Budapest by Day

One of my favorite pastimes when traveling is to just roam the streets and see what catches my eye behind my camera lens.

Viking - This Ship Has Sailed

Viking River Cruise - The good and the bad

The good:  The company of my good friends Janice, Lori and Russ, and the opportunity to meet make new friends like Mary and Debbie. The food was excellent with small portions and healthy options, even though I ate way too many decadent sweets.  Excellent staff with wonderful personalities and excellent attention to detail. 

The Bad:  Due to low water levels on the Rhine and Main Rivers, we had limited access to certain ports so we had to be bussed around to some of the planned city stops.  Later we had to change ships.  For several days the weather was very hot and one night the ships A/C went out.  Limited to no wifi connection.  Then there was the pesky  COVID virus.  Yes, it is still a huge problem.  It started with one man coughing on the bus freaking us all out, then we heard of one lady testing positive, then Janice tested positive - yes my roommate Janice.  We told the front desk and they said she had to isolate in the room for five days and I could not change rooms, so we wore masks for a couple of days in the room even while sleeping.  Janice was such a trooper and was amazing in how she handled the situation even though she had very few symptoms and felt fine.  We found out of the fourth day that the ship no longer offered tests and that Janice could do whatever she wants.  There is much more to the story, but you’ll have to ask Janice.  I don’t want to steal her thunder, but she was not happy at that point and neither was I.  As it turns out several people had COVID and I suspect even more by now, most had free access to the ship and tours and did wear masks.   What a mess, and the ship’s leadership and Viking in general handled it very poorly as they had no consistent policy or protocol. There will be many complaints.

So, cruises are not my thing.  There was plenty of good but I just need to have more freedom to roam.   

Goodbye my good friends - Budapest

It’s hard saying goodbye to Lori, Russ and Janice as this is the day we depart the ship and they fly back to the states.  We had some good laughs and made many new memories.  It was great having quality time and to share so many different experiences over the last two weeks – some good and some bad.  The bad ones will turn into great stories later and hopefully accompanied with laughter.