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Ten things I learned in Die Schweiz!

Back when I used to take a lot of trips– that is, before this COVID-19 bullshit began– I often summed up my blog series with a “ten things I learned” post. Basically, they served as summaries of my trips and reminders of new things I learned. I haven’t written one of those “ten things I learned” posts in awhile. There are a few reasons for that.

I used to have a larger readership than I have now. When I moved the blog to WordPress, I lost a lot of readers. A lot of former readers simply never found out where the new blog was, and some lost interest for any number of reasons ranging from leaving Europe to finding me an insufferable bitch. Then, COVID struck, I quit going places. I haven’t completely quit, mind you, but I haven’t been enjoying the travel perks of living in Europe like I used to. And the places we’ve been going are places we’ve been before– at least the same countries, anyway.

But I think I would like to revive my habit of writing “ten things I learned posts”, to keep this blog updated, and also to give people who don’t want to wade through the whole series a condensed version. So here goes… ten things I learned on our latest trip to Switzerland. Hope someone enjoys it.

10. Carl G. Jung was an amazing person… but he had lots of help.

Bill and I visited Jung’s home and museum during our trip to Zürich. We learned a little bit about the accomplished man he was. Last night, Bill was telling his Jungian therapist about how amazing he thought Jung’s accomplishments were. He read so many books, spoke so many languages, dabbled in art, practiced as an analyst, wrote books, smoked, and developed theories. He did this while raising a family and carrying on with his mistress. Bill’s therapist pointed out, “Yeah, he did all those things, and those things require energy. But he had lots of women around to help him.” It’s true. He had a wife, a mistress, and colleagues who worked with him. That freed up some of his time.

9. Jung’s family still live in the house he built on the shore of Lake Zürich.

When Bill and I were outside in the backyard, I looked up at the house and noticed people on the third floor. Later, when I read the official Web site for the museum, I read that some of Jung’s descendants still live in the house. No wonder it has such limited operating hours.

8. Swiss mac n’ cheese is pretty good. Ditto to Swiss wines!

Up here in Germany, particularly down in Swabia, a lot of people like to eat Spätzle, which is a type of pasta often served with cheese. I never really got into Spätzle myself, so I was a little skeptical when I spotted Älplermagronen on the menu at a restaurant. But as I didn’t really want a Schnitzel or a pork knuckle, I decided to order it. It was absolutely delicious, and even included potatoes! That did my Celtic heart proud!

I also really enjoyed the wines. I don’t know why they surprised me, given that Germany and Italy produce wines. Why wouldn’t Switzerland?

7. Zürich is a very lovely city… not boring at all.

One of the reasons it took so long to visit Zürich is that we lived close for several years. And I had heard from a lot of people that it was kind of a boring city that was mostly dedicated to banks. I should have known better, since I heard the same thing about Luxembourg (both the country and Luxembourg City), which I found to be untrue. The person who mainly passed on these opinions to me is an Italian friend I don’t get to talk to so much anymore… I guess compared to Italy, Zürich may seem kind of bland and dull. But I didn’t find it that way at all… of course, my Italian friend would also frown on the fact that I ate Swiss style mac n’ cheese. 😉

6. I finally know the names of the little towns near all those beautiful lakes we always pass on the way to Italy!

I think the reason I didn’t know them before is because I was always so busy looking at the scenery that I forgot to look at the signs. Now that I know some names, maybe we’ll plan a trip to stay somewhere really gorgeous next time! I am dying to rent a lakeside apartment or hotel room with a lake view where I can drink wine and enjoy peace and quiet.

5. The Swiss dialect renders my German skills useless.

I’m not saying I have great German skills to begin with… Luckily, many people speak English… and several other languages. Switzerland has four official ones. I also didn’t know William Tell was a legendary Swiss folk hero.

I’ll never think of the William Tell Overture in the same way… Here’s Bill’s distant relative playing it on the guitar. 😉 My own guitar skills aren’t this advanced yet. Incidentally, this was piece was composed by Gioachino Rossini, who was Italian.

And that was so good I have to add this video from 1974, which features Glen Campbell playing an acoustic guitar. I’ll keep practicing.

4. Watch where you park in Switzerland…

It’s best to choose a city garage rather than one affiliated with a fancy department store. Yes, we should have realized… now we know for certain! 49 CHF for a day’s parking! Whew!

3. The Swiss apparently don’t “do” naked spas…

In Germany, it’s not uncommon to find textile free spas, or at least textile free areas of spas. That means everything is “textile free”– not just the saunas. Evidently, Switzerland doesn’t do that, which is okay with me. But it’s good to know what to do, just in case. You don’t want to bare it and share it unless invited to do so… ETA in 2024… apparently, I was wrong about textile free spas in Switzerland. We’ll have to find one and give it a try.

2. Switzerland has a soul after all…

I’m finding that the more I visit Switzerland, the more I like it. I had the same reactions to New York City and Paris. Switzerland has always seemed kind of sterile to me… but now that I’ve been to a few places, I’m finding myself liking it more and more.

And finally, 1. but it’ll drain your wallet!

I actually knew this before our most recent visit. We have yet to enjoy a budget holiday in Switzerland, although I’ll bet we could arrange something cheap if we put our minds to it. Frankly, though, I tend to want to go to Switzerland for rest and relaxation… pampering, if you will. So I’m prepared to drop some money on those trips. I’m never sorry I did so… although that’s probably because I’m not the one briefing generals and spending weeks working in Bavaria to pay for these trips.

So that about does it for my “ten things I learned” post. I hope I can write another one soon. I think our next trip will be to Stuttgart, and I’ve already written a shitload about that city.

Baden-Württemberg

Getting over getting naked…

Today’s post comes courtesy of a message I got on TripAdvisor last night. A young woman, visiting friends in Germany, was very anxious because her friend’s parents had purchased a luxury pass for her to join her friend and her friend’s parents at the Friedrichsbad Roman-Irish Bath in Baden-Baden. Apparently, she had found my TripAdvisor review of the famous nude baths and was hoping I could offer her some advice about the experience.

This young woman named Diana (not her real name) wrote that she’s just 19 years old, and she is very nervous about being naked in front of other people. Diana’s problem is a common one. A lot of people are nervous about getting nude in front of strangers. In Germany, it’s a normal thing to be nude in saunas, spas, and public baths. Many of the baths Bill and I have visited are “textile-free”, which is very different if you’re an American or a Brit… or, as I found out in July, from Sweden. I’m not sure how the French feel about nudity in the saunas and spas, but I do know they are very strict about men wearing “maillots” (Speedos) rather than “board shorts”. In fact, one of my most popular posts on my travel blog is about that subject, which you can read about here.

