Welcome to Budapest, Hungary … @ Night

What a welcome to the second new-to-us city and country … not just of this cruise, but of our day!

One glimpse of the city a-twinkle against the nighttime sky — even from afar — explained why PD Michal had said that tonight was going to go into our memory banks as a highlight of this cruise.

It was 9:45p by the time we were past Margaret Island … which sits in the middle of the Danube River in Central Budapest. Bundled up against the nighttime chill — exacerbated by Rinda’s forward movement — we were up on the Sun Deck with everyone else to watch the sail in. Servers brought around cups of hot chocolate and a shot of Tokaji — Hungary’s famous wine — to help stave off the chill as we watched the fairytale scenery slide by on the Pest (left) and Buda sides of the city.

The captain took us past the major landmarks and under the Chain, Elizabeth, and Liberty bridges. Arriving at the designated turn-around point, he re-traced our route back to the Chain Bridge … to the much-coveted berth at the base of the bridge on the Pest side. By 10:30p, we were tied up.

So, why was it so important that we arrive when we did? Yes, the sail-in was amazing but would have been just as jaw-dropping later at night.

The reason became apparent a little later when I went to slide open the door of our French Balcony to take a photo of the twinkling scenery … from the perspective of our cabin. The door had barely started sliding when suddenly everything went dark! Nearly pitch dark. It was like someone had pulled a thick curtain over the scenery. Turns out that on the dot of 11:00p, the city shuts off the lights … an energy conservation effort. After a while some of the city lights came back on, but the landmarks were just a dim silhouette. I’ll have to try again tomorrow night for the cabin perspective shot.

So glad we made it to Budapest in time to see the city all lit up.

We have two nights here … and two full days to explore the city.Read more