Thursday, October 1, 2015
Well, we had a final breakfast at the Royal Park Boutique
Hotel and checked out before 10am. We set off by Metro to the House of Terror
Museum at 60 Andrassy Street. We were there early and I was reading the
displays they had outside and I didn’t notice that a line was forming about a
half block long. When I saw it about 10 of 10am, we hustled over and got in
line. It didn’t matter because we wound up in the middle of large groups of
teenagers that were clearly some kind of school groups. It was dramatic and incomprehensible.
Not just because it was primarily in Hungarian, but like all of the Nazi,
Holocaust, KGB, Soviet Gulags, etc. The real mystery is that every guide we
have had since we arrived and I believe most were too young to have any real
memories of life under Communism or as they like to call it Socialism has been
quick to point out that it was not all bad. There was much to appreciate and
like about it. For example, yesterday’s guide talked about the Soviet’s
rebuilding everything and even improving Hungary with industry and factories.
Yet this museum pointed out that was done with slave labor from conquered from
nations like Hungary!
We took the Metro back to the riverfront and found a place
to have lunch. We ate at Szamos Haz. Clay had another Dreher draft and another
bowl of goulash. I had a Coke Zero and a Crocque Madame. We walked over to
Gelato Rosa for flower shaped ice cream cones at my request since it was sunny
and warm enough today to enjoy one. I had lavender white chocolate with plum
sorbet. Clay had pistachio and hazelnut. We rode Metro Red 2 all the way to the
end of the line to kill time. That was interesting because the last 2 stops
were all above ground and we saw the blocks and blocks of plain apartment
buildings. We crossed the platform into the waiting train for the return
journey and went back to Keleti for a final time. We got back to the hotel
about 10 of 2pm. We had requested they arrange a taxi for us to the river boat
dock at 2pm. Somehow there was some miscommunication and the driver and we all
sat in or around the lobby waiting for each other for about 20 minutes before
Clay went up to the reception desk and asked the girl he had made the arrangements
through. She said oh he’s here! He was in a plain black car, not a taxi. We
left. He did not speak or understand a single word of English! He didn’t ask
either of the front desk people where we wanted to go. He made a phone call and
handed it to Clay and that person tried to tell the driver where to go. Thank
God we had already been down here last night and knew exactly where it was
because he was at the river but probably more than a mile away from the boat! I
gave him the sheet of taxi directions that Amras had sent, but he was more
confused by the map it seemed than by our directions and pointing and waving
him on. It isn’t that big a city or waterfront! Anyway, we arrived and the fare
was half what we expected so there is that. We were waiting for the outbound people
to clear the long steep gangway ramp before starting down with our luggage when
a couple of people with Amadeus pins on asked what we needed. We said we were
boarding and showed them our documents. The man took our rolling bags from us and
had us go on board as he followed us. There was a mass of luggage and people
speaking foreign languages in the lobby area. Of course, there was another
Amadeus ship attached to Silver II’s port side so not all of them may have
belonged to us. Another woman stopped by and I asked her if we should check in
or what. She asked where our luggage was and I pointed it out. It was 2:35pm
and our documents had said that the cabins would be ready by 3pm. She said the cabins
wouldn’t be ready until 4pm and to either leave and come back or wait in the
Panorama Lounge. We headed all the way to the top deck and sat in some loungers
at the back of the ship in the bright sun instead. A bit before 3pm, they
announced that cabins were ready and we could check in. There was a bit of
pushing at the front desk before we submitted our passports and got our giant
tasseled magnetic key fobs. When you want to leave the boat, you exchange this
for a landing card and vice versa on return. Clay says the landing card is
laminated with your name on it and equally ludicrously large and unwieldy. It
won’t go in a pocket! He also learned
that we have Internet included. Now if it just works! We found the Amadeus Club
in the back and one floor up where we can fill an ice bucket 24/7 so right now
we’re pretty happy. They gave us a slip of paper with a table assignment when
we checked in so that may yet make us unhappy. The cabin is great. It feels
spacious and light and the storage is great. The bathroom is great as is the
walk in closet. We really like the switch that opens and closes the window wall
forming a balcony of the entire cabin. Clay is bummed that while the gym on the
first deck is open 24/7 that it has no treadmill so he probably won’t use it
anyway. I didn’t realize it even had one. There is space for using the yoga
mats they have in there but I didn’t bring my yoga routine with me. Well, it is
almost time for the boat drill so I’ll stop here.
I’m back and well past my bedtime! The safety briefing lasted
until dinner time at 7pm. Then there was a Hungarian folkloric show in the lounge.
Then we unmoored for a scenic night sail upriver and back to our dock at Mahart
7. As yet we haven’t turned back and we’ve gone one bridge past Margrit and its
island.
Dinner was ok, not great. It was supposed to be a Hungarian
meal. But, it wasn’t a very tasty or authentic one. The waitstaff were all
wearing authentic embroidered shirts though. Even the one who dumped Clay’s
water glass on my lap! At least it was only water. We are at a 4 top with
another couple from the US. They are on with us through Amsterdam and Paris to
Normandy and back. They aren’t doing southern France. There are only 2 other
tables that are labeled Amras. We don’t know how many are on for the full month
or even all the way to Amsterdam. This segment ends in Nurnberg. Our dining
companions just flew in and their luggage didn’t make it. They were informed at
dinner that their bags should meet them in Wien on the 3rd.
I am going to post this now. We have a punishing schedule
coming up with not a lot of free time unless we just skip some tours or
something. Oh well.