My husband, Bill, was very nervous about being naked in front of people. He finally “took the plunge” a couple of years ago, when we visited Palais Thermal in Bad Wildbad. Bad Wildbad has an “old school” therme that allows swimsuits. It also has a the nude spa, which is Palais Thermal. Bill was initially reluctant to try it. Palais Thermal was a good place to get his feet wet, though, because swimsuits are allowed on the first level. After a few minutes of seeing people of all shapes, sizes, ages, colors, and creeds walking around in the buff, it didn’t seem so embarrassing or strange.

Now, being nude in front of Germans has become “old hat” to us. We’ve done the nude spa thing many times and lived to tell the tale. It’s weird for a few minutes, but then you stop noticing. At most spas, you can bring towels or a robe and only have to be completely naked in the water, although at the Friedrichsbad, you will be nude almost the entire time. But really, you get used to it very quickly if you just relax and enjoy, realizing that being naked really is completely natural.

Still, I have a lot of empathy for Diana, because it IS embarrassing and strange to those who have never done it. I am a bit of a natural exhibitionist and have always kind of liked being nude. I find it very liberating. But if you have body image concerns or have been taught that being naked is wrong or “dirty” somehow (even though we were all born naked), it can be extremely embarrassing and scary to bare everything.

I ended up telling Diana that it’s her choice whether or not to try the Roman baths. She is concerned that her friend’s parents will be insulted if she doesn’t use their gift, but ultimately, a trip to the baths is supposed to be fun and relaxing. If she’s filled with anxiety and terror over baring her naked self to everyone, it won’t be a good experience for her. I did also advise her to visit the baths on a day when the sexes are segregated, although it appears that the baths are currently undergoing some renovations, so right now it might be “co-ed” every day. Bill and I went on a “co-ed” day, because we wanted to experience the baths together. But they normally also have days in which the men stay on one side and the women stay on the other. For the shy among us, that might be the best thing to do. There’s only one area where men and women mingle naked on the segregated days and one could easily skip that part. It’s the big pool in the middle of the spa, and it’s cold, anyway. I had to try it because it was so pretty.

Having written all of this… I do understand that public nudity isn’t for everyone. It’s best to take the plunge if you’re genuinely curious and want to try the baths. Personally, I really enjoyed them and would have no problem visiting them again. I don’t think any visit to Baden-Baden is complete without a trip to the Friedrichsbad. But I know that’s just my opinion. I have empathy for Diana’s situation, because I can tell she really doesn’t want to offend her gracious hosts. Frankly, I find her empathy for them very refreshing. It’s nice to see someone so concerned about being a polite and gracious guest. I hope she will try the baths, but if she can’t bring herself to do it, I also hope her friend’s family will understand. Part of being a good host, after all, is making sure your guest is comfortable.

Wiesbaden’s version… not as big or crowded, and very relaxing.

Here in Wiesbaden, we have the Kaiser-Friedrich Therme, which is like a much scaled down version of the Friedrichsbad. I think I like it even more than the Friedrichsbad, because it’s a lot smaller and less popular. In fact, I think we’re due for another visit soon.

Hedonist’s dream– two naked hours at the Kaiser-Friedrich Therme and lunch at La Cantinetta

Back in November 2018, Bill and I celebrated our 16th anniversary in Baden-Baden. While we were there, we tried the all nude Friedrichsbad Irish Roman Baths. When we told people we were moving to Wiesbaden, they nodded knowingly, since Wiesbaden is known as a “spa” town. In fact, the best known spa in these parts is the Kaiser-Friedrich Therme, which is an Irish Roman bath hall, sort of like Friedrichsbad, only smaller, less crowded, and significantly cheaper.

I had reviewed Friedrichsbad on TripAdvisor and someone who read my review and travels to Germany often on business, asked me if I’d had the chance to go to the spa in Wiesbaden. I’m sad to report that although Bill and I are quite assimilated to being naked in front of German strangers, today was our first time visiting. In fact, the TripAdvisor guy went to the Kaiser-Friedrich Therme before I did, and he lives in the United States.

Nevertheless, today was our day to go. Bill was, as usual, a little bit reluctant. Once we were there, he loved it as much as I did. One thing I like about this particular Therme is that not only is it historic, it’s also kind of low key. The facilities are on the old side and it’s not the biggest, fanciest, spa, but it has many historic elements. It’s also inexpensive and, at least today, not that crowded. I’m sure it fills up when the weather isn’t so beautiful.

This was the best I could do for photos. It’s a nude spa, so I wasn’t going to bring my camera in there.

The first thing to know about this spa is that it’s entirely textile free. Do not bring a bathing suit, because they are not allowed– EVER. In fact, there’s even a sign on the reception desk in English and illustrated with pictures of bathing suits with red lines through them. Do bring towels, a robe, and shower shoes. I usually bring two big towels and a robe, just in case one of the towels gets too wet to dry off with. If you don’t have a towel or a robe, you can rent them.

The next thing to know is that you can book packages or simply pay by the hour, settling up your bill on your way out of the spa. It was our first time, so we just went in, wearing the customary wristwatch one gets at German spas, and found a locker. You can choose whatever locker you want, change in the privacy of a stall in the unisex locker room, and use your watch to lock the locker. Take a quick shower in the men’s or women’s shower (which seems kind of silly, since everyone’s naked anyway), and make your way into the spa area.

The first thing you’ll see is the pool pictured below…

This iconic pool is pictured on everything advertising this Therme.

The Therme has a very small parking lot, so we parked at a garage a couple of blocks down.

You should know that the big pool is COLD. There’s a much smaller hot pool, which reminds me of a baptismal font, just behind the big pool. Save them for the end of your time. I noticed that this spa has a lot of the same elements Friedrichsbad has, only there are no “minders” telling you where to go or keeping the crowd going. Unlike Friedrichsbad, there’s also no obvious set schedule of activities, although they do post a suggested sequence in the cafe area. The list is in German.

Bill and I started with a quick dip in the freezing big pool, followed by a couple of sauna sessions. The first sauna was kind of mild and comforting, while the next was a much hotter Finnish sauna. We spritzed off in the “Eisregen” (ice rain) shower, then hit the two big “jacuzzi” like pools. One was heated at 37 degrees Celsius and had lots of bubbles. The other was 39 degrees Celsius and had very powerful jets that hit my lower back at just the right spot. I really enjoyed sitting in that tub, pounding the stress and pain out of my back and right outer hip.

