A hidden gem

G was out by 9am to head to the station to catch the train to Vienna.  We followed more slowly, though allowing enough time to help G on the train and wave goodbye.  Unfortunately, when I tried to board the tram, I was unable to open the ticketing app.  It turned out that I had lost internet connectivity.  This was resolved in the short term by hotspotting to Si’s phone so we could at least catch the next tram. 

We disembarked near the station and then raced to the platform as we were now later than planned. G had already boarded the train and jumped off to say farewell.  We waited for the train to depart then spent some time trying to regain my internet.  Despite Si’s best efforts, we were unable to do so, and decided to continue with our day’s activities using Si’s phone. 

We headed to the Central Market Hall in search of souvenirs and found plenty of stalls to browse on the first floor of the market.  Much of it was not of interest, though we purchased a few gifts to take home, and a large hand-painted ceramic bowl and table runner that would remind us of our final destination. 

It was definitely time for a coffee and we found a café and enjoyed our coffee in airconditioned comfort.  As Si wanted to pack the bikes in the afternoon we decided on an early lunch and found a nearby restaurant selling langos, a famous Hungarian street food.  It is essentially a fried bread dough with topping.  The most popular topping is cheese and sour cream with extra garlic sauce.  We added ham and tomato to one and bolognaise sauce to the other – not being a fan of garlic sauce.  The bolognaise one was particularly good.

Si had packed one bike by the time we were ready to head out again to visit one of the famous Budapest thermal baths.  We settled on Veli Bej bath, a less well-known bath that was gifted to the Oder of the Brothers Hospitallers in the early 19th century and has been part of the hospital facilities ever since.  It closes between 12 – 3pm and we arrived just a few minutes before opening.  We were quickly inside and made our way to the large octagonal hot-water thermal pool that was surrounded by four smaller thermal pools, all at different temperatures.  The pools were almost empty and, as we moved between the pools, we were often the only people in them.  More people gradually arrived, but there was never more than about 20 people using the pools. It really is a hidden gem in Budapest. 

The Veli Bej Bath was originally built in 1574 by the Ottomans and was named after its founder, a high-ranking Turkish pasha. It fell into disrepair during the 20th century, overshadowed by larger and more popular baths and was closed for decades before being restored and reopening in 2012. Thanks to a steady flow of thermal water, no chemicals are used in the pools. 

After about 90 minutes we decided we had sufficiently enjoyed all the pools and had a quick shower before making our way back to the apartment.  Si finished packing the second bike, and we headed out for dinner. 

Both Petra and Melinda had recommended Menza restaurant, which was just a short walk away.  I had tried to make a reservation earlier that day but they didn’t accept same day reservations online, and we had to wait about 10 minutes for a table.  I ordered the catfish paprikash and Simon ordered a beef stew.  Both were delicious and filling – so we had no room for dessert.

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