Day 10 - Wednesday, May 7, 2025 - Budapest Hungary

By Ellen Outten


Today started with a 9:30 am bus tour of Budapest. We toured both Buda and Pest

Buda and Pest are separated by the Danube River. We wove through the streets which were really crowded and made our first stop at The Church of Our Lady of Buda Castle. We took a tour of the church which like all of the others we've seen  














On the bus ride back to the ship, we passed the memorial for all the Jews killed or deported to concentration camps.  It's called, The Shoes on the Danube Bank. It's a waterside shoe sculptures memorializing those killed at the river by Nazis during WWII.  It's only a short walk from the shop and I plan to walk there tomorrow morning.  Jews were ordered to take off their shoes (shoes were valuable and could be stolen and resold by the militia after the massacre), and were shot at the edge of the water so that their bodies fell into the river and were carried away. The memorial represents their shoes left behind on the bank.





After our tour, Wayne and I went to the Central market or Grand market.  We had lunch on the 2nd floor and gawked at all the food stalls.  It would remind you of the Reading Terminal except the aisles between booths was much wider.  I walked up and down the aisles looking at everything 

There was lots of paprika for sale.  Many kinds, sweet, hot, smokey, as well as goulash spices. There were also bakery stalls and chocolate booths and great vegetable stalls.  I have a tour to go there again tomorrow afternoon with a guide.   I get to shop again!






I don't know what Bull's Blood is but I'm not going to try it.


Wayne had a mission to buy this paprika paste for his daughter Becky.   FOUND!

Tonight, I went on an evening tour, Budapest by Night.  Budapest is all lit up, all the bridges, and buildings on the Danube as well as the Parliament building and the Buda Castle are all lit.  Buda and Pest are absolutely gorgeous at night.

The Buda Castle


The Fountain of the Kings
The end terminus of the funicular that runs from the Danube River to Castle Hill
A look at the chain bridge.  Our ship is docked on the far side to the right of the bridge 

St. Stephen's Church in the background 


Views from Castle Hill




The Tural Statute


An interesting perspective 



Fountain of king Matthias




We stopped at a very nice restaurant, but outside, for a glass of included champagne and a beautiful view across the Danube River.



Our last stop to take photos of the Parliament building.  The 3rd largest in the world.  We've been to the largest on our first day in Bucharest.  




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