Szechenyi spa day and fancy dinner

Today was spa day. We went around 10 because we read before noon is the least crowded and that turned out to be true. We bought no line tickets last night and downloaded  bar codes that should allow someone to scan, give you the bracelet you need to access the facility and your cabin number in one easy transaction. That's not the way it works. We stood in one line that had a sign that read "for hotel vouchers and prepaid tickets." That wasn't the correct line. The girl at that window said we had to go directly across to the other side of the hall. That was window 3. People were taking their time contemplating the packages and buying tickets. We figured that couldn't be the no line line so Lola asked a woman in an official office who said we had to go to window 4. Window 4 was the same as window 3. People choosing packages and then paying for them. Credit card payments took a long time. When it was our turn, the woman took Lola's phone and I think typed her name into the system. She was talking constantly to the woman at window 3. At any rate, she did a number of things on the computer before taking her scanner and scanning one barcode, pausing for a couple minutes, scanning the other barcode, printing some kind of receipt and handing us our bracelets.  From there, everything was easy. Your bracelet opens the turnstile to get in and also locks and unlocks your closet-sized "cabin" where you leave your belongings.  

From there, everything went smoothly.  Not huge crowds until we were leaving, great weather--cool but sunny. Outside there's a swimming pool and 2 thermal pools, one with a whirlpool you can get in and be swept around in a circle.  Inside, there's around 15 pools of varying temperatures. At one end of the building, there's an area only for hospital patients with pools only the patients can use. The patients have to have prescriptions which specify  particular pools for their ailments.

There are several saunas of varying types and degrees. We sat in an aromatherapy one for a few minutes. It was lovely. 

There were several things that changed since the last time I was here. One is they now offer water wellness classes every half hour, free with admission. We walked by a water aerobics class. Also, you can pay around $3 for a half hour alone in a sauna. You hang a sign on the door that explains you're not to be disturbed.

The buildings are huge and beautiful. The spa was built between 1909 and 1913 although the spring was drilled in the late 1800s. 

Visiting  the spa was exhausting so we rested in the afternoon, did some laundry and then went to fancy dinner. Back in 2005,  I happened upon a restaurant that served fantastic grilled goose liver and I've spent a lot of time and money trying to repeat that experience.  Lola did research and found the restaurant Tigris, recommended by both Trip Advisor and Johnny. It specializes in foie gras dishes. The restaurant is beautiful and we were served by a number of people.  The host described the menu to us and tried to talk us into sharing some foie gras appetizers similar to what we've had before although they serve only goose and we've had duck. A different young person presented a basket of bread, explained each kind and let us choose one.

 A waiter came to take our order and we ordered a baby romaine salad and foie gras entrees. Then he sent the sommelier to help us match appropriate wine. We ordered sauvignon blanc as usual but this was Hungarian. He showed us the bottle and said the winery is close to Budapest. It was tasty.

Then someone brought a small dish from the chef. Beet root mousse with creme fraiche. It was very beety. 

The waiter came back to ask whether we liked the beet dish and that's when Lola accidentally convinced the entire wait staff that she was dying for a plate of cheese. She saw a young man behind me being served something but she couldn't tell what. I can't turn around because of my back problem so I didn't see what was happening.  Then the waiter put on black gloves to handle the food which caused Lola to be more curious. She asked our waiter what was happening and he explained that the customer was being shown different kinds of cheeses and the cheese manager was explaining the details of each one. He went on to say the cheese manager searches every week for new Hungarian cheeses and is great at his job. The cheese manager looked like he's 22. Our waiter said that since Lola has such an interest in cheese, he might be able to get the cheese dude to bring a couple of pieces for free at the end of the meal if she was still hungry. 

The meal was fantastic. The foie gras was served with polenta and pears. Everything was perfectly cooked and presented.

When we finished, the host came with the dessert menu and said she heard Lola was very interested in cheese. The cheese plate was part of the dessert menu and cost 10 euros. A small price to pay for an entire presentation but not our idea of dessert. We convinced the host we were interested in something sweet instead of cheesy and she sent the dessert expert to take our order.  We split a caramel panna cotta with raspberries and raspberry ice cream and chocolate. When the dessert manager brought the dish, he explained their panna cotta is smoother than most because they don't cook the sugar. Instead, they cook the milk. 

The wait staff were all very young. There were several who seemed to just walk around the restaurant so we wondered whether they're being trained, maybe interns from the Culinary Institute of Europe which is on our street. 

As you can see from the lovely pictures, the meal was extraordinary. They have other great entrees to try besides foie gras so we're going back tomorrow night.