D21: Buda and Szechenyi Bath

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Ah, lovely day today!

I finally made my way over to the Buda side of the Danube - you guessed it, I spent the majority of the day wandering 😊 I went up to Castle Hill where I spent most of my time. The views over the Danube and of Pest on the other side are just superb - especially of the bridges and of Parliament. I really can't get over how impressive those Parliament Buildings are... they truly are iconic.

I also visited the "Hospital in the Rock" museum which was really cool! It is, as the name suggests, a hospital that was built into the rock, in Castle Hill, as part of the cave system and it was in use during WW2 and during the Revolution. How smart to build a hospital into a Hill though, I mean really... it was protected from the bombing, it was relatively hidden, and they had the most ingenious way of filling the fuel tanks (for the generators) when needed: on top of the hospital were flower beds - so once a week (or whatever) the "water truck" would come water the flowers... and would just so happen to have some diesel to put down the small black pipes. Brilliant!

So yes, we couldn't take pictures during the tour (sigh) but it was really informative and the hospital itself is just fascinating because they've kept the original instruments and machines from that time period - amazing how far medical care has come in 50 years.

They also have the best fake wax mannequins... they were so bad, they were great.

The wards were interesting too - the original capacity was something like 100 but during the height of the War they saw 600-700 people... so (bunk)beds were pushed together, people were on the floor on stretchers, those that were a little healthier were put in "overflow" in the empty caves... all very interesting to see.

(Sidenote: during the tour the guide was like "look! an original toilet! say hi!" so we curiously peak around the doorframe and there is a wax bonhomme sitting on a toilet. Oh my God hahaha. Excellent.)

There is also a nuclear bunker connected to the hospital (smart!) so that even if there was a nuclear attack, they would still have one functioning hospital. So that was fascinating to see... spooky though... any time I hear those sirens, or see the gas masks... just spooky.

Oh! Speaking of the sirens, they had the old portable ones - so to end the tour we all got to try them out. They are loud little buggers.

After the museum, I finally made it out to the thermal baths... ahhhhh relaxation, thank you very much.

The building itself and the pools are beautiful to see - the intricate details, the colouring, the architecture. But really, I was there to soak in the hot tubs, not going to lie.

I have found my perfect hot tub - a lovely 38 degrees - I was in heaven there, just leaning back, forgetting about everything, ahhhhh, yes. Good. I kept leaving and coming back to my perch. You really can't go wrong there.

They had another large hot tub (it was essentially a pool) outside at 36 degrees... I used that one too, but it had the added heat from the sun which really meant the added risk of me becoming a lobster. Ahem. ALTHOUGH it did have a lovely waterfall area that basically pounded your shoulders with hard jets... and that was divine. Definitely does some good after lugging around your luggage for 20+ days.

I did stay outside for quite a bit in the other pool though - how I didn't burn, I'm not sure... even with sun screen me, the sun and pools don't usually play well together.

Anyway! The other pool was fantastic - it had all sorts of little surprises. First, there were the random floor jets - those felt wonderful. I managed to lay claim to one for awhile. Then there was another smaller waterfall which was a bit more soothing rather than pounding... but still felt nice.

The best though was the centre: it was like a merry-go-round! There was a circle area, with another other pool in the middle. While looking over I saw that people in the circle were all going around in circles at a rather quick pace... how odd? Upon closer inspection I realized there was a strong jet stream creating a current which would carry you around in circles. Awesome! I definitely shared in the ride more than a few times - the best part was just trying to get in or out of the current (or watching others try)... there didn't seem to be an elegant way haha.

(Sidenote: the jets used to create the current are VERY strong... uhm... so strong they can create wardrobe malfunctions...? Yes.)

So yes, spent about 3 hours there I think...? Something like that before heading back to the city area for supper. And because the food was just so amazing again, I have to note that Kantin (or Cantine) near Oktogon is just the best place ever. I had paprika chicken today and I swear I could have licked the plate it was so delicious... the chicken just melted off the bones, the sauce was creamy without being heavy and the buttered noodles were just perfect. So yes. If you happen to be in Budapest, go there. Now.

And that's that for Budapest, really 😞

I'm on a bus all day tomorrow... and all night. I don't know why I keep doing this - I always buy the bus ticket because it's so cheap and I tell myself 'no, no. 20 hours is totally fiiiiiiine' ... ahem.

So, probably no entry tomorrow - be in touch soon though!

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