Day trip to Szentendre and second concert. A cooler start to the day but still no coats required - hoorah! We left early for the picturesque village of Szentendre, about 45 minutes drive North of Budapest. The coach dropped most of the party in a coach park on the outskirts, where it wasn't immediately apparent where we were to go! Having consulted two enormous maps right in front of us, we were soon reassured we were in the right place! A smaller intrepid group headed off in the coach to a working museum just 10 minutes away for a whistle-stop tour!

When faced with beautiful cobbled streets filled with artisan shops, it gave everyone the perfect chance to get to grips with the currency, or not...! A couple of choir members decided to create a kitty for refreshments and felt that 1000 Forints would be ample, only to realise that it amounted to only £3! At least it would cover 5 trips to the toilets! (you have to pay 200HUF to use the facilities, but they are always spotless!)

Mid morning and it's no surprise to find a large number of Decibellas in the main square enjoying refreshments!

A short hop from the square was the marzipan museum, which we had thought would tell the story of marzipan making within the village over the years. We didn't quite know what to expect but thought for only 500HUF (£1.50) it was worth a visit, and it was! It was in fact like Madame Tussauds in marzipan! The intricacy and detail of some of the exhibits was incredible.

Meanwhile back at the open air museum, faced with such a vast area to cover with so many interesting things to see, some of the party marched at quite a lick to see as much as possible, whilst others preferred a more sedate approach! All agreed it was a fascinating and worthwhile visit. We understand some of the members even had time to test the acoustics of a replica chapel with a quick rendition of Ubi Caritas!

Presents and souvenirs purchased, we headed back to the hotel for a quick change before heading out to the cultural centre for our second concert. Oh what a night! The auditorium was full with all 120 seats occupied! We settled in immediately, after a pep talk from Marcus, a quick warm up and a round of applause from some enthusiastic attendees who had arrived early! On the front row was an Hungarian gentleman who cheered loudly and shouted "Bravo!" and "Bravo Maestro!" after every piece, we'd like to adopt him as our official mascot as he gave us all so much confidence! Marcus' nickname is now Maestro... obviously! According to Maureen, who sadly had lost her voice and had to sit in the audience, we finished the programme with our best rendition yet of One Day More, after which the audience demanded an encore! We duly obliged with a second performance of Chatanooga Choo Choo where Marcus joined the ranks on the front row and we really let loose! This was followed by rapturous applause and a photo opportunity for a little girl who was delighted when her father lifted her onto the stage to join the front row!

It took some time to leave the building as some of the audience members wanted to chat to us, which we all enjoyed. On the pavement outside, we sang Happy Birthday to Jeannie's Husband James who was celebrating a big birthday! It was then back to the hotel for another quick change and then out to dinner for more fabulous Hungarian Cuisine!

Tomorrow is our "free day" and a lie in!

Budapest Concert Tour - Tuesday 10th April 2018