16 May 2018, Wednesday

It was our third and last full day in Budapest. The weather forecast showed that it would be mostly cloudy today, with temperatures ranging from 13 to 18 degrees Celsius. I was happy as long as it wasn’t raining. We set off at about 10am, with the first objective of getting our tickets for the Danube river cruise. For the uninitiated, Danube is pronounced as Da-noob and not Da-nu-bay.

Taking a cruise down the Danube river is one of the most touristy things to do, but it is for good reason. The Danube is legendary. It is Europe’s second longest river (after the Volga) and it flows through 10 countries – originating in Germany and passing through Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova and Ukraine before reaching the Black Sea. Plenty of people take an entire vacation just sailing down the Danube and visiting the various cities along the way.

The river was immortalised in the most famous piece of waltz music ever written – The Blue Danube by Austrian composer Johann Strauss II. You may not recognise the title but you will definitely recognise the tune. Click here to listen to it. For my parents, it is especially meaningful because they have been practising ballroom dancing for years and they have waltzed to The Blue Danube many times.

There are several operators offering Danube river cruises and they are generally the same, with three options available – a purely Sightseeing cruise, Drink & Cruise and Dinner & Cruise. Needless to say, Dinner & Cruise is the most expensive option and it will cost at least 15,000 HUF (S$94). A sightseeing cruise will cost at least 4,000 HUF (S$25).

After doing my research, I decided on a company called Hungaria Koncert. Click here for the website and here for the Facebook page. The reason why the company is called Hungaria Koncert is because it also offers folklore performances and classical music concerts in addition to dinner & cruise programmes.

I chose Hungaria Koncert because it was the cheapest among all the companies. I went for the middle ground and settled on the Drink & Cruise option, which cost 6,200 HUF (S$38.75) for the evening cruise. Do note that this was 2018’s price – I just checked the website and it now costs 7,084 HUF. Also take note that prices vary for the different timings – the afternoon (2pm) cruise is the cheapest, while the night (10pm) cruise is slightly cheaper than the most popular evening (7pm) cruise.

From our apartment, we walked to the Hungaria Koncert office, which is located within the premises of the Danube Palace (aka Duna Palota) at 1051 Budapest, Zrínyi street 5. It is very near St. Stephen’s Basilica and Chain Bridge.

After getting our cruise tickets, we were free to explore the city centre. The main shopping area in Pest stretches from Vörösmarty tér (aka Vörösmarty Square) through Váci Street to Central Market Hall. The nearby area around Deák Ferenc tér is filled with upscale hotels like The Ritz-Carlton as well as a Fashion Street filled with high-end boutiques.

After we walked past the Budapest Eye ferris wheel, it was super random but we came across a tree adorned with many pictures of Michael Jackson. I was surprised to see it because I never knew there was such a “shrine” here in Budapest. The last time I encountered one was in Munich.

After doing some research on it, I learned that this memorial tree is located here in Erzsébet tér because it overlooks the Kempinski Hotel Cornivus Budapest, where MJ stayed at in 1994 during the shoot for the HIStory album promotional film. Fans would gather here day and night to try to catch a glimpse of him. After MJ passed away in 2009, this spot became the rallying point for all the fans to mourn together.

We soon reached Vörösmarty tér, the start of the pedestrian shopping street and where Hard Rock Café is located. All the mass appeal fashion brands are here – Pull and Bear, C&A, H&M, Zara and lots more. As we walked down the street, we popped in to the shops we fancied but never really bought anything. It was fun just to window shop.

At about 12:15pm, we reached Central Market Hall, which marks the end of the shopping street. Central Market Hall (aka Great Market Hall) is the oldest and largest indoor market in Budapest, opened in 1897. The building resembles a grand railway station on the outside. The interior is even more impressive, with a high roof and exposed steel structures on the underside. The large panels of windows on both sides allow much natural light to enter, making it very bright and welcoming. It is the most beautiful market hall I have been to.

Most of the stalls on the ground floor sell fresh produce, fruits and food items. The second floor consists mostly of souvenir stalls and eateries. We went up to the second floor for a look but it was very cramped and crowded, making it hard to walk around. We gave up and went down again.

I was actually hoping to have lunch at Central Market Hall but mum and dad weren’t feeling too adventurous about the food there, so we left after a short while and eventually had our lunch at a restaurant nearby called EuropaCafe. The total bill for our lunch was 9,295 HUF (S$58).

After lunch, we went back to our apartment for a rest. I then headed out again because I wanted to visit Széchenyi Baths. Mum and dad weren’t keen on it so I went alone. I took the Metro and alighted at Széchenyi fürdö station.

Budapest is blessed with over a hundred natural thermal springs under its limestone foundations. As a result, there are many thermal spas in the city. Some of the most visited ones include Rudas, Gellért and Király Baths, but the most famous of them all is Széchenyi Baths (click here).

I paid 5,200 HUF (S$32.50) for the entrance fee, which allowed me to stay till 10pm and included the use of a locker. (I just checked the website and saw that the prices have increased yet again – it now costs 5,500 HUF) You can pay a little more to rent a cabin instead, where you can change and store your belongings in, but honestly, it is not necessary. A locker is good enough.

Upon entry, I was issued an electronic wrist tag, which allowed me to use any of the available lockers. I had problems trying to secure my locker initially. There was a certain way to do it – you have to push the locker door shut and place the wrist tag disc against the door sensor until you hear the ‘beep’ sound.  After finally securing my locker, I was ready to explore Széchenyi Baths and soak up the good times.

