Well, Denise and I have had a fairly chill couple of days. But we have still gotten out to get stuff done and get our tourist on!
Yesterday we slept in a bit to recover from the previous day at Sziget. Nothing can stop us from still singing our fav songs though - damn ear worms! But eventually we ventured out for a wander and to book a table at a restaurant for Wednesday night (more in that later). However, our ultimate goal for the day was to head to one of the legendary thermal baths in town. So after a leisure lemonade in a local square, we took the metro up to City Park. Due to our slow start and pace, it was mid afternoon by the time we got there and the queue was horrendous. We quickly gave up on the idea of the baths and decided to explore City Park instead.
The zoo, Hero's Square and a couple of museums are all located here. So we wandered the green space, explored the outside of an old Transylvanian inspired chateau and eventually found a home on a patio next to the pond. It was the perfect table for us, split halfway with shade (for pasty me) and sun (for worshiper Denise). So we ordered bellinis and a bit of a nosh. We were both dedicated to eating something green today. I mean bread and cheese is awesome, but I needed some veg in my belly. I scored some fabulous grilled veggies with a couple glorious hunks of mozzarella on top (I can't fully ignore the cheese). Victory! So we sat here and enjoyed the sun sparkling off the pond.
We returned to our little home and enjoyed a couple of the best showers ever and then prettied ourselves up for the evening. Heading back down to the tourist centre, we used our city pass discounts from Sziget to take a ride on the Budapest Eye ferris wheel. What an insanely beautiful city at night! Sigh. Denise wanted to see the basilica, which we did spot from the sky as well. After some jaw dropping gasps when seeing it from the ground, we found a heavy metal bar (logically) with a patio and an amazing view and sat ourselves down for some wine and snacks.
Today we were determined to make it to the baths, although we decided to try another one that might not be as busy. So we headed out early (ish) to the Buda side of the river to the Gellért Baths. Glorious old building with ornate architecture, it reminded me quite a bit of the Turkish baths in Istanbul. It has one of the first wave pools ever created, so we took a dip in there and then headed to the healing thermals to chill and rejuvenate. There was also a spout that poured out the waters at quite a rate, so I sat under that for a bit and have my shoulders and back a good old once over. Most impressively, we then managed to score two deck chairs beside each other and we lay in the sun for a couple hours - and no sunburn for me! It was a glorious and relaxing afternoon.
At least it was, until we went to leave and Denise realized she out her purse into the wrong locker and it was gone. Money, phone, credit cards, camera... all gone. Including a favourite purse as well! Luckily, she had taken most of her cash and her passport out prior to heading out that day, so it wasn't a full on travel disaster. Just a really, really annoying and costly one. We quickly returned to our place and started making calls to cancel the cards and the phone. And we also partook of a couple beverages to calm the nerves. I mean, I can't leave my girl hanging, I had to join!
After the logistics were taken care of, we took a quick walk down the street to a mall to look for a replacement purse and check out some clothing stores. I managed to find some cheap sandals and a couple of new shirts. And Denise scored a new purse so she had something to throw things into. We also stopped by the grocer for some breakfast and Pringle essentials and then went home for a quiet night. We made some pesto pasta, I chilled with a face mask and even managed a load of laundry. Not nearly as exciting as our other evenings, but with a week here, it's nice to have a down night as well. Especially after the adrenaline rush of losing a purse on the road. Boo.