July 12, 2010
And, we're in Hungary.
Now that I've stopped comparing Budapest to Munich, it's lovely! It reminds me, somewhat oddly, of Buenos Aires in that it feels really European (duh) in structure and architecture, but most of the buildings are in need of care and repair as are public spaces like parks and squares. However, the buildings that have been maintained are breathtaking--Budapest has some of the most creative, harmonious, but still adventurous architecture we've seen and the colored roof tiles are icing on their glorious cakes.
We've had an odd time finding food: if there is a Hungarian restaurant culture we have yet to figure out what it is. However, we ran into a festival yesterday, where we had some really good food and the best lemonade I've ever had in my life: lemons, limes, oranges and mint! Which was especially helpful since we were both boarderline dehydrated due to the heat and our inability to find the entrance to the National Gallery. (Turns out it's at the top of the hill opposite of where we were. Ooops.) Anyway, since then we've had nothing but great food, including a picnic lunch today from the enormous indoor market where you can get literally almost everything.
At the moment we're actually hiding out from the heat in a, gasp, mall. It's shocking, I know, but the heat really is punishing. We even thought of going to a movie tonight, but there's nothing in English that we want to see since we refuse to endorse the Twilight nonsense and I have no desire to see the new take on the Nightmare on Elm Street series. Even with the heat, though, we're better off than an American we overheard at the thermal bath who's paying something like 350 euros for a fancy room in a fancy hotel without airconditioning. It made me feel quite smug, actually, to know we have the tent and therefore are awash in the coolness of the night.
The thermal bath itself was bliss. There's a long, long tradition of such baths in Hungary, possibly a legacy from the Ottomans, and the tradition is one I hope lives forever. We were at the Gallert, one of the fancy baths, with an indoor pool, an indoor thermal pool (36 degrees C), an outdoor thermal pool that bubbled twice an hour for ten minutes each time, a large outdoor pool with a wave machine and then, separated by sex, sets of thermal pools, a cool pool, a steam room and a large room with cabins where you can get massages and other fancy treatments. We spent six hours there and are looking forward to going to another one soon.
But the next bath will have to wait until tomorrow, at least, when we're in Pecs (prounounced "pay-ch"), which is further south. I just hope they have at least half a dozen baths, because I think we'll try them all.