As expected, it was very crowded. Széchenyi Baths is the most popular thermal bath with tourists because it is huge. There are 15 indoor pools and three outdoor pools altogether, including a 50m outdoor swimming pool. There are also steam chambers, saunas and massage services available. Unlike the hot springs in Japan, bathing suits are required as all pools are open to both genders at all times. If you want to use the 50m swimming pool, you’ll also need to put on a swimming cap. You can rent one for 1,500 HUF if you forgot to bring yours.

The water at Széchenyi Baths is hot spring water with calcium, magnesium, hydro-carbonate, sodium, sulphate and a significant amount of fluoride and metaboric acid. Regular bathing is said to have therapeutic effects and can help cure degenerative joint diseases, chronic and sub-acute arthritis.

The temperature of the water in the indoor thermal pools ranges from 28 to 40 degrees Celsius but most of the pools didn’t feel that warm. Perhaps it was because the outside temperature was quite low, about 19 degrees, so the water felt cooler than it really was. As it was crowded, most of the small indoor pools were filled with people, so I didn’t really get to try all the pools. Anyway, they were all quite similar. It was more about the experience than really getting a long and enjoyable soak.

The outdoor pool was quite big and thankfully, it wasn’t super crowded. The sky was overcast and it was quite chilly outside, so I quickly stepped into the pool to warm myself up. However, the water was only about 26 degrees so it wasn’t very warm. After taking the obligatory pictures, I left Széchenyi Baths at around 4pm to go back to the apartment to get ready for our evening cruise. 

After leaving Széchenyi Baths, I walked to the nearby Heroes’ Square (aka Hősök tere). I wanted to have a look because this was where MJ shot the aforementioned promotional film for his HIStory album. In the middle of the square is the Millennium Monument, which was built in 1896 to commemorate the thousandth anniversary of the Magyar conquest. Magyars are the ancient forebears of the Hungarian people and they launched a series of conquests in the Carpathian Basin in the year 896, resulting in the eventual settlement of Hungarians in Central Europe.

In the middle of the Millennium Monument is the Millennium Column, a 36m tall column with a statue of Archangel Gabriel on top. The Archangel is holding the Holy Crown of St. Stephen in his right hand and the apostolic double cross on his left hand. The significance of these is: St. Stephen is the first king of Hungary, and the apostolic double cross was awarded to St. Stephen by the Pope in recognition for his efforts to convert Hungary to Christianity.

At the base of the column are seven statues representing the Magyar chiefs who led the Hungarians into the Carpathian basin. Forming the backdrop to the left and right of the Millennium Column are two colonnades, each enclosing seven statues of the most prominent figures of Hungarian history. After the short visit, I took the Metro from Hősök tere station back to the apartment.

At about 6pm, we made our way to the meeting point for the cruise, which was at Danube Palace. The meeting time was 6:30pm. At 6:45pm, a smartly-dressed gentleman led all the guests to the cruise ship, docked a short distance away from the Hungarian Parliament Building. We could see dark clouds hovering over Buda across the river as we boarded.

The ship had two levels and we were ushered to the lower deck, where several long tables and chairs were laid out. It was free seating so everyone rushed to take the window seats. Our Drink & Cruise ticket entitled us to a welcome drink and a second drink. White wine was our choice of beverage. At 7pm, the ship moved off.

A four-piece band provided live music throughout the two-hour cruise. The quartet comprised of a double bassist, two violinists and a cimbalom player. I was most fascinated by the cimbalom because it looked like a yangqin, a traditional music instrument found in Chinese orchestras, but it sounded different tonally. The cimbalom is played by striking two beaters against the metal strings, similar to how a xylophone is played, so I was drawn to it naturally, being a percussionist myself.

The musicians were really good and they entertained us with a mix of classical pieces and traditional folk songs. As we were on a Danube river cruise, of course they had to play The Blue Danube, which made dad very happy. At that point, I just wondered if the musicians ever felt bored playing the same pieces over and over again, every single day. All part of the job, I guess.

Shortly after the ship moved off, the dark clouds gave way and the rain fell heavily. Thankfully, it didn’t last long. After the brief spell of rain, we were treated to the most awesome display of double, full-arched rainbows! The arch was so wide I couldn’t capture it in a single shot. It was a special moment for sure.

The cruise sailed by the most important landmarks of Budapest, many of which we had already seen, albeit from a different vantage point. Some of the highlights include the Hungarian Parliament Building, Chain Bridge, Margaret Bridge, Fishermen’s Bastion and Matthias Church, Buda Castle and the Citadel on Gellért Hill.

I specially chose the evening cruise because I wanted to see Budapest transitioning from day to night. Towards the end of the cruise, as the sky got darker, the lights came on and the city sparkled to life. It was a different feel and I must say Budapest is even more beautiful at night. Chain Bridge was even more spectacular with the lights on, especially with Buda Castle in the background.

Just like clockwork, the cruise ended at 9pm sharp. Overall, it was a very enjoyable experience, as we sipped on wine, had live music entertain us as we admired the beautiful scenery while cruising down the Danube river for two hours. For 6,200 HUF (S$38.75), it was worth it.

During the cruise, I also sneaked to the upper deck for a look. This was where the guests who opted for the more expensive Dinner & Cruise option were seated. The food was buffet style and it looked and smelled quite good. The setting was also more luxurious and there was live music too. I would say, if your budget permits, go for the Dinner & Cruise option. It costs more than double (15,400 HUF – note: 2018’s price!) but I think it’s worth it if you want something more romantic.

With that, it was the end of our third day in Budapest. One more sleep and we’re off to Vienna next. What a beautiful end to our Budapest stay!