Day 40 in Europe - Budapest, Hungary

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Day 40 in Europe - Budapest, Hungary - Jan 21st 2013:

Oh my Gosh and Things and Stuff! Today marks my 40th Day Backpacking through Europe!!!??? What an increadible Milestone. It has been thee greatest experiance of my life, and I am sad that it's coming to an end, but I have a few more days before I have to be Responsible again (Somewhat Responsible), and come back to Reality. Also this was the day that I finally filled up my memory Card and have no pictures left to take on it. 32GB Memory Card Filled!!! Over 8 Thousand Totally Pictures!!! Thus for today and the rest of my trip, all my pictures will be on my lesser-quality phone, but at least it's something!

Holy Cow did this turn into a pretty sweet Day! This morning I woke up around 7:30am with the Deja Vu of the first 2/3rds of my trip of waking up that early, and wrote up part of my Blog from the previous day. Then Samantha and Max, the two Awesome Australians I've been talking to the past couple of days, came and met up to head to the Huge Park where the Hot Baths are. Everyone has told me to go to the Baths while I was here, so I must and I will!

It is said that the water has an increadible healing power that is unique from any water anywhere else in the world. It comes from 1000 Meters from underground, and comes up to the surface as high as 38 Degrees Celsius, and contains an impressive list of over 15 natural Minerals.

After stopping for breakfast at a cafe, we were on our way. When we got there it we see an Epic monument that looked like it was straight out of Paris, and started walking around. We saw a sweet Castle, cool buildings and nice trees in snow around the park. But what particularly caught our eye was seeing a Gigantic Outdoor Skating Rink that was probably 4 or 5 times larger then a Hockey ice rink. It was gigantic, and surrounded by Awesome Historic Monuments, the Castle, and tons of trees and snow in the middle of the park. We made an impromptu decision to go Ice Skating in Budapest!!! We get in there and it is Super Awesome!!! It was the very first time I have ever Ice Skated outdoors, and it was amazing to do it with the Large Castle overlooking me, with all the snow around and all the historic monuments. It was definitely an Experiance I would not be able to get nearly anywhere else! I actually started out doing pretty good skating, and I had a lot of fun.

After about an hour of skating with many pictures taken, we head out and make our way to the Natural Baths, another Highlight of Awesomeness! We head to the most epic display of water in Budapest, only possibly second to the Dunabe River, the Szechenyi Baths! Samantha, Max and I get into the Building and it looks like a Ridiculously Fancy 20-Star Hotel. We pay and Max goes to get an hour Massage, and Samantha and I go venture into the Outdoor Pools. The Outdoor Pools were something of Amazing Amazingness. Holy Cow!!! There were extreamly large and seperate pools, sourounded by cool Epic statues and buildings, that were all engulfed by thee most Largets, Epic Steam/Smoke clouds I've ever seen! The hot Natural Bath Water mixed with the 0 Degree Celsius weather made an Intesnse Storm of Constant smoke over the water that would come and go with the blowing of the wind. It was cool because while you were in the water, people would be coming out of nowhere all of a sudden out of the fog, it was pretty cool. The second pool was to swim laps, and the 3rd had a gigantic circular wirl-pool that was fun to get stuck in! There were also places to sit with jets to relax you. This was one of the most relaxing experiances I've had in the whole trip, and even maybe ever! We talked about her schooling, and I was super jealous about her school adventures, where she is doing her PhD, and flys from Australia to Norway 3 times a year to do her Research. How cool is that!!! I said that I would love to do my PhD in Europe too if I was able to have the opportunity to do so.

We also hit-up the more warmer natural mineral baths on the inside, where the walls and ceilings were absolutely Beautiful. I also went into the saunas and it was totally relaxing. I walked around looking for the lockers when I stumbled into the most tranquil place ever where people were getting massages in a room with heated floors, tons of plants and relaxing smells. Just sitting in these Baths was extrodinarely relaxing, and I was totally jealous of all the old retired people that were there that probably have an annual pass to this kick-ass place of relaxation. Around 2:30pm I decide I must go so I have enough time to get all my stuff together, shop around and then make the Metro to then Make my Bus to the Airport.

I then part ways with Samantha and Max and hope to see them again someday if I ever visit Melbourne Australia. After successfully finding my Metro and Bus with ease, I was on my plane back to Dublin in no time. There was an Eerie-Nostalgia-Deja Vu when I got into the Dublin Airport around 10pm, as this was the place I got into when I first started my Euro-Trip waaaay back when what feels like years ago. I was alone getting into the airport both the first day when I flew into here, and now alone again, execpt this time it is for the end of my Adventure. It makes the trip come Full-Circle in a cool symbolic way.

This is when I make the mistake of thinking I can sneak onto the bus to my Hostel without paying. I could have gotten away with it if I used my old ticket from the Metro and stuck it into the reader onboard the bus to get stamped. No one would have know it was the wrong piece of paper, but that's not what I did. I just walked right in and made my way to the second story of the bus. About a minute later to my shock, the bus driver walks up the stairs to me and is totally Pissed-Off, like super Pissed-Off. He starts yelling at me in front of everyone out loud about why I just walking onto the bus without paying, and kept asking me why I did it. I tried to play dumb like I didn't know what to do since I just flew in with my large Backpack from another country, but he didn't care. I also said that I didn't know what to do since I only had a Twenty and he had a sign that said they only accept exact change. I was affraid he was going to call the cops to get me in trouble, but he eventually just asked me to leave the bus. I was rediculously embarrased and was actually looking forward to leaving the bus to get away from all the people who saw the scene. So I get my 40 pound Backpack down the steps to the first floor to exit when the bus driver, more calm now, asks me where I was going. I told him the Generator Hostel at stop 11, and to my suprise, hands me change and ask for the twenty. I give it to him and take the change, and appologize for trying to get on without paying and thank him for letting me stay on the bus.

I then make it to the same Hostel where I started my Adventure 40 Days ago, and now here I am writing this Blog. I hope to accomplish a few things in the next 2 and a half days I have here that I didn't have a chance to do the first time I was here, like visit thee one and only Jamison Distillery, Hit-Up Oneals Pub again (one of my Favorite Pubs in the World), and by some souvineers here, and of coarse drink more Guinness, it is extrodinarely way better here then in the States!

Looking forward to the Irish Beer and Accents tomorrow, in one of my Favoirte Cites Ever!

-Chris

Highlights of the Day:
Ice Skating outside in front of a Castle in Budapest,
Going to the Natural Warm Mineral Baths,
Getting Chewed-Out by a Bus Driver

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Photos

Thee Most Epic outdoor Natural Hot Baths I've ever seen!
IYje water was so hot with the Freezing weather that it crates the coolest Fog!

The Gigantic Ice Skating Rink
Probably 4 times larger than a hockey stadium!

The Tranquil Massage Room
Found it as I was lost trying to find the Locker Room.