Sailing Into Budapest

Sailing by Margaret Island

Arriving in Budapest, Hungary at the culmination of the river cruise was quite the experience. The ship’s program director obviously knew how to arrange this event. It was announced that we would not be arriving in the city until late on Friday evening so that we could experience the city all lit up for us. What a let down when the evening after the boat left, we found that looking out the apartment window, the city just as brilliant; they had not actually done it just for us . . . .?

Castle Hill and Royal Palace

Regis is usually so polite she does not like to take “front-row” seats because then we block other’s views, but tonight she was happy to go up on the top deck early and grab the best seats right in the front. Now she did set up the entire two front rows for anyone else that wanted a good seat, and I went for blankets for everyone as well (it is October and getting cool even in Hungary).

Parliament Buildings

 

The captain obviously knew what he was doing, because he was going unusually slowly all afternoon, ensuring we would arrive at the best time. Sitting in deck chairs wrapped in blankets we watched the black Danube glide by as we waited for the city to appear. Finally after one false sighting – just a highway bridge, we rounded a bend and could see the city glowing in the distance. As we drew closer it grew in brilliance. Budapest has four major bridges spanning the Danube at its core, and these are all illuminated. Each bridge is different. First is the Margaret Bridge, a modern looking span, although over a hundred years old, followed by the Chain Bridge, an old historical stone and steel structure built in 1849. Next is the Elizabeth Bridge, a bit of a boring modern one, and finally in the distance is the Liberty Bridge, built in 1896. It is nice to know that even though some of these bridges have been destroyed in wartime, they were rebuilt rather than replaced.

Chain Bridge

The Parliament Buildings

Although we could not help but focus on the bridges as we were sailing under them, the really spectacular sights were on either side, the huge Parliament building styled after the British Houses of Parliament, built right on the bank of the Danube, and the Royal Palace perched on the opposite hilltop on the Buda side. These and most other major buildings are fully illuminated by flood-lamps, making them glow like golden monuments, and off in the distance like the statue in Rio is the huge statue of the Liberty monument glowing on the hilltop. In between were the various Cathedrals, churches and Synagogues, each trying to outdo the others.

It really was a beautiful sight, and sailing into the city on the grey Danube (The waltz “Blue Danube” was obviously written before pollution), but really the pictures show it so much better than my description.

People Watching

Taken by a nice German Couple

A friend once told me that the best thing about travel is the interesting people you meet. I am not quite as outgoing as he is, and although I have met some great people on my travels who I have been able to add to me growing “friends” list, I am in reality more of am observer of people than a “meeter” of people. I tend to observe rather than involve, and if not for Regis I might not meet anyone.

No Idea what this was about?

I do love to watch people however, and here is a story of someone who I observed on this cruise.

This lady did not seem nice at all. She was a stern looking lady who I judged was of Italian heritage. She had mobility issues and used a walker to get around and really did not look like she was enjoying herself. It looked like most activities caused her pain. I admired her for her tenacity in doing as much as she could, but I did not actually meet her or speak to her. She seemed to be traveling with family members and stuck pretty much to them. In addition her stern looks and the general lack of a smile did not make her a person I was interested in starting a conversation with. She did not look like she was getting much fun out of the cruise at all.

Then one night there was a concert put on in the lounge. Something about “The Music of Europe, from “The Danube to the Adriatic Sea”. Not exactly something I was keen on, but there was nothing else on, and the night was still young, so I said I would go.

Four young performers, three singers and a very talented piano player put on the concert. They sang opera, not exactly my “cup of tea”, but they did manage to make it entertaining and funny. They really did put on a good show.

1 Euro Beer and People watching

Then I noticed the lady mentioned above. She started singing along with the first song. One of the performers came over to her and she sang with them. She was completely enjoying the concert. She knew almost every song, and sang along to most of them. I actually thought she might have noticed me watching her and became a little self-conscious so stopped singing at one point. However she could not restrain herself on the next number and I could see her mouth moving to the remembered words. She seemed to be completely enjoying herself and this was the first time I saw her really smile and look happy.

I stopped her the following day and told her how much I enjoyed seeing her singing along with the songs. I said I was amazed that she knew every word. I got another smile out of her and she said “Oh yes I love those songs, I wish they would do more concerts like that.”

I think she was enjoying the cruise more than I realized.

Then there was the fellow who spent the entire concert playing solitaire on his phone . . . . . . “people watching” is so much fun!

River? . . . . . Ocean? . . . . .

River cruising is not the same as ocean cruising. There are many differences, but the main two are the number of people on the boat, and the scenery you get as you cruise.

On Board and Ready to Cruise

The River, the Ship and already a Cathedral

I love ocean cruises, but even I will admit they are getting a bit out of control in the size department. Some of the new “Super-ships” hold more than 3000 passengers. Even on some of the ships we have sailed on, we often see people seven days later that we have never seen previously. On one cruise we met a couple as we were standing in line to check in, and never saw them again. If you sign up for “Set” seating for dinner you sit with the same people all the time, and therefore get to know them well by the end of the cruise, but many of the cruise companies are opting for “Open-seating” or “Freestyle-dining”, where you sit with different people each meal. Sometimes you meet interesting people and then never run into them again. On the River Cruises this is not the case. There were only 183 passengers on the boat, so in 14 days you get to know lots of people. It only takes a few days until you recognize everyone, and it is easy to really get to know many people. Unless you are very anti-social and sit in the corner every meal, over time, you usually sit with someone you have sat with before. We have met many wonderful people on this cruise from all over the world. There is no one else from Nova Scotia, but lots of Canadians. The majority are from the US, but there are Australians, and quite a few from Great Britain as well. All good sources of travel information for future trips, and my personal travel advisor is making good use of these resources. A number of couples we have sat with at dinner or taken tours with and we have gotten to know them well. I met someone who takes pictures of interesting things to sketch later as I do, and I even met another person who collects pictures of doors . . . . and like me, he really does not know what he is going to do with them . . . I love people watching, and often as I observe people I wonder what their story is, but on this boat I have actually gotten to know many of those stories.

