Budapest Day 1: Central Pest
You're never too old to learn something. In my case this week, I was tickled pink to learn that Budapest is actually divided by the Danube River into the old town of Buda and Central Pest, which is their downtown. Buda + Pest = Budapest. How funny.I arrived in this little charming city on Saturday to take advantage of the weekend and do some sightseeing before our week-long meetings began. Once those start, there's never any time left over for touring as the evenings also consist of mandatory dinners and networking "events".
Before I left, I had the presence of mind to ask the local Hungarian peeps what to do. Too bad I only remembered 2 days before my flight, which did not leave me enough time to go shopping for new swimwear. Why would I need that, you might ask, when Hungary is tottering below zero and particularly freezing this Saturday.
The answer is Szechenyi Baths, the largest complex of spa baths in Europe.
While maybe not as popular as Gellert Baths (which is fine by me, only the locals were here), the unique experience of Szechenyi is that it has the hottest thermal springs in Budapest, and it's outdoor. Nice... My head was freezing but my body stayed warm in its 34-degree water.
The steam is coming from the hot springs
The guidebooks say you need swimming caps, which is not true, though the cap fashions were interesting to observe while being jetted by the hot springs. I spotted leopard print, Marge Simpson-esque blue and white ones and even baseball caps. What they don't tell you is you need to bring your own towel, slippers and toiletries. Thank God I swiped a hand towel from the hotel just in case. As for my lack of proper attire, I compensated with very nice underwear.
I guess I can strike off #27 in my list of things to do before I die: "Die of heat in a sauna and jump into the ice-cold river right after" but in reverse. It was a fantastic experience, particularly to have in winter time. And not all that expensive on top ($14 for 2 hours and a free locker)!
After I shivered my way out of the pool, I was completely relaxed and strangely languid. All the stress drained out of me and I could just meander through the rest of Budapest's other secrets. I decided to go shopping at Vaci Street and stumbled upon the Christmas night market in Vorosmarty Square just as the lights came on.
They were selling everything from puppets to pottery to hot bread flavored with cinnamon, walnut, vanilla or caramel to Hungarian sausage (yum yum yum), hot wine, ceramics... you name it. There wasn't much to buy, save for the food, but it was fun to rub shoulders with the massive throng of people, especially when the weather dropped below zero.
I was supposed to have dinner at a very trendy restaurant called Mokka, but the prospect of a 5 minute walk in did-I-say-freezing-temperatures was less than appealing. I ducked into the nearest restaurant, all the while fearful that I was in the tourist-y district where price and ambiance was king. 60 minutes later, I was very happy to report that the food was excellent! This would become increasingly characteristic of my memories of Budapest -- excellent food even in the most unexpected places.
That and the exorbitant prices one is charged for taxis. Note here that they charge (and over-charge) you by the meter so you think you're actually paying what you should. My colleagues were being asked to chalk up $50USD (!!) for a one-way 15-minute ride, when the actual cost was about $10. Completely maddening.
For some reason, the system in this country is to actually call for cabs. They arrive within 5 minutes and if you call a reputable company, won't ask you to pay anything more than $15 for a reasonable distance. My best bet is City Taxi, +361 211 1111.
For more pictures, click here.
posted by moan @ 9:37 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home