Our next stop was Bamberg, Germany. Bamberg is a beautiful and historically rich city in Bavaria (Bayern), in southern Germany, famous for its well-preserved medieval old town, unique culture, and classic architecture. Its Old Town was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993. The city escaped heavy destruction in WWII, preserving thousands of historic buildings and it briefly served as Bavaria’s capital after WWI when Munich’s government fled uprisings.
Our included walking tour covered a good portion of the old town with a college student guide who was pretty entertaining. He talked to us a lot about the smoky beer that Bamberg is known for. I looked it up online – the hops are dried over a fire that lends smoky flavor to the final product. Online reviews seemed mixed. Our guide said you just had to push through and the taste improved after about 5 or 6 pints…
We stopped at a local brew house to sample the beer. They had two varieties – one was a lager that was said to be “lightly smokey” and the other was the full-throttle red beer version. We sampled the lighter smoke version (on a recommendation from fellow cruise ship passengers) and it was quite good without much smoke flavor.
The Altes Rathaus (Old Town Hall) of Bamberg is one of the city’s most distinctive and symbolic buildings. The building sits directly in the middle of the Regnitz River, built on an artificial island and connected to the banks by two bridges. According to long-standing local tradition, this happened because the bishop refused to grant land to the citizens for a town hall. The townspeople created their own land in the river and built it there. Whether entirely true or not, the story reflects a real medieval tension between church authority and civic independence in Bamberg.
Oh, yeah…another pretty cold day in Bavaria!
Typical Bamberg street.
It was a little cold and breezy. Staying warm was challenging!
The Old Town Hall building. Lots going on in the mural. The middle (roughly) window in the top row shows a curtain being held aside by a town citizen. This was the Mayor’s office and it meant to convey transparency.
Typical cobblestone paved street of Bamberg.
Houses line the river in Bamberg.
Würzburg, Germany
Würzburg is a historic city in northern Bavaria, Germany, beautifully set along the Main River and best known for its Baroque architecture, wine culture, and deep ecclesiastical history. Our walking tour included several fantastic locations.
We started at the Residenz. For centuries, Würzburg was ruled by powerful prince-bishops of the Holy Roman Empire. Their legacy is most visible in the Würzburg Residence, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Europe’s greatest Baroque palaces that is famous for its monumental staircase and a vast fresco by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo.
Würzburg sits at the heart of Franconia (Franken), one of Germany’s distinctive wine regions. The city is especially associated with dry white wines—most notably Silvaner—often bottled in the flattened Bocksbeutel bottle. Vineyards like the Würzburger Stein climb the hills just above the old town. In fact, vineyards were visible all around the city and made a dramatic backdrop to a beautiful cityscape!
We had seen a fortress up on the hill on the opposite side of the river and since the weather was good, we decided to head out on a hike to get some good views. Overlooking the city from the opposite bank of the Main, Festung Marienberg began as a Celtic site and later became the seat of the prince-bishops before the Residence was built. It offers sweeping views of Würzburg and the river valley. The views on the sunny day we enjoyed were unbelievable!
Much of Würzburg was heavily damaged in World War II, but key landmarks were carefully rebuilt. One of them, the Alte Mainbrücke (Old Main Bridge), is lined with statues of saints and rulers and is a focal point of city life—locals often gather there with a glass of wine at sunset.
The Würzburg Cathedral (Dom St. Kilian) is one of Germany’s largest Romanesque churches. Our tour didn’t go inside but it is hard to miss as it towers over the city.
A portion of the stairway inside the inside the Würzburg Residence.
The detail was impressive inside the Würzburg Residence.
The garden area behind the Würzburg Residence.
Streets of Würzburg.
Marienberg Fortress is a prominent landmark on the left bank of the Main river in Würzburg, in the Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. It is a symbol of Würzburg and served as a home of the local prince-bishops for nearly five centuries. It has been a fort since ancient times, although most of the current structures were built in Renaissance and Baroque styles between the 16th and 18th centuries.
The view of the Main River and a good part of Würzburg from the fortress.
Looking across the Old Main Bridge into Würzburg.
Wertheim, Germany
A cold worked its way through our traveling group and Wertheim was my turn to succumb and get some rest. I really didn’t mind too much as it was 20F when we docked! I kicked around the ship drinking green tea and napping while the rest of our group bundled up and made their way into town.
It was a VERY cold start to our day in Wertheim!
Cold, cold, cold!
This is a pretty typical river tug. It seems like they are live-aboard people. It wasn’t obvious to me how they got the car off the deck.
We spent the most number of days in Germany so I plan to break this up a little bit. I know the last post was pretty long but there’s a lot to share, so…
Passau, Germany
Our first stop in Germany was in Passau. It was also the first day we expected to see any measurable rain. Fortunately, the ship provided us with bright red, Viking branded umbrellas to use and they worked great. The funny thing about the umbrellas was that there were three Viking ships in port and they all handed out these bright red umbrellas. It looked like an invasion was in progress!
