Budapest

BUDAPEST
 
Kempinski Hotel Corvinus, Erzebet ter 7-8, 1051 Budapest, Hungary
Tel # 36 1 429 3777

WHAT TO EXPECT - Tauck Itinerary


Breakfast
- Travel 240 miles and nine hours through the scenicTatra Mountains, 

Lunch
- We had lunch on Koliba u sv, Kristofa, Banská Bystrica in central Slovakia located on the Hron River in a long and wide valley encircled by the mountain chains of the Low Tatras, the Veľká Fatra, and the Kremnica Mountains. With 76,000 inhabitants, Banská Bystrica is a popular winter and summer tourist destination.

- Around 4:30 PM arrive Budapest at hotelKEMPINSKI CORVINUS

Dinner
- At 6:30 PM, join a cruise on the Danube River

Budapest with the bank of river Danube views glowing building of the Hungarian Parliament, the beautiful cupola of the Castle of Buda, the Matthias Church and the magnificent bridges from the deck of the riverboat.

SECOND DAY 

Breakfast
- Pest city tour with visits Heroes Square at the City Park, the Opera House (along with a surprise live recital), and St. Stephen
Lunch
- Optional: Walk around the Jewish Quarter
 
The Jewish Quarter roughly follows the boundaries set by the Jewish Ghetto the Jews confined to in WWII.  Three huge Synagogues serve as the geographical & spiritual cornerstones of the neighborhood, including the second largest Synagogue in the world. Adding to the charm are late Art Nouveau & Neo-Classical homes, long arcades, and romantic courtyards.
 
Dinner
- Learn how to make Hungarian Kettle Goulash before dinner at Urban Betyar

THIRD DAY

Breakfast
- The bus passes Hungary's Parliament on its way to Buda. The bus stops a couple of blocks away on Castle Hill. Explore on our own to Matthias Church and Fisherman's Bastion.

 
- Option: Lecture and reception at the Imre Nagy Memorial House , a museum in the restored home of Hungarian Prime Minister Imre Nagy,
Dinner
- There is no planned dinner

 
WHAT WE DID

It was a nine hour bus ride from Krakow to Budapest. The terrain remained hilly from Krakow through most of Slovakia. We could see white tops on some of the distance mountains.

 
Lunch - Our time was broken only by a lunch stop prepared at Koliba u sv, Kristofa.

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We arrived at the Budapest Kempinski Corvinus Hotel around 4:30PM. It was the same hotel that Tauck provided to several of us in their 2015 Riverboat Tour (see below our Visit to the Past.) 

John, Debbie, and Abbie rode the tall Ferris wheel in front of the hotel. I assume. I wasn't there and this isn't my photo.


 
Dinner - After refreshing up in our rooms at KEMPINSKI, we drove to a riverboat on the Danube. It could have easily handled a hundred guests, but we had the whole thing to ourselves. It was dark when we arrived at 7PM and the boat wasted now time moving onto the water.
 
Overview of Danube River at Budapest


The crew had a simple and somewhat bland buffet prepared for us on the main floor. The top floor was open and as large as the main deck. It was convenient for us to position around to view and photo the brightly lit buildings on either side of the Danube's shore. The whole affair was about over by 9PM.
 

 
In the morning the bus rode us (3) to Heroes Square (2) for about an hour long walk-about. The Botanical Gardens also housed Budapest famous worldwide thermal baths, many a century old.It was a tourist attraction that Abbie wanted to see (from the outside). It was a no-good. It was viewable only for purchase inside the building. Maybe next time.


Our next destination was the Opera House. After touring the opulent building, we were treated by a surprise (a couple snippets below).

For lunch we went to Strudel House Elso Pesti Reteshaz
 
In the afternoon, we toured the Jewish Quarter.
 
Evening started with a lecture on how to make Hungarian Kettle Goulash. Neil distributed the recipe. We later found later that each of the countries we visited made a different version. Dinner was in the same restaurant.

John's Nightcap that evening at Szimpla Kert. I followed John, Debbie, Jim, Carolyne, Abbie, and Neil as they walked back to the college hangout with another 1000 partying students shoulder-to-shoulder.
 
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I did befriend about a half-dozen guys and gals as my new drinking buddies tried to setup my Pixel to photo flash.  

In the morning, Jaro drove over Margaret Bridge into Buda. After about a mile, we transferred from the bus onto six-bench cart that take us to Castle Hill. This transportation was an improvement. When I went to Buda in 2015, the bus dropped about four block away from Castle Hill and we had to walk. We walked over Fisherman Bastion and St. Matthias.


Unfortunately, Jeanne fell over a step in the church. She was sore but did not break anything.

Lunch was at the Alabardos (my best guess). After most of us went back to the Hotel. Carolyne and Heidi did the planned visit to Imre Nagy's house.
 
For dinner on our third evening, we were on our own. First, we treated Abbie for ice cream (Gelarto Rosa) shaped as a flower. Second, we found a nearby Italian street restaurant for a light supper.

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A Visit to the PAST
 
In 2015, we took the Tauck Riverboat tour on the Danube from Bucharest to Budapest.  Below show several of our best photos:
- The popular Chain Bridge from/to Pest/Buda. 
- The red umbrellas on Kempinski 
- Fisherman Bastion 
- Video segment including on our last night and reception in Hungarian Academy Budapest. 

The Chain Bridge has great pedestrian walks alongside the automobile lanes. On the Buda side the Funicular to the Castle District. Unfortunately, the bridge closed until June 16, 2021, and officials offer no time to completion.
 
My photo of Chain Bridge in 2015 from Pest toward Buda
 
Sharyn and Barbara at Fisherman's Bastion


Here is a video segment from our 2015 visit to Budapest

 


 REMEMBERING THE TOUR


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