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After an excellent train ride from Bratislava enjoying the scenery and finally winning two Quiddler card games off Jeanette, we arrived in the famed city of Budapest which we would only use as a transit point to pick up our rental car and head south to Heviz. We would return in about a week to stay for a while. So, more on Budapest later. Before I say anything about Heviz I need to single out someone whom we met and who deserves a whole paragraph of this blog entry. This person I speak about is the tram driver that drove us from the main train station to downtown. All the Hungarian people that I have met in Calgary, although on a casual basis only, have been warm. This driver was simply doing his job yet he took special pleasure in welcoming us aboard and reassuring us that we were on the right track when we showed him our destination on paper.
It was most important that we made no error as it was Sunday and we had a short deadline to pick up our car. He let us know when it was time to get off and took his time
to point us in the right direction as we disembarked. When we got off and started walking we stopped at a corner to double check while the tram set off. Hearing a voice we looked back and there he was, head outside the window, once again waving us where he wanted us to go and wishing us a great vacation. He didn't have to do that; in fact that is unheard of in most places I have travelled but he set up our visit to Hungary in a most wonderful manner, going above and beyond his duty and was a shining example of how we should each do our job.
What a man! What a welcome to Hungary! Now, on to Heviz. Plugging in our GPS we set off and arrived in a bit over three hours. Heviz is located on a
unique thermal lake, according to Roman records, in use for over 2,000 years.
It is the world's largest biologically-active natural thermal lake. With a population of just over 4,000, the provincial town swells with visitors to its world famous natural medicinal spa. The waters are reputed to have curative effects and are rich in dissolved
substances and gases combining the beneficial effects of naturally carbonated medicinal waters and those containing sulphur, calcium, magnesium, hydrogen-carbonate, as well as those with slightly radioactive content.
The medicinal mud which covers the lake bed in a thick layer is unique, containing both organic and inorganic substances. It's radium-salts and reduced sulphur solutions contain special medicinal factors. The medical water and mud together with complex physiotherapeutic treatments are suitable for treating all kinds of rheumatic and locomotive disorders.
That is why some 2 Million visitors from across Europe and the world visit annually. My personal view of this treatment is that for it to be truly medicinally beneficial as is claimed, the client surely must participate over a period of time rather than have just one holiday visit. Of course I could be wrong because as a young man I was cured of a skin irritant by just one bath in the sulphur run off water from St. Lucia's volcano at Soufriere.
Jeanette made an appointment for a mud bath/massage and we planned to spend time swimming in the lake the following day. The town itself is very cosy and our resort is steps away from the
mostly pedestrianized centre. Both the male receptionists that we met were exceedingly friendly and open as were both ladies. There is music on the streets constantly and we attended an outdoor concert by an
American band giving a tribute to Queen. Apparently the group's song writer and lead singer, Freddie Murcury, visited Heviz in 1986. There was a large and enthusiastic crowd, many bussed in from outside Heviz. The music was good and I have video to enjoy later.
We drove to the town of Keszthely nearby and took a short cruise on Lake Balaton. While walking on the lake shore we stumbled on an opportunity, as the boat
Helka, was just about to leave, so buying our tickets we boarded. The Helka was a steel hull boat built in 1891 and sunk by the retreating Nazis to prevent it from falling into Soviet hands towards the end of the war. It was great relaxation which is one of our reasons for visiting this area.
In this area of Hungary, in fact since we left Budapest,
the only visible minorities we laid eyes on are those we see in the mirror every day. There isn't even an Asian
visitor presence here which is somewhat odd given the obvious draw for people interested in therapeutic health. I mention Asian in particular because their profile was very high in many cities, especially in Vienna.
The mud bath and "massage" was, unfortunately, a complete and utter disappointment for Jeanette. In fact I would classify it as a total disaster. When she checked in to keep her appointment for the 30-minute event (which had been made two days previously), we could immediately tell from the reaction and dialogue between three of the employees, that something was amiss. The episode was absolutely worthless, the mud was cold instead of the 41 degrees Farenheight and she did not get the body massage she paid for.It lasted barely twenty minutes instead of the thirty that were paid for and we got the impression that the employee who served her was not actually a masseur at all but someone thrown in at the last moment. It was not worth the time and in fact there was much more benefit and enjoyment of the resort's sauna and whirlpool afterwards. However, Jeanette's experience should not deter anyone from trying other spa options within Heviz.
The next
day, after driving around and enjoying some small towns and the view of Lake Balaton from up high, we went for
a swim in the thermal lake. They have an interesting electronic system for controlling time spent by each customer as they charge by the time. We paid for three hours and were given little gadgets like watches that we wore. They were also used to lock and unlock the private lockers. The swim in the lake was an absolute delight with the water temperature at 35°C. Steady but comfortable crowds came and went constantly and we noticed a very wide cross section of ages. It was obvious that many people visit here for health reasons.
If you ever visit Hungary and can get here, this is definitely a must visit. That night we slept like babies due to the warmth and medicinal content of the water. Highly recommended, we decided to have a gourmet meal at the Romai Pince restaurant. It was lodged on the side of a hill amidst a vineyard in Egregy not far from Heviz and overlooking a lush valley of cultivated farm lands. On the not too distant hills on the other side of the valley, beautiful homes dotted the landscape with their attractive clay-tiled roofs, interspersed between still more vineyards. Good food is an essential part of our vacation and this restaurant provided that as well as a scenic, tranquil and exceptional location and setting.
We spent a few hours driving along the north shore of Lake Balaton , driving through towns, villages and hamlets many of which did not even appear on our map. Many times we took a side road to admire a different view or just to take a closer look at the different homes which were often new or being built. From our observation, it appeared that the entire area was ideal for holiday villas and that many of the homes may have been owned by foreigners or well-heeled Hungarians. We later learned that the area of Lake Balaton is indeed the wealthiest part of Hungary.
I do not know the reason but it was starkly obvious to us that people walking around this tourist town never ever offered a smile or a response to friendly gestures.
Dour faces and a cold demeanour seemed to have been the norm which is certainly an anathema for Caribbean people. Whether they were Russians, Germans, Austrians or even Hungarians, we could not obviously tell but it was so unlike any of our experiences elsewhere that it made us think about possible reasons. Whatever the reasons may be, to respond with a smile to someone offering it to you should be an instant reflex cutting through any perceived differences but, alas, it was sadly not to be. The hotel staff and those in the boutique from which Gee bought a bathing suit, were just the opposite.
Anyway, Heviz was exactly what we needed following a hectic multi-city travel program - total relaxation in the "health capital" of Hungary. Given our very pleasant earlier experience with the tram driver, we are excited about our five days in Budapest.
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Naomi Rattray
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