Szechenyi Soak

Szechenyi was the second thermal I had free access to today. The woman arranging my visit was hesitant to give me a tour, but did give a brief one. Basically, she reiterated the history that I had already known, but had to act dumb since they thought I was there for the first time. Actually, it was only my second time there. The first time, I never did find the indoor baths and saunas. With her assistance, I now know the access to them. Szechenyi is the largest spring fed thermal in Europe, which boasts 16 pools. The building started in 1913, but was extended in 1927. It is truly glorious. It is obvious how people can spend an entire day here without any effort at all. They are open until 10pm year round. Being Hungary, I had to have one typical Hungarian experience, though I can imagine this happening in the US too. I was in one pool where the fountain was spraying water out of some nymph's mouth, so I rested under it to spray my back. Others do the same in the other pools, but I was the sole challenger to the woman's repose sitting on the steps next to this nymph. Splashing my back was also spraying onto her, which I did not realize until a heard a clear "Excuse me" in tainted English. When I turned, she said you are getting me all wet. Well, damn lady, you are sitting in a pool of water; you are getting yourself wet, because I did not put you here. Rather than ruin my peace, I moved. She continued her conversation with a fellow stair sitter in Hungarian. After a day of soaking, I was mellow, melted, and pliable. However, my review of the Gellert is not going to change much from the last edition of the book. They are overpriced for the few services that are included. Two thermals, two pools, one steam room, and one sauna for 3,500 Ft for a locker of 3,800 Ft for a cabin vs Szechenyi where you can have 16 choices of pools, plus multiple saunas, and steam rooms for 3,400 Ft for a cabin or 3,000 Ft for a locker. The graduated refund system for all of the thermals is gone. If you leave before 2 hours, both Gellert and Szechenyi will give you 300 Ft back period. It used to be much more for leaving before 2 hours, and a reduced amount for 3 and 4 hours. Those days are history.

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Back in the Saddle

Gosh, I have not posted for six days and started getting withdrawal symptoms; my fingers started to itch, words were making my head swell looking for an escape route, a more creative enriched expression than verbal communication would allow. As you know if you are a reader, I had my new computer installed, my Windows Home Server, and a heavy duty router. A portion of my time, I have been trying tweak the WHS, which did not come with a printed manual, but one online, making it difficult to flip through. Little by little, I am finding the tips and tricks. There is also a learning curve with Windows 7. I like the release candidate, so will anxiously wait for the real thing to arrive on shelves. A great deal of my time has been spent eating out, going to hotels, checking admission prices of museums and other things for the book. By the time I get home, I have to write and rewrite with great enthusiasm before the copious notes I have taken become muddled in my own mind. We have also had fabulous guests who have shared their time with us, making it more than a pleasure having them here. We were graced to have author Anna Balint here with her low key, but exceptionally fun husband Willie. Anna's site is http://www.curbstone.org/authdetail.cfm?AuthID=148 . Getting to listen to Anna's processing for her writing was intriguing as well as insightful. She gifted us with a copy of her book The Horse Thief, a book of short stories. Ron is reading it now and keeps whetting my appetite to dive into it. Four other great people followed on their heels, not giving us a chance to lose artistic momentum. Tom and Beth Besson arrived from Texas. Tom is an artist and you can view his work here www.tombesson.com. Beth is a director of adult education, so we had much in common. At the same time, we had a young couple from Kingston, NY who were here for Formula One. Jennifer and Paul were just as delightful with youthful energy, excitement and they were celebrating their anniversary as well as Paul's graduation with a Masters in Education. Jennifer is an art teacher in middle school. Talk about a melding of people; it just does not get better than this with all of the talented people who cross our threshold. The new editions of Frommer's guides will have different formats for the first three chapters, so things need shuffling around even for sections that will not change, like the Jewish history. I thrive on change most of the time, so this is exciting. I also found some perks through the TourInform office here in Budapest. They have a Budapest Study program to help travel journalist learn more about the city. I applied and was accepted. They have a number of partner hotels, restaurants, and attractions, but by the time they responded, my choices were limited. I had covered many of the things already. Nevertheless, we were treated to dinner for two at a restaurant I wanted to return to anyway. Since it is a bit expensive, it was even more enjoyable knowing we did not have to pay the bill. Yesterday, we went to Momento Park, formerly Statue Park as guests. Normally, I would not refer people there. It is a distance from the city. Haowever, with a tour guide, I witnessed it in an entirely different light. The concept worked as I will now give it a much more favorable review. There is a better understanding of how and why it is presented as it is. Tomorrow, I will be squeaky clean. They booked me at the Gellert Thermals at 10am and then at the Széchenyi at 3:00 pm. I will be mellowed out for the weekend for sure.

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