Baden Baden is famous for their roman baths of Caracalla, and Meghan and I desperately wanted to go there to relax after concentrating so hard all week on learning french.
So we tagged along to Baden Baden with our towels and swimsuits in tow and arrived by car in only 40 minutes! To think, one can travel 40 minutes in the US out of a large city and still be in the city! In Europe one drives for 40 minutes and can find a whole new world! No one in Baden Baden spoke french and not many of the Strasbourgois spoke german, so they had to have translators explain how the day was going to unfold! I was happy to find they provided a beautiful spread of assorted baked goods and refreshments, and as I was starving I gladly ate a pretzel. Yum!
We met a german girl who was at the tennis club and she agreed to help us walk to the roman baths of caracalla. I would have guessed she was maybe 16 or 17, but when we asked she said 14! They sure grow them tall in Germany, she was very mature too. She spoke english very well. She showed us the town, and it was so beautiful! I wouldn't say its a city for the young, but it looked very rich! In the hills above the town I spotted a castle! You don't see that everyday in the US! Haha. I asked the name of the castle, apparently its called "The Old Castle" and there is also "The New Castle", not to mention "The Long Street". Im sure it sounds better in German.
Meghan and I each payed 14 euros for 2 hours of ultimate relaxation. Caracalla is a giant complex! We walked in and could believe our eyes! There were several different pools, all of varying temperatures. Around the pool were lounge chairs and above the chairs were warming lights, as if you were sunbathing! The larger pools had artificial currents in them so you could just float along. There were waterfalls and jets to massage your back with. The hot tubs felt great, the freezing cold one, not so much but I tried it anyhow!
There were 2 steam rooms, a sauna, tanning beds (I did not use them), and a massage parlor. There was also a restaurant we didn't use. I especially loved one of the steam rooms. Once inside I felt as if I were transported back in time to ancient rome. There were beautiful marble columns and statues. The mosaic designs were amazing. There was soothing music playing, and the lit the ceiling like star constellations. The vapor was really strong with eucalyptus and spearmint! It stung my eyes a little but really opened up my sinuses! The other steam room was a "brine steam room", which is good for if you have a runny nose apparently.
After an amazing 2 hours of relaxation, Meg and I walked back to the Tennis club, but instead walked along the river. There were street musicians along the river, and horse drawn carriages in the street! All the foot bridges were covered in beautiful flowers! We watched our host parents play tennis for a while, ate a huge dinner in which my host dad insisted that 2 german boys sit with us and flirt with us! He's already doing that embarrassing Dad thing! Haha. On the ride home we got stuck in a lightening storm, we could barely see the road because of the rain! I was so scared.
But we got home safely and here I am!
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