bathing in Budapest with the ladies

I recently went on another travel adventure with some girlfriends; this trip took us East, to a place I had never visited: Budapest, Hungary.  

Budapest is renown for her geothermal springs that have been enjoyed by locals and tourists alike, dating back to Roman times.

Several years ago I may have foolishly skipped this part of the city, but I've grown to be a lover of and a believer in the curative powers of the mineral-enriched, thermal waters offered by our dear Earth, wherever I may find them.

I chose the the Széchenyi Thermal Bath for us solely because a friend who has visited Budapest several times suggested that it would be a great place to start...and it was.

We enjoyed the outdoor pools and really liked the series of hot and cold baths and saunas indoors as well. Sit in the sauna until the sweat drips, dip in the frigid pool, repeat. I'm telling you...pure bliss. Try it, and you will be a believer, too.

Budapest evokes a certain feeling of grandness for me, and the bathing experience certainly holds true to that as well. I may have had one of those rare "What am I doing here?" moments while beholding the grandeur of the bath.

A selection of treatments and massages are available at surprisingly low rates, I suppose partly because this is a public establishment with health as the objective and partly because the dollar seems to go further in the East.  After arriving late, we missed out on those. Hey...there will be NO early rising on girls' weekends.

We did all opt for fish pedicures and Thai massages, both offered by private contractors housed at the location. My first Thai massage....I'm still not too sure how I feel about a small Asian woman man-handling me...my masseuse was a tad rough. The other ladies loved it.

I did, however, absolutely enjoy every moment at the bath, and I hope to return some day. I hope you do, too.

corner view

corner view :: in my wardrobe

Girls' Trip 2012 | London

I have no idea what is so rip-roaring funny here, but I can assure you that this moment is as real as it gets, an authentic capture by the one girlfriend not in the photo who continued with the shutter long after the orchestrated group shot on the London Eye was taken. 

I'm in the middle, with the white shirt & black pants, quite a true representation of much of the clothing "in my wardrobe": black, white, grey, blue and generally very, very basic and informal with an occasional burst of color from an accessory or another here or there. You might call me boring or perhaps "fashion challenged." I'm okay with that, my dear. I own it, in fact.

Corner View is a weekly appointment shared by people around the globe, an appointment started in the spring of 2009 by Jane in Spain and currently hosted by Francesca over at Fuori Borgo. We welcome you to join us.

yoga inspiration in lisbon

Clearly, yoga has caught on in Lisbon when middle-aged men are practicing in the streets...or she is just that damn inspiring.

I love a good photo bomb, don't you?

While this is my absolute favorite Lisbon photo from our recent gathering of girlfriends there, you can find others as well as some of our travel details for Lisbon here.

lisbon with the ladies

I met the ladies again; this time in Lisbon. It's quite therapeutic, you know.


We rented an apartment in Chiado.
We stopped here for a coffee and a breakfast treat called Pão Deus every morning. God Bread, indeed.
We absolutely loved this restaurant. Make a reservation.
This bistro was fabulous, too, especially the staff. Order the red sangria here, but skip it at other places. The tapas was good & so were the crepes.
We rode Tram 28 everywhere. Buy the day pass. Taxis were cheap and quick, too.
We listened to Fado here late one night in Alfama. Go late & skip the dinner. The red house wine was expensive and gross but the entertainment priceless. Think of it as your price of admission.
We lounged in the bright Portuguese sun in Belem near this monument.
We lingered in this flea market. I've never seen anything quite like it. Check for fleas.
We had a brunch-style early lunch here. I would go again in a heartbeat.
We never made it here, but wish we had.
We made a rookie mistake & paid dearly for crappy food near the cruise ship port. We know better. Don't repeat our mistake.

We mostly just talked.  And ate. And drank. And took pictures. And drank. And shopped. All the while talking.
We made this trip with only four of us, down from our usual six or seven.
We also vowed to keep the trip going each and every year...come hell or high water.
Wouldn't you?

(Excuse the cliche'. I can't help myself.)

So far, I've been here, here, here and now Lisbon with this group.
I have no words to accurately describe how good this is for girlfriends...deep-down-in-your-bones good.

Where shall we meet next time?