On my overnight train with two other people in my compartment. This time, I was on the bottom bunk. Annoying thing is that the bottom bunk is converted from the chairs, hence everyone sits on them until they want to sleep and that's when the chairs are flipped to become a bed. Thus you can't sleep until everyone else is ready to go to bed. Also it's a lot harder to sleep when the lights from outside are flashing in your face since the blinds don't go all the way down. Had a moment of panic halfway through the night when I woke up to see someone standing over me, but then realised it was just one of the guys in my room trying to unlock the compartment door to go to the bathroom. Another downside to being on the bottom bunk. Honestly I don't think there's any advantage to being on the bottom bunk. At least breakfast was provided which was a nice start to the day after such a restless night.
Anyways, got into a very gloomy and rainy Budapest, and because the metro wasn't running, had to walk to the hostel in the rain. Europe seriously doesn't understand the concept of building awnings in front of shops. Given that it was such a rainy day, I ended up just chilling in the hostel until it was time to check in. As the rain cleared, I went out and just enjoyed being back in Budapest. As the sun set and all the lights came on, it really was such a beautiful sight to behold. I just stood and stared for so long, and then walked along the bridges (also all lit up) and got even better views of the both Buda and Pest sides of the river Danube. As the rain started coming down again, it was back to the hostel and time to call it a day.
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Day 44
Got up. Checked the weather. Sunny. Score!! Headed off towards the shoes memorial, which marked the spot where Jews were forced to undress and were then shot, falling into the river Danube. After that, it was a trek up to Heroes' Square via Andrassy Avenue, Budapest's equivalent of the Champs Elysee. Before long, it was time for the caving tour, where we would explore an underground cave system just on the outskirts of the city. As I showed up at the meeting point, in the biggest of coincidences, who should I see but Duncan, who I had met (and travelled with) in Milan. In such a big group of people on the tour, it was really nice to see a familiar face and have someone to talk to.
As we geared up and descended into the caves (only went about 50m down), I could feel a slight sense of claustrophobia kicking in. The rocks were really slippery and the ceiling was quite low at points. Had I not been wearing a helmet, I would have knocked myself out so many times. Our tour guide was great though. He was hilarious and you could tell he had been picking up English slang from all the tourists that had come through. Watching him fly through the caves was amazing. That was immediately followed by a sudden realisation that it wasn't as easy as he made it seem. There were some tight spots we had to crawl and squeeze through which really pushed me out of my comfort zone. At the same time, I felt such a sense of achievement having been able to get through each hole (and then finding out that there was an open gap to walk through right next to the hole). At least I didn't get stuck like one of the guys.
The final challenge was to go through the "sandwich", which we found out was a very narrow passage between two rocks where you had to lie on your stomach and shimmy (sideways) your way through and up over rocks (while still in the narrow passage). And to make it worse, it was about 10m long so you were in there for a while. It was actually quite a terrifying moment when I found myself alone in the "sandwich" (the guy ahead had done it really fast and I was the last guy) and finding it hard to move forward. In the end, I (obviously) made it out, conquering my fears and doubts, and feeling such a sense of achievement. It just makes you think that back then, who would climb through these holes not knowing what lay ahead? Must be some daredevils out there. On the way back, all the holes I had climbed/squeezed through previously felt massive in comparison and I easily slid through them. We eventually resurfaced (us taking the ladder while the guide flew up the wall like a pro) and ended the adventure with a few beers at the local pub. End to a pretty exciting but exhausting day.
The final challenge was to go through the "sandwich", which we found out was a very narrow passage between two rocks where you had to lie on your stomach and shimmy (sideways) your way through and up over rocks (while still in the narrow passage). And to make it worse, it was about 10m long so you were in there for a while. It was actually quite a terrifying moment when I found myself alone in the "sandwich" (the guy ahead had done it really fast and I was the last guy) and finding it hard to move forward. In the end, I (obviously) made it out, conquering my fears and doubts, and feeling such a sense of achievement. It just makes you think that back then, who would climb through these holes not knowing what lay ahead? Must be some daredevils out there. On the way back, all the holes I had climbed/squeezed through previously felt massive in comparison and I easily slid through them. We eventually resurfaced (us taking the ladder while the guide flew up the wall like a pro) and ended the adventure with a few beers at the local pub. End to a pretty exciting but exhausting day.
