Hungarian Swimming

Budapest is right on top of some geothermal hot springs and there have been people here 'taking the water' since Roman times.  There are several bath houses in both Buda and Pest that have been around for a really long time.


Gill and I needing some rejuventation decided we would take a low impact approach to Budapest sightseeing and spent an afternoon and an entire day at two of the most popular bath houses.


The first we went to was in Buda and is called Gellert and is inside an old ornate hotel. The Gellert spa has been open since 1918 and it had pools inside and out.  We tried them both, and it was a bit like sitting in a green bath tub with several dozen strangers.


The next day we went to Szechenyi, which is in Pest.  These baths have been open since 1909.  

Modern Renaissance style with qualified medicinal waters containing calcium, magnesium-hydrogen-carbonates, chloride, sulphates, alcalia, and a significant amount of fluoride

They have a very organized, if a bit confusing system.  You pay for entry, a locker or cabin, and any extras and then you are given this little plastic watch like thing.  If you asked for a changing cabin, you put your little watch up to this panel and it assigns you a cabin and then the watch opens it as well.

Those red jeans are awesome!

Once you have changed, you can go rent a 'towel,' which is actually a big sheet and then you are off to the pools.  The pools are all split up by temperature and what you can do in there 'sit,' swim, 'sit.'  If you want to swim, you have to wear a cap.  Any kind of cap will do, but we did enjoy the constant whistle as people just flat refused to understand this really clear sign.

We had to go down two floor and through several dodgy hallways to find the showers and then we wore our 'towels' back to our huts.  We were rewarded with a very big smile and greeting from our male Hungarian hall monitor.


After spending a day in the 80 degree Hungarian sun, we hustled off to the airport and arrived to near freezing temperatures in Manchester.  


Ah, the pleasures of returning from holiday.