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| This illustrates approximately where I am |
Around 2,000 years ago, the Romans built and used bath houses here. This is the main reason for the city's name. Not surprisingly, modern-day spas are plentiful in Baden-Baden for those who wish to be expensively pampered. Baden-Baden caters itself to catering to you. Tourism appears to be a large part of their economy. http://www.baden-baden.de/en/index.html
A promotional video for Baden-Baden
As soon as I got into town I headed straight for the Kurhaus. The Kurhaus is one of the main destinations in Baden-Baden. Built in the 1820s, the Kurhaus houses a spa, casino, restaurant, and more. Many famous visitors have come here. Fyodor Dostoyevsky supposedly wrote his novel The Gambler after losing all of his money here.
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| The Kurhaus |
Since it was getting late in the evening I decided that most of the action would probably be in the casino. Boy was I right! The German a cappella group HardTchor was just about to begin a performance. It was a show I'll never forget. http://www.hardtchor.de/
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| HardTchor FTW! |
How have I not heard of these guys
An hour and a half of a cappella had put me in the mood for some gambling. I don't normally gamble since the accident but I decided what the hell. If it was good enough for Dostoyevsky, it was good enough for me (Plus a lot of the money probably goes to the schools anyway).
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| Casino in Baden-Baden |
I had to rent a tie and jacket to even be allowed at the tables. They also made me ditch my Stuttgartian cupcakes I had been schlepping around. It didn't take long at the tables to realize that I wasn't going to be leaving with anymore money than I came in with. It was late and I was tired. I asked around to see if I could find a good hotel. Someone told me about a place called Hotel Am Markt. It was nearby and inexpensive, which was a big deal to me considering how much money I lost at the Casino.
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| Hotel Am Markt |
A room by itself would've costed
€36. I got a room with a shower, toilet, and TV, which costed
€50. In a town called Baden-Baden, you have to have your own bathroom. The price also included a breakfast buffet. http://www.hotel-am-markt-baden.de/index.html
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| My room |
As soon as I hit the bed I fell right to sleep. It's a good thing I set my alarm or else I would have slept all day.
Somehow I dirtied all my towels up and needed more. Thankfully, the staff at Hotel Am Markt was there to help.
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| Hilda was a doll |
I decided to take advantage of the breakfast buffet. I was hungry and wanted to get on my way.
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| Superb Value |
It was almost time to hit the road again, but before I left Baden-Baden I wanted to see the Roman bath ruins. The weather forecast wasn't exactly promising today. The high was expected to be 14°C which isn't too bad. Unfortunately it was going to be cloudy all day with sporadic rain showers. http://www.wetter.de/deutschland/wetter-baden-baden-18224713.html
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| Cartoon Depiction of Probable Weather Circumstances |
Thankfully the bath ruins weren't too far from my hotel, so I decided a short walk would be nice. On the way there you'll never guess who I ran into. Give up? It was my new favorite German a capella group HardTchor. I went up and congratulated them on a spectacular show last night. Before I knew it, we were at a nearby park just goofing around. I guess you could say we're homies now.
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| We had to kick a bunch of kids off the slide for this photo. BTW, totally worth it. |
I said my goodbyes to HardTchor and made my way to the bath ruins. It cost me €2,50. I took a guided tour which taught me lots of history. Primarily, that 2,000 years ago a bunch of Romans took baths and hung out here. http://www.carasana.de/de/roemische-badruinen/
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| I wouldn't take a bath there anymore. |
I decided it was time to hit the road again at this point. I hopped on a bus and headed 89km north to Heidelberg.
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