Hobblestones: Budapest, Day 4

For our final day in Budapest, we loafed. After a few shopping errands in the morning, we made for the baths. Thermal baths in Budapest are a huge tourist attraction, and Széchenyi Spa is the largest of these. We popped out of the Metro and walked directly up the steps of a fairly nondescript building that bore no markings as far as I could tell. Inside, we paid the admission and collected our "watches," magnetically coded wrist bands to operate the lockers inside. Since I managed to pack two swimsuit bottoms and no top, I had to rent a suit, so I went for the loudest red floral one-piece they offered.

The complex has a total of fifteen pools, three outside where we went immediately. The exterior pools are completely surrounded by the ornate yellow building housing saunas, massage rooms, and more thermal pools.

The first outside pool we stepped into was hot -- 37-38C (34C is body temperature). Most of the signs were only in Hungarian, but all the pools bore a sign giving the temperature.

Keenan didn't last long there, so we had to go try the further pool, which was a better 28C. This pool had jets on both sides (people are standing on them in the foreground), a hot-tub-like round area in the center, and around that the fun whirlpool with side jets to zoom you around. Joren loved that.

In between was the lap pool, restricted to swim caps only, so we didn't try it.

Inside, there are small hot tubs and large pools in a long line of rooms.

We started at one end and tried one after another. Some of the rooms are distinctly medicinal smelling (read sulfur) from the hot spring water, with handrails blackened from reacting with the chemicals. We didn't try any of the saunas nor the 20C plunge pool, despite the fact that's warmer than Barton Springs. It was only about 80F outside.

Evidently there are also medicinal treatments and therapies in the mineral waters. Mud baths even. We did see a water aerobics class in one pool. Not so difficult to read Hungarian for chemical compositions, at least!

In the evening, we went to a nearby restaurant in the direction of the market, where we sat in a glass covered courtyard. There were few people on this side of a busy road; only a few tables were occupied on the far side from us.