Cruise Day 6 - Budapest 2

We skipped the official excursions today—none of the options really appealed to us, and Ursula wasn’t feeling well in the morning.

So instead, I took the opportunity to visit the Great Market Hall, Budapest’s largest and oldest indoor market. Housed in a striking neo-Gothic building, it’s spread over three levels. The ground floor is packed with fresh produce, Hungarian paprika, sausages, meats, wines, and handmade souvenirs. Upstairs, I wandered through stalls selling traditional street food and local crafts. In the basement, I stumbled upon an Aldi supermarket and picked up some Italian plums—Ursula’s favorite!

It was a great way to soak up some authentic Hungarian flavors and culture under one historic roof.

I made it back to the ship just in time for lunch with the group. Ursula spent most of the day resting, while I enjoyed the sunshine on the upper deck. It was a beautiful afternoon to watch the ever-changing landscape and the lively Saturday buzz along the Danube as the Excellence Empress sailed upstream toward the Esztergom Basilica, en route to our next stop: Bratislava.

Dinner began at 7:30 PM in the Excellence Restaurant, where Table 19 is reserved for our group: Peter, Hans, Freddy, Beatrice, Bernhard, Elisabeth, Ursula, and me.

Tonight’s Apéro:
• Unicum (the Hungarian cousin of Appenzeller)

Tonight’s Menu:
• Shrimp Cocktail
• Salad
• Duck Breast
• Créme Bruleé with Raspberry SorbetRead more