Throughout the Therme, there are really nice loungers where you can have a rest. Be sure to put a towel down before you lie on the loungers or use the sauna. Next, we used the foot baths, then went into the “Lumenraum”, which is a very dark, quiet, room with loungers and twinkling colored lights in the ceiling. It was so nice to just lie in there and chill for a few minutes. I may have to find one of those loungers for home. After another session in the hot sitting pool, we tried one of the steam rooms, which didn’t seem to be operating properly. It was just very warm in the room; there was no steam. I left my shower shoes outside and regretted it, because the tiles were hot in there.

Then, we hit the big cold pool and the hot pool, then spent some time in the Tepidarium, which reminded me a lot of the one at Friedrichsbad, minus the crowds. We skipped a couple of the other rooms since they either appeared to be closed or beyond our comfort zone. I probably could have taken a freezing cold plunge after the Tepidarium, but I was so warm and cozy I decided I’d rather just hose off and get dressed. While we were sitting in the warm, damp room, I quipped to Bill that I felt like we were really “going native” with these nude spa jaunts. I don’t know what I’m going to do when we’re back in the States someday and I have to suit up.

One thing I noticed today was that it was not at all crowded in the Therme and there was plenty of room to try everything. We were finished within about two hours, feeling very relaxed and happy. The price for our two hour stay? Just twenty euros. The Therme does have a snack bar that serves juices, water, beer, and light snacks, but we decided we wanted to have lunch at La Cantinetta, a great Italian place we discovered a couple of months ago. I think the Kaiser-Friedrich Therme may be my favorite spa yet. No, it’s not super fancy or new, and it doesn’t have any deep pools you can do laps in, but it gets the job done at a reasonable price. Plus, the historic features are really beautiful and the place is very clean. I saw no children in the spa, which was a great thing. The atmosphere today was very calm and inviting, rather than akin to a souped up Schwimmbad.

Bill and I are very used to the naked spa experience now, but I understand that some Americans may be reluctant to try it. I can’t speak for everyone, but I have found that every time I’ve gone to a textile free spa, I stopped noticing nudity within seconds. Everyone is naked and, trust me, no one cares what your junk looks like.

When we were finished at the Therme, we made our way to La Cantinetta, where a saxophonist was playing for Euros. The waiters invited us to sit down. We got there about five minutes too soon. If we’d waited just a few more minutes, we could have had a table in the shade. Oh well… Here are some photos from our pricey, but outstanding, lunch.

La Cantinetta has an extensive menu, with pasta, pizza, and lots of beautifully presented Italian dishes.

I settled on scallops with tomato, bacon, chilis, and avocado… this was a pricey appetizer at 18,50 euros, but I was very curious about it. I’m glad I ordered it, because the scallops were done to perfection.

Bill went with the cream of asparagus soup. Seems that every restaurant in Germany has its own version, this time of year. It was very creamy, comforting, and a little sweet. We also had fresh pizza bread with a choice of garlic or butter. We went with garlic, but only ate a little of it because we knew lunch would be substantial.

Last time we ate here, there were fresh cut tulips on the table. This time, it was roses.

We had a slight lull in business. Maybe we should have moved up a table and gotten out of the sun…

For the main course, Bill ordered branzino (wolfbarsch– or European sea bass). They brought out a special shelf on which to debone the fish for him.

The set up…

Expertly done… and the fish was excellent, as expected.

And nicely presented, too…

I went with sesame seed encrusted yellow fin tuna, served with sugar snap peas, mangos, avocados, and risotto. I could almost finish this, although tuna tends to be a bit too dry and heavy for me to eat a lot of. The sesame seeds added to the bulk of this dish. I loved the way it was presented, though. It, too, was rather expensive at 32,50 euros.

While we were eating, a German couple sat at the table next to us. The male half, who wore a striped polo shirt with a popped collar, asked in German what we were eating. I am proud to report that I was able to understand and respond. It turned out he spoke English, as did his female companion. They were nice, and had a good sense of humor as they observed the large Italian family sitting across from us. At least one of the guys in that group, too, had a popped collar.

Popped collars were popular in America back in the mid 80s, but they apparently never went out of style in Europe. I counted at least three or four guys with them today. I had to break Bill of the habit of popping his collar when we were dating. I guess old habits die hard. No offense to anyone reading this who likes to pop their collars. I once thought that looked cool, too. Kidding… really.

Anyway, we decided to finish up with the dessert special of the day, which featured the fruit of the season– strawberries. Feast your eyes!

Three little strawberry cheesecake cubes with fresh cut strawberries, dried, pressed strawberry “leather”, and a scoop of strawberry sorbet! We split it, and it was the perfect size. Bill especially enjoyed the crust, which was much like our beloved graham cracker style, though they tasted more like biscuits to me.

We enjoyed San Pellegrino– one large bottle and one small– and a couple of glasses of white wine with lunch. The first round was a pleasant Lugano that got a bit warm in the intense May sunshine. The second was a Sauvignon Blanc. The waiter opened a fresh bottle for us and then suggested it to the Italians sitting across from us. I noticed two other tables bought whole bottles of the same wine, which the waiter initially seemed surprised I’d asked for. The waiter, by the way, was really cute and reminded me of Ray Reyes of Menudo fame back in the 80s.

Our total bill came to about 130 euros before the tip. I’m glad the Therme was so cheap today. La Cantinetta can be expensive, although they have plenty of more pedestrian dishes that aren’t expensive. A person won’t go broke having pasta or pizza, for instance. I do enjoy their more gourmet offerings, though, and their waiters are very charming and professional… and good at upselling.

I can definitely see us making a habit of visiting the Therme on Sundays. That was a real hit for both of us! I don’t know that it’s always as “chill” as it was today, but we really enjoyed ourselves.

Tomorrow, we venture to Cologne for yet another concert, so my travel blog will get some extra love this week. Stay tuned!

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Welcome back to Stuttgart… part 5– another naked afternoon before the journey home

Yesterday morning, we had breakfast and checked out of the Waldhotel. For three nights with breakfast and one bar bill that we charged to the room, we spent just under 1100 euros. That was actually less than I was expecting to spend. Granted, we could have easily spent a lot less money in a cheaper room at a cheaper hotel. In fact, I was telling Bill that maybe it would have been better if we had booked the Hilton Garden Inn by the arena. It would have spared us the traffic nightmare. However, I have a genuine fondness for the Waldhotel. It has all we need; it’s convenient; and it’s in a really pleasant part of Stuttgart. I’m glad we tried the junior suite, too. I don’t know if we need to book it again– maybe we will. I’d go back just to hang out with the Italian barkeep.

