TURKISH BATH EXPERIENCE

                   A New Bathing Experience 

Budapest, Hungary is famous for its thermal waters, its Art Nouveau and 16^th century Turkish baths.  Hungarians are great believers in the medicinal powers of thermal bathing. The baths have a long and proud history going back to Roman times, but it was under Turkish occupation that the bath culture flourished.

In Budapest eighty thermal springs feed twelve spa baths with a daily output of 70 million liters of thermal water.

One can visit any of the 10-12 bathhouses still in operation. Four of us decided to spend the afternoon at the Szechenyi Baths in the park. We were strongly encouraged to take an English speaking person with us. Our guide found a sweet young lady from a travel agency to accompany us.

During our visit, a few years ago, we found the employees at the baths not very friendly, and the list of prices for various parts of the bath was endless. English translations were non-existent and no one spoke any English. We were happy we had  a local gal who could translate and show us the routine. The process of actually getting to the pools is not difficult, but rather complicated, and we all agreed that without her we would have been in for a trying and stressful afternoon.

We went in all the pools. The water was clear and odorless, except for the hottest pool that had a yellow tinge and a whiff of sulfur. Inside, having lost our guide and being unable to read any of the signs, we all just hoped we wouldn’t wander into a male only area. But all went well.

Walking to one of the pools I remarked, “It looks like a lot of people come here for the day, just like we go to the beach.” 

She agreed. The place was huge and could accommodate a lot of people. We didn’t have any trouble getting a locker.

When we were leaving I couldn’t remember which pocket of my cargo pants I’d put the little plastic tag. After checking all the many pockets, I found it, but I wonder what would have happened if I had lost it. Would they have kept me there forever? The stern fellow at the turnstile was not the slightest bit helpful. I think a smile would have cracked his face!

One gal misplaced her admission ticket, so she had to leave without her refund, which we never would have been aware of, if we hadn’t had a translator along to show us the ropes. The partial refund was because we had not stayed the entire time the ticket covered. It was a fun experience and we had a good time. After leaving we strolled through the park before catching the subway back to the hotel.

STONEHENGE

                       One of England's Icons

          After several trips to Britain, Stonehenge was at the top of my list on a separate trip to London. Stonehenge, located in central southern England, is a little over an hour’s drive from London. The guide said that it had been his experience that most people found Stonehenge smaller than they envisioned.      

           Having seen several stone circles in my travels, this was not true for me. The soil is chalky and because it drains so well is good farmland. It is in the county Wiltshire, only about 9-10 miles north of Salisbury. It is often windy and cold as there is little to block the wind at the site.

            Much has been written about the famous circle and there have been numerous TV programs highlighting it, so this is intended only as an introduction. Some years after a chartered trip to the site I had occasion to stop again while moving from one location to another.

          Henge means suspended or hanging. Stonehenge, probably the most famous of the 900 ancient stone circles found in England and France, is not the largest. The original purpose is unknown as there is no written history, but Stonehenge has a definite relationship with the sun. Originally there were 160 stones, 60% of them remain and 40% of them have been lost or destroyed. From the parking lot there is a pedestrian under-street tunnel to the site.

On arrival our guide said, “Interest in the ancient stone circles started in the mid 1700s. The generally accepted theory is that Stonehenge was built in three stages over a period of 1300 years by three distinct groups of people from 2800BC- 1500. The first stage was built by Neolithic man who dug a large trench/ditch (mote like) in a circle placing all the excavated dirt in the center forming a mound. The Circle is 90 meters in diameter. These people used no stone.

“For 700 years there was no activity. The second stage was in 2100BC by people who were potters and were called Beaker People. Many pottery cups with no handles have been found, hence the name. These people brought several 4-5 ton blue stones and planted them in the middle of the circle. This blue stone is found only in one place—200 miles away in the Preseli Mountains in Wales. The entrance into the circle faces northeast. These people disappeared.

“The third stage in 2000 BC involved the Wessix people who placed Sarsen stones weighing 18-20 tons in the outer circle. Eight of these stones weighed more than 45 tons. The Sarsen stone comes from 20 miles north. The stones were dressed, meaning they were cut in rectangular shapes with the corners rounded. The project was finished in 1500 and in the process the blue stones were rearranged. The stones are buried 5-6 feet into the ground. Originally the outside stones were hinged with a stone across the top of each two stones. This cross stone is called a lintel stone. As the sun rises and sets in mid-summer it aligns the heel stone with a direct line into the center of the circle.”

Several ancient burial mounds can be seen in the background. It is fairly certain that Stonehenge was a religious site, and that worship involved cycles of the sun. Most scientists agree that Stonehenge may have been a kind of Neolithic computer with a sophisticated astronomical purpose.

It is an amazing feat which lends itself to making it one of the wonders of the world. It was pretty awesome to think I was standing in a special place viewing a structure that was 5000 years old! Was it a temple to the sun god?