Budapest Hungary
May 23 2024
Today the ship was docked in Budapest and did not move. As we had the day off from touring this gave us the opportunity to sleep in. After breakfast and with no tours scheduled we decided to take the tram up to the Budapest parliament buildings. The tram in right out opposite where the ship is docked to jumping on the tram was dead easy. Being over 65 it was free. It was about 4 stops up to the parliament buildings so we were there in no time flat.
Once you get up close to the parliament buildings you really understand how huge they are. As we walked around them we came to the visitors center. Inside you can purchase a guided tour. The first English tour wasn't until 1:30 or about 3.5 hours later. So we skipped the tour and continues our walk around the buildings. On the one side is the huge statue of King Steven I, who was the first king of Hungary. Basically the story goes is he was a rich land owner and he went to the pope and said can I be the king of Hungary. Pope said yes and so he became the first king of Hungary. He probably had to hand over some money to the church but that was ok as he was now the king.
Agnes and I wandered back down the ship following a pedestrian street which was just one block off the river to the ship. Fortunately we arrived back at the ship in time for lunch.
After lunch Agnes and I decided we would take the tram down to the Budapest Grand Market. Taking the tram made the 1.8 kms journey very easy. In the Grand market there are literally hundreds of shops selling just about everything from purses to pig's feet. The fresh produce looked really good with all kinds of fresh vegetables and fresh fruit. The cherries and blueberries looked especially tempting. We caught the tram just around the corner from the market and were back to the ship in no time flat.
Terry
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