Eastern Danube, Day 12: Budapest to Home

Wednesday, August 5, 2026

We arose early, finished packing, and had our last delicious buffet breakfast at the Parisi Udvar. A car came to pick us up for the airport about 8 am. We got to the airport in plenty of time, a little before the Air Canada check-in desk opened (it wasn’t open at the time they asked us to arrive at the airport). After security, we sought out a lounge to wait in, but were told that we needed to pass through immigration first.

There was a huge line when we got to immigration. While we waited, they called out various flights that were about to leave and expedited those passengers through. We had a long wait, but were there early enough that we didn’t need expediting. It seems that the EU has new protocols for those leaving as well as those entering, and these aren’t running smoothly yet.

Our flight connected through Toronto, one of the Canadian cities where you clear US Customs before you get on the plane. I was wondering how the connection would work, but it was one of the easiest entries to the US we have experienced.

Epilogue:

Since returning, we have been reading a lot about the heat in Europe and the low water levels in the Danube. What we experienced was the result of a very significant drought and deviation from normal river conditions. The New York Times reported that many World War II vessels that had been scuttled by the Germans were becoming visible in the Danube. We didn’t see any, but the location they mentioned (Prahovo, Serbia) is just before the Iron Gates II lock that we passed through very early on July 30. Unfortunately, being nighttime, we missed the emerging vessels.

This is the final article in a series about our recent trip to the Eastern Danube. To see the introductory article in the series, click here.