(no subject)
I can't believe I leave Budapest tomorrow... totally sad about it, really. I've grown to love this city in a way that I wasn't expecting. This week I've had a number of those beautiful travel moments when you look around you, and you just feel so THANKFUL.
But first, the bad moment I had. It happened after the hip hop show, which was great! I met Zsuzsi and Otti at Kultiplex, a short metro ride away from my hostel. One major thing I noticed right away was the various ages in the crowd. The legal drinking age in Hungary is 16, but no one seems to care or check and I swear there were 13 year olds there. Wierd. Also, everyone smokes... I got to the point where I wanted to pick up a pack myself and just get the smoke consumption over with. Because Otti is part of the group (he even performed! so cool!), I got to hang out backstage, talking with the group. I also met my new, pretend, hip hop boyfriend, DJ Kool Kastco (sorry, Mos Def -- I've moved on).
Anyways, the bad part. Afterwards, I was pointed in the direction of my bus with clear instructions on how to get home. Now, I'm afraid of the bus, no matter where I go -- even in Portland a little bit. How do you know when to get off when the driver doesn't announce the stops? Well, just as I was congratulating myself on overcoming my fear of the bus, the driver kicks us off in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. Well, we were somewhere -- Kispest. I thought he was just on a break or something and didn't pay attention to where all the other riders walked off to. I just stood there... and almost cried when the bus pulled away. I realized that I was out by the airport, it was 3am, and I had no idea when another bus would come. I think I waited about 20 minutes or so, totally freaking out, not knowing what to do, thinking I was going to be killed by a Hungarian. To make a long story short, I crossed the street and found a taxi. Unfortunately, the driver didn't speak a word of English... but he did speak German! (I swear, I'm getting so much mileage out of my German here.) He took me back the hostel, I gave him a tip, and that was that. Crikey.
The next day, I had a delightful time riding a bike around Margit syiget (Margaret Island). I rented the bike on a whim and was so glad I did! The sun was shining, there weren't many people around, it was so lovely. Then yesterday I caught the sunset over the hills of Buda while strolling after a trip to the National Gallery. Again, total bliss. But the best part of this week...
Today I spent two hours at the Syéchenyi gyógyfürdő (Syéchenyi thermal baths) where I got a massage, sat outside in steaming warm water, circled through a whirlpool, sat in a eucalyptus-scented sauna, and got surrounded by jets of cool water in a hot tub. Whoa.
My massage was only 15 minutes long, and my person was an older dude -- very grandpaish -- who patted me firmly on the shoulder when he was finished. So far, my limited massage experiences have always included rose crystals, water fountains, and Enya. Today the room was bright and white, like a hospital, and 80's music was playing from the radio (I think I heard Rick Astley). I was thinking that because I couldn't tell him where it hurt, it would just be a general rub down. He was obviously good at his job because he quickly found the spots that needed extra attention. In fact, I think he worked out the pain in the middle of my back from when I moved. It was wonderful.
The baths themselves were so crazy great.... It was so amazing to be outside in steaming water, it was like the perfect bath water temperature -- not too hot, and it never cooled down. And there really were silver-haired guys in speedos playing chess while sitting in the pool!! The jet action was hilarious... I was sitting in the center pool of a bath that seemed a bit cooler. A couple of times, there were bubbles that rose from my lap, but I was sure they weren't from me! I got nervous that the other people in the pool would think I was a big farter-in-the-tub-loser when suddenly -- BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM -- bubbles were everywhere, shooting out slightly cold water from the benches!! The only other people who seemed as surprised as me where the Australian women I was next to. I couldn't help but giggle to myself a bit as I was sitting there.
So, basically, I LOVE BUDAPEST. I will be coming back...
But first, the bad moment I had. It happened after the hip hop show, which was great! I met Zsuzsi and Otti at Kultiplex, a short metro ride away from my hostel. One major thing I noticed right away was the various ages in the crowd. The legal drinking age in Hungary is 16, but no one seems to care or check and I swear there were 13 year olds there. Wierd. Also, everyone smokes... I got to the point where I wanted to pick up a pack myself and just get the smoke consumption over with. Because Otti is part of the group (he even performed! so cool!), I got to hang out backstage, talking with the group. I also met my new, pretend, hip hop boyfriend, DJ Kool Kastco (sorry, Mos Def -- I've moved on).
Anyways, the bad part. Afterwards, I was pointed in the direction of my bus with clear instructions on how to get home. Now, I'm afraid of the bus, no matter where I go -- even in Portland a little bit. How do you know when to get off when the driver doesn't announce the stops? Well, just as I was congratulating myself on overcoming my fear of the bus, the driver kicks us off in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. Well, we were somewhere -- Kispest. I thought he was just on a break or something and didn't pay attention to where all the other riders walked off to. I just stood there... and almost cried when the bus pulled away. I realized that I was out by the airport, it was 3am, and I had no idea when another bus would come. I think I waited about 20 minutes or so, totally freaking out, not knowing what to do, thinking I was going to be killed by a Hungarian. To make a long story short, I crossed the street and found a taxi. Unfortunately, the driver didn't speak a word of English... but he did speak German! (I swear, I'm getting so much mileage out of my German here.) He took me back the hostel, I gave him a tip, and that was that. Crikey.
The next day, I had a delightful time riding a bike around Margit syiget (Margaret Island). I rented the bike on a whim and was so glad I did! The sun was shining, there weren't many people around, it was so lovely. Then yesterday I caught the sunset over the hills of Buda while strolling after a trip to the National Gallery. Again, total bliss. But the best part of this week...
Today I spent two hours at the Syéchenyi gyógyfürdő (Syéchenyi thermal baths) where I got a massage, sat outside in steaming warm water, circled through a whirlpool, sat in a eucalyptus-scented sauna, and got surrounded by jets of cool water in a hot tub. Whoa.
My massage was only 15 minutes long, and my person was an older dude -- very grandpaish -- who patted me firmly on the shoulder when he was finished. So far, my limited massage experiences have always included rose crystals, water fountains, and Enya. Today the room was bright and white, like a hospital, and 80's music was playing from the radio (I think I heard Rick Astley). I was thinking that because I couldn't tell him where it hurt, it would just be a general rub down. He was obviously good at his job because he quickly found the spots that needed extra attention. In fact, I think he worked out the pain in the middle of my back from when I moved. It was wonderful.
The baths themselves were so crazy great.... It was so amazing to be outside in steaming water, it was like the perfect bath water temperature -- not too hot, and it never cooled down. And there really were silver-haired guys in speedos playing chess while sitting in the pool!! The jet action was hilarious... I was sitting in the center pool of a bath that seemed a bit cooler. A couple of times, there were bubbles that rose from my lap, but I was sure they weren't from me! I got nervous that the other people in the pool would think I was a big farter-in-the-tub-loser when suddenly -- BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM -- bubbles were everywhere, shooting out slightly cold water from the benches!! The only other people who seemed as surprised as me where the Australian women I was next to. I couldn't help but giggle to myself a bit as I was sitting there.
So, basically, I LOVE BUDAPEST. I will be coming back...