Goodbye, lovely Waldhotel… We don’t have as many wooded areas up here in Wiesbaden.

We needed to find something to do for a few hours, since Max doesn’t allow pickups at Dog on Holiday until after 2:30pm. I suggested the Schwabenquellen, which is one of Stuttgart’s mineral baths/spas. The Schwabenquellen is a textile free facility. Unlike the Mineraltherme in Böblingen, on most days, swimsuits aren’t allowed anywhere in the whole “park”. It’s only on certain dedicated days that one can wear suits at the Schwabenquellen.

To be honest, although I’m totally into the nude spa scene, I like the Mineraltherme better than the Schwabenquellen, especially since they renovated it a couple of years ago. For one thing, the Mineraltherme has a great restaurant that offers healthy dishes rather than burgers and pizzas. For another thing, there are more pools and more things to do at the Mineraltherme. It’s also significantly cheaper. However, the Schwabenquellen was more convenient to our location and the Mineraltherme is closed for cleaning right now.

Before yesterday, I had been to the Schwabenquellen only once before. It was back in 2017, and I remember very clearly that I had to figure out how to use the lockers. It took about twenty minutes to realize that the lockers are assigned by a computer system. You don’t just pick one yourself, like you do at the Mineraltherme. While I was getting undressed, a young German woman asked me in German if I understood how the lockers operated. I asked her if she spoke English. Of course she did. I told her how the system worked. Then, when we went to shower, she tried to use her “watch” to turn it on. She laughed and said, “I promise, I’m not stupid” when I told her all she had to do was push the button. I was just glad to be helpful to someone for once.

Naturally, because it’s a nude spa, I didn’t take any pictures. The Schwabenquellen, although a little cheesy and dated, is kind of nice. I like the big pool in the middle of the facility, even though it’s cold. Actually, I thought most of the hot tubs were a little cool for my liking, as were the saunas. The complex looks like it could use some refurbishing, especially in the locker rooms. I noticed some of the showers looked like they needed sprucing up. We did manage to relax during our few hours there. It was a fine way to kill time before getting back on the road to Wiesbaden. I also noticed that unlike last time we visited, most everything was open rather than closed for repairs.

The one place I think the Schwabenquellen should start refurbishing is its restaurant. Both times we’ve eaten there, I’ve been less than impressed with the food. But, I don’t think the Schwabenquellen is like the Mineraltherme, which appears to focus on health rather than simple relaxation and recreation. They have a lot of themed saunas, some of which included music. The Austrian sauna had some funny hunting themed decorations on the walls and Austrian “fest” music. The Tibetan sauna was decorated in an Asian style and had very calm music. I liked the different themes, but they seemed to be more for entertainment than therapeutic value.

At about 2:30, we pulled up to Max’s to get Zane and Arran. They were outside in the yard and Zane heard me say something. He started bugling, which got Arran going. When they brought the boys in, Zane, in particular, was struggling to get to us. He and Arran clearly had a great weekend, but like us, they were ready to go home. As always, we were so grateful that Max and Christine took such great care of them for us. I wish we could transplant them in Wiesbaden. The dogs will be trying out a new “hotel” at the end of the month, when we go to Cologne to see The Eagles. Hopefully, that place will work out just as well.

Despite our SNAFUs in Stuttgart traffic and being too old for the Fest, I think we had a good weekend in Stuttgart. I really had forgotten about how awful the traffic is, although I did notice A8 was a lot nicer yesterday. I think they’re working on A81 now, which was the road that most directly affected us during both of our Stuttgart stints. Hopefully, the upgrades will make commuting easier for everyone, once they’re finished.

Will we be back in November for dental cleanings? Maybe… or we may be back sooner for other reasons. In any case, Stuttgart really does feel like home– or, at least my German home. It was nice to be back for a few days. And it’s also nice to be back in Wiesbaden.

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Things aren’t bad in Baden-Baden… Part five

Sunday was the day we’d been waiting for. It was the day we planned to brave the Friedrichsbad, well known around the world for being an old fashioned Roman-Irish bath. I remember when I first heard of the Friedrichsbad bath. It was back in 2015, when I wrote about how, in France, men have to wear Speedos at public swimming pools. In that post, I mentioned that my husband, Bill, would not want to wear Speedos for anything, but I was working on getting him to consent to a visit at the Friedrichsbad in Baden-Baden. At that time, I was also a bit leery of being naked in front of strangers.

Well… as of June of 2017, Bill and I both took the naked plunge for the first time when we visited Palais Thermal in Bad Wildbad, which is a mostly nude spa. Since that bold day in early June, we’ve done the naked thing a few more times at the Schwabenquellen in Stuttgart, and at Böblingen’s own Mineraltherme. The Schwabenquellen is all nude except on certain days and/or at certain times. The Mineraltherme is nude in the saunagarten on the bottom floor, which has a pool area. Frankly, having now seen the Mineraltherme’s whole complex, I think not going to the saunagarten is a waste. There’s a whole lot more to do in the nude area.

The Friedrichsbad is different, though. It’s not really like the other nude spas we’ve been to. For one thing, it’s a very old bathhouse and looks it. It was opened in 1877 and does not have any of the new fangled finery of the other spas. Hell, it doesn’t even have 1980s era finery. This is an old school spa. However, of all of the spas we’ve done, I like it the most.

We decided to do the Friedrichsbad before we tried neighboring Caracalla because I knew Caracalla was going to be like the other places we’ve been. Also, I had a feeling that the Friedrichsbad was an experience best had first thing in the morning… and also, we happened to be out for breakfast without our towels or bathing suits and we didn’t feel like going back to the room to fetch them. There is no need to bring a bathing suit or a towel to the Friedrichsbad. They provide everything, even shower gel.

We had walked into the downtown area in search of an economical breakfast and found one at the assembly line like bakery called Peters am Leo. This place was doing quite a brisk business when we arrived at about 9:00am.

Very cheerful and busy!

We noticed they had a breakfast deal for two people priced at 19,95 euros, so we went for that. It was a lot of food… more than we needed.

We got fresh fruit, some kind of “vanilla mousse” with raspberry, butter, and jam…

Scrambled eggs with bacon mixed in, cold cuts, cheese, and a big basket of bread, hot drinks (I had hot chocolate and Bill had coffee), and a choice of either Sekt or orange juice. We had orange juice. We couldn’t finish everything.

Coffee!

I was treated to a nice view of the action.

