Thermal Baths

It was worth the flight, crammed like sardines in a tin with a screaming baby in the seat in front with her overweight parents who both had some lurgy that involved horrendous coughing every 5 minutes, just to see son #2 's smiley face waiting for us at the airport. Either he is growing or I am shrinking fast but I had to stand on tippy toes to give him a hug.
We taxied into the city and wandered about the atmospheric Christmas market, drank hot cider, ate langos and caught up on the Boy's news.

This morning dawned dank, rimy and misty, with no clear views of the castle, Parliament building or amazing bridges, but we cared not a jot because we had been coerced and given instructions on how to get to some un-touristy thermal baths in Fö Utca, (for those conversant with Budapest), which would warm us up and give us the feel good factor for the day.
The baths were in an understated building which we would not otherwise have found, being as it was, off the beaten track and looking very old and unheralded from the outside. We seemed to be the only outsiders there amongst all the Hungarians, which we thought much nicer than being with a crowd of tourists- it seemed more authentic somehow. We felt part of a long tradition of taking the waters or rather being in the waters.
My blip is of an interesting inside wall.

We luxuriated in warm pools, hot pools, steam rooms, cold, cold plunge pools and jacuzzis before calling it a day and walking back to the Christmas Market in Vörösmarty Square. People were out in force and there was a definite Christmassy feel to it.

Now we have time to recover before having dinner tonight with David.
Tomorrow is the Hungarian Christmas, and everything will be shut- it was probably not the best time to visit Budapest, but then we are really here to see the Boy and he has arranged a visit to the Nutcracker Ballet in the Opera House. That will be a real treat.