Budapest, where I learn important things about ordering lunch and public bathing

Budapest ended up on our itinerary because Brenda was dead keen to visit. It wasn't anywhere on my radar, really, but more the fool me. I had more fun there than just about anywhere in the world, and that's saying something.:) If you've ever wondered whether you should go, wonder no longer. Get yourself to Budapest!

I mentioned in our previous post how we rejected traditional hotels for this trip, and I think that's part of what made it so much fun. Everywhere we went, we stayed in apartments owned by locals, and it made such a difference. I like being in a neighbourhood, instead of a tourist area or a convention centre, and while a little maid service now and again wouldn't have gone astray, for the most part, I think my days of staying in hotels when I travel are behind me. 

Our lovely flat in Budapest was in an old, unrenovated building near the river, absolutely oozing charm and character. Our host, Miki, was very apologetic about the dilapidated state of the outside and the entry way, but I loved it. Bless him, to let us into the flat, we dragged him away from his wife who had just given birth the night before! He was super friendly and gave us lots of information about the local area. He stayed so long, actually, that long-suffering Dave thought we'd all been kidnapped or something (he was waiting with the car while Miki let us in and oriented us to Budapest). I think Miki was trying to get a bit of peace and quiet, while Dave was just hoping someone would come relieve him, so he could relieve himself, if you know what I mean - it was a bit of a drive from Prague to Budapest!

The inner courtyard of the building

Plasterwork in the entryway

The main entry hall

Screens at the ready!

Our first night in town, we went to a restaurant/wine cellar a few blocks from the flat, and made a very pleasant discovery. Hungarian food is excellent! Gone were the stodgy dumplings and stewed meats of the Czech Republic. Although it was still a bit carnivorous, the dishes were much lighter and flavourful. Must be all that fantastic paprika. (No pics, though. I forgot - sorry! Ever happen to you?)

After dinner, we stopped into a cafe, lured by the sound of a gypsy band. After a couple of drinks of the local fruit-flavoured brandy, I was somehow convinced to purchase one of their CDs for the low, low price of 20 euros! A bargain at half the price.:)

The next morning, we slept in a bit (ahem) and later made our way to the Great Market Hall.

I love markets! I love the buzz, the local specialties, the opportunity to lose your money when it 'falls out of your pocket'! Seriously, I probably should have put that 30 euros back in my bag instead of my front pocket, as Mark helpfully and repeatedly informed me. C'est la vie!

You can buy all the paprika in the world here

A display of local mushrooms, both poisonous and raunchy

We decided to have lunch at the markets, which was an excellent idea. There were many, many food stalls to choose from, and all the food was amazing! I tried langos, a local delicacy of fried bread and toppings.

That's my langos there on the right

What I learned is that when the lovely girl in the food stall asks if you want a topping on your langos, she's not asking "Would you like some of this topping that comes included in the price of the langos?" She's instead asking, "Hello, crazy tourist. How many of these toppings can I talk you into?" Which, in my case, is all of them. So, 2000 Hungarian Forints later (roughly $10 AUS), I ended up with the world's biggest langos, which greatly amused the locals I had to carry it past to get to our table. But let me tell you, it was gooooooood. Sometimes it pays to be crazy.

My guidebook to Budapest informed me that it is a city both fascinating and frustrating in equal measure. Very, very true. You can't just show up somewhere and have any expectation that it will be open or that you'll get in. Budapest requires you to plan ahead, research your activities, and plot your route through the public transport system. Once you accept that, you'll have a much better time. 

We had hoped to visit Parliament (more on that later) on our first afternoon in town, but I didn't read the guidebook closely enough and so didn't realise that we had to buy tickets in advance. Doh. Oh well, a lengthy walk in the rain never hurt anyone, did it? So we fell back to Plan B - the Szechenyi Thermal Baths.

I don't think I would classify myself as a person who finds the idea of public bathing to be particularly attractive, but when in Budapest! We hopped on the train and headed to City Park.The baths are in a beautiful Belle Epoque building - there are indoor and outdoor baths fed by hot springs. The outdoor baths are 27-28 degrees C and people of all ages, sizes, and nationalities splash around and soak themselves.

They're pretty freakin' serious about who can go into the swimming lanes - don't even think about it without a swimming cap. I saw some snarky British guy get kicked out of the pool - maybe even the baths altogether - because he wouldn't put one on. They're not kidding around, man!

The indoor pools have many different temperatures, so you can gradually move from warm to hot to scalding and there's a cold water plunge pool. There are also wet and dry saunas, which caused Brenda to lose the will to live when she was blasted by the heat as the door opened (Brenda, like me, is also not a fan of heat). (No pics of the inside pools - seemed a bit intrusive!)

As we were getting ready to leave, I saw a bunch of people laughing their asses off in one of the outdoor pools, so of course I had to figure out what was going on. There was a kind of wave pool where a super strong current pushes you around the outside of a small, tiled, circular pool-inside-a-pool. I waded in, and once the current catches you, you're outta there! It took me two full turns around the circle to get my feet under me again, but then I crashed into a big, hairy Russian guy and ended up going around again. I have never laughed so hard in my life! How I wish I had pictures...

Public transport in Budapest is a wild ride! There are two kinds of lines: the newer lines are deep underground and were used as bomb shelters during the war. The escalators are the longest I've ever seen, and those suckers move fast. You'd better hang on!

The other line is just under the surface of the street, and is all wood panelling and beautiful tiles. The carriages are tiny, rattly old things, and I love them.

A hobbit door!

Another transportation experience I can highly recommend is a river tour. It's a bit touristy, but the view of the city from the river is spectacular! The audio guide they give you is hysterical - the river talks to you in a strange American-ish accent and tells you its own story. Way fun.:)

But the best time by far was the wine festival we attended at the Buda Castle. About 300 wine makers from all over the world set up booths for wine tastings, and there were food stalls and folk dancing and frolic!

Look how presentable we are at the beginning of the festival.:)

Could there be anything more wonderful than a glass of wine and a view of the Danube with good friends?

I could have watched the music and dancing all day. I love the little stories each dance tells, and how high those guys can jump!

Uh-oh. The sun is going down.

You are getting veeeeeeery sleeeeeepy

And now we head downhill, literally and figuratively.

Brenda loves me in spite of my purple teeth

My favourite souvenir of Europe is the little holder they gave us to put our wine glass in. Dave models his for the camera.

Now those escalators are really scary!

Never fear - Brenda's got it covered!

Best. Photobomb. Ever.

I'm sure you'll all be pleased to learn we made it home safely, with no unwelcome adventures. We might have found ourselves wandering around a rather unsavoury part of Budapest in search of an underground pub we read about, but we couldn't make it happen, so we went home.

And thus concludes the Budapest chronicle. Next up, the Mikulov wine region in the Czech Republic. Like we need more wine.:)