Budapest  is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. The metropolitan area holds 3.3 million, with 1.75 million in the city.  Hungary has 9.9 million people, while the European Union population is 508 million. The usual beginning for this region:  Celtic settlement, transformed into a Roman town. The three cities of Buda, Obuda and Pest were unified in 1893 and called Budapest. The Buda side is hilly, while the Pest side has the city. From left to right:  Saint Anne Parish, Matthias Church, Fisherman's Bastion and Stigmatisation of St Francis Church. There are thermal springs, and Budapest is known for spas. 11 casinos in Hungary and 5 in Budapest. Has over 35 higher education institutions. Sister cities include, New York City, Shanghai, Beijing Tehran, Berlin, Frankfurt, Vienna, Lisbon, Tel Aviv and Florence. Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. 9.5 million people. University tuition is free. It is a unitary, parliamentary republic. Like many co...

The Viking Tir is now on the Danube River, the final leg that started with the Rhine River, then the Main River, and onto the  Rhine-Main-Danube Canal  (106-mile long connection completed in 1992) with 16 locks).   The Danube is the second-longest river in Europe, 1051 miles in length, after the Volga River in Russia, from the Black Forest into the Black Sea. Flows through 10 countries, including Ukraine (border with Romania). The river water is opaque and greenish-brown.   In other words, the Danube is NOT blue.   You might see photos of what looks like a blue Danube, but that is more a reflection of the blue sky. The  most polluted is the Ganges River in India , with the Mississippi at #5. Rivers all pick up soils from land, and man-made waste, so the water color reflects the mineral content. But the Danube is beautiful, matched with gorgeous surroundings. There are  four Danubes  flowing through Vienna, called Old Danube, New Dan...