EUROPE BLOG April 6th, 2023 - BUDAPEST

 

4/6/23- Late morning as we get up around noon. The weather turned full cloudy so we’re glad we got to enjoy the sunshine while we could. It may be dreary for the next few days, but that doesn’t deter us as it’s a perfect day to hop in a bath. Thermal bath that is.

We set our itinerary for the City Park, which is just over a twenty minute walk. I will pause this for a moment to be thankful of the location for our apartment on the Pest side. The neighborhood is clean, with shops and restaurants around, and not far to walk to key places. The main drawback would be the paper thin walls as we can clearly hear the old couple next door arguing daily and playing their television like it’s almost in our room. Give and take I guess.

The buildings keep the wind at bay, allowing us to stay somewhat warm, and once at the park we’re greeted with the enormous Millennium Monument at Hero’s Square. Completed around 1900, this site depicts national Hungarian leaders and Hero’s through the centuries. It’s a humbling site to behold as we are mere ants compared to its sheer size.

Next up is the Underground Railroad museum. We search on the GPS and find it to actually be across town, which is odd because we distinctively remember something about it being around this area. With that not in play, we continue down the street to Vajdahuynad Castle. It’s now primarily a museum (I mean what isn’t now-a-day), but they have some very interesting statues around that made the trek worthwhile.

 

Finally, to the part we’ve been waiting for, Szechenyi Thermal Baths. We see the line shooting out the door and brave the chill for a bit before I notice a small sign stating this is for lockers only. Sharece stays in line as I hurry around the building to the ticket area and find two longer lines, also out the door. I jump in the shortest one, but after about five minutes they let the other line almost fully go in.

Waiting for ours to open, it finally moves up but stops right before I can get in, leaving me to believe it’ll be another twenty minutes or so. I quickly make a friend at the front of the other line and when their door opens, they allow me to go in with them like we knew each other. Gotta be sharp when you’re hustling on your own.

I pay the price for two tickets, get handed wrist bands to wear and call Sharece to meet up with me. Before we know it, we’re split up into separate men’s and women’s locker rooms to change, put our stuff in lockers and run for the baths. Did you know it get colder when you have less clothes on to cover up. I know right, weird!

I soar into the water like a horse treading through a creek, and immerse into the warm, soothing 84 degree natural temperature. Okay, so this is what I’ve been missing since we left California years ago, a nice hot tub. There are quite a few people around, but not enough to make it uncomfortable or hamper our enjoyment. This is where we spend the next few hours, soaking it up Budapest style. 

The structure is so large that they have a lap pool in the middle and a lazy river on the opposite side. We endure the cold as we skit from one pool to the other, only to find the other side colder in temperature. The lazy river is fun but not enough to stay too long as we make our way back to the more heated one.

At 6pm, it’s time to worm our way out of the water and towel off to go home. We only brought one towel, as they charge $20 US to use theirs and that wasn’t going to happen, so I ran first then brought the towel to Sharece as she was coming out of the water. I know, I know… I’m a softie. But a happily married one.