Our included walking tour took us from the ship and through the Höllgasse (Artists’ Alley), a charming, narrow street in the Old Town known for its art studios and galleries. Local artists paint the cobblestones each spring to create a vibrant path, often leading visitors to discover local crafts and history, including flood markers. The rain really made the colors pop! This area has been subject to large floods over the years and a few buildings had marks inscribed to record the high of major floods. The most recent I saw was just last year in 2024!
Passau is at the confluence of the Danube and Inn Rivers and we spent some time walking over to the Inn River to enjoy the shoreline. We finished up with a tour of St Stephen’s Cathedral before parting ways with our guide. She had told us about a local cafe that served Glühwein and Lebkuchen (gingerbread) so we set off to find it and did a little shopping along the way.
Painted cobblestones along the streets of Passau.
It was a red invasion…LOL!
Flood markers on the side of a building near the confluence of the Inn and Danube Rivers.
Enjoying our umbrella 🙂
Our guide pauses under cover to explain our next stop.
Inside St Stephen’s Cathedral.
Beautiful streets of Passau.
Regensburg, Germany
Back to dry but cold weather for Regensburg. Regensburg is one of Germany’s best-preserved medieval cities and in located where the Danube River meets the Regen and Naab Rivers. Regensburg’s Old Town (Altstadt) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Unlike many German cities, it survived WWII largely intact, so its medieval street plan and buildings remain authentic.
Regensburg was founded by the Romans around 179 AD as Castra Regina and became a powerful trading city in the Middle Ages.
Some of the interesting sites we enjoyed during our included walking tour included the Stone Bridge (Steinerne Brücke – 12th-century engineering marvel and symbol of the city), Regensburg Cathedral ( a masterpiece of Gothic architecture with famous stained glass), Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus – site of imperial assemblies and medieval interrogation chambers) and Porta Praetoria (a rare surviving Roman gate).
After our tour we decided to venture back to the Stone Bridge and the Historic Sausage Kitchen with (hopefully) fewer crowds around. The legendary Historische Wurstküche (historic sausage kitchen) by the Stone Bridge claims to be the world’s oldest continuously operating restaurant.
Streets of Regensburg.
Rob and Sue at the Stone Bridge.
Enjoying the Stone Bridge.
The Historic Sausage Kitchen.
Streets of Regensburg.
The Stone Bridge. Steinerne Brücke – dating back to the 12th century.
When in Regensburg…enjoy some sausages!
Enjoying the Stone Bridge.
On the Stone Bridge, looking back at the gate and Cathedral in the background.
Porta Praetoria – a rare surviving Roman gate.
A stumbling stone in Regensburg.
Larry and Maureen make their way back to the ship.
Almost all of us while leaving Regensburg. Don’t worry, number 8 was behind the camera – we didn’t leave anyone behind 🙂
Nuremberg, Germany
We spent the day sailing along the Main-Danube Canal with many lock passages before arriving in our next port – Nuremberg, Germany. The three largest elevation drops happened on this leg – roughly 75 feet at a time. Pretty impressive to watch the lock “rise” above us as the water level dropped.
Nuremberg holds a dark chapter in history. The Nazis used the city for massive propaganda rallies in the 1930s, seeing it as symbolically tied to the Holy Roman Empire. During World War II, Nuremberg was heavily bombed, and much of the medieval old town was destroyed. After the war, Nuremberg became globally significant as the site of the Nuremberg Trials (1945–1946), where leading Nazi officials were prosecuted for war crimes—establishing key principles of modern international law.
Our included excursion didn’t leave until later in the day so some of us decided to take a hike in the forrest alongside the river. It was a cold, sunny start and hiking kept it warm for us. Nice trails and good views along the river made for an enjoyable morning.
Our included tour started at the ship and made a scenic pass through some of Nuremberg’s history before dropping us off near the castle. We were able to see the fields used for the Nazi rallies and the outside of the building where the trials were held. By the time we arrived at the castle it was getting windy and colder! Our tour guide finished up and left us on our own to do some shopping and site seeing before meeting the bus for a ride back to the ship. We enjoyed strolling through shops to warm up and exploring the excellent Christmas market for Glühwein and the decorated cups.
We often had to wait for traffic coming the other way to clear before we could enter the lock.
You can get a sense for the elevation change as we enter the lock and the downstream river appears. This was the last lock before our arrival in Nuremberg. There was a highway at the exit that we passed under when leaving!
The gate is open and we are ready to leave. We have to pass under the gate and a highway. There is already another ship waiting to enter.
A view of some of Nuremberg from the castle.
Sinwell Tower – “Sinwell” comes from Middle High German meaning “completely round”. It was built in the mid-13th century, during the height of Nuremberg’s importance as a Free Imperial City. The tower served as a defensive watchtower and last line of refuge in case the outer castle defenses were breached. Its thick sandstone walls (up to about 13 feet thick at the base) were designed to withstand siege weapons.
