Retired Nomads - Part 3: Gödöllö Royal Palace, Market & Folklore Dinner & Show

July 26

This morning, we had a tour of Gödöllö Royal Palace & Gardens which was the summer home of Empress Maria Theresa & her husband Emperor Francis 1. (the ones with 16 children, most famous was Marie Antoinette)

In the 20th century, Soviet troops used it as a barracks and transformed some wings into rest homes for the aged. Restoration began in 1985 and continues today.

of course, we drove past Hero Square again

arrival at Gödöllö Royal Palace

Rococo bracelet commemorating the coronation of Maria Theresa as Queen of Hungary

indoor toilet

there were many of these scattered on the floor throughout the palace - no explanation was given, and the guide didn't point them out

photo gallery

We were treated to a slice of Tipsy Cake on the terrace. After that we had some free time to wander the gardens or visit a temporary art museum in one of their rooms. We opted to explore the gardens. Since it was in the heat of summer, there were not a lot of pretty flowers and was still under renovation as well.

the gardens

renovation

statue of Empress Maria Theresa

ride back to the ship

at Hero's Square (again)

After lunch we went back for a guided tour of the Grand Market. Since we had spent quite a bit of time there yesterday, we got the lowdown and then everyone was left on their own with a meeting time and place to have a tasting of Hungarian delicacies.

The historic hall was built during the late 19th century, a sprawling three-story marketplace with a neo-Gothic facade.

Greg wanted to get more soda, so he went back to Aldi and took them back to the ship and made it back in plenty of time for the tasting. I spent more time on the top level since it was so packed yesterday it was hard to look at anything. It was a bit quieter today and I found a couple of pretty lace items that were handmade. I had already found my magnet and paprika yesterday and got some super glue since my readers cracked. Greg fixed them and they are still holding strong weeks later.

The Grand Market

We were taken upstairs to a restaurant for our tasting, and it was a feast. Dips, meats, cheeses, breads and wine, beer or soft drinks.

view of the market from the top floor

When the walk back to the ship started Greg tipped her and said we’d go back on our own opting to walk back through the shopping street at our own pace and not the complaining group.

We had some time to relax before our evening tour which was a Hungarian Folklore Dinner & Show.

We were greeted with unicum that was served in cute little green Hungarian men. It was great food and the band, and dancing didn’t take a break for the entire evening. The show featured Hungarian & Gypsy costumes and dances.

As with all of these we attended wine, beer or soda was free flowing.