Budapest

There was no view from the cabin as I went to check the weather when I got up. Another slab-sided riverboat had docked right alongside us overnight. We had a busy day scheduled so we met for breakfast at 7:45.

The first excursion was a coach tour of the two cities, Buda and Pest. Not to put too fine a point on it, it wasn't a great success. Don't get me wrong, the cities are wonderful, but the coach zigged and zagged through the traffic and the guide tried to keep up a running commentary. Hundreds of buildings and landmarks were pointed out as we swept by. Photography was pointless through the coach windows and in many of the streets, you could only see the bottom parts of the buildings. It would have been nice to stop in Heroes Square, but no, we swept onwards. We finally stopped near the Basilica and all traipsed off the bus.

The Basilica was impressive (the 3rd largest church in Hungary) but we didn't have time to go inside. Instead, we trekked onwards listening to her monotone descriptions.

We eventually arrived at Liberty Square near the US Embassy. Then, the theory stated we had free time until we needed to return to the bus. In practice, because many of the group wanted a WC and the guide didn't know where the nearest was, the group stood, legs crossed, arguing for 25 minutes before heading back through the square towards the Basilica and coach. It was a torturous walk and I was getting worried when the third snail overtook us and shook his Zimmer frame at us.

The coach took us back to the boat and we grabbed a beer while seriously debating whether we should bother with the afternoon's excursion. Eventually, we decided to go. What a great decision that turned out to be. Our new guide, Christina, was the best guide we have had across the week. She kept an eye on the group and kept us together. She gave a brilliant commentary as we wandered the Castle Hill of Buda and was able to answer every question that was thrown at her.

We started by climbing the steps to the old palace. This is now a library and various administrative buildings. It is undergoing extensive renovations and it is already clear to see what a significant improvement is emerging from the workmen's effort.

The views from the terrace, overlooking the Danube and Pest, were quite stunning.

From the Palace, we walked past the President's and the Prime Minister's residence and then onwards to St Matthias Church and the Fishermen's Bastion. The church is stunning. 

It looks almost as if it has been iced by a master baker, and then someone has laid jewels scales across the complex roofline. We stood and gawped at the building before being left to our own devices for an hour. 

We had been keeping an eye on an elderly lady called Liz. She had struggled a bit with the stairs (well, there were a lot of them) so we took her to a cafe for a drink. She was an absolute scream and we had a great time. We had a little shopping to do before meeting up with the rest of the group and returning down a different load of steps, to the coach and ultimately the boat.

With an early start tomorrow, we did the bulk of our packing. At the start of the cruise, we had booked a table in the speciality "Delta" Restaurant. The four of us met on the top deck and then made our way astern. The restaurant is quite small so you are only entitled to use it once during the cruise. The starters and desserts come from the main restaurant, but the entrees are cooked on-site. We all chose the Aberdeen Angus beef which was superb, though Di and Jane weren't impressed by the vegetables or the dessert.

We lingered over the meal but eventually retired to our cabins to finish packing (though Trevor and Jane went out for a short walk, first).