Sleep7

By the time we got back to the hotel we were pooped and hungry (and in the mood for pizza after 2 days of meat goulash) so we asked the Viking reps for a suggestion. They gave us a winner! Right across the street from the hotel was "Ristorante Gelateria Mercato Balaton" an upscale Italian restaurant that had GREAT pizza, eggplant parm and a deconstructed Caesar salad that was outstanding.

On our way back to the hotel we passed the zoo and the famous Gundels.. both in the city park near the baths. I love zoos but we just didn't have time and it was raining. I used the one dry towel as a shawl.. made quite a fashion statement.😁 If you don't want to walk you can of course take a taxi or download the Bolt app which is like Uber.

The weather was chilly and had started to rain, but soaking in the greenish and steamy waters with hundreds of strangers just warmed you from the inside out and was truly delightful!

Our afternoon's activity was the highlight of Budapest for me.. the outdoor Szechenyi Baths. It was about an hour's walk straight down the main boulevard Andrássy út to the city park where the baths are located. We brought towels from the hotel (shhh.. returned them of course) and wore our bathing suits under our clothes. We rented a "cabin" where we could change and lock our stuff up with a waterproof electronic key that you wore on your wrist like a watch. Everyone who worked there was super helpful as we were a bit like lost little sheep.

🥰Good morning Patti! I always thought your name was Ann.😊 Smiling as I read your sweet sweet compliments.. I'm truly touched. Thank you taking the time to post.. have a wonderful weekend. Cheers to happy hours and happier news.🍹

😊Hi MikeyB! I thought of you when we were there! I know you had said you were going on a similar cruise this year.. I thought it was the fall though.. didn't realize it was May. What did you think? I loved it. I loved Belgrade and Bucharest the most.. so interesting. We just landed at around 5pm yesterday and I'm soooooo pooped. The connecting flights home from Bucharest felt like FOREVER. I wasn't at TJ's in Plainview but did drag myself out to Shoprite in Commack this afternoon.😁 Thanks for your sweet words.. I will continue writing tomorrow. Hope it brings back fun memories. Have a great night!

For lunch we shared a Hungarian tasting menu entree at the cafeteria upstairs in the front of the Market Hall. I'm not a fan of standing and eating and it was one of the few food outlets there with plenty of seating.

Upstairs we toasted with a glass of Tokay (Tokaji?) sweet wine.. very sweet indeed.

The Great Market Hall built in 1897 is an impressive mix of souvenirs, groceries and prepared food. There is lots to see and do and eat.. bought some paprika as gifts.🎁

👋Hello all my Viking Ocean pals!! We are just back from a Viking "Passage to Eastern Europe" river cruise and I am writing all about it if you are interested. The Danube was low but the good times were high!😊

Hi kkelley! I fancy myself as a hairdryer expert and I have to say that the Viking Ocean hairdryer in the stateroom is awesome! I also use a Dyson at home and once brought it to Europe (because I couldn't bear the thought of using anything else) but it didn't turn on with their current. Since it didn't work I used the hairdryer in the cabin and it was fantastic.. so fantastic that I badgered them to let me buy one! So now I bring that to Europe when we go away. You can leave your Dyson at home and all will be well. 😊

The tour ended back at the hotel and we walked over to the huge and impressive Great Market Hall by the Elizabeth Bridge for lunch.

The mostly bus tour was very relaxing and gave a lovely overview of the city. Heroes Square.

We met in the lobby at 8:45 for the included "Panoramic Budapest" tour. The tour was conducted almost entirely on the Pest side of the city. As explained by our guide.. it seems the mayor is very "green" and has severely limited the number of tour buses on the Buda side. It actually worked out quite well for us since we had been in Budapest 2 years ago and had been on a tour that concentrated mostly on the Buda side of the city. For us it was "best to see Pest" and that's just what we did.👍 We drove past the Semmelweis Medical History Museum. Sam recognized the name as the father of "wash your hands before you treat patients" medicine. From Wikipedia: Ignaz Semmelweis, a 19th-century Hungarian Jewish doctor who was known as the pioneer of hand-washing. He discovered the wonders of the now-basic hygienic practice as a way to stop the spread of infection in 1847, during an experiment in a Vienna hospital's maternity ward.

😋 Breakfast at the hotel was dizzying and delicious! So many choices.. even a Lebanese station.

TUESDAY - OCTOBER 24.. Good morning Budapest! A beautiful Danube view from our room.

🇭🇺 October 23 is "Hungarian Republic Day" and the Chain Bridge was festively lit up to celebrate the holiday. 🇭🇺 And so day one of our "Passage to Eastern Europe" has just passed us by... it was perfect.❤️

Walked along the Danube and passed the "Little Princess" statue that was created by Laszlo Marton in 1972.. kind of looks more like a little prince?🤷‍♀️

The area around the hotel was bustling!

Best dessert ever was this "Chimney cone" filled with nutella, frozen custard and topped with chocolate sauce and a Snickers bar.

Showered the overnight plane grime off of us and headed out for an early dinner at "Carmel." A kosher restaurant in the Jewish section right near the Dohany Synagogue. We don't keep Kosher at home but we always like to try a local Kosher restaurant when we are away. The meal was fantastic.. I highly recommend! The food, the service, the wine and the warm hospitality was one of the best we have ever had on vacation. Started with a cup of goulash and we then shared a HUGE mixed plate for 2 and had tons of leftovers. We were going to bring it back for lunch the next day but saw a homeless person on our way back to the hotel and gave it to them instead. It's always nice to do a mitzvah. which means a good deed in Hebrew.

Easiest hotel room number to remember ever.. Any Karen Valentine fans?🤩

We were given a printed schedule for the next two days including restaurant recommendations.

The Viking Welcome Desk was set up and there were plenty of people there to answer questions.

We were quickly whisked away by minibus to the Intercontinental. A beautiful hotel with a great location.. right in the middle of everything.