Day 4, Kalocsa Baroque Cathedral with Organ Music and Puszta

On day 4 of this Viking River Cruise we still remained in Hungary and went to Kalocsa where we got onto a bus for making a walk towards Kalocsa's Baroque Cathedral

Such a beautiful Baroque Cathedral!
It is called the Assumption Cathedral.

Looking back from the shore at our docking station where we disembarked our Viking Lif...

A pleasant walk and we enjoyed the irrigation canals for this very fertile region.

Kalocsa is also called the Paprika Capitol of the World!

So we enter this jewel of a Baroque Cathedral...

Admiring so many almost heavenly pieces...

Also this pipe organ where Franz Liszt, the great Hungarian composer once played himself!
It is built by József Angster, a Hungarian organ making master from Pécs.

We were fortunate for getting a very nice organ performance.
Just click here to go to my Pinterest and enjoy a full video with the organ music: A little taste of our program in Kalocsa

You can listen to such same organ music played here as the Grand Organ plays Fugue.

Heavenly Angels...

Such a feast for the eyes while the ears enjoyed the organ concert!

After the Organ Music we walked outside and as you can see, still a lot of renovation is going on.
The Bishop's Palace which was next door was not suitable for photographing right now, it had scaffolding around so in coming years, tourists will be able to get more out of this stop!

Our bus continued with us deeper into the Puszta area.
Clouds hanging but we had no rain!

We ended here in the Bakod Puszta...
HORSE SHOWS
Horse-riding show in Bakodpuszta on my Pinterest for viewing it.

Indeed, oxen, donkey and horses...
There also is a clarinet player to the left!

BAKODPUSZTA in Hungary - Clarinet player see my Pinterest with link.

Showing us all the levels of transport from the poor, like the yoke of oxen, to the more affluent...

Even a cute donkey was included!

The cracking of the whip did not bother those horses!

Here comes a guy with 10 horses!
He is standing on the last 2 and there are 4 in the 2nd and 4 in the 1st row...

Transport for the more affluent...

They were all riding in circles so I did not have them constantly before my lens... here comes the guy standing on the 3rd row of 2 horses with 2 rows of 4 horses each in front!
Called: the Puszta ten-in-hand...

A short iPhone video is showing you the horseman with his 10 horses, standing on the last 2.

We were allowed to roam around freely after the show was over.

Also entering the stables and here husband Pieter is patting these two for a job well done!

Back on the Viking Lif, Pieter took this photo of all the cable work and hydraulics for the retractable Captain's Wheelhouse,  lowering it when having to pass below certain bridges!
Video of 1.5 min: Lowering the deck on Viking River Cruises Freya to prepare for low bridges just click link.

Clever minds that work this all out.

Standing on the deck around 18:30 and on the Danube at Draž, in Croatia already...
That evening for dinner I wore my Hungarian blouse from Szentendre that I bought at my previous trip, see link below post.

Relive video of the walk to the Kalocsa Cathedral and at the Puszta

Our Kalocsa walk...

Relive video of Kalocsa visit followed by the Puszta and then the Viking Lif reaching Vukovar, Croatia before the end of the day...
When there was NO SIGNAL the line got connected straight to the point where the Relive App picked up the signal again... Funny, as it goes over-land at times!

Related posts:

Communist Hungary with Husband Pieter Part III - Szentendre | when I bought my Hungarian blouse
My 2nd Trip with Husband Pieter to Budapest in FREE Hungary | wearing the same Hungarian blouse
Day 3 Departure from Budapest on Viking Lif | previous post
Day 2 Passage to Eastern Europe - Panoramic Budapest | previous post
My 3rd Trip with Husband Pieter to Hungary with stay at Párisi Udvar Hotel Budapest | previous post

Day 3 Departure from Budapest on Viking Lif

On Wednesday, June 5, we had to leave our luxurious Párisi Udvar Hotel Budapest (Hyatt) for being transported by bus to our Viking Lif long boat.

We got welcomed with a delicious lunch and got settled into our cabin.

The Viking Lif remained in Budapest until after dinner, when we started to move out...

Seen here is the Elisabeth Bridge, named after the beloved Austrian-Hungarian queen and empress 'Sissi'
Also seen to the right is the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, commonly known as the Inner City Parish Church

This is Liberty Bridge with to the right the Danubius Hotel Gellért and it also houses the world famous Gellért Baths.

