Cover: Decorated arch in the Gellért Baths, Gellért Hotel,
Budapest
When Kati Dunai travels to Budapest to settle her father's estate, the last thing on her mind is the pursuit of pleasure. She's a busy international conference planner, her life rooted in Manhattan.
But from the moment she sets foot in the city of her father's youth, it's pleasure that pursues her. At the thermal bath spa hotel where she's staying, she meets a Dutchman who reminds her of Béla Dunai, her Hungarian refugee father, who fled his homeland shortly after its 1956 revolution.
Jan Klassen is in Budapest to mend from a motorcycle accident. His scars have healed on the outside, but inside, he cannot forgive himself for the consequences his son now lives with forever.
Jan has never met a woman like Kati before. Her blend of New England restraint with gypsy spirit captivates him. While Jan introduces Kati to Budapest's leisurely pace of life, Kati introduces Jan to her own leisurely pace of sensual exploration as their attraction to each other grows over six magical days.
When Kati returns to New York, their relationship continues. But it's not just an ocean that separates them. Kati's corporate job with frequent travel is the antithesis of the slow-paced pleasures she enjoyed in her father's favorite city, one of Europe's crown jewels.
Which will Kati put first—her new career or her new love; a man who reminds her of the father she never fully understood? And is it the Hungarian pleasure-loving side of herself that she really needs to understand before she can offer her heart to the man who has awakened her to who she truly is?
Which will Kati put first—her new career or her new love; a man who reminds her of the father she never fully understood? And is it the Hungarian pleasure-loving side of herself that she really needs to understand before she can offer her heart to the man who has awakened her to who she truly is?
GUEST POST
Budapest's Thermal Bath Spas: the Backdrop for Budapest Romance
My inspiration for Budapest Romance? Time spent in the thermal bath spas of Budapest, the exotically spiced city of my father's youth.
Over one hundred thermal springs located under Hungary's capital city feed waters rich in calcium, magnesium, sulfate, bicarbonate and lesser amounts of fluoride and metaboric acid to its numerous thermal bath spas. Foremost among them is the Széchenyi Baths, Europe's largest thermal spa. With three outdoor and fifteen indoor pools, the Széchenyi Baths is Budapest's largest public bath house and its least expensive, about $12 a day. Usually "best" and "least expensive" do not travel in the same company. In the case of the magnificent Széchenyi Baths, they do: safe for a tourist to visit alone and very clean too.
A few years ago I traveled to Budapest at the end of November to settle my late father's estate. I checked into a thermal spa hotel and discovered the delights of soaking in Budapest's mineralized thermal pools. With ten days to while away while finalizing paperwork, I made the acquaintance of a fellow traveler taking the waters at my hotel. Ready for safe adventure but not encouraged by the cold, gray weather to walk around, we decided to visit the Széchenyi Baths, located in Budapest's City Park.
Designed in 1913 by Győző Czigler, the neo-Baroque building features the pale yellow shade that typifies Austro-Hungarian architecture. Its front façade with a rooftop border of magnificent sculptured figures staring down at me made my senses sing as I climbed the stairs to its entrance. Was this Versailles or a public bath house?
Once inside, the splendor continues. The ceiling of the front entryway rotunda is breathtaking.
The grandeur of the hallways leading to the ladies' and mens' locker rooms is delicately balanced by the soaring grace of the vaulted ceilings, an ineffable refinement that led me to wonder what those 9th century Magyar horsemen from the Asian steppes were really like.
Once inside, the splendor continues. The ceiling of the front entryway rotunda is breathtaking.
The grandeur of the hallways leading to the ladies' and mens' locker rooms is delicately balanced by the soaring grace of the vaulted ceilings, an ineffable refinement that led me to wonder what those 9th century Magyar horsemen from the Asian steppes were really like.
Once inside the locker room I quickly changed, noticing the absence of cellulite on the bodies of the Hungarian women around me. They were fit, but not overly slim. What's their secret? My guess is an excellent diet, composed of local produce and meat largely untreated with pesticides or antibiotics. Secondly, a relaxed lifestyle which includes frequent trips to thermal bath spas where not only soaking in medicinal waters is on the agenda, but massage treatments strenuously rendered by experienced masseuses help to smoothly distribute whatever agreeable amounts of fat might be on the body.
Budapest's wintertime outdoor thermal pool scene is as resplendent as its summer one, due to the magical effect of steam rising from the thermally heated water to create a fairytale-like ambience. Most of us over the age of twelve—and not at a ski resort—are less than delighted at the thought of snowfall. But imagine yourself soaking in 104 degree waters outdoors as snowflakes tickle your nose, linger awhile, then melt into your glowing skin. In a word, bliss.
Budapest's spa scene enjoys some exotic idiosyncrasies. Men play chess while soaking in the waters. Couples in their sunset years casually embrace, splash each other and horse around in the thermal waters, a sight warming not only to the body but also to the soul. Liberal libation is served indoors and outdoors in the event that one is not already feeling hydrated enough.
Hungarians are not Puritans. Nor are they the opposite. They are a people who know how to enjoy pleasure. Budapest in particular is known for its good food, fine wines and gorgeous architecture, but I know what I'm going back there for—its thermal bath spas. And to write the sequel to Budapest Romance.
Rozsa Gaston writes playful books on serious matters. Women getting what they want out of life is one of them. She studied European intellectual history at Yale, and then received her master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia. In between, she worked as a singer/pianist all over the world. She lives in Bronxville, NY with her family.
Her books include Budapest Romance, The Ava Series: Paris Adieu, Part I and Black is Not a Color, Part II, Running from Love, Dog Sitters and Lyric. Her upcoming novel is Sense of Touch, a fictionalized story of Anne of Brittany and Queen of France.
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