Saturday, March 22, 2008

Swimming in a cave

On Saturday, which was our day to do something with the family, I went to a pool beneath a cave. I can't tell you the name at this moment, and as water and cameras are not such a great combination, I also cannot provide pictures.
Before going, I was told we were headed to "thermal baths beneath a cave." It was about a two hour drive from the house to the caves, most of which time was spent sleeping, but also a small amount was spent looking at the small villages we were passing through (2000-3000 people), and talking to Emese's parents. We arrived, had some langos (basically fried dough with sour cream and/or cheese on top), and then went into the cave.
The "tickets" we received actually looked like watches, without a clock, and you scanned them when you entered or left. Dressing rooms were very interesting: the changing rooms were coed. There were rows of small, closet-like rooms with doors from both sides that functioned as dressing rooms when closed, and halls when opened.
We then went down to the pools. There were three main "sections" of pools--each a different temperature--and each had a series of smaller attached rooms of pools. They certainly weren't as warm as I was expecting (temperatures ranged from normal pool temperature to maybe a mild hot tub temperature), but it was pleasant nontheless. We tried out each of the pools, including one in a dark room with blue lights, which the famil called "mystic". Of course, we ended up spending the most time in the warmest pool...
The cave did have natural pools, but a few years ago, I guess, they decided to make this more of a tourist attraction, and so they installed "real" swimming pools.

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