Photos of Budapest, Hungary

This is the beginning of our Danube Cruise aboard the MS Artistry that sailed from Budapest to Nuremberg ending in Prague in the Czech Republic. To follow the trip in order click on the

icon at the bottom of each page. To visit the ship and see the many amenities offered before sailing visit my MS Artistry Tour

After a six hour layover at the Paris Airport, we arrived in Budapest where we were met by Artistry Staff and transported to the Hotel Sofitel where we settled in for the next three days. The hotel is adjacent to the Chain Bridge in a picturesque neighborhood made for strolling. It wasn't quite dusk but the sun was getting low and people were starting to fill the many outdoor cafes. Dick and I walked along the river taking in the sights occasionally stopping to look at the Cafe menus. I wanted traditional foods like goulash, chicken paprikash or stuffed cabbage. I didn't have to look far because some variation of cabbage, pork and potatoes or noodles was on every menu.

The cafe at the end of the block featured a trio of strolling violinists. This place was packed full with folks lined up waiting to be seated. We weren't terribly hungry, but knew we ought to have something to help get accustomed to our new time zone. We settled into a shady spot at the cafe next to the strolling violinists. The strains of Mozart and Liszt blending with Gypsy violins embraced us as we dined in this thousand year old city. The evening sky turned velvety purple as the sun set and lights bathed the Palaces, Cathedrals and Bastions across the Danube in a soft golden hue. We lingered over wine on this balmy summer's eve knowing that we were someplace very special. After a long day of travel we were thoroughly relaxed and easily slipped into the arms of Morpheus.

We both agreed that the Hotel Sofitel has some of the most comfortable beds we ever came across in our travels. However, there is a trend in many hotels to use a luxurious comforter and forego a top sheet. This system is way too hot for Dick and I and we immediately had housekeeping redo the beds with top sheets and a light blanket on each. We awoke surprisingly refreshed the next morning ready for our orientation tour of Budapest.

The square is flanked by museums on either side. A Miro exhibit was featured at one and a Picasso exhibit was on display at the other. I was taking notes for all the possibilities available to us during our free time in the city.

Our tour continued down beautiful tree lined Andrassy Boulevard past the Opera House and the Terror House Museum making this a street of many contrasts.

We roamed around the Church and Bastion where every nook and cranny begged to be explored. The intricate details of the Church's many spires and colorful tiled roof to the staircases, cloisters and turrets of the Bastion invited closer inspection. The views of Budapest from this high point looking across the Danube and its bridges toward the Parliament Building are wonderful.

This concluded our formal overview of the city and the rest of our time was on our own to revisit these areas at our leisure or to venture out into other directions to discover what other wonders Budapest has to offer. The Galleries below offer varied views of the many colorful sites throughout the city that we visited during our free time.

If you would like to follow our Danube Cruise Itinerary on the MS Artistry in order, click on the Ship Icon. It will whisk you from port to port and you will not miss a moment of the adventure.

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