“Yes, thank you,” he replied, and held a small notepad and pen aloft. “I have come to take your drinks order.”

“Oh!” Bloody hell—she’d been so intent on sightseeing that she’d completely forgotten to look at the menu on the table. “I’m so sorry, but I haven’t looked yet. Do you want to come back in a minute?”

He shrugged. “I believe everyone else’s orders have been taken, so I can wait while you look at the cocktail list.”

“All right.” She flashed an apologetic smile and snatched up the menu. Skimming through until she spotted something she liked the sound of, she said, “I’ll have a Woo Woo, please.”

A little heat infused her cheeks at asking for something that sounded so utterly ridiculous, but Emil didn’t seem to notice. He was probably used to worse. After all, the menu also listed Sex on the Beach, Blow Job, Screaming Orgasm, Quick Fuck and Slippery Nipple as options. Woo Woo was nothing in comparison. She herself shouldn’t be quite so sensitive to the daft names—after all, she spent enough time out on the town with her university friends, who often sipped on cocktails, screaming with laughter as they told each other what they’d got. Hermione usually had drinks with non-embarrassing names —asking for a bottle of cider was no problem at all, even when stone-cold sober.

Trying hard to ignore the pang of loneliness in her stomach, Hermione pulled her own camera from her bag and turned back to the window. The glass would no doubt make reflections and cause her photos to be blurry, especially as the sky grew ever darker, but it didn’t matter. The images were for her own use, her own memories. Who cared if they were perfect, as long as months and years down the line, they made her smile?

They bobbed along, rocking only slightly. Slowly, on Hermione’s side of the boat, Buda Castle grew smaller, and the Elizabeth Bridge and the Citadel grew larger. On their return journey she’d be able to enjoy what was on the opposite bank of the Danube. For now, though, she began taking photos, admiring how the structures looked, particularly the sprinkling of snow atop Gellert Hill. It hadn’t settled on the lower ground, or on the Pest side of the river, which made things much safer and more pleasant when walking, but it was very pretty up in the distance and up high.

The Cave Church; Liberty Bridge; Gellert Spa… each lovely landmark passed by at just the right pace to allow her to click plenty of shots on the camera. Then, just as the architecture and buildings went from iconic to merely pretty, someone behind her cleared their throat.

She’d seen Emil approach in the reflection on the window—it seemed the reflection wasn’t always a bad thing—so she wasn’t startled. Turning with a smile, she said, “Hi, Emil. Everything okay?”

So here she was, making the most of it. Soon after arriving in the country, she realised she’d done the right thing—missing out on such a place would have been a travesty. From the start, the people had been wonderful—a middle-aged woman pointing her in the right direction at the airport so she could get transport into the city centre, and a man about her age helping her to lift her suitcase into the luggage rack when she got on the bus.

And now here was Emil—seemingly determined she should get the same happy hour offer as everyone else, despite being a solo traveller. Not that paying full price would have been much of a problem. Even for a student, the prices of, well, everything in Budapest were incredibly cheap. She’d wondered many a time if she was being undercharged for things in shops and restaurants, but apparently, you just got seriously good deals in the city.

Soon everyone was seated, and a tinny-sounding female voice was piped out of speakers mounted on the wall nearby. “Okay, everybody. Welcome on board the Hop-On, Hop-Off River Cruise, and thank you for choosing us. The tour is approximately two hours, takes a circular route, and is made up of three stops along the river. You may of course stay on board for the entire trip if you wish. From our position on the Danube River, you will see such sights as the Hungarian Parliament Building, the Fishermen’s Bastion, the Chain Bridge—which you can see now, of course—the National Theatre and much more.” She paused as the vessel fired up, waited until the initial roar of the engine died down, then continued. “We are beginning our tour now. Please enjoy yourselves, and if you have any questions or requests, please ask a member of staff. We will be pleased to assist you. Thank you.”

The speaker crackled as the microphone switched off, and almost immediately a low buzz of chatter and activity came from the other passengers. They retrieved cameras and maps and began admiring the scenery, pointing things out, nudging each other and laughing.