Gellért Baths

Weeks before we got to Hungary, I began looking up fun things to do while there for our one day off. After Maple and I discussed our options, we decided to go one of the thermal baths that the city is known for.  There are several to choose from, but with the Gellért Baths being built and decorated in the art nouveau style, there was no question about which one we would go to.  I've never been to thermal baths before, so I was really excited about doing something new.  In the picture below, you can see the Gellért Hotel and Baths at the end of the Liberty bridge.

These pictures (all from Maple's camera) are just of the lobby!

We'd read online about the baths and so we were prepared for a confusing maze of a building, that we had to wear a swim cap in one particular pool (but not all pools) and that we had our own private changing cabins.  We studied the map of the building, and it's true: it really is a bit of a maze at first to figure out where all the pools are.  By the end of the day, I'd figured it out and could wiz around the place pretty quickly.

There were five main thermal pools: one at the front of the main hall swimming pool (more about it later), and then two rooms at each end that had two pools each.  The two pools would be different temperatures.  In this room, one was 38 degrees (100.4 F), and the other was 40 degrees (104 F).  We would swim awhile in the hot one and then try to cool down a bit in the cooler one.

The setting was so gorgeous and the water such a great temperature that my whole body just immediately relaxed.

I would take turns staring at the building and people watching.  It was almost as good as people watching at the airport...

Back and forth we'd go, until our fingers were beyond wrinkly.  Sometimes we'd talk, sometimes we'd both just stay silent, both of us lost in our own thoughts.

There were minerals in the water, and so it was a bit like floating in salt water.  But not quite.

I reflected on refugees, when to go back to the US next, the craziness that is my current moment in life, and God's goodness.

Eventually Maple got hot and wanted to take a cold shower for a second to cool off before getting back in.  As she headed towards the shower, she saw this small cold pool, where the water was 19.8 (67 degrees F).  She dunked herself quickly in it, jumped back out, and announced that she felt refreshed and ready for action!

I tried to get in that time with her, but couldn't go further than my shins.  I tried a few hours later, and she was right--it was awesome.  I don't know if I could handle it multiple times in one day, though!

We eventually went and found the other room with two pools.  These were 35 and 37 degrees, and I found the latter to be such a perfect temperature for me that I had no desire to get out at all.

I knew there was more to see, though, and so we decided to wander around.  We gave the sauna a go for about 47 seconds, but it was too hot and too steamy and the bright green light (that matched the mint flavored air) was a bit too much for Maple.

We found the main hall swimming pool, and I donned my swim cap, and got right in.  It felt awesome, after having been in warm water for several hours.  

Maple took some pictures of me happily swimming around in the big pool.

You could sit under these lion fountains and the water came down so hard on your neck or shoulders it felt like a massage.  It was awesome.

There were gorgeous stain glass windows above all the massage rooms.

I really felt like I was Zelda Fitzgerald, just hanging out in the 1920's with my buddy Ernest Hemingway.  Here we are: the not quite lost generation of #teamsuitcase.

The Gellért Baths are easily one of the favorite things I've ever done in all my travels.  That says a lot.

Szynagogue and Sztuff in Szeged

Szo I figured out that in Hungary, when the letter 'z' follows an 's', the 'z' is szilent, szimply making the words look cooler, but still easy easzier to pronounce.  I can dig it.  

Before we even got to Hungary, we were pretty szure that we wanted to go to the town of Szeged for one of our work days.  After two days in Budapest, our hunches were confirmed and we decided to get on a train and head szouth for our final work day.  I'm szo glad we did!  Szeged was much bigger than I'd anticipated, and had szo much beauty!

After we finished our work there, we went to find lunch and then wander around until our afternoon train would take us back to Budapest.  The first thing we noticed was the aweszome Votive Church with its two gorgeous bell towers.  The outzside was mostly brick and looked like it belonged to a major universzity campus szomewhere along the eastern szeaboard of the US.

Inszide, they had just recently finished renovations, and so the colors of the painted walls were astounding.

I loved the different lights with this door: natural white light coming through the door, and then artificial szoft yellow light szurrounding it.

Outszide, we walked around the church to szee the whole thing.  Szo stunning!!!

I had read online that Hungary has many art nouveau buildings, but as of yet, I hadn't stumbled upon very many.  Then, as we were walked, Maple asked if the building we were approaching was in the art nouveau style.  I looked up and gasped, "Yes!"  The Reök Palace nearly made me drool in public.

Next we wandered over to the szynagogue, (which is spelled 'szinagoga' in Hungarian, and thus made it easy easzier to find on a map).  It was huge, and szurrounded by trees, szo we didn't take any pictures of the outszide.  Most of the following pictures are from Maple's camera, becausze it could capture the light and color inszide szo much better than my iPhone.

Standing under the dome, looking straight up.

I had honestly never szeen szuch a lovely sznagogue in all my life.  It was szo big, and the blues were szo beautiful!

I especially liked this dandelion stained glass.

The doors were alszo lovely, but you would expect me to szay that, wouldn't you?

We didn't stay long in Szeged--enough time to get our work done, eat lunch, wander for about an hour, and then head back to Budapest.  We spent five hours on the train that day, but it was szo worth it.  If I had to do it all over again, I would.  Szo of our four work days in Hungary, we uszed one to travel szouth, spending half the day just to get there and back...but we learned a lot, and were blessed in the small amount of free time we had.  Szeged: you're a keeper.