December 26 – End of the cruise and touring Budapest

We were off the ship by around 9:30…our van has a trailer to hold all of our luggage.  Since it is too early to check into our hotel we did a driving tour instead.  It started out hazy but eventually cleared up to a lovely sunny day.

The first stop was the Shoes on the Danube Banks…a memorial to those killed by the Fascist during World War II.  About 3,500 people, including 800 Jews, were killed along the banks of the river. 
They were marched to the river where they had to remove their shoes (shoes were valuable and hard to find during WWII).  They were then shot and fell in the river to be carried away by the current.  They memorial was simple but tugged at the heart. 

We also visited the square around the Parliament building.  They building is considered to be the most beautiful parliament building in the world. 

In the big square in front of the building was a life-size nativity made of carved wood.

There was also a stop at a nearby bakery for treats. 

We then drove to the Buda side of the river, back to the Fisherman's Bastion,... where we had
great views of the Pest side of the city and the Parliament building.

where we had the same great views (different time of day from yesterday's visit) of the Pest side of the city and the Parliament building.

We visited the exterior of a nearby museum (formerly a palace)…

and wandered through the streets.  We got a view of the opposite side of the hill where there was a lovely building that housed a riding school at one time. 

We spent some time in Matthias Church, the coronation church of Hungarian Kings. 

Copies of some of the Hungarian Royal regalia were on display in the church.

        ********************************************************
More St. Matthias Church 

********************************************************

We checked in to the hotel mid-afternoon and immediately headed over to a pub across the street for a veeeerrry late lunch.  (Or very early dinner.)

After dinner Paul went out with Charlie to let her try her hand at some photography.  The streets of Budapest at night are lovely.

So photos of our family today.