Hungary > Swimming in a cave

Because it is Sunday, the breakfast buffet does not start until eight o’clock. On weekdays, it begins at seven. When we enter the restaurant in the inner courtyard shortly after eight, it is busy. There is exactly one table left. It seems as if everyone wants to make good use of the day. We certainly do. We cross the border into Hungary. Just a few kilometers outside Satu Mare, we arrive at the border. There is a long line of waiting cars. We join at the back. At the booth for the Hungarian motorway vignette, a note says “20 minutes,” but there is no indication of how long the note has been there. We decide not to wait and to buy a vignette after crossing the border. The line moves very slowly. Hungary is an hour ahead in time. Maybe the border only opens at nine? When we reach the customs officers, our passports are checked. The first officer looks at the documents and hands them to a second officer, who seemingly does the same. We are allowed through. We expect a Hungarian control checkpoint shortly after, but we drive straight into the country. We conclude that we have already crossed the border. Presumably, the Romanian and Hungarian officers are working together. Just over the border, we stop at a petrol station. Here we buy a vignette to drive on the Hungarian highways. We then continue our route via the motorway to Miskolc. Miskolc is a city in northeastern Hungary. Due to the time difference, we arrive in the town around half past eleven. At an ATM, we withdraw some money—not too much, as we are only spending one day in Hungary. With Hungarian forints in hand, we drive into the mountains toward the town of Lillafüred. Here are the István dripstone caves. The parking lot is busy; many Hungarians are also using this Sunday to enjoy the mountains.

Hungary - The Istvan caves in Lillafured

With some effort, we manage to get a ticket from the parking machine. The text is only in Hungarian. At the caves, a tour is just beginning. We quickly buy a ticket. The man at the counter indicates that the tour is only in Hungarian, but we receive an English text. We go straight into the cave. The limestone caves of István are 710 meters long. In 1913, a dog fell into a shaft. During its rescue, the caves were discovered. During the war, the caves were used as a shelter. Only in 1955 were the caves reopened to the public. Inside, the rock formations are beautifully lit. We cannot understand a word of the guide’s spoken text. It is amusing to see that all heads turn in a different direction at the same time when the topic seems to change. At the ticket office, we were given an English brochure, but it is too dark to read it. Since we cannot follow the tour anyway, we have plenty of time to take photos. Photography is allowed, but without flash, as explained at the entrance. The dripstone caves are magnificent. After about half an hour, the tour ends. We return along the same route. From the parking lot, we walk along the stream. Behind the large hotel is the impressive Szinva waterfall. From below, we see the water plunging twenty meters down. The surroundings are touristy: a small train runs around, boats can be rented, and there are several shops. We order a sandwich and a drink for lunch. Then we walk back to the car. In one of Miskolc’s suburbs is the Cave Bath of Miskolctapolca. When we arrive, it is busy here as well. At the parking lot by the pool, a young man indicates that we can park for 2,000 forints or at the lot behind us for 800 per hour.

Hungary - The pool in Miskoletapolea is carved out of rock

Since that lot looks quite full and this one is supervised, we decide to park here. We receive a ticket. When we ask where the amount is on the ticket, the young man adjusts the price to 1,400 forints (still about €4.50). The reason for the sudden discount escapes us. At the Cave Bath, we buy two tickets and change clothes. In principle, the Cave Bath is a regular pool, but the pool is built into a cave. Through passages, we swim into the cave. It is amusing, despite the crowd, to swim through the tunnels. At the back of the cave is a dark room. Mysterious sounds add extra atmosphere. After over an hour, we have explored all the passages and pools. We change back and leave the bath. We drive the final stretch of the day to the hotel in the center of Miskolc. We can park the car in front of the hotel. From there, it is a two-block walk to the shopping street. On Sundays, the shops are closed. Presumably, on other days, there is more life in the city. Only the terraces have some activity due to the Spain–Russia football match. We order a beer and watch the players’ performance from a terrace. Although Russia hardly has possession, the people behind us are rooting for this team. To their relief, Russia wins the penalty shootout. They recommend a nice restaurant a few streets away. This restaurant is closed. An old woman explains something in Hungarian. We infer that it is closed on Sundays, though she might have meant something else. As an alternative, we choose a bistro restaurant. A good choice.