On top of Gellért Hill, you see the Liberty Statue

Budapest University of Technology and Economics

The 7 Holocaust Memorials You Should See In Budapest click on link...
The bus tour on the day before, took us also along the Danube to the Shoes on the Danube Bank memorial
There are 60 pairs of shoes in cast iron, different styles and sizes. To show that nobody was safe - not even women or children! The plaque that reads: "To the memory of the victims shot into the Danube by Arrow Cross militiamen in 1944-45". Erected on April 16, 2005.

We also drove past this Emanuel Tree with the 30,000 Holocaust victims' names engraved click on link...
600,000 Hungarian Jews got killed by the Nazis!

Relive video of Viking Lif departing Budapest around 21:00 after dinner time...
Once more beautiful views of Budapest

Related links:
Day 2 Passage to Eastern Europe - Panoramic Budapest | previous post

My 3rd Trip with Husband Pieter to Hungary with stay at Párisi Udvar Hotel Budapest | previous post

Day 2 Passage to Eastern Europe - Panoramic Budapest

When we arrived the previous day at the Budapest airport, Viking had done an excellent job by meeting and transferring their guests!

So after one excellent night sleep at Hyatt's Párisi Udvar Hotel Budapest, we woke up feeling relaxed and pampered.

This was the view on June 4, from our room across the street, taken around 8:00 AM.
It actually is the Maverick Hostel Budapest...

We left after a great breakfast at the Párisi Passage Café & Brasserie

We were leaving by 8:30 AM for our city tour by bus so I've taken this photo from the hotel, while seated in the bus...

Here we are crossing the River Danube, which lies very close to the Párisi Udvar Hotel Budapest

Our bus toured us around and parked near the Fishermen's Bastion where we continued on foot with our guide.

Here we halted at the beautiful and meaningful Statue of the Independence War.

The Matthias Church of Budapest which lies in front of the Fishermen's Bastion also.
It dates back to 1015 and was used as coronation Church by Hungarian Kings.
Also knows as Church of Our Lady

On a bright sunny day it was rather hard to capture the special Raven with Ring, on the steeple...

Inside the Matthias Church or Church of Our Lady
We wish we could have heard the organ play during Mass!

Equestrian Statue of Saint Stephen, first Christian King of Hungary

Photo taken from the Fishermen's Bastion of the Danube River with Parliament Building - The 3rd largest Parliament Building in the World!
Completed in 1902 after 20 years of construction and consists of 691 rooms.
It also houses the Hungarian Crown Jewels

A view more to the left from the Parliament Building across the River Danube

Husband Pieter enjoying the spectacular views from Fishermen's Bastion

We did have some free time to stroll around...

View from the Matthias Church, coming out of this side street...

We found a nice place for a cappuccino and a tea for me...

Castle Hill Budapest...

Remains of the Blessed Virgin and Saint Sigismund Royal Chapel erected on about 1410 near Castle Hill

Castle Hill with its mythical Turul bird (left).

Passing with our bus by the Chain Bridge, Clark Adám tér, that connected Buda and Pest

The bus passing along Batthyány tér driving across Parliament Building

Zoomed out across the Danube River with the Parliament Building

Taken from the Budapest V. kerúlet district across the River Danube

Another spectacular view from across the River Danube
Loved the Hungarian flag waving proudly above and in front of Buda Castle, Hungary's Royal Palace.
Such a RICH history to explore in the capital of Budapest or Buda and Pest

Sad that we did NOT stop for the Dohány Street Synagogue, the largest synagogue in Europe and the second largest synagogue in the world!
Budapest district VII kerület

One more spectacular building near our Párisi Udvar Hotel where we returned for lunch...
You just can see the Dome from the St. Stephen's Basilica, Budapest's largest Church!
What a dream it would have been for listening to the organ there...
We could have spent a lot more time strolling around!

This is a short Relive video from our Morning Walk with husband Pieter through Budapest
Hope you enjoyed this little tour...

This is a short Relive video of the entire bus tour, with guide from Viking and our walk through Budapest.

Related links:

My 1st Trip to Communist Hungary with Husband Pieter Part II - Budapest | previous post
My 3rd Trip with Husband Pieter to Hungary with stay at Párisi Udvar Hotel Budapest | previous post