Budapest, Day 2

We checked out of the hotel and transferred to the Viking Idun.  As we were standing in front of the hotel we realized that a second Viking ship had berthed outboard of us.  That meant when we got to our cabin, all we could see was the cabin next to us.  We were so looking forward to being able to watch the traffic on the Danube and see the monuments.

So we had to set out from the ship to get a look at things from the Pest side.  First we posed with the ship. 


Then Scott checked out the Idun and its sister ship Erath. 


VRC ships are named for Viking gods and goddesses.  Idun is the goddess of rejuvenation, youth and health.  Scott's been fighting off a cold, so we are hopeful Idun will help.

Since the ship is moored right next to the Chain Bridge, we had to venture out onto the bridge to get a closer look at the river and the surroundings.  The warmer than usual weather of Friday had been replaced by a chill northerly wind, so we did not spend too much time on the bridge.

Buda Castle from the Chain Bridge

We ventured into Pest, towards Andrassy Street and the Opera House (determined to get those pictures we missed on Thurs).  On the way, Scott found another statue.





Here's the Opera House. The statues on the roof line are of famous composers, and in front of the building is a statue of Hungary's own Franz Liszt.

We went into the lobby and got a few shots.... imagine this level of gilt, marble and elegance and you get an idea what the interior concert hall looks like.

On the way back, I got a couple of shots of St Stephan's Cathedral, the largest church in the city.  It can seat 8,500 people, and the dome is 96 meters tall -- the same size as the top of the Parliament building. 









After the walk, I tried to get some shots of the castle -- when I went to the sky deck, I discovered it had begun to rain.  The first shot I took, I'd forgotten to turn off the flash, so I ended up with water spots in the photo.  It turned out to be an interesting effect.





More to come...

We sail tomorrow after breakfast.  With satellite internet, loading pictures is slow... I'm giving up for tonight.