Last day in Budapest and aboard the 'AmaVerde' - our home for the past 15 days. We were very sad to be leaving the ship and crew and some new friends - we have had an excellent experience.

We were transferred from the ship to the Mercure City Centre Budapest arriving about 10ish. After checking in we walked the length of Vaci Utca - the main retail street in the city centre browsing through the shops. This area of the city is a mix of western retailers and local and traditional businesses. Hungarians eat and drink alot so there are numerous cafes, bistros, bars etc particularly in the squares.

We grabbed lunch and headed back to the hotel for a lazy afternoon and repack in preparation for our flight from Budapest to Rome and the start of the Best of Italy Tour.

Auf Wiedersehen!
Viszlát!
Zbohom!
Goodbye to this part of Europe.

Today's insight:

• The influence of communist history is obvious in Budapest particularly with its infrastructure and culture. The local government is spending a lot of money to develop infrastructure to catch up with the increased tourism.