European Trip Day 24 Visegrad and Szentendre

Visegrad and Szentendre

It was a very sad morning having to say goodbye to all our new friends on board the MS Oscar Wilde. Riviera have excelled themselves in creating such a harmonious atmosphere that everyone felt cosseted and got along together so well. There was not one time on the whole trip that we had to wait for any stragglers for the bus, train or boat. Everyone was on time and knew where they had to meet and when. It made for a pleasant time for all.

Our wonderful tour director Leslie and his off-sider Eden waved all the people staying for the extension tour of Budapest off on the coach with our new tour manager David. David is a tall, tattoed bald Hungarian man who looked like a bouncer for a nightclub, but actually was very soft-hearted and kind and with a great sence of humour. He looked after us so well for the rest of our stay in Budapest, even staying at the K&K Opera hotel with us and not leaving until the last os our group were delivered safely to the airport and checked in.

Ont the way there we drove past the Aquincum where there are extensive excavations of Roman ruins. It looked like a place to come back for closer inspection, but alas there was no time to stop here.

Instead, off we went on a tour out of town up to the mountains. Hungary is mostly a flat plain, but around Visegrad the Danube cuts through some mountains in what they term "the Hungarian Grand Canyon". Well, not quite, but there was a very lovely castle at the top of the mountain offering splendid views over the cutting and this is the only place where the Danube did indeed look blue.

There was a fairly steep climb up some steps to the first viewing point. Susan made it up these with John's help but decided not to go all the way to the top of the castle. Barb couldn't resist! Up she went with the rest of the crowd and it was great to go around the various displays up there including a good wax museum and armoury. Unfortuneately she fell behind the Riviera tour group and accidently followed another tour group half way down the wrong side of the mountain. Realising her mistake, she then had to retrace her steps up to the top again and come down the way she went up. By the time she got back to John and Susan who were sipping cool drinks on a shaded verandah she was hot and sweaty and had a pulse rate of 130! But....at least she didn't hold up the bus.

She recovered somewhat on our way to lunch, where we stopped for a traditional Hungarian buffet lunch near the river. There were Gypsy violinists here too, but they weren't very good and John was disgusted when they started playing Eidelweisse and show tunes.

After lunch we were taken to the lovely village of Szentendre. We first went to see the marzipan shop where there is an amazing display of all things made of marzipan. Some were even life size models in sugar.

We had time to wander round doing some shopping and admiring the quaint prettiness of the village which was strung with bunting made of lampshades.

We were too tired to go out to dinner with the rest of the crowd tonight. We were not alone. About a dozen of us opted out and ate at the hotel instead and then collapsed in our rooms for an early night.