Fossa wasn't the only hero. One teacher on the bus managed to save some of the kids, suffering serious burns to his back as he did so, said Judit Timaffy of Hungary's consulate, who was at the scene.

But my wife, Eileen, and I instead chose a “road cruise” from Budapest to Vienna to Prague last September. And we’re glad we did.

Nov. 17, 1873, saw the union of Buda, Pest and Óbuda, creating modern-day Budapest. The city is divided by the Danube River, with flat Pest to the east and the hilly Buda and Óbuda regions to ...