I started to enjoy breakfast until I suddenly heard the unmistakable sound of someone gearing up to spit. I glanced over at the table catty cornered to ours just in time to see the guy who was sitting there spit into his plate. It really grossed me out, which seems strange, since I have neither a filter nor an appreciation for the concept of TMI. Fortunately, the guy got up and left, but not without leaving part of his breakfast on the table.

I was eager to forget about the “loogie hocking” guy, so we made our way to the old bathhouse. When we entered at about 10:00am, things were pretty quiet. A pleasant and very laid back looking black lady was sitting at the admissions booth. She would later help us when we decided to visit the Caracalla spa next door. I think she recognized us, too.

The famous baths on a sunny Sunday morning. I think that may be a great time to go to the baths. It wasn’t very busy when we arrived, but business was picking up as we left.

Anyway, when we met her the first time, she greeted us kindly in English and was patient as we ordered the luxury plus package. Priced at 59 euros per person, this is the most “luxurious” of the packages. It includes soap and brush massage, a cream massage, a meal, and a drink at the spa restaurant in the Caracalla. If I’d had more time to read up, I would have gone for the luxury ticket, which eschewed the meal. It turns out the meal and drink offered at the spa restaurant are limited to salads and pasta. Also, I would have rather eaten somewhere else. Leave it to me to go for the most expensive deal.

The luxury and luxury plus tickets allow up to four hours in the baths. We didn’t need that long to go through the whole experience, but it’s nice to know we could have stayed longer if we’d wanted to. Those who don’t want the whole experience can opt for a basic ticket, which doesn’t include soap or cream massages or the wellness ticket, which leaves out the cream massage. Each progressive step in inclusiveness adds another ten euros to the cost. We paid 118 euros. Credit cards are accepted.

Once we paid our admission, the lady gave us waterproof wristwatches… the same kind we’ve gotten at every German spa we’ve ever attended. Sunday happened to be a “mixed” day, which meant men and women were coming from both sides of the spa. Some days, the sexes are split. Women go to the right and men go to the left. I wanted to experience the baths with Bill at my side, so we chose the mixed day.

Here goes…

After we found lockers, we grabbed the sheets that were left inside, got completely naked in changing rooms (which now seems ridiculous under the circumstances), and were beckoned into the baths by a bunch of very brawny looking men in white uniforms. I soon realized that the other side of the spa was staffed with similarly attired women.

The men, a couple of whom spoke English, directed us to get shower shoes and then take showers under the old style open bay showers. They had big levers that controlled the water temperature in a rather crude way. It kind of reminded me of a prison shower, not that I have any experience with prisons, mind you. It’s just that it was very crude and not private at all. And though we had entered the baths covered with a sheet, that lasted maybe a minute before they were taken away.

The shower shoes, at least on the men’s side, were huge and way too big for my feet. But I only wore them for a short while, as we sat in a warm room for ten minutes, then a hotter room for five. The shoes were necessary because the floor is very hot and will burn your feet if you walk in there unshod.

After we sat in the hot rooms, we took another shower, then were summoned for the soap and scrubbing, and a massage. Bill’s therapist was a big German guy who spoke English. I got a burly Russian man whose German seemed rather elementary– or, I’m going to assume he was Russian. He could have been Bulgarian, Polish, or Ukrainian, for all I know. I don’t think he was German, though.

He invited me to lie face up on the table as he scrubbed my body with soap and a scrub brush, rinsed, then had me roll over so he could do the other side. Then, he gave me a vigorous massage that made a couple of joints crack audibly. It was a rather surreal experience… almost clinical, yet kind of primal, too.

There I was, naked as the day I was born, lying totally exposed on a table with bright lighting shining down on my bare body, as if I were in a hospital. And yet, despite decades of feeling ashamed of my body, I didn’t really care that much. I mean, the staff sees all kinds of people day in and day out. They were totally professional, and it’s not even like I was the biggest and ugliest person there. Besides, after a few minutes, the nudity thing doesn’t really matter at all. Everybody’s naked, and I think most people just stop noticing.

After our enthusiastic massages were finished, we went into the first of two steam rooms. The first room was kind of warm and smelled heavily of sulfur. We were in there for ten minutes, sitting on “butt pads”. Then we went to a warmer steam room for five minutes. I looked to my right and noticed the very old equipment that was making the steam from Baden-Baden’s ancient thermal springs. After another shower, we went to station 9, which was the first pool. It was nice and warm and very tranquil as we soaked for ten minutes. That was really what I had been waiting for the whole time. It was heavenly and extremely relaxing.

Next came a short time in a shallow pool that bubbled. We sat there until it was time to hit station 11, which is the beautiful round pool that is featured in all of Friedrichsbad’s literature. What I didn’t know was that the water in that beautiful pool is very cold! We did our five minutes there, then went to the other side of the pool. This was where things went a little awry.

Unbeknownst to us at the time, we were supposed to stay on the side we came in on. When we went to the pool on the other side of the round pool, we ended up on the wrong side of the baths. This is only a big deal because we needed to be on the side where we entered in order to access our lockers. When we got to the end of the line, which included more showers and a dip in an ice cold pool, a female staffer turned us around. I now realize that if we’d done the last part on the female side, we would have had to somehow get to the other side while naked. Either way, we had to backtrack or else flash everyone in the public part of the building.

So, we turned around and walked back through the stations until we got to the men’s side. We were greeted by the same big dudes with big hands, who wrapped us in warm towels and invited us to wait for the cream massage. The same Russian guy who did my soap scrubbing took me to a private room, while Bill got a different German guy. The Russian guy expertly rubbed herbal smelling cream all over my naked body. Once again, I was strangely uninhibited. He was very much an expert. I left his care with skin like a newborn baby’s as he directed us to drink tea in the “reading room”.

Actually, we were supposed to go “sleep” for thirty minutes in the sleeping room, but to be honest, I was alright with skipping that part. I doubt I would have slept, anyway. Besides, it was just nice to relax on the lounger in the “reading room” with unsweetened hot tea and Bill at my side. It was a very restful experience for me, although I will admit that it’s not for everyone. I know many people would prefer not to bare their bodies to the world. But, I have to say… now that I’ve gotten into nudity, it doesn’t really faze me at all anymore. In fact, I find it quite liberating. Maybe I’m more German than 23andMe says I am.

When we were finished relaxing at the Friedrichsbad, we went back to the locker room, got dressed, and went back to the hotel. After a short break there, we packed up day bags with swimsuits, towels, and robes. I wasn’t going to leave Baden-Baden without trying both of its best known spas. Also, because we got the Luxury Plus ticket, we were owed a meal at the Caracalla spa.