Our first set of locks was going to arrive in the early morning after leaving Budapest. I really wanted to see how this worked – Gymir is a 450+ foot long ship and the locks aren’t that big. Before I get into that experience, a little story time to set the stage. I knew many locks would be involved because the cruise started in Budapest at about 315 feet above sea level, and Amsterdam is essentially at sea level. So I knew we had to lower the ship at least 315 feet before arriving in Amsterdam. What I did not understand is how much elevation we would gain on the way!
Elevation gain and loss on the Main-Danube Canal – steps indicate locks. [Credit – dkiel.com via ChatGPT]
The first half (roughly) of our cruise was upstream and all of the locks we encountered raised us up higher and higher. The highest river elevation occurs on the Main–Danube Canal at roughly 1,332 feet. We would be climbing over 1,000 before lowering back down over 1,300 feet and arriving in Amsterdam. Holy crap! This engineering feat connecting the Black Sea and the North Sea was an idea dating back to the 8th century! The current version was finally finished and opened in 1992. There are sections of the canal that actually pass over the road and valley floor as a water bridge. I really wish this part of the transit had been completed during daylight hours!
OK, history lesson complete…back to our adventure. I was already up at around 7am when we approached our first lock and went out to brave the cold. This first lock was one of the larger versions and could easily fit a couple of ships side-by-side. Other locks we encountered later in our trip were much smaller with room for just one ship at a time. The downriver doors swing open and in we go! The ship stayed so close to the lock wall on entry that you could easily touch the side of the lock. The doors close and the water raises the ship up maybe 40 feet. The upriver side of the lock had a door that simply slid down to allow the ship to pass out.
Approaching the lock…green means go!
So close to the wall! Good ship driving 🙂
We are in and the big doors start to swing closed.
Once the water raises us up, the next door lowers to allow us to exit.
Our journey after the lock took us past Bratislava, Slovakia in some pretty heavy low cloud cover. The clouds made it nearly to impossible to pick out the white (I know, right?!?) castle that is one of the significant landmarks along the river.
An interesting and colorful sculpture along the river in Bratislava.
Another Viking ship tied up in Bratislava – enjoying a different itinerary.
The white Bratislava Castle is barely discernible through the clouds!
Another lock just before arriving in Vienna – we had company this time. Lock passage, NASCAR style!
We arrived in Vienna after sunset on a Sunday evening. This port was another overnight stop and we knew we had plenty of time the next day, so we decided to stretch our legs and wander around in the area near the ship. We found an amusement park that was open but had very few people before heading back to the ship for the night.
St. Francis of Assisi Church, also known as the Emperor’s Jubilee Church and the Mexico Church.
A colorful amusement park with very few people on a Sunday evening.
Our full day in Vienna started with a choice. We could choose to participate in a version of the included excursion that used the subway instead of a bus to get to the walking area. We knew we were going to hang out and have to find our way back afterwards, so taking the subway seemed like a good idea to learn how to get back 🙂
The entrance to our subway journey.
The subway in Vienna is clean and easy to use. I’m not sure how the guide felt about it – she had to herd a bunch of us cats and hope that everyone was paying attention and got off at the correct stop! I will say that the Viking excursion is a little more laid back than others I have been on. No one really counts heads and you can take off anytime you want. It is pretty much on you to get back to the ship or to meet the bus on time. I liked it. Felt kind of like being a grownup responsible for myself…
Streets of Vienna. That is not the real Moulin Rouge!
Our walking tour took us through a lot of ground on the way to the cathedral area. We saw a memorial dedicated against war and fascism on our way through beautiful architecture to the cathedral.
The memorial against war and fascism is a work by the Austrian sculptor Alfred Hrdlicka. It has been standing since 1988 on the Albertinaplatz in Vienna – named after Helmut Zilk in 2009 – opposite the Palais Archduke Albrecht and the back of the Vienna State Opera. As a walk-in monument, it is intended to serve as a reminder of the darkest epoch in Austrian history. It is dedicated to all victims of war and fascism.
A closer look at the memorial.
Streets of Vienna.
One of the famous Lipizzaner horses peeks out of its stable.
The Hofburg is the former principal imperial palace of the Habsburg dynasty in Austria. Located in the center of Vienna, it was built in the 13th century by Ottokar II of Bohemia and expanded several times afterwards. It also served as the imperial winter residence, as Schönbrunn Palace was the summer residence. Since 1946, it has been the official residence and workplace of the president of Austria. Since 1279, the Hofburg area has been the documented seat of government.
Streets of Vienna.
Jeannette & Karlene 🙂
Streets of Vienna.
As my daughter pointed out, sometimes art makes you feel strange…
“Art” – you don’t have to understand it, and sometimes the way it makes you feel is strange.
We even got to enjoy our first Christmas market! And I discovered the wonderful beverage called Glühwein. It helped my people meter stay manageable. I discovered that each market had their own cup. We had to pay a deposit when ordering, but if we wanted to keep the cup we simply forfeited the deposit. Each cup wound up being around $5 – not a bad deal for something that will definitely remind us of fun times!
One of Vienna’s Christmas markets.
A cup of warm Glühwein in a cool little collector cup.
We left Vienna after a very enjoyable visit and started making our way to Melk, Austria. The next day was supposed to be some scenic cruising through the Wachau Valley and arrival in Melk later in the day. It was a little cold in the morning with a lot of low clouds, but we were still able to see a lot of beauty along the river. Most of us spent the majority of the morning on deck enjoying the scenery and taking pictures.
Stift Dürnstein in the picturesque Wachau Valley, Austria
Stift Dürnstein on the left with the Dürnstein Castle ruins on the hill to the right.
You had to want to be out there!
The “Wachauer Nase” (Wachau Nose) is a whimsical, giant concrete nose sculpture by artists Gelitin in the Wachau Valley, appearing as if a giant is buried with just its nose sticking out by the Danube River, near the St. Lorenz ferry stop.
The clouds lifted and the sun made an appearance just in time for our excursion up to the Melk Abbey.
Ken & Karlene at Melk Abbey.
Looking at the confluence of the Melk River (smaller river in the foreground) and the Danube River in Melk, Austria.
Larry & Maureen at Melk Abbey.
On the grounds of MelkAbbey.
Our time in Austria came to a close. We enjoyed everything about it and were ready to move on the Germany…and more Christmas markets! Onward to Passau, Germany.
The planned route for our journey on Viking Gymir.
I don’t even know where to start…LOL! 14 days of jaw-dropping beauty, great food, fantastic friends and Christmas was everywhere! So I guess we begin on day one and decide where to break it up later 🙂
Most of what I write here will be positive. Let’s be honest, Viking does a really nice job making the cruise special. It is hard to find anything meaningful to criticize.
We decided to head down to the ship using a taxi at around noon to allow the ship’s crew time to get things ready. After enjoying another fantastic breakfast at the hotel (the Budapest Hilton), 4 of us wandered down to the underground caves under the castle for a tour. This is a fascinating part of Budapest’s past and worth the time and money for a tour if you are in town. The caves have served many purposes over the years – storage, a hospital and fallout shelter during war and a place to store gold. The tour included a video describing the history and then a walking tour to explore many areas that have been set up to mimic the hospital setting.
A visit to the “Hospital In the Rock”.
Most cruise ship boardings take time, and you seldom have access to your room until hours after stepping on board. This was a different experience entirely. We arrived by taxi and were immediately greeted by ship’s crew members who took our bags and escorted us to reception. A quick review of our passport and we were guided to our room by someone to show us the amenities and answer any questions. The lunch buffet was already set up and we were able to enjoy a wonderful meal immediately. Crew members made an effort to learn our names and interact with us. It was very nice!
Our ship, the Viking Gymir.
There were three Viking ships rafted together when we boarded. Make sure you stop on the correct one – they are pretty much identical!
After a nice, relaxing lunch, we set out for the grand central market (recommended by our fav tour guide, Emily). It was easy walking distance and the market is an indoor mega-shop with anything you could possibly want. This market tends to cater to more of the local crowd and it showed. A basement and two above ground levels with everything from fresh meats and produce, snacks and gifts of any kind – a total win!
Inside the grand central market.
We had to be back on the ship for the safety brief and our very first port talk and dinner menu review. The Executive Chef led a discussion about dinner options every evening just before the doors opened. Viking offers one seating for dinner and it is not assigned seating. Our group was 8 people and we sat together every evening, but you could easily sit with different people at every meal if you wanted to. Dinner was a roughly 2 hour affair and that would prove to be the normal experience for the entire cruise.
Our ship was tied up right next to the Chain Bridge and I took advantage of the location to go up and grab a couple of nighttime shots of the bridge and other nearby landmarks.
A view of the Chain Bridge at night from our ship. You can see some of the new castle in the background.
Mathias Church, the Fisherman’s Bastion and our hotel shrouded in low clouds.
We were to remain in Budapest the following day and we were trying to decide whether to participate in the included panoramic tour or to strike out on our own. The port talk helped us decide as we discovered the panoramic tour would cover a lot of the same ground we had already enjoyed with our fav tour guide, Emily. We struck out after a nice breakfast (see a theme here???) to get up close to the Parliament building and maybe visit St Stephen’s Basilica.
Trying out new selfie techniques!
Streets of Budapest.
Larry and Maureen at the Parliament Building.
A view of the front of the Parliament building.
Hungary is still rebuilding from years of war and neglect. The country was under communist control until the late 1980s and the signs are everywhere. There is a large effort underway to restore big government buildings but smaller, privately owned buildings are the responsibility of the owner. We saw more than one old building with history written on its facade.
Bullet holes mark the facade of a building near the Parliament.
We had been told by multiple people that tickets to tour the Parliament were very tough to get unless a reservation was made in advance. Ken decided to take a look on the off-chance that we could find some tickets and BAM…there were lots of available tickets for later in the day. We purchased our tickets and made our way over to the basilica.
Entry into the basilica required a ticket, too. We elected to purchase the included scenic view from the top of the basilica. We found that entry into church, cathedrals and basilicas in other parts of Europe were free. In fact, free entry is mandated by law in Germany! The Christmas markets in Budapest were just getting set up and were not scheduled to open until after we left, but it was fun seeing the work in progress.
The basilica was beautiful, as most of them are. The climb up to the top was good to burn some calories from the previous night’s dinner, and the views made it totally worth the effort. Great views towards the river!
Inside St Stephen’s Basilica.
An explanation of the history of the Holy Right Hand of St Stephen.
The Holy Right Hand.
Making our way up the stairs to the basilica dome.
Looking towards the river from the dome. You can see the Christmas market taking shape in the Basilica courtyard below us.
Parliament building from the dome.
After enjoying the basilica, we returned to the ship for lunch and then headed back out again for our tour of the Parliament building. The tour was a guided tour with audio provided in English. It mostly kept to the unused side of the building and showed some wonderful spaces with beautiful architecture and decorations.
Inside the Parliament building looking at the grand entrance area.
That wrapped up a pretty busy day and we returned to the ship for dinner. We were underway at 6pm and had some great opportunities to get a few good pictures of the Parliament building lit up at night from the Danube River. You may wonder…why not a full-on shot? I just couldn’t fit the whole building in because we were so close! It was awesome and great way to end our time in Budapest.
I can honestly say that our experience in Budapest was a complete treat and a bit of a surprise. We knew there was a lot to see. We didn’t know how awesome the city could be and how friendly the locals would be. Good food, affordable prices and great experiences – we loved it and I would go back in a heartbeat. English was widely spoken or at least understood well enough to get by. The Hungarian language is difficult and I made no attempt to learn much before arriving.
A small history lesson – Hungary is a member of the European Union but still uses the Forint (HUF) as its official currency. You can buy stuff in Euros, but most merchants preferred we use HUF instead, and some places charged a more favorable price when using the HUF given currency exchange rates. There are many reasons why the HUF is still used and Hungary is required to eventually transition to the Euro.
All of my pre-travel anxiety was misplaced. Turns out, the trip over to Budapest was about the easiest travel I have had in quite a long time. No lines at TSA, no delays at takeoff. Nothing. I know there were domestic flight issues – one of our travel couples had issues getting out of Montana – but they made it one day later. The only real issue happened in Amsterdam on a plane change when the skybridge broke and we had to board using stairs…the horror!
We arrived in Budapest around dinner time and made our way to the hotel. The drive was beautiful with buildings lit up along the Danube River. As we climbed the hill to get to our hotel in the castle district, I just knew this was going to be special.
Our hotel was the Hilton and the location high above the river was exceptional. We got checked in, met friends Ken & Karlene and headed out to dinner at a local restaurant. Exhaustion was right there the entire meal and we all made our way to our rooms for a good night of sleep.
Our ride to Budapest from a different perspective.
The view of the Parliament Building from our room 🙂
A scenic walk back to our hotel following dinner. Matthias Church looms over the area.
Day 1
We wandered out the next morning after breakfast to explore the area around the hotel. The Hilton sits up on a hill in the castle district and is next to a very popular (and beautiful) tourist attraction – the Fisherman’s Bastion. It was spectacular right away and just kept getting better, and since we were out “early”, the tourists crowds hadn’t arrived yet.
We were later told that the name Fisherman’s Bastion dates back to when the fisherman used the area for their market and were expected to defend that section of the wall. It has subsequently been upgraded into a full-blown viewing area with absolutely stunning views of the river below.
Nobody out here but us!
A typical street view of the castle district.
The Fisherman’s Bastion (a portion of it) next to our hotel.
A view of the Parliament Building through the arches of the Fisherman’s Bastion.
The outer walls of the Fisherman’s Bastion.
A sneak peak at where our ship would eventually tie up along the Danube.
One of several controlled entrances to the Castle District. There is a lot of political/government activity up here so they control car access.
Later in the morning we set out on a mission to find an ATM that would dispense Euros. Not as easy as it sounds! We later learned the reason why. While Hungary is a member of the EU, they are not yet a full member with equal economic standing to other countries. They have to meet certain standards for a period of time to be accepted into the final phase of EU membership, so the local currency (the Forint) still reigns supreme, and while they would take Euros, most seemed to prefer being paid in local.
Our walk led us over the river to a city park with one of the more famous thermal bathhouses in Budapest. We didn’t swim but could get peak inside through windows. I elected to not take pictures out of respect for privacy, but the bath area was pretty cool. It reminded me a lot of a resort swimming pool, to be honest, but with higher temperatures and high mineral content. On a later tour, our guide told us locals spend several days a week there swimming, soaking and revitalizing. It is a strong part of Hungarian culture.
Our walk took us across the Margaret Bridge – intentionally turns in the middle to account for the changing forces of the river.
The detail was wonderful!
A hot air balloon ride near the city park.
Day 2
We walked a lot on Sunday, and since we knew we had a good tour coming up on Tuesday, we decided to not wander quite as far away. We had asked our guide for some recommendations so we could avoid duplication of sights when we saw her and she suggested the Buda side of the river. Off we went!
