My travel in Europe:
To the cities of Eastern Europe
Krakow, Bratislava and Budapest, 2010

Content:

1. Planning and Stockholm to Krakow
2. Walking in old Krakow
3. Auschwitz
4. Salt mine Wieliczka
5. By train from Krawkow to Bratislava
6. One day in Bratislava
7. From Bratislava to Budapest by boat
8. Visit Buda in Budapest
9. Visit Pest in Budapest
10. Memento park and Chain bridge
11. Last walk in old town of Budapest

Day 7, From Bratislava to Budapest by boat:

Now it come to the day when we shall travel by the Russian hydrofoil boat along Danube to Budapest.

Google Map over Slovakia and Hungary:

It's not possible to plot a boat travel so the precision is limited or wrong.

Bratislava:

We leave our room 9 am, the boat depart at 11 am, so no hurry.

Cross the street Spitalska and take the direction to the harbor.

Looking after our boat but can't find it, what's wrong ?

Waiting five minutes and then we saw our boat, we was just a bit early. Now it's 30 minutes until the boat depart.

At 11 am the boat depart as it should. We are very curious about the views we will get from the Danube River. It's the first time for both of us to travel along it. Now we have 240 km of traveling waiting for us on the river Danuba.

Here at Wikipedia are more information about the Danube river:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ Danube (Danube, Wikipedia)

We are lucky to have a nice weather today. But because of the high speed of the boat there are no places outside.

In the middle of the boat there is this opening where I can take photos from.

The boat lower the speed, it's time to pass through a lock, a very big lock.

Gabcikovo-Nagymaros Dams:

This was very exiting, one of the biggest locks I ever have passed through.

In Stockholm where I live the water level difference of our lock is about 0.5 meter. It's already 1 meter down.

There are also hydro power plants at this place. Eight turbines, 720 MW.

We felt very small in this lock.

It must be about at least 8 meters lower now.

Here at Wikipedia are more information about the Gabcikovo-Nagymaros Dams:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ Gabcikovo-Nagymaros Dams (Gabcikovo-Nagymaros Dams, Wikipedia)

A railway bridge, Komárom-Komárno Railway Bridge.

Monostor:

Fort Monostor near the border to Hungary. It was built the years from 1850 to 1871.

Here at Wikipedia are more information about Fort Monostor:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ Fort Monostor (Fort Monostor, Wikipedia)

From now we have Hungary to the right and Slovakia to the left.

Hungary:

In front of us is the bridge Komarno that cross the river Danuba and the border between Slovakia and Hungary. Slovakia to the left.

Now the views get more interesting, our boat is low and we can't see above the dams along the river, but now there are cities all the way to the river. The big river boats are much higher, but with a river boat this travel had not take 4 hours, more like 20 hours, and there were no river boat to take either.

Anchor place, 600 meters.

Captain's place. It's an airplane on water. This boat was refurbished just a few months ago (2010). It take 75 passengers. The engines are today (2010) two Deutz V12 at 1260 hp each. Fuel capacity 3000 Liters.

Here are more information about Hydrofoil boats:

• https://www.mahartpassnave.hu/en/ boat rental/ hydrofoil rental/ solyom ii solyom iii/ (solyom ii solyom iii, Mahart Passnave)
• https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Raketa (hydrofoil) (Raketa hydrofoil, Wikipedia)

Esztergom:

Suddenly a big castle appear in front of us, the Estergom Castle.

Here at Wikipedia are more information about Esztergom:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ Esztergom (Esztergom, Wikipedia)

Saint Adalbert.

Danube is Europe's second longest river. At Wikipedia you find more information about the river Danube:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ Danube (Danube, Wikipedia)

Visegrad:

On top of the hill we see at a distance an old castle, it's the Visigrad Castle.

At Wikipedia you find more information about Visegrad:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ Visegrad (Visegrad, Wikipedia)

A defense tower near the river.

Budapest:

This is the Hungarian Parliament Building, it was huge. We stayed not far from this building. This is on the Pest side of Budapest.

At Wikipedia you find more information about the Hungarian Parliament Building:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ Hungarian Parliament Building (Hungarian Parliament Building, Wikipedia)

Now is just a couple of km left.

Chain Bridge, opened 1849 and blown up 1945. Rebuilt and opened again 1949.

At Wikipedia you find more information about the Chain Bridge:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ Szechenyi Chain Bridge (Szechenyi Chain Bridge, Wikipedia)

Elisabeth Bridge.

Buda Castle, it was first built in 1265, but what we see today is the newer building is built 1749.

At Wikipedia you find more information about the Buda Castle:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ Buda Castle (Buda Castle, Wikipedia)

Liberty Bridge, someone told us that there were seven bridges that cross the river Danuba in Budapest..

At Wikipedia you find more information about the Liberty Bridge:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ Liberty Bridge (Budapest) (Liberty Bridge Budapest, Wikipedia)

Liberty Statue and the Citadella behind, on the Buda side of Budapest.

At Wikipedia you find more information about the Citadella:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ Citadella (Citadella, Wikipedia)

It's not only Poland that had flooding we can see, even Budapest got it.

We get of the hydrofoil boat after 4 hours and 20 minutes.

We looking for how to take us to our hotel. I was hit by a car driving backwards, a loud crash sound, no legs broken happily, Superman !

At Wikipedia you find more information about Budapest:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ Budapest (Budapest, Wikipedia)

We was curious about how the subway looks like. What a subway station, looks almost as it's a palace !

Back to our room, our host told us already earlier that there will be a party at the inner yard. Yes good we think, but it was very loud ! Still at 3 am the party was going on, no sleep this night. Next night we join the party and get some fun :-)