The guy at the spa restaurant who waited on us was quite the smooth talker. I noticed he was easily mingling in French, German, English, and even a little bit of Russian. I was a little cranky because most of their beer was non-alcoholic. In the restaurant, they do have wine and one “real” beer. I ended up with a non-alcoholic hefeweizen, which wasn’t bad, but wasn’t great. I also got a Coke because it came with our coupons.

I somehow ended up with a side of duck, which wasn’t covered by the coupon. At least it tasted good.

Bill had a chef’s salad.

I had a “fruity” salad, which was made with shrimps, mangoes, cherry tomatoes, onions, and greens. The bread was excellent. It was soft and not too crusty.

After lunch, we tried the Caracalla Spa… and, I gotta say, I was much less impressed with it than any of the other spas I’ve been to. First off, it was very crowded yesterday. It’s also been around awhile, as evidenced by how everything looked. The tiles were all faded and somewhat discolored. The water looked a little bit cloudy. I guess I’m used to the Mineraltherme, which was just extensively refurbished last year.

They were repairing the “blue grotto”, which probably would have been packed with people, anyway. The only thing I really liked about the Caracalla Spa was this really cool current alley in one of the outdoor pools. It was almost like shooting the rapids as it propelled spa-goers down a pass. But we had to be careful not to be shot into someone standing on the side of the pool. I think some people were oblivious to the danger of careening bodies in the strong currents.

As crowded as the Mineraltherme gets sometimes, at least their snack bars have wine and beer and really good food. The one thing the Caracalla had that the Mineraltherme didn’t was fresh squeezed juices, which were admittedly delicious. Bill and I tried their orange juice, which was nice after a couple of sauna sessions. Other than that, I was not all that impressed with Caracalla. I would much rather visit the Friedrichsbad again. The Caracalla also has a saunagarten that costs extra, but it doesn’t have a nude pool. Instead, there are a bunch of saunas and one whirlpool that was packed the whole time. It wasn’t very relaxing at all. We paid for three hours and left about halfway through.

When we were finished at the Caracalla Spa, we walked back to the hotel and I took a shower. We enjoyed a rest after our big day of relaxing baths. Actually, I was surprised by how tired I was after hitting two spas in one day. As the sun went down, I told Bill that I wanted to have dinner somewhere, so we wouldn’t end up sitting around drinking wine. We decided to try Rizzi & Co., which is a wine bar very close to the hotel. I was glad to try it, because I had been eyeing the menu the whole time we were in town. We were also lucky because they happened to have one two top open for us. The next couple who showed up without a reservation was out of luck.

The menu looked good.

Obligatory menu shot of Bill… We weren’t very hungry, so we went with something fairly light.

I had salmon filet with broccoli and a maple glaze. I enjoyed the salmon, but especially liked the broccoli, which was really more like broccolini. It was surprisingly tasty.

Bill had rare tuna, served with chopsticks, soy sauce, and wasabi. It was just the right size. Naturally, we also enjoyed a very nice red wine.

The bar area was pretty cool, although they were playing dance music that made us feel ancient. I think a lot of Russians frequent Rizzi & Co. It looks like it caters to the young and hip.

For dessert, I had Le Colonel, which is lemon sorbet with a shot of vodka poured over it.

And Bill had vanilla mousse, which was covered with mangoes… I thought it looked like cream of corn soup!

It’s a very hip place.

Since we were told we had 90 minutes, we were quick about eating dinner. I was ready to go to bed, anyway. I think we were both out cold before 9:30pm. In fact, I remember waking from a sound sleep at just past eleven for a potty break. It’s exhausting trying to relax. When we got back to the hotel, one of the receptionists said, “Good night, Mr. and Mrs. Crossen.” That really blew Bill’s mind. It’s something when the staff at a big hotel remembers your name. It happened a few times during our visit. I think it’s the hallmark of superb service.

This morning, we decided to have breakfast at the hotel. We went back to the breakfast room and loaded up at the buffet and enjoyed the excellent coffee. I was thinking maybe we wouldn’t have eggs again, but a very charming German gent, whose name was Friedrich and had probably worked there for awhile, charmed us into having scrambled eggs. He indulged Bill’s German and also greeted him by name, without any prompting. Maybe we were easy to remember since I don’t think there were too many Americans there during our visit. We also had a shot of espresso for the road.

When it came time to check out, we were warmly welcomed by the same chap who had checked us in. He was delighted when we gushed about our weekend and invited me to sign up for their email service/newsletter, which is free of charge and entitles us to perks like free breakfast (which is well worth it). Since we’re moving to Wiesbaden and Wiesbaden isn’t all that far from Baden-Baden, I could see us coming back to Brenners Park, even if it is super expensive. We really enjoyed ourselves and the service is absolutely top notch. Of course, I’m not sure how we’re going to downgrade from a junior suite. They’re probably counting on that!

I wondered what this was. Bill showed me that it’s a coat rack.

Perfect scrambled eggs. Better than the eggs at the bakery yesterday… and no one hocked a loogie.

This is Brenner Park’s resident cat, Kleopatra. I never saw her, but we did see evidence of her presence. Evidently, she eats on the second floor of the hotel, which is where we were staying. Her food bowl and water were neatly laid out in the hall.

I think all told, we spent about 3.000 euros. That included a couple of nights in the bar, a couple of breakfasts for two, two spa treatments, and parking for four days. And yet, even though that’s a lot of money for us, we were both smiling as we got into the car to go home. The hotel staff had kindly provided us with a small bag that included waters and snacks for our drive. It was the kind of service Bill and I have experienced on luxury cruise lines, notably Hebridean Island Cruises, which costs a mint but offers stellar service. If you’re interested in my Hebridean experiences, you can easily read about them in this blog. We have sailed with them four times– in 2012 (back to back cruises, and written about on my main blog), 2016 (whisky cruise), and 2017 (Scotland and Northern Ireland).

A shot of the countryside on the way home. This isn’t far from Seewald, which is not far from where we are living until next Tuesday. Then, it’s off to Wiesbaden.

Anyway… so ends our very ritzy trip to nearby Baden-Baden. We had a great time! If we manage to make it back there, we will have to make a point of seeing and doing more in the area, which surely offers more than spas and shopping! But then, Wiesbaden is a lot like a more cosmopolitan Baden-Baden. So we’ll see…

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Another naked afternoon in Stuttgart…

I think I might be Bubbles’ soul sister…

I know… I know… this naked spa stuff is starting to become a habit. I wasn’t actually planning to visit the Schwabenquellen this weekend. We decided to go kind of by default. I’m glad we went because we had a great time and I’m feeling a whole lot better. That’s right. We hit the spa today for medicinal purposes.

