Day 5 - Stranded in The Thermal Baths - Budapest

The morning tour of Budapest was excellent.   The towns of Buda and Pest were United in the 19th century and became 1.  To tell the status of any citizen was to ask which side of the river the lived on: the wealthier side was Buda, and the poorer was Pest.   

There is so much history here, it would take me days to write about all of it, so I  will settle with telling of my adventure in the baths.  

The Romans loved the Thermal springs of Budapest,  but the Ottomans did it right.  Roman Baths were kind of scary: the pools let the water in, but had no outflow.  Consequently, the baths were, inspite of having lots of water; cold, tepid and hot, were never actually clean.  Drs advised their patients with open wounds NOT to go to the baths as they had worked out the connection between the less than pure water and infections.

Enter the Ottomans,  who, being Muslim, loved their far better designed baths.  The baths have 82 pools, only 3 of which are outdoors.  They vary in temperature from cold to very hot (like a hot tub).   They offer therapeutic treatments such as the Beer Spa.  

However, I was there with my compatriots, in the outdoor baths, regaling them with stories of hot tubbing and making snow angels at -30C, as well as Tales of the Polar Dip on New Year's Day.   These people from Florida and Texas  think Canadians are a race of Super Beings,  Nutz, or probably both.

Anyway, when you get into the baths, you are given a silicone wristband with a chip that let's you into the baths, and you scan to find your own personal change room, which you lock behind you to keep your personal effects safe. 

So it was getting close to the time of departure,  so I went back to my personal changing room, opened the door, let myself in,  and pushed the deadbolt to lock it,  realized in that moment of Crystal clarity,  that I  should have used the other lock, and yea and verily, I  was stuck.

I have had these moments before: the click bloop sound as the car keys disappear into a storm drain.  Then the realization as my roommates departed with the key needed to actually get out of the room and the phone is turned off.  So, with those experiences behind me, I accepted the moment  with resignation instead of panic.

I was among the early returnees so most of my group and the tour guide would have to come by so I  raised my window curtin and signalled for help.  People came to my assistance,  but to know avail. The deadlock would not open.  We tried using chip bracelet in various ways,  with no effect.  Finally with a very great deal of "encouragement" from the tour guide involving skillful use of his foot, the door opened  "enthusiastically" and I was set free.

So, back to the boat for a schnitzel supper, and set sail.