Budapest, HungaryCamera:
Canon M5
Lenses:
EF-M 11-22 f/4-5.
6 IS STM
EF-M 18-150 f/3.5-6.3 IS STM
EF-M 55-200 f/4.5-6.3 IS STM
Flash:
Speedlite 270EX II
Speedlite 430EX III-RT
Accessories:
Platypod Ultra
JOBY GorillaPod Ballhead X
Port: Budapest
Arrival Time: In port all day.
Departure Time: In port all day.
We slept in a lot longer than I wanted, but we needed the
sleep. Today was our Fourteenth Wedding Anniversary. I woke Kim up by placing
her new bracelet on her arm. She was surprised!
Our first mission was to find the ship. We went down to the
riverfront and started walking along the berths. After almost a mile, we ran
into the Viking Bragi. We went on board to see if we could check in early. We
were the first ones to check in for the cruise!! They directed us up to the
lounge for breakfast! Mmmmmm, cold cuts and cheese!!! We discovered that they
had Eggs Benedict and Smoked salmon Benedict!!! I love European breakfasts. Our
room was even ready after breakfast and we got moved in early!!
Activity: Viking Cruise Lines: The Grand European Tour
Website: https://www.vikingrivercruises.
com/cruise-destinations/europe/grand-european-tour/2020-budapest-amsterdam/index.html
Additional History: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_Cruises
Reservations: Required
Cost: From $3,899
Required Time: 15 days
Recommendation: Highly Recommend
Today, there is no official excursion, however, there is an
informal walking tour. Since Kim and I got in late, we were going to do the
itinerary that we planned. Some stuff was not going to make it!!
After lunch, we went to the Central Market. While I am sure
that some locals were there to buy fresh produce and meat, it looked a little
more like a tourist market. It was crowded on the second floor, which was where
the tourist bobbles were being sold.
Activity: Great Market Hall
Website: http://budapestmarkethall.com/great-market-hall-budapest
Additional History: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Market_Hall_(Budapest)
Guide: No Guide
Reservations: Not Required
Cost: Free
Required Time: 1 hour
Recommendation: Highly Recommend
We went over to the Cave Church. It is more than one chapel,
there are several of them.
Kim needed to cover her shoulders and knees. She was
not happy! I must remember that you need shoulders and knees covered for some
of these places! I used a flash in the cave and it seemed to make a few
worshipers unhappy!!!
Activity: Gellért Hill Cave
Additional History: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gell%C3%A9rt_Hill_Cave
Guide: No Guide
Reservations: Not Required
Cost: 600 HUF
Required Time: ½ hour
Recommendation: Recommend
We made our way to the Buda Castle Hill. It was a long hike
from the cave. By the time we got there, we were hot!! We took the funicular to
the top. We walked around the castle and made our way to Matthias Church. There
was a bunch of weddings going on, so we could not get inside!! We walked around
the Fisherman’s Bastion before going back to the Bragi!!
Activity: Budapest Castle Hill Funicular
Website: https://www.bkv.hu/en/en/buda_castle_funicular_
Additional History: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budapest_Castle_Hill_Funicular
Guide: No Guide
Reservations: Not Required
Cost: HUF 1200
Required Time: < 1 hour
Recommendation: Highly Recommend
Activity: Buda Castle Hill
Website: https://www.
budapestinfo.hu/buda-castle-and-the-matthias-church
Guide: No Guide
Reservations: Not Required
Cost: Free
Required Time: 2 hours
Recommendation: Highly Recommend
Activity: Matthias Church
Website: https://www.matyas-templom.hu/main.php?Lang=EN
Additional History: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthias_Church
Guide: No Guide
Reservations: Not Required
Cost: 1800 HUF
Required Time: 1 hour
Recommendation: Highly Recommend
At tonight’s Daily Briefing, we got a chance to see our
cruise-mates. Hmmm, I would hazard a guess that the average age was about
seventy! I only saw about ten people who may have been younger than us!! There
might have been three people who were in their twenties. Out of 182 passengers,
over 150 are from the USA. There were a few from Canada, two from Australia,
two from New Zeeland, and two from Africa.
We had our first dinner and it was great!!! I am most
excited that Crème Brûlée is served every night!!! Wine and beer are
complimentary at lunch and supper. I decided on getting a red wine, It was good
and it was plentiful.
I would not even get half a glass gone before it was
refilled!! Before I knew it, I was loaded!!! When the waiter asked Kim about
wine, she indicated that she wanted something sweet. He told her that he had
just the bottle! I could tell by her responses that she thought it was free. I
could tell by the waiters responses that we were paying for it!!! Kim was
surprised when I told her that she bought a bottle of wine. When she got back
to the room, she looked up the wine. It was selling for $300 a bottle. $300 a
bottle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Kim went into panic mode!
Kim was tired and I wanted to do some night photography, so
I set out alone for the Chain Bridge. I was using the Platypod Ultra and JOBY
GorillaPod Ballhead X (tripod substitute) for time lapse photography. I was
photographing the Chain Bridge and the Buda Castle. At one point, I heard the
sound of a firework being shot up into the sky. I turned around to see it
explode with color!! I had to wait for the picture of the bridge to finish (20
second shutter time) before I could get the camera ready to take a picture of
the fireworks.
There was a boat anchored in the river that was launching
the fireworks. I do not know what the special occasion was (it could have been
done every Saturday evening) for the fireworks, but it was great to see them.
It did seem a few days early for the Fourth of July fireworks!!!!
I took my tripod substitute up to the traffic triangle at
the end of the Chain Bridge. I took some more time lapse photos of the cars
coming and going on the bridge. I then walked over to the tram tracks to try
second-curtain flash. This is where the flash will not trigger until the
exposure is almost finished. I tried to hand-hold, but didn’t feel like I got
what I was looking for. I then set the camera on the Platypod and aimed it up
to catch the next tram. I had to guess at when I thought the tram was in the
frame. It worked. I had lights from the tram leading up to the flash that
happened at the end of the exposure. While I was happy with the results, the
tram conductor yelled at me in Hungarian about how he didn’t like the flash!!
At the end of the day, we had done over eleven miles! We
were tired!! I think all of the walking (and air conditioning!!) made going to
sleep a lot easier!!!
2025-05-22