gillert.bath

well, another week, another monday. i sort of finished with the 'send' dissertation and now back to my travel story, i am still stuck in budapest (not physically) and i actually wonder if i will ever get my summer trip to madrid ever posted here.... let's see how it goes...

hungary is famous for its thermal bath due to its soil and the choice is plentiful in budapest alone. my first bathing experience is at gillert bath, just at the foothill of miss liberty. so as a natural itinerary, i visited gillert thermal bath to soak my weary feet and rejuvenate my body.

the medicinal spring here was already famed in 13th century. the entrance of the thermal bath, quite a (neo) romanseque looking entrance

the spa is decorated with a wealth of original art nouveau furnishing, artistic mosaics, stained glass window and sculptures.

i am impressed by the interior decoration as well...

i changed and ready for the splash. i go to outdoor thermal pool, the sun is too fierce, the water is too warm.. i am swelling away under the sunlight and the heat of the hot spring water.

i leave the medicinal pool and take a walk, the facilities and the number of pools impresses me. there are so many different pools just at the outdoor complex, let alone the various pools they have indoor....

i followed this sexy lady and wonder where she is heading to....

the next thing i know is she is enjoying herself under the unbearable sauna room. this is a a heavily ottoman influenced outdoor sauna area, but it is really too hot for me... so i go indoor, there are more pools waiting for you

i opt for a swim in a normal temperature swimming pool in a cathedral, yes, in a neo-classical cathedral, that's when i wondered if i have been teleported to an ancient roman time...

and yes, i swam in a cathedral-like pool with some fancy columns, lion's head statues surrounding the pool....

when i am done with my bath (a rather lengthy and elaborated one), i had my late lunch at a restaurant just next to gillert bath cum hotel. my host recommended me this place as a 'authentic hungarian' restaurant.

i ordered a fruit soup which is a complete bogus or rather it is from the can mixed fruits with it syrup (as soup) and a splash of cream. this is the yuckiest soup i have ever had.... the main is a plate of catfish in capsicum sauce, which taste rather hungarian but i am not impressed at all...plus this russian lady sitting opposite me at the window is completely stressed out and all she did is complaints about the menu, the food, the waitress and the service... all these really deteriorate my hungarian dining experience further...perhaps i have come to the realization that the hungarian authenticated cuisine is not every body's cup of tea...