December 1: Sailing & Budapest Return

We were still sailing in the morning. Breakfast was from 7:30 to 9:30 am, and then at 9:45 am there was a required disembarkation talk. They explained that you do not put your luggage out until the morning, that the suggested crew gratuities were 10 to 12 Euros per person per day (and that you could charge them to your room and use your credit card or onboard credit if you wished), and that everyone needed to pick up their passports, which had been collected at the beginning of the cruise.

At 10:30 am they had a Stollen pastry demonstration and tasting, and then lunch was from 12:30 to 2 pm. They served lunch in the dining room each day, both buffet and a la carte options, and they also offered a fixed menu in the Riverview Café every day.

Around 2:30 pm we arrived in Budapest and got off the ship about 15 minutes later. Sister Cindy, Alyx, and I took Jane (one of our group) to the Central Market Hall, and then we walked through the streets. We stopped briefly at the Matild Palace and the Parisi Udvar, two very beautiful and very old hotels. Then we continued on to St. Stephen’s Cathedral (yes, the same name as the big one in Vienna).

So many learnings from this, so I’ll share them. First, if you just want to walk into the church, you can get a church hall pass. If you want to see the Treasury and the view from the Panorama outdoor viewing area, you can purchase a pass for those two things. If you want to do all three, you need the all-in-one pass. After purchasing the tickets for the two areas, we then found out we had to purchase separate tickets to get into the church itself.

Our timing was perfect. They were in the middle of an organ concert that also included brass instruments. It was not an additional cost, just one of the concerts they frequently have.

After we explored the church, we went up. More learnings. From the entry level, you take an elevator up to another higher level. There are signs there that say the stairs to the top are on the left, or that you can take another elevator on the right. We missed the sign for the elevator and ended up walking up the narrow winding steps. When we reached the top, we came out into the dome. We were literally inside the dome structure. There had been an original dome that was not large enough, so they built a second, larger dome over it. We were standing in the space between the two domes, with the first dome below us and the newer dome above us. We could hear the organ music from the church below as we walked through.

We went out onto the outside walkway and the views were amazing. The castle and Parliament were lit up at night, the Christmas markets were glowing below, and it was all just beautiful.

When we were ready to leave, we took the elevator back down to the upper level. We used the restroom and then talked about whether to walk down the stairs or take the elevator. We chose the elevator, but once inside we realized there was no button for the Treasury. So we ended up going all the way back to the ground floor and asking, and they told us the Treasury was only accessible from the stairs. She said it was about 100 steps. Evidently it was 117 stairs (Sister Cindy counted). When we looked up, we realized we were almost back at the same level where we had taken the elevator down in the first place. Argh.

The Treasury was interesting, but it is only three rooms with some of the robes and a few jeweled pieces. Not sure it was worth the climb or the additional cost.

Back outside, we walked through the stalls in the market in front of the church. A countdown clock was projected onto the cathedral, and when it reached zero a light projection show began. It told a story of a couple falling in love and getting married. We tried some potato gratin, Alyx had stuffed cabbage, and Sister Cindy tried a potato pancake but did not like it. We also got hot chocolate, hot mulled wine, and hot apple drinks before starting to leave the market.

On the way out, we passed a pizza shop. Sister Cindy bought a slice and was in heaven. On her first bite the pizza was too hot and she yelled, which scared a little boy standing right next to her. But she said it was probably one of the best slices of pizza she had ever had.

There was a particular candy they both wanted, very long licorice, so we walked back to the market near the Kempinski. Right next to it Sister Cindy spotted another pizza place and went in to order an entire cheese pizza. While she waited, Alyx and I walked to the metro station next door to figure out how to get back to the ship by metro. She bought three one ride tickets, and then the three of us went down to the station, with Sister Cindy carrying her large pizza box.

When we reached the metro entrance, there were machines where it looked like you were supposed to insert your ticket. Alyx put hers in and a red light came on, so she tried again. Then she walked over to the attendants who scan tickets. I put mine in, saw it get stamped, got scanned, and walked through, as did Sister Cindy. The attendants stopped Alyx because her ticket now had two stamps, which made it look like she had already used it. (They did not say anything to Sister Cindy, even though hers also had two.) Alyx had to go back upstairs, buy another ticket for about $1.25, and then come through again. We missed a couple of trains in the process, but the next one arrived quickly. We rode two stops, got off near the Central Market Hall, and walked back from there.

It was very cold outside, so Sister Cindy kept trying to wrap her scarf around her face to block the wind. If you know her, you can imagine the series of photos and videos Alyx managed to get. And then of course there was the sight of Cindy carrying the giant pizza box all the way back, sometimes balancing it on her head, which entertained several people along the way.

We had missed dinner but made it back in time for dessert. We went straight downstairs, grabbed some cold pizza and chocolate mousse, and joined the last group still finishing their sweets.

We said good-bye to Cindy S and Garry, whose flight was at 6:30 am, so they had a 3:30 am transfer to the airport. Robert and Melinda were staying in Budapest for one more night before heading home. The rest of us would be off to Prague in the morning!