Day 10 (7) -- Arrival in Budapest

We were alerted the evening before that our arrival into Budapest would occur early the next day. As it turned out, we first saw the city around 7:00 a.m. Although the day was overcast and chilly, it was still a great sight to see the impressive buildings as we passed under Danube bridges connecting Buda, on the hilly, west side and Pest, with its flatter geography on the east side.

The Hungarian Parliament Building

The National Art Gallery with the Chain Bridge

Breakfast on board, then out for the buses as we toured the city. First stop, a view of the city from one of a park, with a former castle called the Citadel.

The view from Citadel Lookout--notice the great parking spot for our cruise ship

From there we were taken to the top of the Buda side and dropped off near Matthias Church and Fisherman's Bastion. We concluded the tour on foot and then were on our own.

Matthias Church's roots go back to the 10th century, with the current building begun in the late 1200's. Begun as a Roman Catholic parish, it was captured by the Turks in 1541, and turned into a mosque. Retaken 150 years later and changed back to Catholic, there are still viewable Muslim images in the interior. In the 19th century, King Matthias had the church restored, and it was then named in his honor.

A view of Matthias Church's altar along with a tour guide and group

Right outside the main entrance is the Fisherman's Bastion, a viewing terrace constructed in the 1890's as part of the city's 400th anniversary in 1896. It was modeled on early castle walls in the area, said to be originally guarded by local fishermen, hence the name. There is a fee to walk along the tower walls.

A Statue of St. Stephen alongside Fisherman's Bastion

Welcome Sign

We ate a spot of lunch at a nearby cafe, then returned back to the ship for an afternoon rest before heading out to one of the nearby Christmas Markets.

With our central location, it was a quick walk to Vörösmarty Tér, a square in the downtown area, for our first Budapest market. It was along the main walking street to the Grand Market. Just off the main street is the first McDonald's restaurant behind the Iron Curtain.

The Vörömarty Tér Christmas Market (Gluhwein available !)

Walking the Main Street to the Grand Market

That evening after dinner, we walked in the vicinity of the ship for a couple of night-time photos of the city.

The Chain Bridge in early evening

Matthias Church and Fisherman's Bastion viewed from across the Danube

Last night on the ship!