Another Bloody Castle!

It is the same with the crew. You really get to now them, and they get to know you. Even though we switched boats mid cruise, the crew is small enough that you actually get to know many of them. I know their names and they know mine.

The other major difference is the scenery. On both types of cruises, you sail between ports where you stop and tour interesting locations. The difference is that while cruising on the ocean your scenery is waves, waves, and perhaps another boat or an island in the distance. We all saw what happened when the captain of the Costa Ship tried to make the scenery better . . . Now I love sitting out on my Ocean Cruise balcony relaxing as the ocean glides by, but the scenery is really far more interesting on a river cruise. This ship has taken us through some of the most scenic areas of Europe and we have seen so many castles, churches and quaint villages that to be honest, it is getting a bit boring. We just got back from a tour of Vienna and I almost did not bother going into St Stephen’s Cathedral, since it really just looked like all the others, a big church, twin steeples, vaulted ceilings, and big pipe organs . . . nothing new . .

A beautiful Cathedral?

I think that the general consensus of people on this ship is that river cruising is far superior to ocean cruising, but I am not so sure. In fact I think each has its place. Twelve days into the cruise, and to be honest, I am ready for a couple of “Relax Days” in Budapest, but I do not dare skip any activities because I may miss something wonderful. On ocean cruises, I relax. I have seen most of the islands, so some I do not even get off the boat; time to sit in the warm Caribbean breeze with a cold beer and a book.

Love Locks

Yea I know, it’s a really terrible play on words, but I couldn’t resist.

Beautiful View out our window

We have seen the locks of the Panama Canal twice, gone in from the Caribbean side once, and done a complete transit from the Pacific side. On those voyages the locks are the big attraction, and they are up front and center in the brochures and advertisements for these cruises. I developed an interest and respect for locks on the English Narrow Boat trip where I actually had to work the locks to get the boat through, and the town I call home used to have a lock system on its canals. I do not however recall Viking even mentioning the locks on this trip.

A Tight Fit

There are in fact over 60 locks the boat has to traverse during the 14 day journey. There are locks that slow the boat down through every section of our journey, but most are in the middle section and there are only a few during the last section on the Danube. The trip is however very well planned and many of the locks are scheduled during the night. The boat is amazingly smooth, so when I felt it hit something I investigated and looked out the window.  What I saw was a concrete wall inches from our cabin window. I could reach out and touch it (Although covered in green and brown river slime, this was not a real interesting option). A rare occurrence, the captain had nudged the side of one of the locks he has to go through. We went through ten locks that night, and they continued every 10 to 20 miles from then on. Expressing an interest in the locks, I was given a map showing the location of all of the  locks. Around Nuremberg they are spaced only a few miles apart. I wondered why at times we were dropped in one town and then picked up at another only 20 klm away. The reason is that it can take hours to get through the locks, so the captain goes through the locks while we tour interesting towns on foot or by bus. At one point we were gone all day, and the boat was still late picking us up 30 Klm away because of traffic through the locks.

For those unfamiliar with this use of the word lock, it is a section of a canal or a special enclosed section of a river where doors can be closed in front of and behind the ship and water can be pumped into or allowed to flow into the lock to float the boat to a higher level. In reverse, the ship enters the full lock on the high side, the water is allowed to drain out, thus lowering the boat to a lower level.

Bonus . . . A Castle and a Lock . . .

On a Panama Canal cruise the famous locks are the reason for the cruise so a lot is made of them; on this trip the locks are a necessary nuisance slowing us down, so they are basically ignored. Me I have an appreciation of the locks and how they work, and love watching the power of the water transfer the huge ship meters up or down to continue at a new level. I was surprised at how many people knew nothing about them, and the teacher in me momentarily came out of retirement and I happily gave lock lessons when questions were asked.

Iceland?

We are off on another of our adventures, this one to Europe for a 14 day river cruise with Viking Cruises followed by 14 days in an apartment overlooking the Danube River in Budapest. This adventure did not get off to a good start however . . .

Iceland

 

We were informed at check-in at the airport that our first flight from Halifax to Toronto was “Delayed” in St. Johns with mechanical problems. We did not have a lot of time in Toronto between flights, so this was an immediate worry made worse when we were given the “good news” that the plane had left St. Johns NFLD. This was not good news for us since our plane from Toronto was not waiting around for us. The airline kindly offered us a hotel in Toronto and rearranged our flights to Amsterdam . . . . a flight to Dallas Texas in the morning and way later in the day, a flight to Amsterdam that would get us there by Monday, when the boat would be well on it’s way to Germany.

On the Boat

We could join the cruise, but not until Tuesday in Cologne, so we debated giving up and fighting with the Travel Insurance company and the cruise company for compensation, but finally elected to go to Toronto and hope for the best.

Fortunately I found a friendly and resourceful Westjet employee, who had some imagination and instead of saying “no” said “Let’s try something else.”, and after computer searches, phone calls and queries from me, suggested “This is a bit of a complicated route but it will get you there.” He found a flight to Iceland leaving in an hour with another flight an hour after getting to Iceland that would get us to Amsterdam by noon on Sunday in plenty of time to catch the boat.

River Boats

So almost exactly 24 hours after leaving home we had added another country to our list and we were tired but comfortably settling into our cozy cabin on the Viking Baldur. And we still had time to explore Amsterdam on a walking tour.