RUDAS BATHS of BUDAPEST : 450 YEARS OF HOT MINERALWATER SINCE THE OTTOMAN TURKS : MINERAL WATER DRINKING CURE : WONDERFUL PLACES IN HUNGARY #33

OOOH.... The Ottoman Turks.... who killed two-thirds of the Hungarian population...Can we love something they left behind when they were defeated? (There are Moslems in Hungary and no doubt some of them are descended from the occupiers.) How about if we improve upon it?

Well, there's architecture and there's history. These baths have been used for 450 years and the water still flows. For some time the baths were men only but now you can select a time to emerge yourself with others of your gender or not. (No getting naked!) You can soak in some history as well as relax and emerge feeling better. 

RUDAS FURDO (RUDAS BATHS)

Excerpt:

The centerpiece of the bath today, the Turkish bath, was built during the 16th century in the period of the Turkish occupation. Below the 10 m diameter dome, sustained by 8 pillars, there is an octagonal pool. The swimming pool, operating as a therapeutic swimming facility and with a sauna, was built in 1896. The thermal bath has been visited from 1936 o­n exclusively by men.

In its drinking hall, the water of the springs Hungária, Attila and Juventus can be consumed for the purposes of a drinking cure.

The blog attached is rather fun... 

BATHS BUDAPEST  This site gives more details about gendered bath times and:

Excerpt: What makes Rudas Bath stand out is the modern rooftop panorama pool overlooking the river Danube and its many Budapest river cruise boats, the Parliament, the historical bridges and more. Also, Rudas Bath boasts a 16th-century thermal bath in its core, called the Turkish Bath.

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HUNGARIAN HUNGARIAN-AMERICAN STEREOTYPE : WE LOVE EVERYTHING TO DO WITH SPA CULTURE AND ARE NOT SHY ABOUT OUR BODIES

 There is no doubt about it. We do! 

In the United States, if you visit some of the less expensive day spas, or places where you can go in natural surroundings to put clay on yourself, scrub with bristle brushes, float around in the shallows on rafts, submit yourself to the strong fingers of a deep tissue therapist, or simply soak in mineral rich thermal waters, YOU WILL FIND HUNGARIANS and HUNGARIAN-AMERICANS.

That's not to say that no one spends on the expensive day spas. The trouble with them is that these days the expensive ones may also put you on a diet that is too extreme for someone who cares not to loose weight, or they may expect you to hit the gym, which is not the Hungarian-American/Hungarian point of going to a spa.

That has been my experience and so you can't argue with it!

As for the part about not being shy about our bodies, I'm not claiming that we are immodest. Rather, we are practical. We have a body. Everyone does. And very few people are in excellent shape.  And you do not have to be in excellent shape to enjoy feeling good or soaking in thermal waters with other people, some who are friends, some who are not.

Smile!

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HEVIZ : SWIM IN WORLDS SECOND? LARGEST MAGICAL THERMAL LAKE : WONDERFUL PLACES IN HUNGARY #9

Since the Stone Age people have been enjoying the health benefits of Lake Heviz. As the world's second largest thermal lake, though sometimes it is called the largest,*** you can swim in the waters any time of year. The water is a fairly consistent 28-32 Celsius which is in the mid 80's in Fahrenheit temperature measurement.  This lake is associated with Lake Balaton and is located on the Western end and about five miles from Keszthely. A large refurbished wellness building fronts the lake.

This lake may not be Balaton, but it's huge, covering 511,286 square feet (47,000 square meters.) To give you an idea, an American football field is 57,600 square feet. The water is said to have both hot and cold in the flow and is so strong that the water in the lake can be completely renewed in just 72 hours.

But since all thermal springs and wells usually contain minerals that are thought to be good for what ails you, why would this lake be considered so special?

Because of the fairly even temperature certain bacterias and algae's grow in it and the temperature makes for a suitable habitat for other organisms and plants. One of these plants is the water lilies.

The lake is dotted with these flowers which I know in Asian cultures are symbols of very long life - even eternity.  They are red water lillys.

Among the many sites I read, this one is most interesting: NATIONAL and HISTORICAL SYMBOLS ; HEVIZ which also has an account of the Roman's using the lake.

EXCERPT : the red water-lilly in the lower part of the coast-of-arms ...is the most widely known symbol of Heviz. The red water lily was planted in the water of Lake Hevis in 1898 by Sandor Lovassy, professor of the Agricultural Academy at Keszthely. These water -lilies, native to Bengal, have since then become the lake's favorite sight, bearing a near-symbolic significance.

Image is from WikiArt public domain.  Red water lilly native of Southern India.

*** Perhaps it's difficult to know just how much water a lake has it in, with seasonal fluctuations, climate change, and the mystery of lakes ebbing and flowing from unseen thermal volcanic sources. 

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THE CAVE BATH OF MISKOLCTAPOLCA: WONDERFUL PLACES IN HUNGARY #2

THERMAL HUNGARY miskolctapolca-barlangfurdo  - Lots of good information at this site, if you're in the mood for a good thermal soak.

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