This morning we would have more time to explore Budapest before we join our river cruise this afternoon. We had organised to meet Chris and Janet in the hotel restaurant at 8:30am. When we woke at 7am, my iPhone weather app said it was 8C and raining. The forecast was for a maximum of 13C.
After breakfast, we set off to walk towards the central markets which is about half an hour away. I wasn't feeling well but decided to come along. It was a pleasant walk along the cobblestone streets of Budapest. We stopped regularly to look at the shops and take photos.
Suzy and I had been to the markets on our Insight bus tour of Eastern Europe a couple of years ago and were keen to go again and show it to Chris and Janet. It is a steel framed structure with two levels. They sell produce such as meat, fruit, vegetables as well as clothing and accessories.
Perhaps the most interesting part of the centre is the food area upstairs. There are small outlets selling a wide range of food to eat at the nearby tables and stools.
Suzy and Janet were keen to check out the various parts of the shopping centre. Chris and I found a bench where we could sit and wait.
Next we wandered the streets heading back towards our hotel looking for somewhere to have lunch. We found a cafe called Bistro & More. We sat at a table indoors so we could keep warm.
Our APT river cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam was due to start this afternoon and so we checked out from the hotel at about 2pm and waited in the hotel foyer. It was a good opportunity to meet more of the people who would be on our cruise.
At 2:30pm, the buses left to take us to the wharf to board our ship. There was a great welcome from the APT staff. The staff were lined up to greet us. They gave us the access cards we would wear around our necks for the next two weeks to gain access to our cabin and other doors around the ship.
Our bags were delivered by a young woman who didn't seem big enough or strong enough to carry our bags onto the boat and up the stairs to our level. Next we needed to unpack and find places to store our clothes, etc. It turned out there was enough places - hanging cupboards, shelves, a large box under the bed, etc.
There was a desk for my laptop. The TV screen was running a safety video. We also signed onto the ship's WiFi - the speed was better than on other cruises we'd been on. We were also using our mini WiFi.
After settling in, we went to explore the ship. At the rear of the ship, we found a small restaurant. There was a small gym. Towards the front of the ship, there was a lounge area and on the level below was the main restaurant. We went up on the top deck where there are wicker lounges at the front and a walking track towards the rear.
At 6pm, there was a welcome function in the lounge at which we heard from our captain (Marcel), the hotel manager (another Marcel) and the cruise director (Emma). They introduced us to some of the other key staff.
This was followed by dinner in the ship's restaurant. We sat at a table with Chris, Janet, Erac and Amy.
The ship set sail along the river at about 8:15pm to get ready for this evening's event: the lights of Budapest. At night the buildings along the Danube are brightly lit creating an amazing spectacle. This includes the parliament building, the castle, churches, bridges and other government buildings.
We were called up on the top deck at about 9pm to see the spectacle for the next hour or so. It was an excellent photo opportunity. Suzy and I had seen it before on our Insight bus tour of Eastern Europe a couple of years ago but it was just as good the second time.
We found out later that many people prefer the cruise that goes from Amsterdam to Budapest (rather than Budapest to Amsterdam like we're doing) because the evening cruise with the light of Budapest is the climax for their cruise. In our case, it was a great start to our cruise.
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