| Looking
For Something A Little Different? |
| Journey
Thru Hungary |
| Ah it’s here
at last summer! That glorious time that every year we look forward to with
great anticipation and joy. Summer a time to brush away the cobwebs of
those dreary winter months and embrace longer days, suntans, BBQ’s, golf
and holidays. But it’s the same old dilemma, where to go for that two
week break?
It’s not such
a problem if you are retired; you have all the time in the world and the
capital to make it happen, but what about the rest of us who work for a
living?
Will you pack
the camper and head off into the great unknown or just plump for something
a bit more familiar, say…Florida! If you do my friends then you are condemning
yourself to the hum drum boredom of vacation apathy. |
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Now I’m a
fairly well traveled individual that likes to stay off the beaten path,
away from the “kiss me quick” hat brigade and the hassle of finding
a place on the beach that hasn’t been used by the local canine population
as a public convenience.
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I have been
to Universal studios, bought the T-shirt and frankly if you’re really into
lining up with two thousand of your closest friends for an hour or two
under a blazing sun to enjoy sixty seconds of screaming kids then this
article is not for you. |
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| In my travels
I have marveled at the most fantastic architecture that the greatest cities
in Europe can offer, visited cathedrals that are steeped in history and
stared awestruck at some of the most famous pieces of artwork ever conceived
by man. There is so much of this world that lies undiscovered that it would
take even the most adventurous of travelers several lifetimes to see it
all. But there is one little place that I can highly recommend for those
of you dear readers that are looking for something a little different,
now pay attention this is going to sound a little strange.
A few moths
ago I was being bothered by a tooth that was in desperate need of repair,
so I set about to look for a local Dentist. Now living in Switzerland
definitely
has its advantages, beautiful scenery, great skiing and the absolute best
chocolate in the world, sorry Mr. Hershey but it’s the truth. However it
also has its drawbacks not least of which is that it ranks as one of the
most expensive places in the world to live, just goes to prove that you
can’t have it both ways. |
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Offshore
Resources Gallery
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| So needless
to say that also applies to services, dentists being one of them. Well
I made enquiries and was absolutely floored at the price of Dental treatment
here, almost on a par with the US. Well being English I had for the longest
time suffered from the British form of Dental treatment and we all know
how bad our teeth are in England as it’ s a running joke amongst most Americans,
just look at our Royal family, god bless you Liz, we still love you as
our Monarch bad teeth or not.
After several
frustrating weeks wondering if maybe I could get a second mortgage on the
house to pay for this I asked a friend if they could recommend someone
to me. Well with a beaming white smile that dazzled across the room they
said that I should looking into getting my teeth fixed in Hungary.
“Hungary”
I said.
You must be
kidding, there’s no way that I’m going to go to Hungary and have the possibility
of returning with a new set of teeth made of mahogany. That former communist
country that for years was hidden behind the Iron curtain, a place where
they probably have never heard of Novocain, not on your life my friend. |
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| But as I listened
I became increasingly less anxious about entrusting my oral health to a
dentist in far away Hungary. The more I listened the more intrigued I became,
they said that while doing a search for a dentist on line they had found
out that a great many people from Switzerland, Austria and Germany who
traveled to Hungary on a fairly consistent basis to have their teeth done.
Ok this was
beginning to sound weird but not being one to shy away from something different
I asked them to carry on with their tale.
My friend then
went on to tell me about this little town in western Hungary called Hevis.
Situated very close to one of the largest lakes in central Europe, Lake
Balaton (about three hours train journey from Budapest) |
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that expats, and wantabe expats turn to for information. Our archives
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| Hevis is unique
in the fact that it is home to the largest thermal lake in Europe, covering
47,500 square meters, what makes this lake so special is that it is fed
by a spring that delivers an average of 26,000 liters of water a minute,
which means that the entire lake changes every 72 hours. The average temperature
of the lake during summer is a very balmy 32 degrees and during the winter
months the temperature never drops below 25degrees, quite pleasant. There
is another interesting feature about the thermal lake and this is its main
selling point. The bottom of the lake is covered in a highly curative mud
about 1 meter deep and this has been proven to have a high concentration
of “oestrogenous” substances of hormonal activity, especially suited for
mud packs. The curative effects of the lake are further enhanced by the
high quantities of sulphur and radon in the water that can have a dramatic
effect in treating loco motor disorders, regardless whether the disease
manifests itself in the joints, extremities or the spine, one other thing
that needs mentioning is that the cost of one day lying around in this
lake is a mere $6, what a bargain, cheaper than a Big Mac meal and a whole
lot healthier.
The town is
full of Hotels that like to tout themselves as “Four Star” which
is all well and good but the western impression of Four Star is a little
different from that in Hungary, but in their defense I found the rooms
very clean, the service was great and the staff went out of their way to
be helpful to guests, mind you the food has a very German flair to it,
so expect lots of meat and hearty quantities of beer with all meals.
So what else
does Hevis offer apart from the therapeutic lake? Well as I discussed earlier
it is an absolutely fantastic place for any kind of Dental work, all the
Dentists that operate there are University trained and most are licensed
to work in other parts of Europe. The service is first rate, the quality
is unrivaled anywhere, the price is incredibly low (approximately $35.00
for a ceramic crown) and best of all most Dentists will offer a five
year guarantee, unheard of in the US.
Ah but wait
there’s more, there is also an abundance of Opticians that will give you
a complete eye exam by a trained optician and then make you a pair of designer
glasses in a day all for 50% less than you would pay anywhere else, fantastic.
Still not satisfied? Ok then how about a full body massage, 45 minutes
for $18.00 or if your in need of some more pampering how about a facial
for the incredibly low price of $8.00, I don’t know about you but parking
costs about that much these days.
This town is
a little gem that has not yet been discovered by the average traveler,
it’s unspoilt, clean, safe and very tourist friendly, the only drawback
that I found was that the average age of the guests was about 60, so don’t
expect it to be a party town as all the bars and restaurants close at 22:00…sharp,
unless you can engage the staff in conversation, I myself was able to keep
one place open till 23:00, that’s probably a record. If you really feel
the need to let your hair down there are organized excursions to local
Hungarian culture nights that usually involve copious amounts of very strong
Hungarian red wine, schnapps, a meal and all the trimmings all for under
$20.00 per person including transport. If one is so inclined you can also
go Para-gliding or horse riding, biking or sailing on nearby Lake Balaton
all for considerably less than you would pay in the US.
Talking of
restaurants there is one place that deserves a special mention and that
is the “Liget Restaurant” situated near the center of town it is
primarily an Italian Pizza place but their menu is very varied and most
people will find something to temp their palette, I would personally recommend
the French Onion Soup that comes in a bread bowl decorated with a little
Hungarian flag, marvelous, especially if your having dental work done as
it requires no mastication what so ever…yummy!
So before the
Euro changes this country for ever I would highly recommend that you check
this place out, even if you don’t need new teeth or glasses then I would
go just for the ambiance and laid back atmosphere, pamper yourself a little
for less than the price of entrance to Disney World and believe me it’s
not half as busy.
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