Tuesday 19th September
After a great day in Vienna, we sail into Budapest on a grey wet morning, the rain glancing off our stateroom window as we make our way down the muddy Danube. It is instantly apparent that we have crossed borders, gone are the pretty cuckoo clock houses and brightly painted boats. Rusty looking hulks and once colourful but now faded river boats lay moored to the opposite shore as our first site of occupation comes into sight.
A huge development of modern looking high rise apartments passes by, partially completed there must be hundreds of homes here along the river bank. Next another modern looking building with FINA 2017 draped across it, the world swimming and diving championships where held here this northern summer, maybe this is the venue.
We prepare for the day ahead, Bence our tour director will give a commentary as we approach the heart of Budapest Pest, in fact sailing right into it, with Buda on the hilly side to our right and Pest to our left. Bence is a native of Budapest so this should be interesting. First though breakfast, then we head for the lounge to hear the presentation, we are arriving in Budapest a little late due to yesterday’s delay but not by much. As we approach bridges can be seen in the distance the first a modern suspension bridge outside the city limits then the first of the older bridges starting with the mustard coloured arches of the Margaret Bridge, that connects both sides of the river and Margaret island, resulting in an on and off lane in the middle of the bridge. Completed in 1876 it was blown up by the retreating Germans in 1945 but now stands restored using as much of the original steel pulled from the river as possible.
Behind the bridge looms the enormous parliament building as ornate as a cathedral, and almost as large as the British Houses of Parliament. The resemblance in style is striking so it is no surprise to find that the British building was an inspiration for the Hungarian one built much later.
On our right the Royal Palace & National Gallery dwarfs ornate buildings lining the boulevard along the river.
The Spires of Mathias church along with others punctuate the skyline.
An ornate building on our left catches my eye, I later discover that this is our hotel for the four nights we are here.
Three more points of interest appear one that dominates the skyline standing high on Buda’s highest point the Liberty Statue. Standing 40meters high including pedestal a female figure holds a plan leaf to the sky a symbol of peace. The statue was originally erected to commentate Hungary’s liberation by Soviet forces in 1945, but the inscription was changed after the communists finally left in 1989 to commentate the Hungarians that lost their lives in search of independence.
The next is a statue of a monk, St Gerhard erected in1904. The monument stands on the spot where the bishop died as a martyr in 1046, he was nailed into a wine barrel and rolled into the Danube, by pagan invaders.
Then the Chapel in the rock appears to our right where allegedly a hermit lived using the natural muddy thermal waters to heal the sick, later the site becomes a church. After this amazing introduction to Budapest we dock and prepare for our tour, the tour takes us up to a Matthias church again high on a hill. Spectacular views of Budapest and the Danube. can be had from the towers and parapets that surround the church. The church itself with it’s intricately patterned porcelain tiled roof looks as if it was recently cleaned the almost snowy white stone a contrast to the colourful roof. Inside, wow! walls ceilings columns etc, all intricately hand painted beyond belief.
Again we have a little free time, but just a few minutes then we are back on the bus for the remainder of the city tour. The Hungarians have spent a lot of time, money and energy revitalising their city, the amazing buildings gradually being restored to once former glory. Evidence of the cities harsh treatment since World War Two are everywhere. Our guide gives us some personal stories, she was born in the communist era and has seen the wonderful changes that have come to the city since 1989. She tells us about buying a car under communist rule, you place your order for the one model available, pay your money, you are unable to choose a colour, then you wait, maybe for up to ten years. Also when the telephone service was restored they had to share a line with a neighbour, only one line per two families. We can see that once the buildings are all restored to former glory this will be once again a great place to live, for now, wages are lower than the European average, that us leading to some skill drain, but there is no unemployment, and cost of living is reasonably low and no inflation.
Back on the ship we have the afternoon to pack, Amanda is not feeling to good, her reduced immune system after her minor cold in England seems to have allowed a ship board bug back into her system, a number of passengers have unfortunately fallen foul of this. Thus we decide to take our dinner in our room tonight. As we are enjoying our meal and glass of wine, the ship leaves our mooring to move back upstream, this allows us a spectacular view of Budapest by night as we float along on our own dinner cruise, under the many bridges to our new mooring.
This is our last night aboard the River Duchess, the end of an amazing journey from west to east, giving us plenty of memories to take home.
