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| The metro |
We woke up and walked down the street to find some coffee before starting our day. When we returned to the hotel, Jane's parents (Joy and Bill) were ready to go exploring. Our first stop was to visit one of the most traditional Hungarian sights - the Thermal Baths. We walked along the streets passing through the Octogon where we walked down the steps to the budapest metro. Known as the Budapesti Metro, this underground system was built in 1896. It is the second oldest system after the London Underground. It is now listed as a world heritage site.
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| Hungarian Circus |
The rail cars are very small and unique looking. The three lines are designated by number and color and cover the central portion of Pest. Only the number three line crosses the Danube to the Buda side. Before we boarded we had to figure out the purchase of tickets. This process is still done manually. At first, this proved to be challenging. We used hand signals to figure out the costs per ticket and then requested four of them. Once on board, we heard the distinctive tones of the station announcement system. What it made us think of was the London Metro, "Mind the gap". Later, we discovered what it meant when the little tune and a man's voice said, "Tessek vigyazni, az ajtok zarodnak" ("Please be careful, the doors are closing").
Click here to listen.
We exited the station and walked to the entrance of the Szechenyi Baths. Located in City Park behind Heroes Square, the baths are the largest thermal baths in Europe. The thermal waters are said to be therapuetic and contain a variety of minerals. These include sulphate, calcium, magnesium and bicarbonate, as well as, fluoride and metaboric acid.
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| The interior of the baths |
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| Szechenyi Baths |
Built in 1913, the baths have a lovely ornate exterior. Inside the entrance hall features beautiful carved plaster details and stone sculptures. Before going into the main area, we were each given an electronic, water-proof bracelet. By holding the bracelet up to various scanners, it allows entry to the baths gates, assigns your changing cabin, and opens the cabin door.
We changed into our bathing suits and headed out to the three main outdoor pools. The large space is surrounded by the beautiful walls of the interior baths and more stone sculptures. The first bath we tried was 30 degrees celsius. In the center was a whirlpool that spun you around in circles. Throughout the large pool we found jets of water that would turn on and off. These jets would give you great foot massages, back massages, and neck massages. Also all around the edges, large columns of bubbles would start up. These would envelop your whole body and it was fun to do. In the middle of the large courtyard was a long pool. This was primarily used for swimming laps, in cooler water. At the far end, is another warm pool that averages 38 degrees celcius. In this pool, we saw many locals playing chess along the edges.
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| The bathers |
Inside the bath house are an additional 15 pools. These range from a hot 40 degrees celsius to a frigid 20 degree celcius plunge pool. Some of the pools also contain sulphur which made your skin feel wonderful and soft. Inside there are also numerous sauna rooms that range in temperature from hot to scalding. We spent the entire afternoon hopping from one pool to another. In between, we sipped on pina coladas and hung out in the warm sun.
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Joy and other guests heading
to the party |
Realizing it was getting late, we dried off and headed back to the hotel. We were all going to a party tonight. Along the way we saw a fantastic looking Hungarian Circus. We really wanted to stop and try the rides but we needed to get ready for Tom and Erika's rehearsal dinner.
Once back at the hotel, we got ready and headed down to the lobby to meet the rest of the party. At the hotel bar, we found Jane's entire British side of the family (aunts, cousins, granny!), as well as, many friends of Tom and Erika. After a few cocktails, the huge group headed out the front doors and boarded the bus that was waiting.
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| Andras and Erika (Erika's parents) |
Twenty minutes later, we pulled up to Erika's family home. The house was decorated with Hungarian, German, and British flags representing Tom and Erika's birth countries. At the gate, we were greeted by Erika's parents, Andras and Erika, and a huge tray of Parlinka.
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| Luis and Ferenc |
Parlinka is a type of Schnapps and is the traditional hungarian drink. Served in small glasses it is used for toasting as well as just about any other reason (greeting a guest, saying goodbye to a friend, even sore throats). It seems like there is always a reason to have a parlinka in Hungary. After all the guests had gathered in the back yard, we raised our glasses and were welcomed by Erika's family. If her family is typical, then Hungarians must be the best hosts in the world. All of the roughly 75 guests were made to feel welcomed and well taken care of.
Through out the night we were handed parlinka, plates of food, wine, more food, and more parlinka. At one point, the man who picked us up at the airport and Luis's new friend, suddenly appeared, Ferenc. He called his wife so her and Luis could chat again. After the speeches and a fabulous night of getting to know everyone, we re-boarded the bus and returned to the hotel.
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| The disco |
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| The party bus |
With so many friends and family it was so hard to say good night. This was Tom's last single night so some of us headed around the corner to Mix disco. We continued dancing and celebrating until 3:30 in the morning. What a fun night!
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