Highlights E Europe Day 7
Highlights E Europe
Day 7 – Wednesday, May 5, 2010 – Visit Lake Balaton on the Drive to Budapest, Hungary Dinner Cruise on the Danube (2 nights)
Gennie was awake and working online when the sun came up. The wake-up call came at 7:00 but we were up and had our bags out at 7:30.
Everyone had had a good breakfast, the luggage was stored away, and we were able to leave at 8:30 as planned. The temperature was 63º and the humidity was 88%.
Eva greeted us and gave us a weather report because thunder storms were predicted for Budapest. We are always prepared for rain as it is Spring Time!
She also gave us a preview of the day; this is the last day Kalman will be with us as the EU has very strict regulations on the days off for drivers.
From Zagreb we drove north east to cross the border with Croatia and Hungary. We saw our first glimpse of the European red poppies blooming along the road side.
At 10:00 there was a brief “Smiley Stop” along the road just before the border. A few yards beyond was the official check point.
The Croatian guard came on the coach and stamped all of our passports. Then a Hungarian official collected all of our papers and took them all inside an office.
While she was gone another guard asked Kalman for the computer Trip Log that records all of our stops, his rest times, as well as the speed the bus has traveled.
There are severe fines for not complying with the EU regulations. Kalman was within all limits so we continued to wait for our passports to be returned.
It was 11:10 before we left and Eva gave us even more information about Hungary and the difficult Hungarian language. She explained the geographical borders of the country and the importance of the Danube River.
At Balaton Lake we had a lunch stop. This area is very popular with tourists, especially Germans and almost every home had rooms or apartments to lease for the summer season.
Walking with Carlene and Peter from Australia, we made our way to the lake where we enjoyed our picnic lunch of fruit, cheese, chips, and a soda. A beautiful swan swam by and begged for a few bread crumbs.
We hiked back to the parking area and got on the bus only to drive right back to the lake. Eva led us on a brisk walk to the end of the pier. The summer season had not yet begun so there were many beautiful boats in the harbor waiting to go out on this beautiful lake, called the ‘Hungarian Sea’.
It was 3:30 when we arrived at the outskirts of Budapest. Eva began to tell us more about this capital city of the once huge Hungarian Empire. The city is made up of three cities, Buda, Pest, and Old Buda.
Before we went to the hotel, Kalman took us to an overlook called the Citadella so we could have a chance to get our bearings seeing the river that splits the city in half.
We had a few minutes to take photos but the humidity and the haze in the late afternoon made it hard to see the famed Danube River and the buildings through the gray mist.
When we arrived at the hotel, we went to our room, supposedly a non smoking room, but the smell of smoke was thick. The staff at the desk gave us a choice of two other rooms so we could settle in for the next two days.
After getting connected to the internet, Gennie typed the day’s journal and I was able to look at our few photos from the day.
The scheduled Optional Activity for the evening was a dinner cruise on the Danube River. We left the hotel at 7:30 and had a delightful buffet as well as a guided river tour of the city by night.
The Szent Laszlo, our dinner boat was exclusively for our Trafalgar group. We had dinner with Diane from Nebraska and her brother Toots from Arkansas.
The lights of the city were magnificent; all of the historical buildings, bridges, and monuments were alive in this splendid setting on the Danube.
Hotel: Novotel Budapest Congress (Buffet Breakfast)
Comments
Shores of Balaton Lake
Balaton Harbor
Budapest from Citadella Overlook
Szent Laszlo Cruise Dinner
Dinner Buffet
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