The Pause that Refreshes

The inside of the Budapest Opera House, which we didn't get to see. Oh well, at least we enjoyed the lobby.

Today we went inside St. Stephen's Basilica, saw his relic--his right hand, and climbed up 364 stairs to the top for a great view of Budapest.
We spent most of the day at the Szecheyi Baths in the City Park. It was great fun.



Today we had a different pace for our sightseeing. We started off with our usual touring of a major sight, St. Istvan's (Stephen's) Basilica. It is a magnificent church that was built fairly recently as churches go. It celebrates Hungary's first Christian king and even has a chapel for a relic from him, his withered right hand. Three architects in succession over 50 years were used to construct it. The dome collapsed at first, so had to be redesigned. It was finished around 1896 in time for the millennial celebration. The outside is fun, too. We climbed up 364 steps to the top viewing area and were treated to amazing vistas of Budapest.

After doing our sightseeing duty, we headed for Szechenyi Baths, which are located in the City Park. First, you go in and pay a fee for entrance and a little changing cabin which you can share. Then you go start soaking in dozens of thermal spas. There is also a large outdoor lap swimming pool as well as warm water pools. You can spend all day moving back and forth between one kind of pool and another. I decided to try a massage. The fellow who worked on me was great--he didn't bother asking me any questions and went right to work on my legs and back. I had 20-minutes of bliss. I really noticed a difference afterward. Touristing is hard on the muscles. There are menus of spa services there. I would go back! It was amazing to see so many people just sitting around in the water relaxing. They didn't have cell phones with them or books to read. Maybe that's what the US needs more of--time to just sit in warm water and destress.

We were all set to swing by the Opera House for a tour on the way back. Unfortunately, they changed the tour time for the day and we missed it. We took a good look around the lobby instead. We got falafel and hummus sandwiches for a late lunch and hydrated with some good beer. For dessert we got some funnel cakes. I'm going to miss them.