23 Oct

Day 2 – Cruise Managers Rock!

We woke up pretty early, but slept really well!

I checked my air tag and my suitcase was in Frankfurt!  Yay!  Getting closer!

Today we were doing a tour of Budapest.  They moved the ship early in the morning to closer to downtown.

Breakfast!

We boarded a bus to Hero’s Square.

After that, we walked around for a while.

We were starving somehow! We couldn’t pass up this street vendor:

Next up was Fisherman’s Bastion! Hey! There was our hotel too! But still no camera.

Here we are!

Cutie!

We had a short tour and then free time. Our tour guide had gone on and on about a bakery she loved with sour cherry pastries and Ally wanted that! So she got that.

I wanted to get something I had seen in a few places. A chimney cake!!

They made them fresh in front of us, and wow it was amazing. I was going to have to get that again!

This is my happy face.

We boarded the bus back to the ship for lunch!

After lunch, I saw my luggage was in Budapest! Woohooo!

Peter said they couldn’t do anything until someone scanned it in. He was hoping they would do it before we sailed out, but there was an equal chance they wouldn’t. If they didn’t, I wouldn’t see it until at least Vienna, two days later. Ouch ouch.

Ally and I decided to walk to the Parliament Building and see the Shoes on the Danube memorial.

It was a pretty easy walk over there and a very sobering memorial. Here’s parliament!

Parliament was beautiful!

My luggage was still not scanned by the way. Dang it!

We walked back to the ship for a dance performance before our sail away and dinner. Ally changed, I didn’t, no clothes, and we went to the performance.

While we were watching, I got an email update that my luggage was scanned! And was on it’s way back to MY HOME ADDRESS!!

Oh my word. I panicked and jumped up to go find Peter.

I found him and told him about the email. He said, “Yes, I saw that, “ and looked very concerned.

I said, “Peter, I am here for three weeks! I have got to have it!”

He said, “Yeah, hmm. Well how about you go look – OUTSIDE YOUR ROOM!”

Sorry, I keep shouting here. I got what he was saying immediately and rejoiced. Sure enough, there it was! I was so happy!!

I went back to the lounge where they were finishing up. Ally said, don’t you want your camera for the sail away? Yes, yes I did!!! I ran and got it, and we sailed away from Budapest about 10 minutes later. That’s how much time I had to spare. My luggage came with about 20 minutes to spare. Peter was now officially my favorite person ever. My precious…

We went up top for the sail away, and I took a million pictures.

Here we go!

The Nat Geo photographer walked around offering tips to everyone. She was great!

I mean. This is spectacular.

There’s the AmaMagna!

Then we went downstairs and had dinner in the private room with some Disney people. Dinner was delicious! No pictures because taking pictures of food with people you just met is so awkward.

After dinner, it was – you guessed it – bedtime! But bedtime in my own pajamas! Woohoo!

River Cruising with Nat Geo – June 24-July 1, 2023
Day 1 – Boarding With No Luggage
Day 2 – Cruise Managers Rock! 
Day 3 – We Have – Beer?
Day 4 – Biking in Vienna 
Day 5 – How About Wine? 
Day 6 – Don’t Feed the Bears!
Day 7 – No Bikes After All