Bathed in Beautiful Budapest
Posted by Afrojew2 | | Posted On Monday, May 17, 2010 at 11:28 AM
Budapest. Really, what else can I say? The name rings with glamor and age, beauty and grime, Europe and the East. And the city doesn't disappoint. One of my favorites, definitely. I arrived after a short three and a half hour jaunt from Vienna ready for a full day at the famous thermal baths of the historic city. After checking into my hostel in Pest, run by an eager to please and neat-freaky, Korean guy, I headed out down one of Budapest's famous boulevards, Andrassy Blvd. Zoe had tipped me off to visiting the Szechenyi Baths in the city park (Pest) which is at the very end of the street. Its the only outdoor and the only mixed gender bath in the city. And it is astoundingly beautiful. Right in the middle of the park, surrounded by green trees and blue sky sits the huge yellow building fitted with sculptures, domes, elaborate windows, the works. Inside (outside, really, in the courtyard) are three huge pools, each at different temperatures hovering around 37 degrees celcius, with fountains and jets everywhere. Tons of people were there, but it never felt crowded. Inside the building are locker rooms, cabins, saunas and even more pools. I spent the rest of the day there.
Budapest is where I started smoking cigarettes. Maybe its because Europeans make smoking look cool, I dont know, but one day I craved one and no one had any so I had to get a whole pack. Then I had to finish it. Then I got another cause man do they help you sleep. But don't worry, I stopped in Berlin. Hooray for being mentally stronger than nicotine.
The next day I went to the biggest synagogue in Europe, 2nd biggest in the world. It was... disappointing. It was basically a church. Designed by a Catholic for a very reform branch of Judaism, it looked like a cathedral, and had been rebuilt after some form of destruction that I don't remember. I also had to pay to go in which sucked. It was pretty though. I also tried to do a little digging in the archives to find out if any of my relatives were members, as my mothers side of the family comes from Budapest., but they were closed. So were the archives in the orthodox synagogue. At 11:30am on a Tuesday. Fuck.
After that disappointment, I walked to the river. And wow did that change my mood. Budapest is, quite possibly, the prettiest city I've seen. The famed Buda hills roll down the river as far as you can see cluttered at times (at others dotted) with magnificent red-roofed buildings while church steeples puncture their way out of the city. One of the hills, the biggest and closest to the river, has a bunch of castles on it. Another has Buda Castle and upon reaching the top, you can see the rest of Buda spread out behind it. Incredible. Pest is also pretty, with the gorgeous Parliament building dominating that side of the river. I had lunch on the river, ducked into a few cafes, and managed to swing back around to the big synagogue for a night view (mostly because I had to check my pocketknife and I forgot about it when I left).
Two American girls checked into my small hostel that night, Regan (pronounced Reagan, seriously) and Rachel. We polished off a few bottles of cheap, 1 euro wine in the hostel and had a good time. The next morning the three of us went to Budapest's biggest market, and I managed to get us lost on the way. We walked around for a while, then went our separate ways for the day. The market was amazing. Huge, indoors, and filled with produce, meats, cheeses, breads, everything delicious. Upstairs there were some cafeteria style point-at-a-big-bucket-of-Hungarian-food-cause-you-dont-know-what-its-called restaurants. I ate lunch and dinner there. Amazing food.
After the market I went up to Buda Castle and Castle Hill, which I hadn't visited the day before. It was good that I hadn't because I got the best views on the most beautiful of days. Back at the hostel, two more chicks, Sara and someone else (I'm so bad with names) had checked in and they were much cooler than the first two, so that night the three of us got some more cheap wine and had a better time.
I decided to leave for Prague the next day. I should have stayed longer.
Budapest is where I started smoking cigarettes. Maybe its because Europeans make smoking look cool, I dont know, but one day I craved one and no one had any so I had to get a whole pack. Then I had to finish it. Then I got another cause man do they help you sleep. But don't worry, I stopped in Berlin. Hooray for being mentally stronger than nicotine.
The next day I went to the biggest synagogue in Europe, 2nd biggest in the world. It was... disappointing. It was basically a church. Designed by a Catholic for a very reform branch of Judaism, it looked like a cathedral, and had been rebuilt after some form of destruction that I don't remember. I also had to pay to go in which sucked. It was pretty though. I also tried to do a little digging in the archives to find out if any of my relatives were members, as my mothers side of the family comes from Budapest., but they were closed. So were the archives in the orthodox synagogue. At 11:30am on a Tuesday. Fuck.
After that disappointment, I walked to the river. And wow did that change my mood. Budapest is, quite possibly, the prettiest city I've seen. The famed Buda hills roll down the river as far as you can see cluttered at times (at others dotted) with magnificent red-roofed buildings while church steeples puncture their way out of the city. One of the hills, the biggest and closest to the river, has a bunch of castles on it. Another has Buda Castle and upon reaching the top, you can see the rest of Buda spread out behind it. Incredible. Pest is also pretty, with the gorgeous Parliament building dominating that side of the river. I had lunch on the river, ducked into a few cafes, and managed to swing back around to the big synagogue for a night view (mostly because I had to check my pocketknife and I forgot about it when I left).
Two American girls checked into my small hostel that night, Regan (pronounced Reagan, seriously) and Rachel. We polished off a few bottles of cheap, 1 euro wine in the hostel and had a good time. The next morning the three of us went to Budapest's biggest market, and I managed to get us lost on the way. We walked around for a while, then went our separate ways for the day. The market was amazing. Huge, indoors, and filled with produce, meats, cheeses, breads, everything delicious. Upstairs there were some cafeteria style point-at-a-big-bucket-of-Hungarian-food-cause-you-dont-know-what-its-called restaurants. I ate lunch and dinner there. Amazing food.
After the market I went up to Buda Castle and Castle Hill, which I hadn't visited the day before. It was good that I hadn't because I got the best views on the most beautiful of days. Back at the hostel, two more chicks, Sara and someone else (I'm so bad with names) had checked in and they were much cooler than the first two, so that night the three of us got some more cheap wine and had a better time.
I decided to leave for Prague the next day. I should have stayed longer.
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