It was after dark and the Captain called us up on deck. We
were moored in Budapest on our last night on board and we’d been expecting
this. The engines started as we climbed the stairs and the ship pulled out into
the river. It was to be a moonlight cruise through the centre of Budapest – waiters circulated with glasses of champagne. Finally, the temperature had
dropped to comfortable, from the almost 40°C (105°F) that had hobbled us all
afternoon. Once again, the Hungarian Parliament building was the most
anticipated, but there was a lot more to see as we took the opportunity to
share memories with our cruise-mates.
Matthias Church with Crows |
Earlier in the day we’d visited Castle Hill and the Roman
Catholic Matthias Church. Originally built as the Church of Our Lady, when
Buda was captured by the Ottoman Empire in 1541 it became the main mosque; all
Christian images were covered over and replaced with arabesque patterns. The
superstitious Turks couldn’t remove the Virgin Mary’s statue though, so they
walled it in.
Mary with arabesque |
In a subsequent battle, the Holy League shelled the church during
prayers and a wall collapsed to reveal her statue; the breakdown of Turkish resistance and their withdrawal is credited to this ‘Mary-wonder’, as
it came to be known. The church was rededicated to the beloved King Matthias in
19th Century. His emblem, a crow, can be seen above the church. Years ago, when we’d visited St Peter’s in Rome, I’d had to rush from the entrance to buy some ‘J-Cloth’
Vatican pants and shroud my bare legs before they’d allow me in. Here, bare legs
weren’t a problem; it was women’s bare shoulders that were at issue. Volunteers
stood with paper shawls ready to wrap the offending flesh.
Gellert Hill Cave facade |
On the way we’d passed a unique church, sitting
right below the Liberty Statue. Known as the Gellért Hill Cave, monks of the
Pauline order constructed this stone façade in the 1920’s and operated the
caves behind it as a Catholic Chapel and monastery; in WWII the Nazis used it
as a hospital. Services were held here until 1951, when the Soviets walled it
up as part of their campaign against Catholicism, and sentenced the abbot to
death. 40 years later the concrete was removed and the church reopened; now it
forms a popular tourist attraction.
Once we’d returned from the city and freshened up, a local
music and dance group entertained us. Hungarian music filled the small dance
floor in the lounge. The star of the show was a cimbalom (or hammered dulcimer),
a Hungarian instrument resembling a small piano with the top removed, and no
keys. The dazzling medley, commencing with the Third Man Theme, rang through my
head for days afterwards. Have a listen to the Antal Szalai Gypsy Band &
Georgio. Amazingly, there’s a cimbalom in the Calgary Bell Music Centre. Their
performance continued with Brahms dances and more, before we had to leave for
our last delicious supper below in the dining room, where we sat with friends
from Chicago and Bexhill on Sea.
The Chain Bridge |
Then it was up to the deck in the moonlight. It was the end
of a lovely evening, and a lovely week, as the ship slowly passed through the
city on our farewell journey, and we picked out the sights for one last time.
Next day we were whisked to the airport and sent on our way – the Captain stood
on the dock and thanked every passenger as we departed. But the memory of a
wonderful voyage, and the new friends we made along the way, will stay with us
for a long time.
The Hungarian Parliament building from the Emerald Sky |