A quick tour of Baden Baden

On Saturday (March 10), we took the train to Baden Baden, which is well known resort town in the Black Forest. Baden means 'baths' in German, and has been visited by many spa enthusiasts since the Romans first found out how soothing hot spas could be (I totally vote for that!).  Although we did not see them, the ruins of these first Roman baths are still evident under the streets of Baden Baden. 

Since we did not bring bathing suits (duh!), we did not visit any of the spas (and neither did we feel like spending ~$100 for the pleasure of bathing in a hot tub). However, we did spend a wonderful afternoon strolling through the streets and here are some of the sights we saw. 

This is the center of the Marktplatz. We thought we might be able to walk here from the train station; wrong; it was a 25" bus ride.

The Marktplatz is a pedestrian area of town with some VERY expensive shops (hello tourists!)

We could not figure out what this building was, but we loved the architecture. We think it has something to do with city governance. 

We walked out of the Marktplatz and up this lovely path onto the gardens of one of the old castles. Here is a typical view of the houses in the area.

This is in front of the Neue (new)  Castle (~1490). It was bought by the Saudis and is being converted into a luxury hotel. 

A view from the Neue Castle, overlooking Baden Baden.

The next two pictures were taken as we descended from the hill where the Neue Castle is located. We just loved the narrow stone passageways, which have obviously been here for centuries.

More stairs as we descend from the Neue Castle. We were happy to be headed down, not up, these stairs. 

PQ/Ruthie and Steve/Judy: this is the German version of a motor home. It is designed so you can sleep in it, but not much more. I have a feeling that you would not want to trade your homes for this one, although I expect this version gets better gas mileage!

We finally make it down all the stone steps and shot this picture looking back at the Neue Castle. 

After all our strenuous activities, we decided to have lunch at this wonderful outdoor cafe, complete with German waiters in lederhosen. Prost!

Here is a typical German lunch, lots of different kinds of meats, cheeses, pickles, bread, and of course, beer!  Notice the big smile....what is not to love about this cuisine!

John Greco: this picture is for you. It was taken on our way home  and is typical of the wine selection in a normal grocery here. I just wish we could ship some of this fabulous wine home. Guess we will just have to drink it while we are here!