Looking
For Something A Little Different?
Journey Thru Hungary ~ By Steve Phillips
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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.
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. 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.
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.
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.
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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)
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. |
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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.
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| 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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The
New York Cafe in Budapest.
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| For more information please feel
free to contact me and I will be more than happy to give you the low down.
Email: author@poisonpencil.com |
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