Your Next Journey: Cruising the Danube, part 1

This guest post is by Dave Tindell.

    USA to Europe -- Friday-Saturday, October 19-20, 2012

     There was a time when Americans knew Eastern Europe only through spy movies. It was a cold and austere place, locked behind the Iron Curtain and ruled by the secret police. All that changed more than twenty years ago, and today it is a land of architectural and scenic wonders, rich history and friendly people eager to welcome Americans. So it was that Sue and I were in a mood of great expectation when we set out on our latest journey, to cruise the Danube River. Since our journey on the Rhine in 2006 we had talked about the Danube, and we would not be disappointed.
      Once again we would be joined by my parents, Jim and Sandra Tindell, who flew from Phoenix and met us in Detroit for the long flight across the Atlantic. This would be our fourth trip to Europe together and by now we were seasoned travelers: we were ready for the flight with plenty of books and magazines, neck pillows and comfortable clothes. As usual I availed myself of the plane's movie channel; viewing The Avengers on the tiny viewer was not like the big flat-screen back home would've presented it, but it helped pass the time.
       European travel requires some advance preparation. Although most Europeans speak at least some English, it helps to know one of their languages, so I'd been brushing up on my German. If you take your smart phone along, you can get apps that provide you with common phrases in several languages---but make sure your phone service provider has an international package for you, otherwise your calls home will be either impossible or very expensive. Notify your credit card companies that you'll be making purchases over there, and get some euros in advance. My parents had ordered theirs from their bank, but Sue and I exchanged some dollars for euros at the Minneapolis airport. The current rate of exchange is about $1.30 US for 1 euro, not too terribly favorable for us Yanks, but it would have to do.
       It was Saturday morning in Europe when we arrived at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, the fourth busiest airport on the continent with some 50 million travelers passing through every year. The Dutch know what they're doing, so we passed through customs quickly and made it to our Budapest flight gate in plenty of time. We arrived in the capital of Hungary in mid-afternoon. Sue had arranged for our first night's lodgings well in advance, so a car from the Budapest Boutique Zara was waiting for us. Check-in went smoothly and after settling in, Sue and I went for a stroll before dinner in the hotel restaurant. We'd recommend this nice hotel if you visit this beautiful city; it's reasonable, comfy and close to the city's shopping district and the Danube. We turned in early and about 11 hours later, we were refreshed and ready for our first full day in Europe.

Sue checks out Fovam Square near our hotel in Budapest, shortly after arrival.

Budapest, Hungary -- Sunday-Monday, October 21-22

The weather was near-perfect as we rose on my birthday and had breakfast. We would be boarding our ship, the River Beatrice, in early afternoon. Some of the stores were closed on this Sunday, but we would not be sailing till Monday evening, so there was plenty of time for shopping. Just across from Fovam Square, near our hotel, the Central Market Hall had already lured is in the day before. It is a huge two-story structure, built in 1896.

Main floor of Budapest's Central Market Hall.

On the second floor, Hungarian crafts and souvenirs, plus restaurants.

Just off the square is one of Budapest's most famous shopping districts, the Vaci utca.
About three blocks long, it's an open-air pedestrian mall, Euro-style, with boutiques and restaurants. Very classy, very European, and more than a little pricey. But it was nice to browse through it.

Dave on Vaci utca, Budapest's upscale shopping district.

Our river cruiser was docked only a couple blocks from the hotel, so just before lunchtime we checked out and trundled our luggage over the cobblestone streets to the River Beatrice. We would be sailing on Uniworld for this cruise. Founded in 1976 and based in the US, Uniworld has been ranked as one of the world's top small cruise lines and sails its fleet primarily in Europe and Russia, but also in China. Our ship was launched in 2009 and carries 160 passengers. Today it was docked next to a German ship and I was able to test my language abilities right away, conversing with some of its passengers across the narrow gap separating the two vessels and their sun decks.

Jim, Sandra and Sue enjoying the sun deck after coming aboard.

River Beatrice, our home for a week on the Danube.

