Stroud Is All Over the Place: An Overnight in Baden-Baden

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I’ve already heard all the jokes; the town ain’t that bad-en, etc. Give yourself a few more years before you try to hang with the Single Malt crowd.

No joking matter. We’re chatting about one of Germany’s most famous towns in one of Germany’s most beautiful regions, The Black Forest (Schwarzwald). Why is it called The Black Forest? You ask, I answer: the Romans found the conifers in the forest so numerous and tightly packed they blocked out the light.

Heard of the famous eponymous cake and ham from The Black Forest? The former’s a delicious meld of chocolate cake, cream, sour cherries, and cherry liquor. Irresistible! Kinda like sex. Indulge yourself!

Don’t stop there. The heavily cured ham, salty and smoky, is the perfectly sophisticated match for fresh, nutty bread, cheese, and grainy mustard. Don’t forget a spicy, fruity gewürztraminer to wash it down. Fragrant and delicious, with a memory-maker flavor that makes you eschew machine generated ham and white air-bread.

Back to the Romans. One of their settlements, both military and civilian, is now known as the city of Baden-Baden. The Romans called it something else, but you wouldn’t remember anyway, so I’ll just say it had to do with water. The waters of Baden-Baden (Bad in German means bath) have drawn visitors ever since. Today, there are a couple of huge bath palaces; one offers a kiddie play venue and fun for the whole family, while the other (Friedrichsbad Roman-Irish Bath) is more for adults, with a barrage of different pools of different temperatures, hour long massages (brush scrubs, finishing lotions, etc), saunas, and even a room for napping. After four hours of body-wilting pleasure, you may need it. The packages range from about $30 to $55, depending on the amount of time and options you choose. For you guilt ridden, sex obsessed Americans (I happily include myself in that group), yes the saunas are optionally nude. That must surely be the subject for another blog entry. To answer your second question, photos are not permitted in the bath palace.

Looking down on the pool from the top of the dome.

Don’t be deceived into thinking the Friedrichsbad Roman-Irish Bath is simply a splash-for-cash kinda place. It stands as a temple to the art of bathing. Architecturally amazing, it’s a wondrous array of carved stone and frescoes, with a huge and magnificent dome rising from the center. Many have called it a sensory treat for body and soul. No wonder it’s been so popular for well over a century.

Besides the promise of knuckle biting titillation, what else does Baden-Baden offer? Restaurants and bistros galore, most spilling out into the walking streets. Friendly crowds. Shopping that begs you to look in just one more window. Museums, such as the Kunstmuseum Gehrke-Remund (dedicated to the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo), the Frieder Burda (with art that spans the spectrum from old to very modern), the Fabergé Museum (featuring the Russian artist), and the 19^th Century Art and Technology Museum. All of these are conveniently only a short walk apart.

View from the Löwenbrau Bistro

Asparagus and strawberries are in season!

Details make the difference

Down the street stands the famous Casino that’s attracted the well heeled since the 19^th Century. Bring your passport and for men a coat and tie. Think of David Niven in Monte Carlo and you’ll be on the right track. Right from La Belle Époche, the Spielhaus has served the adventurous since 1821. Don’t feel the urge to wager? I’ve heard the restaurant is excellent. With a little luck maybe one day I’ll find out! Reservations! Don’t miss The Theater. Stage and Movies.

Then there are the Roman bath ruins. No photography allowed, which puzzled me. Old brick tiles, cement, crumbling walls, and a sophisticated heating system that would stand up to modern standards. But why no photography? My trigger finger itched. At no extra charge, you’re given a listening tour that guides you from station to station and takes you back a couple of thousand years.

Even with all those things to do, what do you think constantly makes the top of the tourist list? The incomparable Lichtentaler Allee. Stretching for miles beside the Oos River, its bordered by grand, but tasteful hotels, decked out in flowers, towering trees, and flowing fountains. To walk here is to forget the cares of the world and indulge the human need to think and dream. Stirring, yet restful, the gentle sound of gurgling water, the soft breeze through the treetops, and solitude of the greenery strewn path, always calms and soothes.

The rightfully famous Lichtentaler Allee

One of the grand hotels, The Atlantic sits unobtrusively on the banks of the Oos, a stone’s throw from the Lichtentaler Allee. They offer weekend getaways that often include extras that help you to get to know this most interesting and beautiful German city.