The Danube - Europe's most celebrated river - runs majestically through the centre of Budapest. The city has taken full advantage of this and it now offers some of the finest panoramas to be found anywhere on the continent. Starting far away in Germany (where the Breg and Brigach rivers meet), the Danube runs some 2859 kilometers before spilling into the Black Sea. On its journey, it passes through Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and Romania. Incidentally, contrary to the name of the famous waltz, it is not blue.