20220920 Opera House – Parliament – River Cruise: We started a bit after 9AM with a local guide who gave us lots of an historical background to the city and it buildings. Walked through the old theatre district and to the Hungarian State Opera House. Walked around it until it opened, but then found we were restricted to the ornate lobby and could not go inside given they were rehearsing and mounting the next opera.
From there, we walked to the Parliament for a great tour. Very good guide who spoke excellent English and had a sense of humor. It’s really a lovely tour and a beautiful building. Had to go through thorough security check point, of course, to get in.
We split up and three of us walked into the main restaurant area, looked an menus on the stree, and picked a very nice restaurant, Budapest Bisztro Csarda, for a delightful lunch outside with infrared heater above us. Then walked back to the hotel with a brief stop at a pharmacy for some cold medicine.
At 2:45 we met Giri, the head of the guide agency Strabo uses in this area, to walk down to near Parliament and get on a tram for a few stops down the river an got on a boat for an hour-and-a-half cruise along the Danube. Very nice. It was cold…I wore five layers! But the cruise was very nice.
Back to the hotel for a rest and then out to Strudel House for a farewell dinner. Was no need for us to make our own reservations for tonight, since it is part of the tour. Lovely dinner with our group. Tomorrow, we leave (Mike stays a few days on his own). Have already checked in with Lufthansa.
Excellent trip altogether. Jeff did a superb job. Accommodations were good. Weather mostly cooperated. Tom, our Czech guide who stayed with us through the first day in Budapest, was outstanding in all respects. He gave us good background and history, but in small doses so we could absorb it. He understood us as photographers.
We walked 3-5 miles each day (except for a few days). Climbed hills and stairs galore. We saw an amazing number of things and had super experiences. Nice group of people on the trip as well. Super meeting and enjoying new friends.
