Baden-Baden

Here we are on our last day in Fussen. That U should have an umlof (whatever!) over it! But first, a bit about Baden-Baden. We didn't really have internet in Baden-Baden, so we got a bit out of the habit of blogging. Sorry.

Baden-Baden is a quaint little resort town. As Rick Steves put it: it is the nicest resort town you can enjoy in blue jeans and t-shirts. We found it to be quite liveable. We enjoyed the Caracalla Therme twice - once the first evening and again on the second evening of our stay there. Our hotel was wonderful. Who on earth could have predicted the hugeness of a hotel room in Europe? The breakfast was amazing. On our second day, we rented bicycles and rode along the Oos river right through town. We didn't know where we were going, we just went. We ended up at a little fresh market where we bought some sausages, cheeses, apples, and a bottle of water. We carried our picnic to a park we had ridden alongside and stopped and ate. It may have been our best meal yet. It rivaled the picnic at the Eiffel Tower!! After we turned in our bikes, we rode the bus up to the funicular and then we rode the funicular to the top of the hill (for those of you who are interested, check our Merkurwald, I think.) We were WAY up there. From the top you could see all the way to the Rhine River, and of course, every little village and bigger town in between. It was amazing. Quite cold and very windy, but amazing just the same. We took the funicular back down, but then we hiked through the Black Forest back to town. It is the epitome of beautiful. Of course, we rewarded ourselves on our downhill hike with a beer and pretzel at the Lowenbrau beer garden right in the old town. Who wouldn't have? We worked hard for it!! We went back later to eat dinner. It was quite pleasant to sit outside. We continue to overhear obnoxious Americans in restaurants wherever we go. I do hope they aren't blogging the same about us! Baden-Baden made me think that I really like the type of lifestyle that small towns offer. I love the idea of public transportation and walking or biking where you need to go. There is a bit of freedom in being able to just go where you need to without worrying about your car and all that goes with that. Walking to the market each day to purchase the meat, the cheese, the bread, the veggies and fruit, and the wine for your day. Never stopping to think about potato chips or other things of that nature. We definitely need to add a bit of freshness and subtract a large dose of preservatives from our diets at home.

So then my rambling mind started thinking about this trip. We saw 7 or so castles in the UK and Versailles. We saw a few churches including the Church of the Holy Rude and Notre Dame among others. We've seen our share of museums. These places are beautiful and amazing. They deserve the attention that they get. But, at the end of the day, at least for me, what I remember most are the days we rented bikes and picnicked in the park or the days at the spa. The castles run together and if you've seen one huge cathedral, you know what to expect in the others. But the activies that I participate in with my travelling and life companions are the ones that will live on in my mind. Those will be the events that I can talk about with great confidence much better than the flying buttresses at Notre Dame or the dressing chambers at Versailles. I am so lucky to be able to slow down and enjoy this trip. We are making the memories that we want to make. We will always have the pictures from the places we were supposed to visit, but our hearts will always carry the memories that we made ourselves!! Melissa