I woke up early this morning needing to pee. As I got up, somehow I twisted my neck and gave myself a whopper of a crick. When I was fully awake later this morning, I realized that I couldn’t turn my head to the left without a lot of pain. Seriously, folks. I was really hurting. I still have some pain after our naked afternoon, but it’s not as bad as it was earlier today. I have my generous, good sport of a husband and the spa to thank for that.

I suggested the Schwabenquellen, knowing that Bill probably wouldn’t be too excited about it. Although he always ends up enjoying the spas whenever we go, he’s very self-conscious about being seen in a bathing suit. Well, the bathing suit wasn’t a problem today, since the Schwabenquellen is almost always textile free. By that, I mean you usually have to be without a bathing suit in the saunas, the steam baths, and the pools. You are, however, highly encouraged to wear a robe and/or a big towel. I bought Bill a new robe last week for just that purpose and we brought two towels each, one to sit on and one to dry off with. We ended up only using one each. I also brought “shower shoes”, but didn’t end up using them much.

The Schwabenquellen is located in the SI Centrum complex, very close to Kelley Barracks. There’s a huge parking garage there and, if you use the spa, you can get your parking ticket validated so parking is cheaper. Today, we spent 2,50 euros.

Naturally, I didn’t manage to get many pictures. This is one I got in the garage as we were about to climb the stairwell to the spa.

We decided to get the all day pass, since it was priced only a little bit more than the two hour pass. We weren’t sure how long we were going to be there today, since I knew there were a lot of rooms, themed saunas, and steambaths available, as well as two large pools. In retrospect, we were smart to get the all day pass the first time, even though we don’t usually stay longer than a couple of hours. The reason we were smart was because there is a bit of a learning curve to figuring out how things work at the Schwabenquellen. For example, it took both Bill and me several minutes to figure out how to get the lockers to work. We also had a mishap when we had lunch. There will be more on that in the coming paragraphs, because I intend to give my readers the lowdown on what to do at the Schwabenquellen.

After we paid the entrance fee, the lady behind the counter gave us the little plastic watches I’ve come to expect at Germany’s best spas. The “watch” doesn’t tell time; it provides you with a way to make purchases without using cash and it also gets you use of a locker. There are some small lockers available in the lobby that run on coins, but if you have more than a wallet and a phone, you’re probably going to want a bigger one. Unlike the Mineraltherme, the Schwabenquellen separates its locker rooms by sex. There are also no individual changing rooms at the Schwabenquellen like there are at the Mineraltherme.

How to use the lockers

In the interest of helping out my fellow man, I’m going to explain how to use the lockers at the Schwabenquellen. They, too, are different than what Bill and I have encountered at the Mineraltherme and the Palais Thermal in Bad Wildbad.

Step 1: Wave your watch in front of one of the monitors in the locker room.

Step 2: Wait for the monitor to tell you which locker is yours.

Step 3: Find your locker.

Step 4: There’s a little green light that should flash on. When it does, put your stuff in the locker, close the door, and turn the knob counter clockwise. That should lock it. You’ll know it’s locked if the dial stays to the left instead of coming back in a horizontal line.

It took us awhile to figure out this process and we did not see any signs in English explaining it, although there are English instructions on the monitors. If I had known to pay attention to the monitors, I’m sure I would have figured it out much faster. I don’t think I even noticed them until several frustrating moments had passed with me trying to lock up my stuff.

Now, you have your locker and you put everything away. Be sure to remember which number you have, although when you come back into the locker room, you’ll need to swipe your watch again. The monitor will remind you which one is yours as it unlocks the locker for you. Also, be sure to stow your cell phone. Phones and/or cameras are not allowed in the spa for obvious reasons.

Once you’ve stowed your clothes in your locker, make sure you’re naked, unless you happen to be visiting at a time when swimsuits are allowed. The first Saturday of every month is when patrons can wear suits. Also, every Tuesday after 6:00pm, patrons have a choice of whether or not to go naked. There are also designated ladies days on the first Wednesdays of March, June, September, and December. That means ladies only, but I don’t think it means you can wear your bathing suit.

You can now simply walk out of the locker room naked if you wish, or you can cover up in a towel or a robe. Put any other stuff like extra towels and robes in one of the many cubbies scattered throughout the facility. It may be strange being naked in a spa. Some people may find it embarrassing. For some reason, I’ve taken to nudity like a native. Next thing you know, I’ll be sporting Jack Wolfskin activewear. Then I’ll really pass for a local, at least until I open my mouth.

Careful with the first stop…

The first thing you will come across is a very large pool with two waterfalls. It’s a very deep, inviting, beautiful pool. You can see it pictured on the Schwabenquellen’s Web site. Allow me to warn you that that particular pool is cold. If you’re a guy and you go striding in, thinking it’s going to be warm, it’s likely you will experience major shrinkage. However, the water is refreshing and you should get used to it quickly.

There’s another pool that is warm and full of salt water. If you want to, you can access that pool inside and walk outside in the warm water. Or you can access it outside. The salt pool is really nice, though both have jets on them.

Bill and I aren’t much into saunas, but we did try the Canadian sauna next to the salt pool. It’s 90 degrees Celsius and nice, dry heat. I liked that sauna because it’s very large and there’s plenty of room. As a matter of fact, the spa wasn’t busy today and there was plenty of room throughout the complex. I found it a very nice change from the Mineraltherme.

We also tried the amethyst steam room, which was very hot and intense. I couldn’t take more than a couple of minutes in there.

How to order food and drinks.

This was another area where Bill and I had a slight problem. The spa has a bar out by the “beach”, which is a sandy area with loungers where you can catch some rays. The bar sells drinks only. There’s also the Mandala Bar, which overlooks the cold pool with the waterfalls. The Mandala Bar offers a buffet as well as a small menu with burgers, salads, pizzas, paninis, rumpsteak, salmon, turkey, and baked potatoes, as well as some snacks. You can also purchase cocktails there. If you order food that has to be prepared (as opposed to taken from the buffet), you will get a chit and a beeper that will go off when your food is ready. Don’t forget, as Bill did, to give the chit to the cook. If you don’t, you will be waiting a long time for food that never gets made.