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After such an physical day yesterday, today was much more relaxing in comparison. Found all these cuts, scrapes and bruises all over my body from the caving, and what better way to relieve the soreness than by soaking myself in Budapest's famous healing thermal baths. For 5100 Hungarian forint (about $25AUD) you get full day access to the many different pools and baths on offer, varying in temperatures, as well as the several saunas. For an additional fee, you can get a massage as well. In the summer, you need to book your massage beforehand but given that it was winter, demand was lower and I was able to book one as I arrived at the Szechenyi baths. It was about $70AUD for an hour Swedish massage, but hey, why not. Might as well get the full spa treatment. Lazed in the warm outdoors pools for about an hour, just admiring the beautiful architecture of the buildings and the lovely blue sky, while having a jet of water pummelling me in the back. It was just so relaxing that I didn't want to get out. That and the fact that getting out meant that I had to face air temperatures of about 7 degrees while soaking wet. In the end, I had to force myself out to head off to my massage where I was greeted by a huge Hungarian guy. Guess you need all those big muscles to be able to properly give a Swedish massage. It was so relaxing, if at times painful when he rubbed my bruises. Plus the 80s music in the background was a nice change to the usual soothing tones of Enya. That hour went by so quickly and by the end, I didn't even want to stand up. Just lying there was so good. But alas, I had to leave so that the next lucky person could be rubbed down.
Went and took a dip in all the indoor baths (there were so many!). The benefit of having had that massage was that I was properly oiled up and thus my skin wasn't pruning even after hours in the water. Win. I can't imagine what this place would be like in summer. It was crowded enough in winter. You would probably be bumping constantly into people in the summer. So much contact with wrinkly skin. Joy. Anyways, to complete the experience I also went into a sauna just to see what the whole appeal was. The sign above the door indicated that the room was set at 35-40 degrees. As I entered, I was hit with a massive wave of heat and my glasses fogged up instantly (a la Chandler if there are any Friends fans). As I found a place to sit (not on anyone's lap), I wondered just how anyone could sit in here for an extended period of time. There were people in there having lively conversations. I was finding it difficult to even breathe. Couldn't get enough oxygen through the nose so had to breathe through the mouth. And it was burning my lips. Not to mention the sudden outpouring of sweat from all over my body. Apparently you sweat out your toxins in a sauna. I guess it works in that sense. It's just so bloody uncomfortable. I think I managed to stay in there for about 10 minutes before I had to get out (and as I stood up, I was hit with another wave of heat...truly experienced the wrath of the rising heat). Stumbling back into the outside world, it felt so good to be able to breathe properly again. A cold shower later, I actually felt really refreshed. Not sure if that was a result of the sauna, the baths or the massage, but certainly a good result coming out of the Szechenyi thermal baths. Definitely recommend.
To cap off my relaxing day, I went to see Madama Butterfly at the famous Hungarian State Opera that night. The tickets are just so cheap; I paid the equivalent of $25AUD for a seat in an opera box with a great view of the stage. Luckily I had researched the story beforehand because otherwise I would have had no idea what was going on (they were singing in Italian with Hungarian subtitles). I'm ashamed to say it but I actually fell asleep during the first act. I blame the heat (and my extremely relaxing day). I was ok for the remaining two acts, where it got extremely dramatic and engaging. It was a good opera with an interesting story, but honestly I don't think operas are for me (at least when I don't understand what's going on). I should have booked to see a ballet instead. Nevertheless it was a great experience, and I also got to be all fancy in an opera box in an amazingly beautiful opera theatre. End of extremely relaxing day.
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The annoying thing about hostels is that you're usually sharing a room with anywhere from 2 to 15 other people. Usually people are pretty considerate and understand proper dorm room etiquette. This guy in my room did not. He was checking out this morning. Rule 1: you pack the night before. This loser was making a huge racket packing everything, and he wasn't even trying to be quiet. Rule 2: don't slam doors. How simple is that?! Even if you weren't in a dorm, it's not hard to just close a door properly. It wouldn't have been that bad had it happened only once or twice, but this loser was constantly coming in and out. And he was slamming the locker doors as well. Rule 3: don't turn on the lights in the morning. Just use your common sense. People are still sleeping. There's enough light to see without having to turn on the bright lights. Rant over.
Anyways went to Aquincum to check out the ruins, before heading back into the city and climbed Gellert Hill. Explored the citadel up on top with amazing views of the Pest side of the river, before descending into a bunker that was previously used during the war. First time I had ever been down in one. It's quite interesting to think that people could live down there without ever seeing the sun and living in such dingy and musty conditions. But I guess during a war, you do whatever it takes to survive. After that, headed over to the Church Cave (literally a church in a cave) where I managed to catch mass. Was really cool to hear the singing voices echo throughout the cave. On the way back to the hostel, I grabbed a langos, a traditional Hungarian snack food, like a pizza. Tasty. That night was spent packing everything up and planning the next part of the trip.
HBL signing out from Budapest, Hungary (again).
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