The alarm went off at 5:10 this morning because we wanted to try and get to the Szèchenyi bath house. We had heard going to these bath houses was an absolute must, but when we looked them up online, they looked so so crowded. Of course we wanted to experience these, but we also wanted to get cool pictures too so the hope was that if we went really early in the morning, like when they open at 6, we’d be able to do that.
When we got up, we got dressed and then took the subway line to get to the bathhouse. The system was once again very easy to figure out, so we walked over there, bought our tickets from the machine, and got on the train, which luckily arrived the minute we got on the platform. It was quick and easy train ride right to the thermal spa stop and once we got off it was right there. We walked into the main entrance, paid our fee (which was only like $2.50) and entered the maze of the locker room to enter the indoor spas and then made our way outside. It’s basically like a giant pool complex with two casual, chill pools (one was was like hot tub temperature and the other a tad cooler) and then a giant lap pool as well. Again, the architecture around it was beautiful and just made the ambiance even better. There were so few people there too, I’d say about 98% local, and us. We went in the water immediately and swam around, took pics, swam some more and just waded in the water hopefully taking in some healing properties. The water is supposedly of very high quality and can do a lot for you. I was definitely up for that. We spent about an hour there and then headed back on the train back to the hotel for breakfast.
We ate a delicious breakfast, the best one thus far on this trip. and then got ready for our 9 am tour of the city. To our surprise it was a private tour with just us, a guide, and driver. We told our guide everything we saw yesterday so we didn’t waste time backtracking and could hopefully see some hidden gems we wouldn’t have planned to see. We started driving along the ??? which was basically modeled as the Champs de Elysee of Hungary and passed the Opera House which was unfortunately under construction and then ended at Heroes’ Square. We learned the history of that square, which is actually a giant circle and could probably fit thousands of people. It’s a huge space.
Then we walked over to the city park called Vàrosliget. It’s like Hungary’s Central Park. There’s a castle replica there that we walked around, a museum about it, and the zoo is even there. It looked like a huge zoo. We also saw the front side of the Szèchenyi bath house which is even bigger than we imagined. When we got there this morning, we entered through the back because that’s where the subway stop was.
At this point in the tour, the temperature was really rising and the sun was strong so we more than happy to get back in the air conditioned car and head up to Gellért Hill and the Citadel. Those two places were on my agenda but I wasn’t exactly sure what was up there to see or how to get about getting up there. Good thing we had a car and a guide because she showed us quite a few incredible aerial, panoramic views of the city. Looking over the water with all the bridges and the buildings in site was gorgeous. Again, we were so happy to get back in the A/C in the car and were really beginning to drag a little because of exhaustion and the heat.
From there, it was off to Central Market Hall where they sell everything from produce and meat and baked goods, to souvenirs and other local goods. Fun fact: The space the market is in was designed by the same architect that made the Eiffel Tower. We bought our usual magnets as souvenirs and a Coke light. The coke helped perk us up quite a bit and the drive to our next location with a quick little cat nap also give us more energy and some new life.
Our last stop was Freedom or Liberty square where the US embassy and a random Ronald Reagan statue stands. Once again, a beautiful area.
Because it was Saturday we didn’t get a chance to go to the Synagague. It’s the largest Synagogue in Europe and the second in the world and something I really wanted to see, but because of the Sabbath, it’s closed so we will have to wait to see it tomorrow.
When the tour was over we said our goodbyes to our guide and driver and went to grab lunch. We headed back to the Gzuda Udvar area we were in last night and although we wanted something healthy and not hot for lunch, we settled for a bar that looked pretty decent. I got a burger because the salads on the menu didn’t seem appetizing to me, but unfortunately the burger wasn’t any good. It tasted funny to me and I don’t know if it was because of the seasoning they used, the fact it was cooked well done (ICK), or the meat was bad, I ate the rest of the burger without the meat and and am just really hoping it doesn’t make me sick later. Ugh.
After lunch, we knew we wanted to do something kind of “local” and chill so we decided to walk to the local mall. It was actually a really nice one and we walked about the mile there, walked around, did some window shopping and went in a couple stores, but didn’t make any purchases. After that, we felt so gross from sweating all day that we just wanted to shower and hydrate and lay down. So we did that for about 2.5 hours until we had to get ready for our sunset Danube River Cruise.
The river cruise was absolutely amazing. The sunset was a pretty one and once it got dark all the city lights turned on. Once again, the Parliament did not disappoint. It was so stunning and we could not look away. It’s probably one of the most beautiful buildings I’ve seen in all my European travels. It was seriously stunning.
Once the tour concluded and we got back on land, we headed back to the Gzuda Udvar area to finally have our first night out. It will probably be our only one and was the first alcohol we’ve drank all trip, but we met these guys our age from North Carolina and hung with them all night. It was definitely super fun, but also a very late night that I hope doesn’t catch up with me later.
All in all, today was a good day. It started and ended on a high note and will definitely be remembered.
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