Page 236 - WDT MAGAZINE IRELAND ISSUE WINTER 2018

Lukacs thermal baths on the Buda side. Its geother-
mal waters have been attracting devotees since the
12th century. The baths here are said to have special
healing power; plaques affixed to one exterior wall are
‘thank you’ messages from those who say they were
cured here of various ailments.
In truth, I’d have been happy at any of the spas –
but there was something especially restorative about
not hearing a word of English for a few hours. While
a cascade of warm healing water soothed shoulders
that ached from hefting a too-heavy backpack, the
break from conversation allowed my brain to still.
Total relaxation. And total immersion – literally – in
the local culture.

Day Two

I awakened the next morning, ready to tackle the
world – or at least Parliament, an easy walk from the
Hilton.
En route, I strolled through recent political history at
Liberty Square, where a commanding bronze Ronald
Reagan sculpture stands in the shadow of the city’s
remaining Soviet monument – all just a few steps

from the U.S. Embassy.
Hungary’s Parliament building is a knock out. When
it was completed in 1904, it was the largest Parlia-
ment House in the world – with 691 rooms and 29
staircases. Forty million bricks (and 88 pounds of
gold) went into its construction – making it a glitter-
ing, larger-than-life reminder of the grandeur of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Today Hungary’s 199 members of parliament still
work here – but they use only about half the building.
The other half is open for tours. Tickets sell out, so I
was glad I’d been tipped to buy in advance.
For lunch, I hopped aboard a clean, efficient (and

236 WDT MAGAZINE WINTER 2018