Budapest Fun & Frolics!
19th – 25th July 2010
This week has been, well, A-MaZinG!
Unfortunately, I started off the week experiencing the most sleep deprived night ever. As the heat has increased so have the mosquitoes and I, quite frankly, have become a woman possessed by MOSQUITOES. They are everywhere and many a night I sit quiet and motionless listening to high pitched buzzing before SPLAT, I kill them. Well, as many as possible, before the buzzing ceases. That night however, the buzzing did NOT stop. I don’t know where the bloody hell these flesh eating monsters were coming from but my psycho killing did not stop in till 5am when I became so exhausted I passed out. But hey on a lighter and more exciting aspect of the week that following morning I woke up and headed for Heviz.
Heviz, west of lake Balaton is home to the worlds biggest biological active thermal lake. Well this I had to see and after checking out the prices sounded well worth the £6.00 entry. Off we popped to the lake and WOW…This lake is the real deal. A whole massive five hectare lake at 33º with hundreds of grown adults floating about inside rubber rings….Huum, yes it makes a slightly strange sight. On top of the lake is a huge building that opens up to four large pools which you look down on. Outside there are hundred of balconies with sun basking bodies where you can plop yourself into the lake via steel step ladders. The Hungarians do enjoy a good medicinal therme!
After quickly testing out the spa service down the corridor (very nice!) we headed for the lake. I lowered myself into the water a little apprehensive as, well, it is a dark, bottomless, deep lake. For a split second I did have some strange thoughts to what could be in it after my snake episode but I was happy to find just a few lucky tadpoles scattering about between the lily pads. After a few strokes I happily hooked myself on to metal bars that are scattered around the lake & made sure not to put my feet down on the radioactive mud! The metal bars were great so you can bob about instead of exerting oneself too much! I did find the smartly dressed lifeguard in his rowing boat slightly amusing, checking if the oldies hadn’t passed out in the heat!
After sometime bobbing about I swam across the lake and saw some strange plastic flaps like the ones you see in big fridge factories with people popping out into the lake from inside. Just happens you could actually swim inside without having to leave the water! The pools were all interconnecting with different temperatures. Now and again you have a big whoosh of really hot hot water between ones legs! but later I found out that the hottest bits were on doorbell alarm systems. Yes, can you believe it but people would queue up and move systematically over the hot bits. Very cleaver, im guessing its so no old wrinkly could hog the best bits!
After a super fabulous time at the lake and coming out thoroughly relaxed and smelling like a sulphur swamp we headed around lake Balaton to see some countryside.
Budapest Adventures
Sitting with three maps deciphering the road and city systems we drove into Budapest early evening. We did pretty well for no sat nav! Got to the campsite with one wrong turn and a two minute detour drive around the block to Camping Hellar.
After managing to get a three day pass from the lady at the tube station with some general pointing, head gesturing and finger pointing we headed for the centre. Getting off in the centre which is well, like any other capital centre full of contemporary boring stuff and loads of well known shop brands we decided to head to the riverside. Ever so slowly we plodded along and across the bridge to the funicular railway that gives spectacular views from the top. On arriving we decided against the price and so took the long, hot, treacherous walk up one billion steps to the top instead. (Well I suppose it saved the pennies!) Arriving at the top we found the palace with some brilliant views of the whole city. Well worth the slog in midday 37º heat.
After more touristy sight seeing in Buda like the fisherman’s Bastion I was all touristed out so headed to the good old tourist information about some more interesting areas to have a delve and poke about in. On inquiring where some “Boho come hippy” areas were in the city the lady circled a few streets in the Jewish quarter, so off we went to see what we could see…and well, what was found was everything I LOVE about city living.
On first looks the Jewish quarter was, quiet and unassuming. If you don’t look hard enough you could walk on by and think nothing is really there apart from beautiful buildings. AaHha! But look closely and you will come across ruin bars. They are quintessentially old massive beautiful buildings turned into studios for artists of all genres, music, paint, photography, you name its there for people to work in and present there collections. Wondering about I found high ceiling corridors that lead to swirly spiral stair cases. Rooms lined with different signs like “impro jam” and “street art talk 6.00pm” stuck to the door! These spaces are living, breathing and evolving. Unlike the UK where you visit these “art” spaces only to find a year later its closed as no one has bothered to make use of it, or no one has basically bothered to go see what’s there. It appears that people seem much more relaxed and free spirited in Budapest unlike their London counterparts, and I like it! All these mix mash of things in one building and to top it off they have brilliant gig spaces wicked funky music and bar set up with a mix mash of chairs and tables. To date my favourite is Tuzrakter bar with jumbo jet plane seats dotted about the place. Genius!
Next poignant visit was to the House of Haza or House of Terror. I wasn’t really, lets say, looking forward to it, but its one of those things that is quite intriguing. The museum takes you round the full history of Hungary from WWII Nazi occupation to the Soviet occupation and them eventually leaving in 1991. Quite frankly I don’t how the Hungarian people managed to live under such a dictatorship but I supposed if you spoke out of line, or tried to leave the country you would mysteriously disappear to House of Haza to be tortured or executed. The whole country was so paranoid of each other and the crazy dictatorship moulding children into informers. It was all like living in George Orwell’s 1984 and that thought terrifies me.
After feeling a little sombre I cheered up after savouring my first curry in about seven months followed by more Hungarian wine and going to watch some gigs at a ruin bar!
The last day I savoured the delights of my first langos at the great food hall and felt the weight poor onto my hips with the deep fried bread smothered in cheese, sour cream and every topping you could ever think of! Taking it easy we walked around pest visited enjoying the sun and topped off the night with some more drinks!
Budapest was a brilliant, amazing city and has a similar feel to London I felt, however, without the rush. No one is in a rush for the tube or barging to get on the bloody thing! Everyone is laid back and really friendly. I will definitely return some day soon!
