Today we had an early start. We had to have our cases outside our rooms at the hotel by 6.30am, so we were up and ready for breakfast by then!
But before I talk about today, I have to finish telling you about the events of yesterday! At around 6.30pm we headed out to go and see some of the lights of Prague. We walked back down to Wenceslas Square and along some of the beautiful narrow streets, back to the Charles Bridge. Here we waited for the sun to set so we could get some photos of the Prague Castle and some of the other buildings around. It was about 8.00pm before we headed back to the hotel. But we were pleased to see the lights.
We also saw a couple of groups of people lifted up on a platform by a crane type machine and remain suspended in mid air for a while. We think they were having dinner up there - not on my list of things to do!!!!
Back at the hotel there was a small "cake" and a note for Keith, wishing him a happy birthday! This was a big surprise to all of us! Ali & I shared a little bit of the cake, which was actually a mousse that looked like a cake. Keith enjoyed the start of the celebrations for his birthday.
Back to today! After breakfast, we boarded our coach for the drive to Budapest. This was a trip that took 8 hours! The coach drivers are not allowed to drive any more than 2 hours at a time, so we stopped three times along the way, including for lunch at a winery in the Slovak Republic. Here, Keith was presented with a gift and card by Helena - out Czech guide from the last few days.
It was nearly 4.00pm when we arrived in Budapest and boarded our ship - the MS AmaBella . The ship holds 162 passengers (there are 153 on our cruise). Ali & I are sharing a cabin - it is a bit smaller than I expected, but very comfortable, just the same. Keith is in the only single cabin on the ship - downstairs from us. We have a small balcony on our room. At 5.00pm we attended a welcome cocktail event with the Captain and crew. On the way in, all the ladies (& Ali) were presented with a long stem red rose. In this session, we were introduced to many of the staff, enjoyed a glass of bubbles and listened to a safety talk.
Then at 7.30pm we headed to the dining room for a 5 course dinner! During dinner we were serenaded by a couple of Gypsies playing the violin. It was beautiful. While we were eating dessert, the lights were lowered and some of the staff came out with a cake for Keith! It was a very pleasant surprise! The violin playing Gypsies came out and sang happy birthday to Keith too!
After dinner, we went
up on the Sun Deck to see some of the lights of Budapest as we went on a
short cruise! We are now docked in Budapest for the night.
It is getting very late here, and we have another early start tomorrow so I had better get some sleep. We will have internet service during the cruise but it may not be good in places, so I will try to post something each day.
Doreen
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