Cactus Wanderer

Friday in Budapest........Pearl of the Danube When we awaken this morning the ship is moving at great speed.  There were some delays during the night and we are making up for lost time.  Everyone is anxious to go topside and capture our arrival into this historic capital. Budapest is home to 1.7 million inhabitants, swelling to 3.3 million if you include the metropolitan area.  It is bisected by the wide Danube with Pest on the east bank and Buda and Óbuda on the west bank.  These two sides unified in 1873 becoming this largest city in Hungary.  Graceful and treed Margaret Island announces the entry into the city. The Royal Palace Fisherman's Bastion and Matthias Church at the very top of the photo The Parliament The Buda side has the steepest hills and is crowned with The Royal Palace, now home to the Hungarian National Gallery and the 15th century gothic Matthias Church.  The Pest side is dominated by the massive Parliament Building.  Hugging the waterf

Onward to Bratislava, Slovakia...... We awaken in Vienna, dockside, with another ship tethered to the other side.  Paul and I are breakfasting as we watch the crane begin lifting the gangplank to our ship, right on schedule.  Out of the blue a woman appears, a colorful shopping bag hanging from her shoulder....she is not doing the happy dance.  In fact, she is jumping up and down and gesturing wildly while our crewman stoically continues with his work. All her frenzy amps up when we begin pulling away into the channel.  By now, both of us are fascinated with this soap opera.  No sooner than we are clear and into the open water does the maritime object of her affection begin to maneuver into the space we just left.  What a happy ending for her.  She was no doubt wondering how she would find her way to Budapest with her money and passport in the room safe. We pass a leisurely morning with housekeeping giving a demonstration on how to turn your bath towel into a cobra, swan, rose, e

A word about the staff........... In addition to the itinerary and the pleasant company of our travel companions, much of our enjoyment this cruise can be credited to the staff.  A multi-cultural group, mainly from Central Europe and the Philippines, they are unfailingly polite and cheerful. This kind of bonhomie is difficult to fake; it stems from genuine interest in their guests. An unflagging energy level belies the long working hours as many are cross trained. Several of the young ladies who maintain our staterooms are often found passing canapés during the social hour. I could easily find something nice to say about everyone, but here are a few highlights. Marc, our hotel manager, is six feet seven inches, of good cheer.  Don't let the teddy bear persona fool you; he rules with an eye on every detail.  One day while I was in the lounge composing, I overheard his very specific instructions to the gathered staff. Supplies fall under his aegis. On the next cruise leg from

Vienna (Wien)...The City of Music............. We awoke early as this will be a full day with some fine feathered company outside our window. It is 9 AM when we meet Elsa, our local guide, who begins with a bus tour of the city. This is home to 1.8 million people, four opera houses, five subway lines and parks galore.  Prater Park, a former royal hunting ground twice the size of New York's Central Park, dominates as we cross the Danube canal into town. The Danube was dredged here to minimize flooding and the earth removed in the process forms a thirteen mile island in the center of the Danube, the city's playground. Bike paths crisscross the space  and walking paths abound in this verdant refuge.  Life sized chess boards and unusual animal figures that children can mount and ride (as long as someone is pushing) add to the mix.  It is also home to some nondescript apartments with an Eastern Bloc look. Nearly one-third of Austria's population live here,  in the