EUROPE: Budapest, Viking and Beyond!

About a year ago, we started planning a Riverboat cruise along some of the beautiful rivers in Europe. After researching the possibilities, we chose to take the 15 day, Grand European Tour offered by Viking River Cruises. The cruise began in Budapest, Hungary, on May 17th and concluded in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on May 31st. We decided to fly across the pond a week early in order to explore Budapest while recovering from our seven hour jet lag.

Petnehazy Club was our home for seven nights, beginning Saturday, May 10. Located on the Buda side of the city, we rented a small one bedroom cabin, complete with living room, kitchen, bath and a walk-in sauna.

Buda is on the hilly west side of the Danube River while flat Pest, which makes up 2/3 of the city, is on the east bank.

Hungary's Parliament is the country's largest building and has become a symbol of Budapest. This Neo-Gothic masterpiece was built between 1885 and 1902 and comprises 691 rooms.

Located on the Pest side, the magnificent dome, marks the central point of the building. Tour tickets for the inside are required and are only available when the parliament is not in session.

Because we had a week in Budapest, we were able to arrange for tickets. The Main Staircase features ceiling frescoes and sculptures. Pictures in the dome, where the crown jewels are kept, are not permitted.

The Parliament Building hosts the sessions of the deputy council chamber. It is also the location of Hungary's most important government offices, including those of the Prime Minister.

Almost every corner of the Parliament Building features gables with pinnacles based on Gothic sculptures.

We rented a car, however, driving, navigating and parking within the city was difficult. For 4500 Forints or about $20 each, we purchased seven day unlimited public transportation passes, allowing access to all subway, trams, buses and trains.

The Habsburg Royal Palace
Now home to the Hungarian National Gallery

The St. Stephen Basilica, built in 1851, is dedicated to the first Hungarian Christian king, Istvan, and is home to his mummified Holy Right Hand. This building is the second tallest structure in Budapest.

Through shear luck, we arrived just minutes before an organ concert. With barely a thought we quickly purchased tickets and took a seat. The organ and cello concert featured Bach, Mozart, Albinoni, Rachmaninoff and others.

The organ and acoustics were magnificent. This turned out to be a very memorable highlight of our time in Budapest. The dome reaching 315 feet is visible from all over Budapest.

The Fishermen's Bastion is an 1895 monument to the guild of fishermen. The Bastion is purely aesthetic and located in an area called Castle Hill. We accessed this via cog rail.

Matyas Church
Roof with multicolored glazed tiles.

The church is on Castle hill along with the Royal Palace and Fishermen's Bastion. The tomb of King Bela III and his wife Anne De Chatillon are housed here.

We decided to have an afternoon coffee at the Gellert Hotel, one of the oldest and few remaining original coffee houses in Budapest. This hotel features hot spring baths and pools.

Tejeskave and pastries at the Gellert

Heroes' Square featuring the Millennium Monument is a relic of a proud era in Hungary's history.

Vajdahunyad Castle was built in 1896 for the Millennium Celebrations. It is a fairytale like building complex reflecting various architectural styles.

The entire complex reflects more than 20 of Hungary's most renowned buildings. The medieval period is considered to be the most glorious time in Hungary's history.

Jak Church is a reproduction of a Benedictine Church dating from 1214 in the area of Jak, near the border with Austria.

We had a couple of hours in the afternoon to take a spin through the Budapest Zoo. It was established in 1866.

The three level Great Market Hall, known officially as the Central Market Hall, is the largest of all the markets in Budapest. We enjoyed walking around on a couple of different days.

There are more than 180 stalls displaying a huge variety of fruit, vegetables, meat, cheese, baked goods and souvenirs. The entire top floor is dedicated to restaurants, clothes and hand made jewelry and ornaments.

Meat and Poultry, such as Chicken and Goose on display at the Market.

We took the train north to Aquincum Museum and Archaeological Park. We spent a day learning about the Roman History that predates Budapest. Ancient Roman artifacts can be found under much of Budapest.

The remains of the Roman town of Aquincum were excavated at the end of the 19th century. We strolled along its streets viewing the outlines of temples, shops, baths and houses. We also toured an extensive indoor museum of artifacts.

Dohany Street Synagogue, the largest in Europe, was built between 1855 and 1859. Situated at what were the gates of the old Jewish Quarter, it was part of the Budapest Ghetto during WWII.

Inside of Dohany Street Synagogue

We found this statue of Ronald Reagan near the US Embassy

Since our Riverboat, Skadi, remained docked in Budapest the first
night, we took an evening walk around downtown.