Budapest, Hungary

Hello, Budapest!

Our driver, a Tunisian named Sami, got us to the airport in plenty of time for our short (45 minutes) flight to Budapest. He was an interesting character who does a lot of business driving tourists from the Arabian Gulf countries. We figured he was probably used to big tippers, but he wasn't going to score big with us. He insisted he couldn't take a credit card (even though the hotel had told us he would), so we think he just wanted the cash, probably to pocket it for himself.

Once again, Travel Assistance came to our aid, and we were soon seated on a small but comfortable Embrayer. The flight was quick and uneventful. Upon our arrival in Budapest, Travel Services took over, taking us to baggage claim and then delivering us to our Viking transportation for our first Viking accommodation, the Corinthia Hotel.

The 5-star Corinthia was quite posh with a gorgeous indoor swimming pool Which we did not get to use because Viking had said access to the pool was not included, and we didn't pack bathing suits. This was just the first of our disappointments with Viking.

For our first dinner in Budapest, we walked to a 

Hungarian bistro called Ket Szerecsen. It was surprising how easily we fell back into our old independent traveler habits. The food was great, starting with Hungarian goulash and followed by  a Frank favorite, Osso Bucco served with polenta. 

The next day, we took our first included Viking excursion, and it was a good one with a terrific guide named Sylvia. We toured Castle Hill on the Buda side of the city, taking in the famous square (below) and the marvelous views across the river.

We also visited Matthias Church, one of the most important in Hungary. Franz Joseph and Sisi were crowned here.

That night we ate in a cute little place called the Incognito Bar on a wonderful pedestrian restaurant street. (These are the kinds of places you only discover on your own.)

Then, we headed to the lovely Budapest Operetta theater to see a musical version of "The Count of Monte Cristo." Anne had found it online, and after struggling with the Hungarian website managed to buy tickets. It was well worth the effort with an impressive stage set and lots of flashy dance numbers. They even had English captions! 

More pics: