The Last Day - And Home
On yesterday's tour of Budapest, as we looked out over the Danube from the fortress I had asked our guide if we were going to Fisherman's Bastion which is - in MY opinion - the most iconic spot in this amazing city and easily one of my top two places to visit in all of Europe. He said sadly no that the city has put new restrictions on going for tours and has made it cost prohibitive. You not only pay an exorbitant price and you have a narrow window that you must be in and out on time. But he indicated it IS open to the public. I asked about going and he explained there is one specific public transportation bus, a small bus that has a pick up right by our hotel and a drop off right there at the site. AND he added it was free for travelers over 65. We asked at the Viking desk and they gave us specific and easy directions. HOWEVER, Kim and I are notoriously famous for getting lost in Europe ESPECIALLY when we hear the phrase "You can't miss it!" But Tom & Georgina said they wanted to go along so we figured CERTAINLY between the four of us we'd get there. And besides we had nothing on the agenda until 8:30pm. We doubled checked at the Viking desk at 11:30 am this morning and got even more specific directions with a reminder to take ONLY "Bus 16" - not Bus 16A or 116 or 161, or any combination....simply bus 16. Georgina had to purchase a ticket as she didn't meet the age qualifications :) We found a metro station right on the way and within five minutes we were at the stop. The small bus arrived and made four quick stops before dropping us off right in front of St. Matthias Church which sits right beside Fisherman's Bastion. I was simply thrilled - as much that we didn't get lost as we made it to my favorite spot. After multiple photo ops we climbed back down from the upper level overlooking Tom & Georgina stayed and we said our goodbyes as there is a good chance we won't see them this evening (we have a late excursion) and our departure is so very early.
Budapest After Dark - The Final Excursion
We spent the afternoon doing a lot of nothing and making sure our bags were ready to roll in the morning. We have a 3:15 am baggage pick-up and a 3:45 departure from the hotel to the airport. We went out to dinner and we are on a roll - didn't get lost AGAIN. Of course the restaurant was on the same street as our hotel only 50 yards away...still :)
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