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They've been enjoying the hot springs in Budapest since the end of the 19th century. 

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And even if it's an obvious thing to do, the locals still insist you have a dunk when in Budapest. 

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Enjoying hydrotherapy in winter became a part of Hungary's culture, so much so Budapest is known as the city of spas. The most famous are the Szechenyi baths. 

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The water certainly makes an impression, and not just up here. 

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Over millions of years, the water formed more than 4,000 natural caves deep underground, the 120 kilometers of passages and steep walls. 

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Stalagmites by the dozen running underneath the Buda side of the city. After being discovered by accident in the early 1900s, the caves were quickly adapted for tourists.

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The darkness underground can be reflected in Hungary's even darker 20th century history. 

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If we are talking about out with the old and in with the new, then no visit to Budapest is complete without acknowledging the arrival of democracy, 

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seen here through exhibits like this for the fall of the Iron Curtain or a visit to the disturbing House of Terror museum. 

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Sixty Andrassy Avenue, home of Hungary's secret police -- first the Nazis, then the Communists. 

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It opened as a museum and a memorial in 2002. Here, visitor and victim come face to face. 

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From the Nazi Party's war room to the Communist torture cells, 

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a haunting example of evil and essential to visit to grasp the city's enormous change since.

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This triumph of change brought the arrival of democracy, encouraging the return of business and traveler here to enjoy this most magnificent of cities.    

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Here in Budapest, when the weather heats up there's only one place to be -- on the water. 

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On the Danube you get to see the best view of Buda and Pest. 

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No matter how much our traveling life may change, some things you just can't beat -- an afternoon on the river Danube.