Barlandfurdo (Cave Bath) - Miskolc, Hungary

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Monday July 9, 2012



Barlandfurdo (Cave Bath)



Wow! Zach and I have never experienced such a relaxing day. We started our day with a great breakfast at our hostel. I had cocoa puffs, an omelets (scrambled eggs) and ham and cheese. Zach had the same minus the cocoa puffs. J After breakfast we headed down the hill 300 meters and made our way to the cave baths.



We paid for a full day and used almost every minute of it. The water temperature in the main “swim hall” was 30 degrees Celsius (86 F). The water is all natural and is not treated with any chemicals. It has a low salinity so you can stay in the water longer.



After exploring the internal chambers we tried out the Finnish sauna park. I have never experienced such a thing because I didn’t know what to do. The sauna smelled of wonderful cedar and was 93degrees Celsius (200 F) inside. After about 10 minutes (I couldn’t take it any longer), we would rinse off and then hop in the 16 degree Celsius (60F) water.



Lunchtime came and we had a snack. Zach had sausage and sauerkraut and I had a “gyro” (It was seasoned chicken and fries with a dill yogurt sauce). We followed the rule of waiting 30 minutes before we got back in – just kidding – who does that?



So, back to the main swim hall we went. We checked out the outdoor pools and found little jet things that massage your neck. We needed a massage after that hike! Zach and I then returned to the sauna park to finish our day at Barlandfurdo.



On our way back to the hostel we stopped by a little café where we met a gentleman from Miskolc. He is a professor of mechanical elements at the local technological university. He treated us to a Hungarian favorite, Langos. We enjoyed the “pizza lango” which is fried dough topped with cheese and ham and a tomato sauce. We tried to pay but the shop owner refused.



After our pre-dinner treat we went to a local restaurant and asked for recommendations. Zach had a pork cutlet with croquettes and spicy cottage cheese. I had salmon steak with “garden goodies” and grilled vegetables. It was a great dinner and a wonderful walk uphill back to our room.

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