Brief History lesson because you will see me referring to the “Buda side” or “Pest side” of the city. Budapest was actually two (or more likely three) separate cities on the Danube. The Buda side is older, more hilly and contains the castles. The Pest side is flatter, perhaps more modern and has more commercial activity. The cities were combined late in the 19th century to form Budapest. There was a movement to name the city Pestbuda but it was eventually discarded because Budapest sounded better (I agree). You can still see a few places where the name Pest-Buda is used (like the restaurant we visited). And Hungarians pronounce the “st” at the end as more of an “sh” sound, so it always sounds more like “Budapesh” when spoken.
We spent some time exploring the famous Chain Bridge and then meandered along the waterfront towards a nice viewpoint of the Parliament Building. I wanted to go back and ride the funicular back up the hill to the castles but the line was a little longer than desired so we hoofed it up the stairs. I’m glad we did because we got some cool views of the Chain Bridge from above.
We walked through this long tunnel under the castles district to get to the river. We later toured more caves under the district.
The funicular between river level and the castle area on the hill.
Six of the eight of our group. I am behind the camera, of course!
The Chain Bridge is guarded by four of these lions. The Parliament building is in the background.
A view of the Fisherman’s Bastion and Matthias Church from river level. Our hotel is the building with the red roof to the right of the church.
Our group enjoying sunshine and beautiful views on the Chain Bridge.
Ken being posed by Karlene 🙂
The Chain Bridge from the Pest side of the river.
The next bridge up river was the Margaret Bridge, and the Parliament building is on the right.
A view of the Parliament building from river level, shot from the Buda side.
Here is the Chain Bridge from a walking path on our way up the hill to the castles. I’m glad I skipped the funicular ride!
This time it is seven of eight in our group!
This area was up in the castle area on top of the hill. Many of these buildings were under heavy renovation.
Day 3
We had set up a tour with a local guide that received numerous positive reviews in a travel group I was monitoring. On Tuesday we met up with her at our hotel and set out for a fantastic tour of many areas of Budapest. The morning started right near our hotel on familiar ground at the Fisherman’s Bastion. The upside was being provided the historical context of. what we were looking at. It made it even more enjoyable!
We didn’t even notice this detail on previous visits. The raven holds the ring that young Matthias lost.
Her bus wasn’t allowed in the Castle District so we took a short walk through some of the commercial areas of the district. Many cars are not allowed up in the district – it is gate controlled. There are many important government offices up there. The castle is now a museum but the most of the rest of the infrastructure is still used for government purposes.
She took us by the riverside viewpoint of the Parliament House on our way over to the city park. We discovered something totally new at the park – a war hero memorial, and since it was Veteran’s Day in the USA, it felt somewhat appropriate! We explored the memorial while listening to her historical explanation, saw where they were setting up a very large outdoor ice skating rink and got a peek inside the thermal bats again.
A “famous” selfie by our guide, Emily!
The base of one part of the memorial at Hero Square.
Hero Square
There’s that balloon again! It was very large and visible all around the city when in the air.
Our next portion of the tour was a trip through the Jewish Quarter in the Pest side of the city. Our guide discussed many aspects of Hungary’s involvement in WW2 and treatment of Jewish residents. It was pretty sobering and greatly appreciated. She also took us for a sample of typical Hungarian street food at a local outdoor food court. Think about a collection of food trucks and you have it about right. It was absolutely delicious.
A memorial to when Hungary was behind the iron curtain following WW2.
A section of the Berlin Wall stands as a reminder.
The “House of Terror” – headquarters of the Hungarian version of secret police. The small portraits mark people who are believed to have entered the building for “questioning” but were never seen again. It is a museum now.
These markers exist all over Europe. They represent the last known location of a Jewish person before they were shipped off.
Without question the most moving part of the day. This memorial along the Danube serves to remind of a dark time in Hungarian history when Jewish countrymen were shot along the banks of the Danube and thrown in the river. They were forced to take their shoes off before being executed.
The food court 🙂
Traditional Hungarian Langos – deep fried bread covered with fresh ingredients. Delicious!
Our guide was a Budapest Hungarian, born and raised. In fact, she told us she was a child growing up in Hungary at the end of communism and had several stories she shared about her childhood. Emily has a PhD in international finance and serves as a guest lecturer in the university. She was the most qualified tour guide I have ever met!
This was the last full day in Budapest. We were scheduled to join our ship, the Viking Gymir, on Wednesday morning…but that deserves another post later 🙂
We absolutely enjoyed our time in Budapest and I would recommend a visit without any second thought. Clean, safe, pretty affordable and abundant history and sightseeing.
There is nothing quite like the ability of the government to introduce chaos into the airline industry! We are on our way to the start of a vacation 15 months in the making. No way could we have predicted the turmoil that would exist just as we are scheduled to head to the airport! So far it looks OK with the major impacts predicted to be to domestic flights. We plan to join our fellow travelers at the airport super early to make sure security is not an issue.
We are headed to Budapest, Hungary to join our river cruise ship for a trip down the Danube River to Amsterdam. We have a layover in Amsterdam before our final leg to Budapest and hope to spend it looking for coffee and stroopwafles…LOL!
