The Budapest Bathes & the Knight Bus

When thinking of Budapest, 'I must remember to take my swimsuit' isn't the first thing to cross your mind. However don't forget your swim suit because you'll want to take a dip in one of Budapest's several mineral bathes. I might have missed the bathes but swim-o-phile Jo wasn't about to miss a swim wherever one has to go to get wet. So early in the morning we visited Széchenyi Thermal Bathes. The immense bath building was built in 1913. There was money a plenty to build an ornate park making use of the areas geothermal features.

One outside view of the Széchenyi Thermal Bathes

The bathes building is built around the perimeter of the pools, and has numerous entrances. We walked three quarters of the way around the building before we found an entrance we we were allowed to enter.

We entered the building here

 Just inside the building is an impressive statue

Looking up, you see an equally imipressive cupola

Not fancy enough? How about this?

Dishing out some Forints - currency of the realm - to gain admission

One we bought our tickets, you walked to a long row of changing rooms. 

Jo found an unoccupied door and disappeared. There were no more vacant rooms so I knocked on Jo's to join her. There we changed into our swim outfits. A speedo for Jo, shorts and tee for me.

Up the stairs to a locker room were we stashed our gear

The changing rooms had the entry door we came in, and on the other side, a second door that lead to a room with co-ed lockers. There were no free lockers so we went up a flight of wooden stairs to another locker room.












Then back down the stairs to the magic door to the bathes.

Stepping through the door to this magical view of mineral waters. 

Like the other two inner pools this one is full of healthful, hot mineral spring water

Jo went on to the outdoor pools, while I floated about in the indoor pool shown above. When I'd enjoyed the warm, mineral scented water, I headed toward the exit doors through which bathers trod through an inch or two of water. Antiseptic water?

I waked gingerly though the water for fear of slipping, then through a second door into sunlight. Rushing to the wall at the top of the stairs I saw...

A wonderland of mineral pools and bathers

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Silly me, thought I'd look 'funny' wearing my usual shorts and tee. Talk about wasted worry. I swam in a fountain pool, playing and diving under the fountain waters below.

Find Waldo, I mean, find Jo 

When I wore myself out playing in the fountain pool, I grabbed some sun chairs and eventually Jo joined me. We watched the tourists and locals sky larking about in the waters, while we snacked on Hungarian chips and Italian ices.

Incidentally, just outside the Bathes, I spotted this beautiful object d'art... a Budapestian manhole cover.

Jo drove us back to the apartment so I got to window gawk. 

Drive by look at Art Exhibition Hall circa 1895 

Heroes' Square Millennial Monument

Later the same day we walked a half mile from the apartment to where tourists caught the Knight Bus, for the last Budapest city tour of the day. Everyone lazily listened to the an audio devices talk of palaces and kings.

Boarding the double decker night tour bus

Your 300 Forints gets you a seat at the top of the bus and a pair of ear phones. The earphones plug into the little box of the seat in front. Voila! There is a choice of hearing the tour info a dozen languages, from English, Japanese or German to the local Magyar language.

Stay relaxed seated!

The double onion domes of the Great Synagog by night

A second night view of the Fisher's Bastion

The largest building in Budapest, the Parliament seen from a high Budah hill

Pest Basilica by the Danube's promenade

After the tour there was a lovely night walk back to the Elite Apartments, accentuated by a tasty gelato mango and pistachio cone.

Buddah, Pesht & Castles on a Hill

View of Museum on Castle Hill, Budapest, Czech Republic

It was news to me that Budapest used to be two cities: 'Budah', and 'Pest'. Budah was a hilly city to west of the Danube River, The city of 'Pest' was flat as a pancake and it occupied the Danube's eastern shore. Below is the view leaving 'Pest'  to the on the way to 'Buda' by crossing the Danube on the Széchenyi Chain Bridge.

One morning we drove over to Budah, where we searched and searched for 'Castle Hill'. Just off the bridge we drove through the tunnel ahead, which passed just under the castle grounds. The 'Funicular' or trams takes tourists up the hill. Hum, could Castle Hill be hiding in plain site?

Headed straight for the tunnel, in search of 'Castle Hill'
Note the eagle statue on the top left

We drove around, looping a big hill and searching for parking, with "Please do not drive in Budapest!" looping in our noggins, a haunting omen. Eventually we found parking in the vicinity of an old church.

Jo then did what she does best, jovially querying the locals on the location of Castle Hill. We were in for a lovely half hour walk to the base of the hill. Yes, I was grumbling under my breathe as I hate long walks. I know. I'm ridiculous.

So we walked.














Beautiful and old streets, shops and restaurants along the way.

Beautiful old streets and interesting shops along the route

 

There was no stopping until we were at the base of Castle Hill. Right where we'd crossed over the old Chain Bridge.










