Bathing in Budapest

After a pleasant 12hr trip, with all six seats to ourselves, we arrived in Budapest at a trendy hostel that had rave reviews. The host removed the belongings of another guest from a bed and indicated our twin set. Moments later, an animated Brazilian, Nathalia, came in asking where her stuff was. We sorted it all out and spent the next few days together!

Nathalia was there for three days so we tagged along with the itinerary she'd planned. Behind the girls is the market place filled with fresh produce and souvenirs on the top floor. We had the first of many goulash and variations for lunch here.

We made it to the parliament though internal access was denied. This shot is inside the spectacular St Stephen's Basilica. Lisa and I returned on the following Sunday to attend mass in Hungarian which must have looked a bit like Mr Bean attending a service as we jumped up and down with the congregation.

Nathalia had a contact in Hungary, Peter, who took us ice skating outdoors in front of another castle! It was a large rink, with a nice blend of local hoons and learn to skate legends like ourselves.

Dinner at Oktagon and a walk near the well-lit Opera House and we were done for the day.

After all that skating and fine dining, it was time for a trip to the baths. Right in the centre of the city park lie these public hot springs with amazing buildings housing saunas and massage opportunities. Lisa and Nathalia are in the 38' pool. We spent a while floating in the 36' whirlpool as well. The run from the baths to the change rooms was fast, skipping and squealing like schoolgirls. Nathalia headed to the airport afterwards and we returned to the hostel to plan our night out - off to see a blues band with a few others Lisa had rounded up.

I was entertained by the various buskers while Lisa made the most of the Budapest Christmas Markets.

This was one of the few photos I took in the Terror Museum. The sound and lighting was very effective in evoking a variety of responses to the alarming range dramatic eras in relatively recent history. This display of aluminium alloy products from the communist era reminded us of our own kitchen.

We saw the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra at the Budapest Palace of the Arts. Apart from being dramatically under dressed, it was a magical performance, featuring Stephen Isserlis the cellist and one particularly modern piece where the composer was introduced on stage afterwards. The building was spectacular. We returned a few days later to get tickets to see the St Petersburg Philharmonic play Tchaikovsky but every seat had sold well in advance. Very disappointed.

Wandering around the Citidal and Art Gallery on Buda, the city lights came to life as darkness fell. I was not alone taking photos from this point. There must have been a busload of Photography Appreciation students or the tripod collectors club in town.

Back in the City Park I noticed steam coming off the duck pond, sure enough it was another hot spring. We had spent a week in the hostel and visited many sights around town. We even made it to the Australian Film Festival with some other Aussies! With a week to go, and a hunger for snow, we boarded the Night train to Bucharest, enjoying a six berth cabin all to ourselves, and pondered heading back East after having enjoyed the most Western City we'd visited in months.