While all good things must come to an end, we have one last day in beautiful Budapest. Sadly, it is a chilly and rainy day, but we cannot complain because it could easily have looked like this everyday.
Here are a few photos from the breakfast buffet and menu items at the hotel.
We said goodbye to Bojan, our incredible cruise manager, just in case we do not see him at 4 AM tomorrow morning.
We started our day by trekking to the Central Market, also known as the Great Market Hall, located at the Pest end of Szabadság Bridge. There are three floors of market space here. We purchased some paprika, sausage, and gifts for the girls.
Back to the hotel to drop the purchases before heading to the city’s 19th-century Moorish-style Dohány Street Synagogue / Great Synagogue. It is the largest synagogue in Europe and the second largest in the world. The building was severely damaged and used as a stable during World War II but, after the fall of Communism, it was restored to its grandeur.
We then walked over to the area of "Ruin Bars," which are bars and eateries that have been opened in abandoned buildings in the former Jewish ghetto. They are extremely popular in Budapest and offer lots of outside seating. Unfortunately, they do not open until late afternoon and the weather will not be ideal for a visit. Next time?
Along our walk to the hotel, we continued to admire the architecture...
...and to smile at some of the details in the facades.
My final quest was to sample a glass of wine from the Tokaji wine region. Their sweet wine is world famous, and the bartender at our hotel let me taste it. While delicious, it is VERY sweet (think dessert wine), so I enjoyed a less sweet Tokaji white while Charlie had a beer. I must be getting tired because I only remembered to take a photo when our waiter delivered a few complimentary sweets.
Back upstairs, we got the suitcases organized and weighed and then took a well-deserved rest.
Today's fun fact: Who was Matild of Matild Palace? Well, the story here is that she was a beautiful and strong-headed 19 year old from a wealthy family who set herself ablaze while trying to hide a lit cigarette under her dress when she saw her father.
We planned for an early meal tonight, as we have a super early wake-up call tomorrow. Dinner was at Hungarian Hell’s Kitchen, where we enjoyed the regional specialties. Charlie had a bowl of goulash, followed by a braided sausage platter, while I had chicken paprikash. A musical ensemble played regional songs. It seemed a fitting last evening.
We took a little stroll to walk off some dinner on Váci utca , a pedestrian-only shopping street in Budapest. We walked down to historic Vörösmarty Square, which is the site of Budapest's Christmas Market. The rain had stopped, and the street had plenty of foot traffic. Two violinists were playing the theme from "Game of Thrones." Such a vibrant scene!
So...our opening question was whether we were insane or brilliant in booking a winter river cruise. Our vote is brilliant. It was never unpleasantly cold...you know the saying, there is no bad weather just bad clothing...and I only put on thermal underwear one day and probably did not need it. Yes, we had rain, but nothing that stopped us from doing anything critical. Enjoying these places without the crowds was a gift. Cruising on a magnificent boat that was half full was amazing. The upgrade from lower level window cabin to a balcony suite was unexpected and divine. We got so much value for our travel dollars. And AMA Waterways was wonderful with their planning and execution of our trip.
We are happy and grateful people....but ready to come home.
Photos are tagged Magna and Budapest_2024
This featured blog entry was written by Cybercsp from the blog AmaWaterways Magna.
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