There, rather than waiting a half hour to board the funicular, i.e., the uphill tram on a track - we boarded a little shuttle, paid a small fee and rode up & around the hill to the castles. Along the way we passed the Fisherman's Bastion.

The Fisherman's Bastion

Fisherman's Bastion is young building really; built between 1895 and 1902. It's purpose? To allot everyone an elevated view of the Danube River below it.

The Fisherman's Bastion, later by night

Having arrived at the top of the hill - that we saw from the bridge - an even nicer stroll of the grand grounds was called for.

In the distance in the background, note the flying eagle statue

Aha! There is the back of the flying eagle seen earlier from the bottom of the hill. It's called the 'Turul Eagle' which appears in Hungarian heraldic emblems. 

slightly spooky castle gate bearing a crow carrying a golden ring

The Crow's Tale: A crow was caught stealing the golden ring of King Matthias. Weirdly, 

to commemorate the event, the king named the crow an emblem for his heraldic emblem. 

The king was a jerk. The end. 

Jo by the King Matthias Fountain that had hounds looking real enough to bark

We found a young man, purveyor of archery so we each had a go at target practice.

Jo had a try first

Beginner's luck! Her first shot was a bulls eye

No such luck for others...

Awesome lion - stupid truck

Our castle grounds tour took an hour or three, and we didn't take any of the ground's tours. Later we took a cab ride back to our room in the Jewish Quarter.

One night we took a cab to the Pest side of the Danube. There we met up with other tourists and a jovial tour guide. At the quick step, she marched us down to the river where we boarded a boat for a night time river cruise along the Danube River. Marching down the gangway onto the boat we gawked at people seated at elegant tables surrounding an on board banquet.

down the gang plank & onto the cruise boat

The tour guide lead the youngish group - except for myself and Jo - across the deck to a second boat. We followed but were stopped. "These people are taking the party boat, you stay here on this boat for the dinner cruise."

Ooooo, dinner cruise, soups on!

Now for my greedy self, I was happy at the thought of 'second dinner' me being something of a Hobbit. Jo however was bummed, as 'party boat' sounded more like her cup of tea. We were seated where Jo, the friendliest of beings,chatted with an American mom and college aged daughter, while I dug into the various tasty treats. Between entrees I leapt up to photograph the beautifully lit buildings that we passed along the beautiful shining river.

The beautiful & grand, Budapest Parliament

Color changing buildings glitter on the Danube

Széchenyi Chain Bridge by night

The Hungarian Hinterland

Lion pointing the way to the hinterlands outside of Budapest

"I b-e-g of you, please do not drive in Budapest...", pleaded the twenty-something year old apartment management girl, in an adorably thick Czech accent.

Jo had just informed her that we had a rental car for our week's stay in Hungary.

"But please," the girl begged on, "There is no place to park in Budah-phest. You will drive forever.

No place to park."

Her plea was so heart rendering, we shortened our rental car time by several days. And for the record, Ms. "Pleaz, I am tolding you, do not drive...", was pretty much, on the money.


On the right you see how most savvy Budapestians traverse their city: by foot or trolley.

At times, except for the signage we might have been in the states

We kept the rental car a couple of days, using it to tour the hinterland surrounding Budapest.  

In the pretty town of Esztergom, we found a huge Basilica set on top of hill. Astoundingly - for me at least - it is the tallest building in Hungary.

Tallest & the longest name: The Cathedral and Primatial Basilica
of the Blessed Virgin Mary Assumed Into Heaven and St Adalbert

Jo posing in front of the flower honored statue

Could not believe there was graffiti carved on the columns

The church's door

The church was a mini-Sistine Chapel

Now, the church was, but my high point on the grounds was seeing the little bird below.

A Great Tit. [Insert silly tit joke here]

The countryside was quite pretty and didn't remind of anything I've seen before.

We had no idea what a beautiful little shrine by a weeping Willow tree was about, as we can't read Hungarian.

Not a clue what this beautiful little monument was all about

We had burst into laughter when on a gorgeous country road in farm country, we spotted - I kid you not - a Hungarian Hooker, who looked to be in her twenties, stood waving at passing cars. She was dressed like it was Tombstone Arizona, circa 1850. We ought to have gone back for a picture. That was the only oddity of the day really. 

 Visegrád Castle fortress high up on a hill, over the Danube

The Danube below the castle fortress

In the evening, after a bit of a rest in our flat, we headed out on foot to look for a good restaurant. Jo asked a passerby if she knew of any nearby.

The young woman looked busy to me, but she listened, then changed her own route to steer us several blocks to an area with lots of restaurants. We thanked her profusely and chose a busy restaurant with a cheery atmosphere.

I brought my laptop with me to quickly catch up on what odds and ends I could remember of the day, while Jo chatted with a couple at a table along side ours. I am never going to be as personable as Jo, but the world needs a few lone wolves too, right?