The servers at our again-very excellent breakfast at the Intercontinental Hotel were very playful. One was kind enough to take a photo of the three of us at our table and then embraced M as if to take her for a waltz. We sent a picture of the pastry display to AM just in case she was missing it (I know I will!).

Photographs are amazing things - and videos. There is no way I could call to mind that scene of the Danube and Budapest lights from our hotel room, but I now have a video of it for whenever I want. My memory can only retain so much, and it certainly doesn't capture the details and nuances which I often notice when going through photos from a location.

We checked out of the hotel around noon and made our way to the long boat that will be our home for the next fortnight as we sail along three rivers in Europe. By the end of it, I hope to be able to say what they are - I know we are starting on the Danube, heading in the direction of the Chain Bridge when we set out tomorrow evening. I am not sure whether it is north, south, east or west.

I do know that I am going to have to work on my map reading, especially in the Bolt and Uber apps, so I am sure of where pick up points are if they are not 'right there'. I went exploring the area near the dock this afternoon and found a lively street full of pubs and cafes a few streets back from the river.

On my wanders I did find a Benu (chemist) and a laundromat, both of which will be useful tomorrow. The Benu would have been useful today but as it is a Public Holiday here in Hungary, most shops, including chemists, are closed. Souvenirs shops were still open though but nothing has made it back to the boat with me (yet). We met up with our friends on board for lunch and then for drinks before dinner, the introduction to the vessel by the Viking staff, and then the mandatory safety drill. Yes, the life jackets were under the bed, we just couldn't find them. I had expected them to be fitted to the frame in some way rather than just being on the floor. Thank goodness M helped us retrieve them.

Today, I walked down to The Shoes on the Danube. What a sad memorial this is of the victims of the right-wing militia who herded Hungarian Jews (their fellow citizens) to the edge of the river towards the end of World War II, made them take off their shoes (profit could be made from them) and shot them into the river. Shoes of all sizes and styles have been cast in iron, now rusting, and set out along the bank, pointing to the river. Some shoes were tied with yellow ribbons, others had flowers in them, and there were tea candles near a few. Incredibly poignant.