We look forward to 14 days of relaxation on the river taking in the views and enjoying the company of good friends. After a few days in Amsterdam we will be headed to Paris for a week. I’ll try to post along the way…
Well, the MS5000 event is complete for this year and while I would have liked to raise more/ride more, I am pretty happy with how it went. I had a break for a work trip and another break for a family visit. I managed to make my way through parts of Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming (barely) and Oregon for a total of around 3,900 miles. I finished 7th overall (although that was never really a goal for me). I have friends with MS and was happy to use this to help raise awareness. The motorcycle rally I run also kicked in almost $2,400 through optional donations during signup. There are awesome people in this world.
More importantly, friends & family kicked in to donate a total of $740! I am so appreciative and blessed to have such great people in my life! Thank you to Sherry, Dave, Perry, Jeannette, Tim N., Tim S., Wayne and Tyler for making an effort to make a difference 🙂
Next year…it’s kind of like rooting for a baseball team. Next year will be even better!
What’s next? A trip to Europe with very close friends to enjoy their company and explore new areas.
Riding miles to raise money and awareness for Multiple Sclerosis!
Total miles for MS5000 so far – 3,235 Miles Total Donations – $440
I really appreciate the donations so far – you guys are awesome! If you would like to donate to help raise awareness and educate others about Multiple Sclerosis, please use the link below to visit the MS5000 web page. You can donate in my name – any amount helps!
I decided to make a multi-day trip around the PNW to gather some stops for Tour of Honor and PNW Grand Tour while laying down some miles for the MS5000 event. When to start – that was the question. I had the holiday weekend on one side (hell no!) and a work trip on the other, so I took off on Wednesday for a 5 day loop.
Day 1 – Missoula, MT (630 Miles)
Wednesday was projected to be one of the hottest days east of the Cascades with temperatures above 100F for a good part of it. I am not afraid of heat, but if I have a choice…so I left really early to try to get through the worst of it around Lewiston before mid-afternoon. I figured it would cool down as I climbed up into Montana. Ir worked out well and resulted in a nice sunrise at a rest stop along I-90, and the highest temps I saw all day were actually up in Missoula at the end of the ride.
I enjoy US-12 through Idaho a lot. What’s not to like, right? Oh, I remember, it is the RV drivers that never look behind them to see how much traffic they are holding up. Lucky day for me! I think I saw a total of 5 cars the entire ride up into Lolo, and only had to pass one time. I may have ruined my expectations completely, maybe can’t ride it ever again…LOL.
Early morning start means sunrise at a rest stop east of the Cascades.Lolo Pass Visitor Center – always a good ride!Montana puts their signs way up there to avoid sticker abuse 🙂One of several Veteran’s cemeteries I visited for Tour of Honor.
Day 2 – Missoula to Rexburg, ID (702 Miles)
Day 2 began with the promise of more pleasant temperatures, but there were winds brewing and I hate riding in a cross wind. I’d rather ride in the rain for hours than a strong cross wind. Thursday was going to be the longest day in terms of miles and I had a route planned that snaked all over Montana before crossing down into Idaho for a stay in Rexburg. I didn’t want to stay anywhere near West Yellowstone!
Most of my day was spent on two lane state roads, but in Montana even those are marked at 70mph. And let’s be honest, they don’t spend a lot of time deciding whether 70 is actually safe for the road so you really need to be paying attention to the signs! My favorite sign of the day was just outside of West Yellowstone – it warned that there were bison roaming outside the park boundaries. That’ll make you sit up a little taller!
The wind was pretty strong in some areas and non-existent in others. Look at the flags in the pictures below and you can see it was pretty calm in Big Sky, for example.
Montana has also apparently solved a problem of huge concern. Road hooligans love to put stickers all over the state signs in most states, but Montana’s signs are like 100 feet in the air. Good luck! But they also put up a smaller, sticker friendly sign lower and in reach that is probably easier and cheaper to replace occasionally.
Calm start to the morning, just look at that flag! This is unusual in Montana, in my experience 🙂Another Veteran’s cemetery visit.Another limp flag in Big Sky. What is happening here?!?Another tall sign, but with a “sticker” sign closer to the road.Montana’s solution – a little sign closer to the road. And it was covered!
Day 3 – Rexburg to Burley, Idaho (609 Miles)
Day 3 was a pretty solemn start. I planned to make a stop by the grave of a close friend who passed away earlier this year to say hello and visit for a bit. I miss him a lot and don’t want to forget the good friendship we enjoyed. A friendship born from our time in the Navy – it was one of those relationships that would pick back up a year later as if no time had passed. He was a good person, a good husband and a good father.
The rest of the day was spent criss-crossing various parts of southeast Idaho to collect stops for Tour of Honor and PNW Grand Tour. It was probably the best day of riding in terms of weather and traffic of the entire trip! I did get a bit cool as I headed out of Rexburg and temps dipped into the high 30s.
