...to jump into a sulfur hot tub with an old Hungarian guy

38degrees C isn't really that hot for a hot tub but I still felt slightly uncomfortable in the sulfur bath as the couple next to me participated in a much too vigorous PDA show. I mean, getting hot and bothered might happen more often in a steamy, yet therapeutic, bathhouse but the couple I was sharing my large tub with went at it without a care in the world! I could have jumped into different skin-cleansing bath but I was so enthralled I just had to watch, and no, I wasn't watching the couple... I was watching the old man across the tub who was eyeing the couple with this unexplainable expression plastered to his sweaty face. Half-disgust, half-lust but completely hilarious.

Budapest, Hungary was my home for the duration of the mid-semester break. It was in this city where my attempt to dive into the Hungarian culture lead me to Szechenyi Thermal Bath and subsequently the situation I wrote about above. I had been told about the "famous" bathing culture from someone at church so when I packed for my early Ryanair flight I made sure my bathing suit found its way into my backpack.

Hungarian Bath House Culture: 

(A synopsis) 

Big buildings, many rooms, many baths with numerous temperatures, several very hot saunas and MANY people of all ages/genders/classes converging to enjoy them. An experience indeed!

          Also, NOTHING is in English so be prepared to walk around aimlessly in search of the bath rooms. Too far to the right is the women's changing room (oops) and too far to the left is the super exquisite massage room, complete with fruit, twigs and berries... (oops)

The language barrier was minimal though, as most people will speak English to the best of their ability, but trying to pronounce even the most basic of words is a challenge

thank you : köszönöm
excuse me : elnézést
cat : macska
how many Hungarians can fit in this tub? : hány Magyar fér ebben kádban?

I basically spent the majority of the time pointing at things and hoping I would be understood. My best attempt at communicating with the indigenous happened at a bar one night...
         We sat down at table to enjoy some semi-local beers when all of a sudden this girl across the room decided to empty the contents of her stomach on a bench. Ok, bluntly, she puked everywhere and left. We were mortified, of course, but hey! We hadn't finished our drinks yet so we stayed and cheered on the bar tender as he mopped up the mess. Where was I going with this story? Ah, yes, so later on two girls sat down on the same bench that was previously occupied by throw-up so I went over to them and tried to explain to them why they should sit elsewhere. My first attempt resulted in an accidental awkward staring contest. My second, slower, attempt made them think that I had thrown up on the bench. My third attempt, complete with a mock demonstration of what throwing-up looks like, convinced them enough to change benches. In the end I should have just said... "Valaki hánytam a padon!"

Budapest is truly an incredible city. It felt like we had walked into a third-world country, to an extent. One of the best parts of the trip was a museum called The House of Terror which contained a history of Hungary from WWII to 1990, the first year Hungary wasn't considered communist. The building itself held a certain amount of "terror" as it used to be the headquarters of the Nazi regime in Hungary. Nate and I both thought how incredible it was that the city escaped communism only 2 years before we were born.

"Traveling is the only thing you can spend money on that makes you wealthier" was a quote I saw while in Budapest. Now, Mitt Romney will certainly disagree because technically investments have made him a millionaire but, Bain Capital aside, I really feel like traveling does in fact make you a better person. I'm not trying to equate wealth in the financial sense to making you a better person, but the real wealth found in travel is the new experiences and knowledge that you keep from a trip like this one to Budapest.
      If i'm not making sense, call me and we can talk about it

Alas, I have crossed the half-way mark in this EuroTrip. Alas, I miss everyone (even siblings). Alas, many more adventures to come I am sure!