February 26, 2005

Taking the waters

Héviz, Hungary

It's -4°C, snowing, and I'm swimming in an outdoor pool. I'm taking the waters at Héviz, a five hectare natural thermal pool in central Hungary.

The water temperature is supposedly 25°C today but it's the coldest 25°C I've encountered. Inside the covered pavilion it's a much more civilised 33°C.

My ticket is good for three hours but after thirty minutes I'm already getting bored with paddling around. The novelty of swimming in snow is wearing off. But most of my swimming companions, all sixty plus and here in search of medical cures, will be here all day and every day for two or three weeks. The minimum for a course of "the waters".

But I'm done. It's off to a town with a younger crowd and a bit more life. Off to Budapest!

Posted by David at February 26, 2005 02:41 AM