June 10 Budapest

This morning we are down for a tour of Budapest. The tour didn't start until 9 am so a slightly more relaxed start but by then it was raining on and off. We started off on the bus to visiting Heroes Square where it wasn't raining and then boarded the bus to go the gardens where it was raining quite hard. We walked some of the gardens which are lovely and enjoyed some Chimney Cake which is a local delicacy. Pretty much pure sugar but it gave us all the energy to clamber back on the bus for the trip up to the castle on the hill overlooking the Danube. By then it had stopped raining and we enjoyed a walking tour with some free time before once again climbing on the bus for the drive down the hill to the boat and lunch.
After lunch 13 of us boarded a minivan for our paid excursion to a local wine area. This was one of the highlights of our trip. The boat had been serving Hungarian wines with dinner for the last couple of nights and try as I might I couldn't find a bad one. There are 22 wine regions in Hungary. The one we visited was 45 minutes out of Budapest and was basically a long row of boutique wineries all with underground cellars dating back 165 years. At the first stop we descended into the cellar for our tasting of 4 wines. Three whites and a rose which were all very nice. The setting was quite unique although also quite cold. The area is known for it's cooler climate and reds aren't produced there other than some Pinot Noir which they use in the Rose.
The next stop was above ground which was a bit warmer in a vineyard that is a venue for weddings. Three of the 4 wines were paired with bite sized food offerings that really brought out the flavours in the wines. One of the tastings was an outstanding Cabsav/Franc which was so good we bought a bottle.
Then it was a stagger to the minivan and party music on our way back to the boat.
We had happy hour on the boat to top up followed by more wine at dinner and then sat in the lounge bar with Steve and Sue from Tasmania, Tom and Chris from Wisconsin and Rick and Pauline from Austin. Needless to say we all had a great time and staggered off to bed about 11 pm looking forward to a bit of a sleep in.Läs mer