A Hopping Good Day

After that amazing breakfast we gathered our things together and headed out. We went to a near by shop and picked up 4 bus tickets....350 F or about 1 dollar each. We took bus number 16 down to the Big Bus  pick up area. We decided that saving out feet and knees was more important than saving 4 dollars.

We did not have to wait long. Fortunately the upstairs of the bus provided some shade because it was a sunny morning. The other Hop On Hop Off bus does not have that so our choice was a good one. We were provided ear phones and when plugged in and tuned to channel 2 we were able to get all of the commentary in English. As the bus approached a notable building or statue etc. we were given a description of what it was and some of the history. In between stops there was very nice classical music.. We did one full circle which took a little over an hour.

 Then on the second trip we left the bus and went to the Great Market. Before that we had lunch. The market was amazing. It actually made Grandville Island look a little small.

 Our first trip was on the Blue route and after our time at the Market we boarded a bus for the red route.  When we got back to the chain bridge we decided it was time to head back to the hotel. We were hot and tired and we really had seen enough.

We took bus number 16 back to the Hilton. The first thing on our list was a nap!!

We went for a stroll around the area of the Fisherman's Bastion and had a snack at Starbucks. We were not hungry and did not want a full meal but we had to take pills which meant we had to eat something. I had Yogurt and Ken had a muffin .

Later after our snack we went for a walk and found a very nice bistro where we might have been able to have a snack with a Hungarian flavor.

Soon our legs were beginning to complain so we headed back to the hotel. The evening is lovely and cool . We are loving it.

For the next posting we will be on the ship so I not expect to have fast service. I cannot guarantee you lots of pictures from this point on. But I will do my best.

Human Again

We slept the clock around and now we feel human again. We went to the dining room for our included breakfast.
Now This is more like it!!

This was not one thing that we could think of that was not there. Breakfast fit for a king.!!!!!

We are off to catch the Hop On Hop Off bus.!!!

Flying and arrival in Budapest

We are at the Toronto airport right now. Our flight leaves in 2 hours.
Last night was O Kay but I must say that I do not recommend the Travelodge and will not stay there again. \The staff was friendly but the room was sub par for sure. It was not quite clean and there were water marks on the ceiling. The desk chair was broken and the desk lamp also did not function. They advertised free breakfast and it was so sparce. The entire breakfast consisted of toast and coffee and juice. Usually there is cereal and waffles etc.

But the shuttle ride was very good.

I found lots more native art to photograph.

The flight was on time and it went smoothly. BUT they did not give us anything to eat, not even a cookie. When we got to Toronto I was starving and worried about a low sugar. We found a trusty Tim Hortons and got sandwiches and fruit explosion muffins.

So now we are full and happily waiting for our plane to be called.

We are surprised to see several Viking luggage tags. Lots of people going on a Viking River Cruise that starts in Budapest. So far none are the same as ours.



WOW!!WOW!!!WOW!!
This is going to be hard, so much to report on and so little time.
Lets start where I left off.
The plane was on time, it was not packed solid but there were a lot of people going to Budapest. Much to our surprise they gave us a hot meal at supper time. Then we tried to sleep. I stress tried because I met with little success. The flight was smooth and again it was on time.



At the airport there was no problem getting our luggage. I dug out our stickers and our luggage tags and we were all set. We met the Viking guide and she directed us as to where to wait. Within minutes we were led to a van and given water and towelettes and we were on our way. We could not figure out why we were the only ones in the van.

The ride was a half hour long and we were met by a special Viking guide. We were ushered to the Viking reception area.  Johst then told us about the welcome tour which starts at 4:30. That was noon in Budapest and 3am in Vancouver.
The hotel and our room are spectacular. Very much like our Fairmount Hotels. I will be taking lots of pictures.







Right now we are getting settled in our room. We are tired so it is hard to say exactly what we will do after the welcome tour.

Well it all went by the wayside for the next hour. We were so tired that we just collapsed. We slept like babies for the next 2 hours. Then we went downstairs and joined the orientation tour. It was great and we got some idea of the beauty we will be exposed to for the next few days.



We did not make it to the Gellert Spa... we were just too tired.
We had coffee and a treat at Starbucks . Then we roamed around the Fisherman's bastion and took some amazing photos of the Danube and the parliament buildings and all of the splendour.

We came back to our hotel because the cobblestone sidewalks have taken their toll and we are just too tired to do much.

Tomorrow we have a complimentary breakfast and then we are going to enjoy the HOP ON HOP bus for the day.

The weather today was glorious and we are hoping for the same tomorrow. I do not have as many pictures as I thought I had because of card troubles but there are a few for you to enjoy. I have switched cards so it will be fine now. I am glad I discovered it now and not at the end of our trip.

On Our Way

We finished last minute packing and I was able to print out our boarding passes. Luggage was loaded into the Jeep.

We were on our way to Vancouver by 11:00. We loaded the car and sent a text to Noah to tell him we were on our way.
Traffic was good and before we knew it we were getting hugs from Noah. We went to a White Spot and had a great lunch.
We took advantage of having Noah all to ourselves and we got a lot of our teckie questions answered.
After lunch we took Noah home and called a cab.

We are spending the night at the airport Travel Lodge in Richmond.

The hotel is all right for a one night stay when flying out in the morning but it really does need to be updated.

It will be early to bed since we fly in the morning.
Budapest, here we come!!

Big on My Bucket List!

