Lorna's Lollygag: Day 10-Budapest

We got up to a drizzly looking morning but got on our bikes anyway. It was our last day of biking. We had to go with the whole group of 16 with Suzie as our guide because the route was difficult and she said it would take too long to read and follow all the directions. The first stop was Aquicum, a 3rd century Roman ruins site.

Some billboards in Hungarian. I told our guide Matt that the Hungarians should mix it up with the French who have some vowels to share since there are too many consonants in Hungarian. He said oh no, you should see Check. It has a sentence, "Stick your finger down your throat." that does not have a single vowel.

The old Hungarian buildings with the former Soviet cement block high rises in the background. This is typical of most of the cities we rode through. Some of them have been painted and upgraded and don't look too bad but most of them look like this. I could really tell that the Hungarians are trying to upgrade and preserve their heritage but twenty years just isn't long enough and funds are tight all over. Hungary seemed to get the short end of the stick after every war, getting carved up and losing their resources to their neighbors. Matt said that Hungary always seems to choose the wrong side.

I loved riding bikes into the city. It has bike lanes on most of the roads and even though there is a lot of traffic, it was not bad at all. We rode over a bridge to Margaret Island which is like a mini Central Park. It was beautiful and I enjoyed seeing people out walking, playing sports, running and biking. We went back across the Danube to Budapest and stopped at Parliament for a history lesson from Suzie. She sure knows her stuff when it comes to thousands of years of Hungarian history.

My favorite Danube picture!

We checked into our new hotel on Andrassy Avenue and said a fond goodbye to Matt and Suzie. They did such a good job taking care of us for 10 days. It is rare for me to not take care of anyone else and even rarer to not have to take care of myself. We are so spoiled. Thanks VBT!

After getting checked in, a group of us left to tour on our own for the afternoon. We rode the metro subway to St. Steven's Basilika. I am in total awe. It is the most beautiful cathedral I have ever seen. It is relatively new, built in the late 1800's. I loved the architecture, the decor and especially the religious art. I wish I could have heard that organ.

We had lunch in a little cafe. Carl ordered a calzone and Steve is holding a bill that does not even come close to covering lunch for six.

We then walked to the Danube which divides the city in two, the Pest side and the Buda side. We walked over the Chain Bridge to a funicular tram that took us to Buda on the hilly western side.

Carl and Ann Jepsen on the Chain Bridge.

Looking back at Parliament from the bridge.

Looking at the Chain Bridge with the Basilika in the background.

We enjoyed a very foggy view across the river looking back at Pest. We walked around and then took the many stairs down to the bridge and hotel. We then took the metro and got off at the thermal springs bath. I was excited to go to the giant pools filled with water from an underground spring. Maybe we should have thought through that a little more. When in Budapest.......
I changed into my suit with lots of other bathers and found my way out to the pools. It looks like a giant Roman bath and the buildings are quite beautiful and impressive. But the people, oh the people-all three to four hundred taking a hot tub together. It made me nervous. It was a strange conglomeration of kids, couples making out, men and women of all shapes and sizes and old people squeezed into speedos and bikinis. It was so crowded. I was happy to say I did it but probably wouldn't do it again.