A Trip To Hungary

A Tuesday in mid-July

Some of the images accompanying these articles contain nudity so I am including an adult warning to what follows. None of the images are of a sexual nature.

Encsi and I managed a quick very early morning dip in the Senate House pool, and to get dressed again, before my mobile pinged, informing us that our taxi was at the gates and ready to transport us to Gatwick.

Our Sri Lankan driver spent a good deal of the journey to the airport bemoaning the impact of the UK's referendum decision to exit the EU. He theorised that the most likely result would be the exodus of much of his customer base, suggesting that he might need to emigrate himself, though satisfied that his chosen trade would allow him to work anywhere. I wasn't at all certain about the likelihood of a mass emigration by EU citizens but nodded appreciatively and, in an effort to raise the metaphoric clouds from him, and seek a silver lining therein, suggested the possibility that there might perhaps be less traffic on the roads. He was not convinced. But a couple of hours later we were in more literal cloud cover and heading south east to Budapest, Encsi's home city.

Encsi's parents entertained us in their apartment in Obuda and we enjoyed various outings in the course of the week. The most interesting of these, with her sisters and nieces in tow, took us up into the Buda Hills. The ascent was by means of the charming Children's Railway or Gyermekvasút (http://visitbudapest.travel/activities/fun-things-to-do/childrens-railway/), established after World War Two and staffed by children who are the conductors and ticket sellers etc. A hike from one of the small stations, through some woods took us to Janos Hill (János-hegy) where, from the Erzsébet (Elizabeth) Lookout Tower, we saw fantastic views of Budapest and its environs. We finished off the day by taking the chairlift back down.

Budapest is known as the city of baths and with very good reason. The last time we had been in Budapest was for the October Marathon and we had both been glad to relax in the vast complex of warm and very warm pools that is the Széchenyi Thermal Baths immediately afterwards (it was helpfully across the road from the finish). On this visit, we made use of a couple of the outdoor Strands, the pleasure beach atmosphere of the Palatinus Strand on Margrit Island in the Danube and another, the Dagály Spa with its medicinal sulphurous smelling waters. There were no opportunities for naturism at these though, so we decided on going a bit further afield to a place where we had heard that there might be some naturist users, and headed for Lupa Lake. Lupa Lake is on the way to the beautiful town of Szentendre on the Danube where we had visited before. Access to the lake by road is becoming somewhat restricted now, an artificial beach resort having been constructed and fenced off near the main road. But it was still possible to access a path around most of the shoreline from a minor road and, once on the path, to scramble down at various places to small narrow beaches where skinny dipping seemed popular. We stopped twice for a dip in the course of a nice walk that took us through the dappled shade of trees and past reed beds and wild flowers. The day was hot and the water cool and we swam out a good way from the beaches. Afterwards we headed into Szentendre again, this time looking around an interesting museum dedicated to the Hungarian impressionist artist called Károly Ferenczy and his artistic family. That final evening in Buda, we enjoyed a family meal out in a lovely inn restaurant near Encsi's parents' apartment. The establishment we chose, the Restaurant Kéhli, is associated with a famous Hungarian writer from the turn of the last century, Gyula Krúdy, who used to like to dine and drink there. I was reading a novel of his that Encsi had given me during my stay in Budapest. It was an English translation, my Hungarian is not coming on very quickly at all! The title of the book is "Sunflower" which I like as it is a flower I associate with Encsi having once photographed her, naked in a field of the flowers on a holiday in the South of France and bought her some for her apartment at intervals since. The Kéhli provided tasty traditional food to the accompaniment of live music on the clarinet and gypsy violin.


Small platform cut in the shore

Lake Lupa Walk