Had some excitement with the bike at the worst possible place of the day. I had noticed my clutch was starting to bite earlier. The Triumph has a cool feature that raises engine speed as the clutch is let out to reduce engine stalls. The earlier clutch bite effectively disabled the stall feature and made it tricky to get going from a stop. By the time I made it up to the top of Mt Harrison the cloth would not fully disengage. I suspected an air bubble in the hydraulic line but didn’t have the tools to do a bleed or the fluid to replenish the reservoir. I honestly believed I was going to have to find a way to nurse the bike either home or to the nearest dealer (which can be a ways away on a Triumph!).
Enter the internet! I made it down to my hotel by being very careful about how I used the clutch. Once settled in my hotel, I accessed my online service manual and took a look at the system. By now, I was pretty convinced it was an air bubble but couldn’t see how it would develop without other symptoms (like a hydraulic leak somewhere). I went out and used the tools I had with me to try to “adjust” the system and…success! I was pretty nervous during the last two days of riding, but my fix seems to have worked and it is working correctly again.
My Harrison was the highlight of the day. At roughly 9,000 feet, the lookout offers fantastic views of southern Idaho.
A smoky sunrise after leaving Rexburg.The Devil Boat sail in Arco, Idaho.Mt Harrison fire lookout – at roughly 9,000 feet.Another view from Mt Harrison.Another view around Mt Harrison.
Day 4 – Burley to La Grande, Oregon (652 Miles)
Day 4 was designed to test my riding gear against the rain…
It wasn’t a washout, but there were sections that promised to be wet. How wet? That remained to be seen. The initial part of the ride was fine with clouds and moderate temps. The clouds built as Boise approached and by the time I was making my way up to Idaho City, raindrops were falling sporadically. To be honest, I was kind of hoping for a good downpour to wash the bugs and road grime off of my bike…LOL! It was coming, just not until later. Rain fell on and off all through Boise but not anything crazy, and by the time I was leaving the clouds were drifting away and it was getting warm and sunny again.
Enter eastern Oregon. I saw some storms building along my planned route but they seemed to be modest in size and strength so I continued on. I made it to within 5 miles of my planned stop before the heavens opened and the rain came down in buckets! And since it was headed east, I enjoyed riding through it for a lot longer on my way back the way I had come. It was my first real rain riding on the Triumph and I was pretty happy with how it performed. I always worry about riding a powerful bike on rainy roads – lots of power makes it to the rear wheel if I’m not careful!
Big takeaways – my 10+ year old First Gear jacket kept me dry. My 5 year old boots (that survived my LDX crash and 11 days of IBR riding) kept my feet dry. My Aerostitch pants kept my lower body dry. My stupid new “waterproof” gloves did not perform as advertised! Nothing is as frustrating as trying to get wet gloves off after clearing the rain.
The rest of the trip was uneventful and I even found a Panda Express in La Grande for dinner 🙂
A random stop at a roadside dam with a big message on the surface.A wet section of Boise. I thought the bike reflection was kind of cool.And then there was sunshine again!And then there was rain again 😦
Day 5 – Home! (620 Miles)
Sunday afternoon over Snoqualmie Pass is always an adventure. Traffic can sometimes back up for miles due to the perpetually ongoing road construction and dumb drivers. Fortunately, it was all clear for me.
My first stop after leaving the hotel was a small post office in a place called Imnaha, Oregon. I have no idea what inspiration struck someone at some point to settle way out there. The ride was fantastic with great scenery and virtually no traffic. There was a lot of fog on the way out but it had mostly cleared on the way back.
The other highlight for this day was a short trip south on OR-244 out of La Grande to visit a PNW Grand Tour stop. That section of highway between La Grande and Ukiah is fantastic! Lots of good curves and pavement, not too much traffic.
This may be the most remote section of Oregon I have ever visited!Blissful motorcycle roads south of La Grande.
September 1st marks day one of the MS5000 ride. I went out and made a lap through the neighborhood to get my starting gas receipt to document my odometer reading. I had planned to start a big ride today but will postpone that for a few days.
Many thanks to those who have already donated! I really, really appreciate the gesture.
Remember, I get 10 points per dollar donated in my name, and 1 point per mile ridden. My goal is to hit 5,000 miles for the event (9/1 – 10/20). That’s an average of 100 miles per day 🙂
So far, I have effectively zero miles ridden and $290 in donations for a total of 2,900 points.
I am participating this year, for the first time, in a ride to raise awareness and money for multiple sclerosis awareness. I have friends with MS, you have friends with MS – everyone has friends with MS. The motorcycle rally I run has been raising money for MS as part of a voluntary donation when signing up. Pacific Northwest Grand Tour has raised over $5,000 in the first two years and this year I want to do my own, personal part!
How does it work? I will attempt to reach Finisher status by acquiring 5,000 (or more) points through miles ridden (1 point per mile) and donations in my name (10 points per dollar donated). The money goes directly to the charity. I’ll give periodic updates here and on Facebook and am confident my many friends and family will support my efforts.
Want to donate? Not sure how much to give? Well, that’s the easy part. Every single dollar helps, so no donation is too small. Clean out those couch cushions and throw a few buckaroos at it. Make a difference 🙂
Small Thoughts 
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