Since we began cruising I have been hearing all about river cruises and how wonderful they are. I could not and can not think they could be so much better than an ocean cruise . We are about to find out.
We have booked a cruise with Viking Cruise Line.The cruise is named The Grand European Tour


My Viking Journey

We are on the Viking Longship VE and we are in Veranda Stateroom #331

,

Ve - Norse God of Countenance

In creation mythology, the Norse god Ve is crucial. Together with his brothers Odin and Vili, he slays the primeval being Ymir, thus ending the rule of giants. The triad of brothers creates heaven and earth from the body of Ymir.

Here is the map of where we will be going.

We are doing a 2 day pre cruise and a 2 day post cruise package along with the 14 day cruise of the Rhine and the Danube.

We leave Vancouver on May 26th and we return on June 14th.

Follow along to see what fun we have , what things we discover and if we conclude that we also like river cruises.

I will be posting general information about the area we are in and what the plans are. Then at the end of each day(hopefully) I will post a report of how our day went and what we learned and a few pictures. 

Signing off

This is actually February 3rd and we are at home safe and sound. Unfortunately this cough/cold is taking its toll. I tried so hard to avoid getting this back again but I failed. I used so much hand sanitizer and took so much vitamin C I thought nothing would get me. I was wrong.

On the morning of February first we were in Ensenada, Mexico. This is the other country port. If a ship does not dock in another country other that the US then the workers must pay US income tax . At least I think that is the reason.

When morning broke we were awaken by the sounds of the ship's fog horn. It was a beautiful foggy morning and when the fog broke through there was Ensenada. We had no plans for the day. We had been here on 3 other occasions and had done the excursions that interested us.

We went to our last breakfast in the dining room. It is always fun to meet new people and sharing a table in the dining room is the best way to do that. We met twin sisters and one husband. They were very friendly and we had a grand visit. The sister who was not a wife was a former teacher, the husband was an accountant and his wife was a housewife I think.

After breakfast I went ashore. Ken stayed on board. They have a very nice little market set up right on the dock. The sellers are not the typical high pressure people and the bartering is low key. Ken wanted a good leather belt and I was able to get him 2, a brown and a black.

After that we had to begin our packing. We bought very little but our suitcases seem heavier for some reason. Before dinner we had our last Happy hour and enjoyed a beautiful sunset on Fred and Mary
s balcony.

Tonight it is American night, the parade of the baked Alaskan and the thank you to the wait staff. That is always a lot of fun. They had mussels on the menu which is a favorite for Ken. I had no appetite and ate very little,

We returned to our room the finish packing and we called it a night.


Because we have an 11:30 am flight we had to be in the first group to disembark. Ken was worried we would miss our flight and he was willing to bet any amount with me. I felt positive that all would go well. It did in spite of hurdles.

The early people were to be in the Vista for a 7:45 departure. We were given group one of four. But everyone was just put in that lounge with no separation at all. People began to stand right and the door and down the hall and it was chaotic. To add to the mess immigration decided that no one could disembark before 8:15. That just made matters worse. Of course this dry hacking cough did not help matters. Having gotten up at five and feeling ill did not help make a smooth start to the day.

But once the line began to move it went very smoothly. You need no longer fill in a form for customs. We were in and out of the immigration process in less that 15 seconds. Did I mention that we were dragging our own suitcases. Taking your luggage off your self is a condition of early disembarkation. ( not fun)

The getting of a taxi was so well organized I was shocked. There was someone there who took your name when you arrive on the sidewalk outside the cruise terminal. Then as the cabs pulled up the names were assigned in order. It took us less than 5 minutes to be safely seated in a cab and on our way to airport.

Ken was still concerned because it was now 8:35 and we were supposed to be at the airport at 11:35 when boarding would begin. That 3 hour window for international flights is more that ample. The traffic situation was so much better that even I expected. The driver just flew and were inside the terminal getting boarding passed in less that 40 minutes.......  I should have bet with him.We also learned that departure had been changed to 12:05 so we had lots of time!!!


We had not had any breakfast so Ken went to Starbucks and got us both a coffee and a sandwich to share. Soon it was time to board and head home. Cruise number 43 has come to an end.


I hope you have enjoyed following along. There are times when a person does not have adequate internet speed to allow me to post but just be patient, I will be posting when ever I can.

One More Day

January 30 and 31^st

These have been 2 glorious relaxing sea days. The weather has been cool and not very sunny which was disappointing. The internet has been spotty and that is why the report is late.

My cough and cold continued to improve which was a good thing.

We were so full from the 29^th in the grill that we ate very little during the day of the 30^th. But we did make up for it in the evening. I love escargot and that was on the menu along with lobster tail. Both Ken and I were happy about that. Fred hot his one scoop of sorbet in a martini glass so he was happy too.

The new production show was about dance and all the different types of dance. They used a lot of the new technology that was put on board during the refit. It is really quite spectacular.

This morning we had breakfast in the dining room and then went to the theatre for the presentation on Ensenada. We will be there tomorrow.

After that we stayed in the theatre and took in the culinary show. It was a lot of fun. Great comic action and very little cooking.

We were still full from breakfast so we shared an apple for lunch. Then we headed to Explorers Lounge to take in the final art auction. We had not attended one yet this cruise so it was today or never. Perhaps we should have stayed away because we purchased a set of three paintings by Wendy Schaefer-Miles and Kevin Miles. They are beautiful and we have no idea where we will hang them. The plan is to have them shipped in a tube and to frame them ourselves when we get home. Will we never learn?? This is our favorite one. White birch is so east coast!

We then went down to the international café for specialty coffee and a couple of cookies.

Before we knew it time had come to dress for dinner.

We got picture of Maryella and Roberto .our waiters.

After we arranged to pay for the art we went topside to see the full moon. It was glorious.

Another day had come to an end.