Being Brave in Baden Baden

sorry for the lower case- the shift here is too hard!

today i was headed to bacharach, germany with poppy and heidi. our plan was to stay for four nights and poppy had a few ideas as to what we could do along the rhine river to keep ourselves busy, being the wine connoisseur he is.

we are on the train, on our way, and i see that totally by chance, our train stops in baden baden, germany. i wanted to sooooo bad when we were planning our trip, but i kind of got out voted and it didnt work out. after thinking about it for a few minutes, i decided i was going to hop off by myself and wing it. and i did.

i kissed them goodbye until tomorrow, got off, found a bus to downtown to go to the visitors center, and was on my way. then my suitcase broke. then i could not find the visitor center. then i started sweating from carrying the suitcase. i opened a book i had about germany on a budget, got in a cab, and went to a hotel they suggested. thank god they had a room for me! ill worry about the suitcase later.

the whole reason i wanted to come here was because of their roman irish bath houses. baden baden is known for its wellness, health, spas, parks, etc. but the baths are all totally nude! i asked the front desk what to bring, they said nothing, and i walked on over to the friedrichsbad spa, the oldest one here.

i had NO IDEA what i was doing! it is the equivalent of $35 for two hours. i paid, went in and figured out the locker with a girl from missouri, wrapped a little toga around me, and started. they explained that it was a 17 step process, and to just follow the numbers. it was great! there were different pools, whirlpools, saunas, hot chairs, and an awesome massage and body washing part. a woman literally scrubs you down with a brillo pad type thing on your front and back. there is a lot of going from hot to cold water, and at the end you have to dunk into what feels like a pool of melted ice cubes!

the women went separate from the men until the very end when it is naked unisex. the european way is just so different- they dont care about being nude in front of each other and no one seems to have wandering eyes, even when it is unisex.

i just got back to the hotel, am going to change and go to the oldest casino in germany to check it out. the men have to wear coats it is so classy! this town in just beautiful, and im so happy i came.

and im not going to lie- i looked a little. :)