Budapest - Day 10 Saturday February 17

Welcome to a morning of scenic cruising! Past Slovakia, and about 25 miles north of Budapest, the Danube abandons its eastward course and turns abruptly south, cutting through the Börzsöny and Visegrád hills. We traveled along what is said to be the most scenically varied part of Hungary. I have to admit that I did not take many photos.

We enjoyed lunch in the Al Fresco dining venue. Charlie had a parma pizza and I had a baguette sandwich with salad and fries and a very delicious Eszterhazy cake.

Welcome to our final river cruise port, Budapest, the capital city of Hungary. Budapest was “born” in 1873, when three formerly separate towns, Buda, Pest, and Obuda were unified. Fun facts: Budapest has the oldest metro system in continental Europe, the second largest Synagogue in the world, and the third largest Parliament building in the world.

Here are some photos from our entry to this beautiful capital.

We left at 2 PM for a three hour rainy tour of Budapest. Our excursion took us to the Buda side of the Danube, where we visited the Buda Castle complex.

We had a climb to the National Palace. The Royal Palace is now home to multiple museums.

The Matthias statue decorates the western forecourt of the palace, and displays among other things, four hunters led by King Matthias, hunting hounds, and a killed deer.

Of course, there is a plague column.

Here is Matthias Church. It was named in honor of a good king, who was not a particularly good religious role model. The church has an amazing roof. On our last visit, we went inside and it is stunning. Sadly, we did not get inside today.

The seven stone towers of Fisherman’s Bastion honor the leaders of the seven tribes that united to form Hungary in 895.

The bastion affords some great views of the city.

During our free time, we walked through the castle complex, admiring the architecture and history.

Back to the ship at 5, and at 5:30, AMAMagna repositioned to a berth on Margaret Island to allow for an easier disembarkation tomorrow. This afforded us a magnificent evening sail, as viewed from our balcony.

We were treated to a spirited Hungarian Folklore Show for our evening entertainment.

This is our last dinner onboard AMAMagna and we ate at the Chef's Table, which offers a fixed menu. We had an heirloom and ricotta welcome, followed by King Prawn Ceviche, Coconut and Curry Soup, Pan Fried Halibut, Cassis Sorbet, Argentinian Beef Sirloin, and a dessert medley.

It was a quiet evening as some folks are disembarking as early as 3:30 AM, and we needed to pack. Because we are staying in Budapest, we do not need to have our luggage out until 8:45 AM and we will leave the ship at 9:30 AM.

Photos are tagged Magna and Budapest_2024