One of Uniworld's amenities is providing bicycles for their guests, so Sue and I availed ourselves of a pair to take a tour of Budapest. Dating back to the original Celtic settlement in antiquity, it was a Roman outpost and over the centuries grew into one of Europe's most beautiful cities. Originally it was two cities: Pest, on the east bank of the Danube, and Buda, on the hilly west bank. The cities officially combined in 1873, and for many years Budapest was one of the capitals of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After the empire was dissolved following its defeat in World War I, Budapest became the capital of the new nation of Hungary. Today it has just under 2 million inhabitants and a rich cultural heritage.

We biked over the Liberty Bridge, finished in 1896 and rebuilt after World War II, when it was destroyed, like all Budapest's bridges, by the retreating Germans. Halfway across its 333-meter span I stopped for this shot of the Danube and Elisabeth Bridge upriver.

Looking north, upriver, to Elisabeth Bridge.

Just across the bridge is Gellert Hill, one of Buda's many hills, topped with The Citadel. The hill is named after St. Gerard, an Italian bishop who played a central role in converting the Hungarians to Christianity. Evidently some of them didn't appreciate that; he was martyred in 1046 by being rolled to the bottom in a two-wheeled cart and then beaten to death. The Citadel was built in 1849 by the ruling Habsburgs to keep an eye on the often-rebellious Hungarians below. As recently as 1956 the fortress was used by Soviet tanks to bombard rioting students on the Pest side. We had to walk our bikes up but the view was worth it.

From Gellert Hill, looking south to the Liberty Bridge and Pest on the east bank.

Heading north along the Buda side of the river, we came upon the statue of St. Gerard, marked by a waterfall.

Returning to the Pest side over the Elisabeth Bridge---named after the Austro-Hungarian empress Elisabeth, of whom we would be hearing much more in days ahead---we got back to the River Beatrice in fine shape. Our first dinner on board gave us a good taste of Uniworld's renowned cuisine, and we spent a leisurely evening meeting our fellow passengers. Most of them were from the States, including several from Wisconsin, with some Canadians as well.
After a restful first night in our cabin, our folks joined us and many others from the ship on a tour of the city. The highlight was a visit to the famous Castle District. First settled by the Hungarians as they fled here to hold off invading Mongols in the 13th century, it became one of Europe's most influential sites by the 15th century under the rule of King Matthias. The Turks took over in 1541 and were in charge until the Habsburgs and their allies evicted them in 1686 after a long and devastating siege. The Habsburgs rebuilt the district and gave the area its elegant Baroque architecture.

You know you're in Europe when you visit Budapest's Castle District.

Even the mailboxes look quaint here, along with their dogs, this one being a Puli breed.

The most notable section of the Castle District is Holy Trinity Square, next to Matthias Church.

Holy Trinity Statue in Budapest's Castle District.

Matthias Church itself is an impressive place, typical of European churches and cathedrals. (What's the difference? A cathedral is a church presided over by a bishop.) It was founded by St. Stephen, the first king of Hungary, in 1015, but the earliest parts of today's building date only to the 13th century. It is a mix of various architectural styles: Gothic, Baroque, Renaissance and Neo-gothic. It is named after Matthias Corvinus, one of Hungary's greatest kings, who was crowned here in 1458 at the age of fourteen. During the Turkish occupation it was used as a mosque, but legend has it that during the siege of 1686 an interior wall collapsed to reveal a statue of the Virgin Mary, which so unnerved the Turks that they fled and were driven out by the Habsburgs that very day. One of its distinctive features is its colorful tiled roof.

Matthias Church, with its 60-meter bell tower. The largest of its 3 bells
weighs over 3 tons.

The tiles were the idea of architect Frigyes Schulek, who restored the
church in the late 19th century.

Next to the church, a statue of St. Stephen I, the first king of Hungary.

The main altar of Matthias Church.

