20170713 First Morning of Cruise

Thursday 7 photos

First, see today's Viking Daily, next a couple of photos of our stateroom after we've lived in them a few hours, then the breakfast buffet in the Restaurant, where we can also order from a small menu. The last three are views from the dock area as we begin the Budapest City Tour.

20170712 Ingvi 2

Wednesday 5 photos

Dinner is served at 7:00pm and the Restaurant is ready for us. The menu has limited choices, all sounding tasty. I choose the fish, which is char, and Jim chooses beef, which is a ribeye steak. We both choose the chocolate dessert. Hope tomorrow will require a great amount of walking!

Ready for our first sleep on the boat!

20170712 Ingvi

Wednesday 8 photos

We check in to the ship Ingvi after 3:00pm and settle into our stateroom. By 4:00 we are in the Lounge Terrace where the Ingvi crew welcomes us with a wine and cheese tasting. Then we explore for a few minutes and prepare for dinner.

Every evening at 6:45 the Tours Manager schedules a meeting in the Lounge to preview the next day, so now the room is set up to accommodate all of us guests. We order more wine there. Today he starts earlier at 6:15 to cover everything. Notice the musician sitting at the piano; he plays and sings mostly during cocktail times.

We also receive the newsletter Viking Daily every night.

20170712 Budapest 7

Wednesday 6 photos

For lunch, our last meal before boarding the boat, we see that our hotel bar has Hungarian goulash soup as a nightly special. I order, and Jim agrees to another eating adventure when he learns it will be beef and vegetables seasoned mildly.

As we check out of the hotel, a reception table and poster for the water sports World Championships are prominently positioned near the exit point. Even bigger crowds expected for the weekend!

20170712 Budapest 6

Wednesday (the real Wednesday!) 6 photos

Early this morning we see more practice from our window, this time the men, warriors, performing a choreographed dance routine, complicated.

Fifth picture has us befriending the artist statue, and sixth a view of the famous chain bridge.

20170711 Budapest 5

Blog Tuesday 6 photos

After dinner we watch more of the practice for the opening ceremony that includes water sprays and colored lights as skies darken, the effects become more powerful.

Fifth photo shows some of the crowd that has gathered to watch, and sixth is the piano near our hotel's bar as we walk to the elevators.

20170711 Budapest 4

Tuesday 6 photos

Decided on hotel restaurant for dinner so we can continue enjoying the outdoors.....

Bread comes.....

Foie gras for starter to share.....

Looking through window to see empty tables inside.....

I choose duck breast.....

Jim chooses pork.....

No room for dessert!

20170711 Budapest 3

Tuesday 5 photos taken from our hotel area

Tuesday's Disappearance

Has anyone wondered what happened to Tuesday, July 11? Me, too! Almost like the week decreased to six days!?! Somehow I skipped it on the calendar and the previous four posts should have been dated Tuesday, July 11. I'll try to do better. And yes, I know I'm writing this post on Saturday as we dock in Vienna, but we are having a fabulous time with new friends.

20170712 Budapest 2

Blog Wednesday 6 photos

This weekend Budapest is hosting the International Water Sports Competition. Our Hotel International on the Danube River is near the location of the opening ceremony, and the practices go on all day until late at night. We watch from the bar, the street as we walk, our room window, etc.

First photo is of the hotel bar's special drink invented for the event, but the description doesn't appeal to us.....

Statue of street artist.....

Front of our hotel.....

Old building across from hotel.....

Barrier closing street early for opening ceremony, many of these going up, making traffic a nightmare.....

Another building close to hotel.....