Four weeks into our trip and we are starting to feel the weariness setting in of long term motorcycle travel.

Our solution? Expend as little energy as possible by using the trusty Hop On Hop Off bus tour of Budapest to see as much as you can in three days without feeling exhausted. Our 48 hour pass allows us to visit all parts of the city including the Castle district, a Danube River cruise and a night tour on the bus as well (if we can stay awake after dark) - bargain at 9 000 florints ($45 AUD) each - Seniors Rate!

Budapest is a huge city divided by the Danube River, which by the way is not blue but rather a dirty brown colour. How disappointing. The Buda District (the hilly side) and the flat Pest District, where we are staying, are connected by a series of bridges, the most famous being the 19th century Chain Bridge. Our first day on the bus took us through both districts, crossing the Danube on several occasions. We passed by many of the tourist sites including the huge Synagogue (second largest in Europe), the Opera House (under scaffolding), Heroes Square, the Citadella and the magnificent Parliament Building.

First priority for day two in Budapest was to drop the bike off at the local Triumph dealer for its 40 000 km service. Greg arranged this a couple of weeks ago and our accommodation was chosen partly on its proximity to the dealership - only 1.2km away. After our reconnaisance on Saturday, dropping the bike off was easy for Greg so then we were able to continue our bus tour through the city.

Today we concentrated on the Castle District of Buda. We left the apartment late after Greg had dropped the bike off. We then walked down to the Danube and crossed the Victory Bridge and walked to the bus stop to catch a small electric bus up the hill to the Castle.

We spent the next four hours wandering passed the museums, galleries and libraries that are part of the Castle complex. We were lucky enough to watch the changing of the guard outside the President's residence at noon (check out the video on Greg's You Tube channel - Villain Catcher). After delicious savoury scones for morning tea we explored the rest of the area. The Matthias Church is a magnificent building with colourful mosaic roof tiles. The interior was richly decorated with murals and stained glass windows. The Fisherman's Bastion is a wall around the edge of the cliffs and reminded us of a Disney Castle. We couldn't help but think of our son, Stephen, as he is a keen fisherman and the statue of the guy on the horse was King Stephen. The views of the river and Parliament Building were great from this area.

After seeing all we wanted, we headed down the hill on the little bus and set off for our river cruise - just as well as Greg was ready for his afternoon nap! The boat dock on the Buda side of the river was closed due to the high river level so we had to walk across the Chain Bridge to the dock on the Pest side. The boat trip took an hour as we travelled up the Danube, against the tidal flow, to Margaret Island. The views from the river were uninterrupted by traffic or other buildings so were a photographer's dream. After docking at the island the boat turned around and went back to the starting point quite quickly, pushed along by the fast flowing Danube - this was definetely the best way to get a decent view of the iconic Parliament Building.

Our last day in Budapest was on foot - 8.2 km, just a short walk! We followed some of the smaller streets until we came to the 'land-side' of the Parliament building. This magnificent structure seems to be magnetic - you can't help but be attracted to it. The statues around the building are of past leaders. On our walk we also found the Bazilika of St. Istvan, another spectacular church in Budapest.

The only thing remaining for us to do in Budapest was to pick up the bike from the dealership and get ready to explore a little more of Hungary tomorrow.