Nearby is Fishermen's Bastion. Legend has it that a group of fishermen climbed the hill here during the Middle Ages to defend the castle. The present structure was built around 1900 in neo-Gothic and neo-Romanesque style by the great Hungarian architect Frigyes Schulek, who rebuilt Matthias Church. The bastion's seven towers represent the original seven Magyar tribes who settled the Carpathian Basin around 900 AD. It offers spectacular panoramic views of the Danube and the Pest side of the city below.

From Fishermen's Bastion, a splendid view of the Danube,
and the Hungarian Parliament on the Pest side.

The Tindells enjoying the sunny Hungarian day at Fishermen's Bastion.

Departing the Buda side over the Elisabeth Bridge, our coach next took us to an important historical and cultural site on the Pest side, the Millenium Monument in Heroes Square. Originally built in 1896 to commemorate the founding of Hungary by the seven Magyar tribes a thousand years earlier, it features statues depicting the seven tribes as well as more recent Hungarian historical figures.

The archangel Gabriel tops the central tower. The seven Magyar chieftains are at the base, and the left and right columns display other great statesmen in Hungarian history. At each end of the colonnades on the top are statues representing, from left to right, Labor and Wealth, War, Peace, and Knowledge and Glory.
      The Monument played an important role in recent Hungarian history as well. On the day of our tour, the city was preparing for a national holiday the next day, commemorating the start of the 1956 revolution against the occupying Russians. That short-lived uprising was led by Imre Nagy, a communist who wanted to liberalize Hungarian politics, withdraw from the Warsaw Pact and make Hungary a neutral state. His first term as chairman of the Council of Ministers ended in 1955 when he was deposed by the Russians, but a student revolt a year later restored him to power. Hungary's brief flirtation with independence ended when Soviet troops and tanks invaded, deposing Nagy again and crushing the resistance, killing some 3000 Hungarians. Nagy was arrested, and in 1958 he was tried and hung, then buried face-down with his hands and feet tied with barbed wire. Thirty-one years later, with the Soviet Union on its way to oblivion, the Hungarians took control of their own country, and Nagy's remains were re-interred in the nearby Municipal Cemetery. (We were not told if they took the barbed wire off.) About a quarter-million people filled Heroes Square to commemorate the event.
      This was our first visit to a former Soviet-bloc country, and our guides here and in neighboring Slovakia would point out places and mention events from that period, when their people were without many of the freedoms they enjoy today. Although today many Hungarians and Slovaks have little or no memory of those times, the people are making sure they will indeed be remembered.
        After lunch back aboard the Beatrice, we set out on our second tour of the day. This one took us about an hour outside the city, along modern highways through the picturesque Hungarian puszta, their version of plains. Our destination was the Bodor Major horse farm, where we were given a terrific display of native horsemanship. First, we were greeted with pogacsa (salty bread biscuits) and palinka (fruit brandy).

The pogacsa was great, the palinka was powerful.

The original inhabitants of the puszta became expert horsemen in order to herd their livestock, and the tradition lives on. Riders from this place have won many European championships in various competitions. We toured the farm, met some of its four-legged and winged residents, and watched a display of riding which included use of the bow and arrow and the whip.

Sue had the idea for this tour, and it was a good one.

Sue is greeted by a young resident of the farm.

Boarding a horse-drawn cart for a ride around the farm.

In the stable, a Lipizzaner stallion. This famous breed of show horse was developed
by the Habsburgs in the 16th century.

Thundering past the reviewing stand, a four-horse carriage.

A horseman demonstrates the whip against a target. After this, Dad was invited out to see
if he could whip a bottle of wine off a stand. He got it on the second try.

A lady rider and her mount display their skills.

After the show, we boarded our motor coach for the trip back to Budapest. It was the first of two formal nights on board, so we dressed for the occasion and made a visit to the top deck before dinner to say goodbye to Budapest. The River Beatrice departed at six p.m. on its way upriver. Next stop: Bratislava, Slovakia, and then to Austria. It had been a memorable first visit for us to Hungary.

Formal Night on the River Beatrice, as we say goodbye to Budapest. In the background,
the Chain Bridge, known for its chain of lights at night. It was the first to span the Danube
and connect the two cities, in 1849.