Budapest ... Stinky Tee Shirts, Bike Tour And Swimming

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So I have this grey dry-fit tee shirt and regardless of whether I hand wash it or send it out for a real laundering (I have done both several times), it seems to be holding its "stink."

In our family, when faced with a challenging laundry issue, we consult the expert ... Lisa Stone. I sent Lisa an email explaining the situation. Her response (which I quote in the next paragraph) was succinct, helpful and hilarious.

"Jeff, yes that happens with dry fit shirts. Throw it away."

30 seconds later it was in the trash.

Its 41 celsius. That is 106 fahrenheit. Serious heat.

I find myself planning routes down streets to maximize the time in the shade.

It will come as no surprise to you that I took a bike tour of the city today. Giving good bike tours must be harder than it looks, because today's tour was fine, but it was not great.

We rode our bikes around in the heat and saw most of the sites. These included the castle, the chain bridge and City Park. City Park has its own castle, and it has a turkish bath. Turkish baths are huge swimming complexes with multiple pools, restaurants, bars. They are amazing. Guess where I spent my day after the tour?

Also in City Park, there is a statue of "Anonymus," the anonymous author of the history of Hungary around 1200. Legend has it that if you touch his pen, you will have good luck with your writing. I touched the pen and had a photo taken (you know how I love that), so we will have to see if these blogs improve.

We did do one very cool thing. We rode the Budapest Metro (we just rolled the bikes right on) which is the second oldest subway in the world, after the London Underground.

The passenger cars and the stations have not been modernized (the Metro is a UNESCO site, so the Metro has been renovated but the hardware has not changed). It feels like you stepped into the 1890s. There is a lady selling tickets and the platform walls are paneled in beautiful dark wood. Its crazy and kinda fun.

I wish I could say there was a lot more excitement, but honestly it was a day spent trying to stay cool.

I spent a long time at the pool.

I have a couple of special photos for you. I took a photo of all the change in my pocket (it totaled 130 Florent ... not enough to purchase a single Moam).

I am also going to post several photos of copper plaques that appear without warning or ceremony on the sidewalks of Europe. In all my travels I had never noticed them before. On the Nazi Bike Tour in Berlin, the guide pointed them out and told us that now that we know what they are, we will see them everywhere. Tragically, he is correct.

These plaques are placed in front of the homes of Jews who were deported to and killed in the extermination camps. They list the name, address, date of birth and date of death if known. I have seen them in Germany, Poland (they are everywhere in Poland), the Czech Republic, Hungary and Austria. Yet another sad testament to a very dark time.

Tomorrow we head west. More on that later.

Keep the comments coming.

FYI ... the photo upload is acting up again (remember when this happened a couple of weeks ago?) so we may or may not have photos. If no photos today, I will post them manana.

JJF

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Photos

Grab You Swim Fins
Not a bad place to spend a hot day.

Not Worth Much
Can someone lend me some more Florents so we can get a Moam?

Comments

[Lisa Stone]

New shirt
Hi Jeff! Great blogs! As the family laundry expert I suggest when you get to the airport to fly home discard of all dirty clothes! Time for some new ones! And I have a connection for a new SLU T-shirt!!!!!!!

[JJF Travel Blog 2013A]

Laundry
That may not be the worst idea in the world. Although they are always "cleanish" the few sets of clothes I have along (2 shorts, 6 shirts (now 5), 5 socks and 5 boxers) have taken a beating.

[Sue]

Better then Glenwood Springs
Those turkish baths look like a blast! P.S. Love the way you write already - it is "so Jeff."