Baden-Baden

The car is safely tucked away, because this town is made for strolling. It is so pedestrian friendly that platz follows platz, most with fountains and all with abundant and gorgeous plantings. We wander around taking note of the casino, said to be modeled after Versailles, (not even close), the Marktplatz, the churches, (both Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic), and the ancient bathhouse. Church bells chime every 15 minutes and flowers spill from what seem to be mandatory window boxes.

 

Lots of Fountains

Baden-Baden sits on a thermal hot spring and the mineral waters are reportedly curative. Along one walkway hidden under a stone staircase is a rocky cavern containing a hot water tap where the water comes from underground at 105 degrees. Anyone can help themselves.

And then there is Lichtentaler Allee, a shaded lane that runs alongside the Oosbach River for 1.5 miles to the Lichtentaler Abbey. We meander along, admiring the gorgeous homes, the pretty little footbridges, and the long green park that looks like a golf course. We cross one such bridge to the Art Nouveau rose garden where 400 different kinds of roses are in bloom. Further along is a huge dahlia garden. The blooms are spectacular. The honeybees are working hard, most likely not caring about the visual display only the bounty presented to them.  When we reach the abbey we find the organist practicing and we sit for a while in the cool dimness appreciating this private recital.

The mineral waters have made Baden-Baden a mecca for spa goers. We decide to take “the plunge”. The Friedrichsbad, or the Roman-Irish Baths were established in 1877 for the rich and famous. Today, they are open to us all…as long as we are willing to be there naked and in mixed company.

It’s a 17-step process that includes warm air, hot air, steamy air, pools, hot, cool and icy, massages, one with soap and brush, one with crème, and a shower at both beginning and end that drops 8 feet from a platter-sized showerhead with the force of Multnomah Falls. At the very end is the resting room, where you are laid on a padded gurney, wrapped in a warm sheet and blanket like a burrito, and left in silence to doze.  The bathhouse is filled with mosaic tiles, marble lined pools and grand domed ceilings, not to mention naked men and women, (all minding their own business).

The Roman Irish Baths

We have energy left for a spin to the base of Merkur Bergbahn with the top down. We ride the funicular to the 2000-foot “summit” and admire the view of Baden-Baden.

Cafe atop Merkur Bergbahn

We have grown fond of this town filled with flowers, fountains, and church bells.

Our Hotel

View from our hotel window