Soaking up Budapest
Something is amiss. I'm not waking up to breakfasts of small hot cups of macchiato, a ridiculous range of soft cheeses and breads, or eggs made to order. I'm not checking my daily agenda for included and optional excursions, and there's no one to make slightly awkward small talk with at meals. Nope, I'm definitely not on a Viking cruise ship anymore. Last summer my mother invited me to join her for an eight-day Viking cruise on the Danube River, a trip Viking coins " The Danube Waltz ." I'd never taken a cruise of any kind before, and she and I travel well together, so I quickly agreed. So on April 30, we took off from Charlotte, NC, enjoyed a brief layover in Munich, Germany, and touched down in Budapest, Hungary. We boarded our ship, docked at the famous Chain Bridge on the eastern Pest side of the city, and took the first day to get our bearings and, most importantly, eat and sleep. We'd flown over on Lufthansa and while the service was eff...