December 19 – Budapest
We awoke while still cruising the Danube and heard crunching sounds on the hull. Ice was forming on the river in large sheets. We docked after breakfast and had a city tour by bus from 9:30. It was so cold that they skipped the walking parts of the tour and kept us on busses except for a couple of photo ops. We had a wonderful guide who gave us such historical tidbits as: Hungary was liberated from the Germans after WWII and provided the freedom to be subjugated by the Communists “for our own security.” Soviet constructed buildings were termed “Soviet Baroque.” He had a great sense of humor and it was obvious that the Hungarians detested the Russian occupation. Budapest is a combination of two cities, Buda, the hilly side of the Danube and where the Hapsburg castles are, and Pest, pronounced “Pesht” (Pest is a bug…), which is flat and the more commercial side. It was a perfect tour in that it showed us where things were and what would be interesting to see since we were staying for the following 3 days. We did make a final stop at the Christmas market which was the best one so far, with more original handicrafts and variety of food and items to purchase. Again, we stayed on the ship because of the frigid temperature. Following dinner there was a performance of Gypsy singers, dancers and musicians in the lounge. At 9:00pm the Captain took the ship on a one hour mini cruise of the Danube to enjoy the views at night. Fortunately it was a clear night and the views were spectacular. JB was passing out shot glasses of Palinka, the Hungarian schnapps which is made from plums & other fruit and was quite good.