) and the National Theatre.  It was lovely to gaze on the lighted monuments and watch the river.  A very nice wrap up to our Prague visit.

St. Vitus and the Castle Complex from the Charles Bridge:

So, even though the romantic picture in our heads got shattered pretty quickly, we eventually learned to ignore the thousands of people that surrounded us at all times and focus our sights on the charming structure of the old town, the cobblestones, winding streets, and the beautiful Art Nouveau buildings, murals and mosaics.  I hope that ultimately, only those beautiful images remain.

Preparations Underway

You can see we're preparing for another trip.  You can also see that we're relying heavily on Rick Steves for our planning info.  He really excels at offering walking tours and usable maps of even small towns that help with our exploring.  Thank heavens for our handy library system that allowed a lot of planning with only minimal investment in travel guides.

We leave in 6 days for a short stay in Prague, followed by 5 days in Budapest.  Then we head off on a river cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam, where we'll spend about a week to wrap up our trip. 

Check in periodically for tales of our travels.