As for food… I think this is one area where the Schwabenquellen could improve. The Mineraltherme in Boeblingen has a nice restaurant with really interesting choices that are pretty healthy. The Schwabenquellen’s offerings are a lot more pedestrian, although we enjoyed what we had. Bill had a ham and cheese panini and I had a Hawaiian pizza, which was way too big for me to finish. Food and drink prices are pretty standard. It’s not like the tourist traps of the United States where they take advantage of a captive audience. I noticed none of the food was priced over 15 euros.

And yes, you ARE expected to wear a robe or a big towel when you’re dining at the Mandala Bar. In fact, you need to sit on a towel or wear a robe whenever you are not in the water. There are also rest areas where you are expected to wear dry swimwear or otherwise be clothed.

Overall impressions

As Bill and I were enjoying our late lunch, I commented that the spa reminded me of an adult oriented Rainforest Cafe. I don’t know how long the spa has existed, but to me, it has sort of a late 80s vibe. The Mineraltherme appears to be a lot more modern, although it’s also a lot more inclusive. One thing I did notice today was that there were no children around and that was a good thing, especially since everyone was naked.

I noticed that a lot of the signage, though not all, was translated into English. That was very helpful, although we could have used English instructions for the lockers. I also noticed that they were playing horrid pan flute music in the bar area. Think Zamfir… It certainly added to the late 80s early 90s vibe.

They were playing “The Rose” today… not sure if it was Zamfir, but it sounded like this.

Staff was very friendly and I thought the facility was pretty clean, if not a little dated looking. I didn’t get to try everything available, but I enjoyed today enough that I’d happily go back for another visit, especially since I now know how to use the lockers. We spent a little over three hours at the spa and might have stayed longer, except we knew our dogs were at home waiting to be fed. I also noticed that though my neck isn’t totally back to normal, it does feel a lot better after some time in the water and the sauna.

If I keep going to textile free spas, pretty soon, people will be calling me Bubbles…

As we exited the spa, we handed our watches to the attendant and Bill paid for the food and drinks. Then she gave us tickets, which we used to get through the turnstile and back into the land of the clothed. Of the three spas I’ve tried so far, I think I might like Schwabenquellen the best. Yes, it’s a little cheesy and slightly more expensive than Mineraltherme is. And yes, I like the food at the Mineraltherme better and the Mineraltherme offers a choice as to whether or not you have to disrobe. But today, at least, it was less crowded than it has been at the Mineraltherme the last few times I’ve been. There also seems to be more to do at the Schwabenquellen. I like all the different saunas, steam rooms, and treatments you can get at the Schwabenquellen. And the absence of kids, much as I like them, is definitely a plus if you really want to relax.

We really could have spent the whole day doing stuff at the Schwabenquellen. Next time we get a day pass, we’ll have to spend more time enjoying all of the facilities. I would definitely recommend the Schwabenquellen for a fun and interesting date night. Just keep an open mind and avert your eyes. Above all, relax, enjoy yourself, and remember that no one is looking at your junk.

I took a shot of Bill as we exited, just to prove he was there… All told, we spent roughly 100 euros today, including the two day passes, lunch for two, four beers, and parking. You can also rent towels and robes and purchase shower shoes if you find yourself unprepared.

Children under age 6 are not allowed in the Schwabenquellen. As for kids over age 6, here is the policy according to their official Web site.

Personally, I don’t think this spa is a good place to bring children, whether or not they are allowed.

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Turkish food, tears, and tanned backsides…

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I recently asked members of the local food and wine Facebook group for suggestions of places to go out to eat. One of the suggestions was 3 Mohren, a Turkish restaurant in Sindelfingen. I was delighted to try this place today, since we walked past it last week on our way to Corners Burger Restaurant and I noticed how well attended it was and how good it smelled. We made reservations for 1:00pm via the restaurant’s Web site. When we arrived a few minutes early, the place was jumping with business. It turns out 3 Mohren has a popular Sunday brunch buffet and lots of people were taking advantage of it.

The sleek, modern sign outside the restaurant… On nice days, there’s a large terrace available, as well as a good sized indoor dining room.

Bill and I weren’t there for the buffet. We wanted to try some Turkish food and a bottle of Turkish wine. We were very successful in that endeavor today.

Our server seated us at a four top table near the buffet table and had a good look at the menu, which offers all kinds of Turkish specialties with lamb, chicken, beef, and fish. There are also vegetarian selections. Do not go there looking for pork; naturally, you won’t find it on the menu.

We decided to start with an order of hummus, a bottle of mineral water with gas, and a bottle of Turkish wine. Both the waitress and the owner of the restaurant spoke excellent English once they realized we aren’t German.

Bill checks out the menu… lots of great Turkish choices, as well as grilled salmon, shrimp, and dorade. The menu is also vegetarian and kid friendly.

This was a very nice dry red wine from Eastern Anatolia. Several bottles were available, as were wines by the glass and a range of cocktails. 3 Mohren has a full bar.

A shot of the buffet during a couple of minutes when it wasn’t being visited by patrons. This table stretched another ninety degrees into the next dining room. I didn’t get a close look at what was on the table, but people seemed to be enjoying the food

The hummus was absolutely delicious. The bread was dressed with a zesty oil that gave the chickpea dip a kick. This was a nice start to lunch.

Bill and I both went with kebabs. He had a lamb kebab and I had chicken. Both dishes came with salads, rice, and vegetables, as well as a basket of bread.

This salad was not too big, which I appreciated. It consisted of lettuce, corn, carrots, radishes, and a zingy dressing that tasted of mild mustard with just a dash of mint. I really liked the dressing.

My chicken kebab. The chicken was white meat and just a little dry for my taste, but well seasoned. The vegetables were cauliflower, zucchini, carrots, potatoes, broccoli, and a green pepper. There was also a small scoop of delicious rice that had a buttery essence. I might have liked this better if it had come with a sauce or something on the side.

I don’t usually go for lamb, but I have to admit Bill’s lamb was excellent. Next time, I might have to have a mixed grill or even order the lamb myself. It was very tender, juicy, and not gamey at all.

We were offered a basket of bread, which we accepted. It arrived hot and fresh. I noticed a couple with twin babies who were just adorable. They had big, bright blue eyes and one of them kept staring at me. I think I heard their mom talking to the owner about booking the restaurant for a party of 30 people.

As we were sitting there eating, I was paying attention to the music. They were playing a lot of jazz– mostly modern stuff. I think I heard some Diana Krall. Then I heard a cover version of Stevie Wonder’s classic song, “If It’s Magic”, which is originally from his wonderful 1976 album, Songs in the Key of Life. Although the cover version wasn’t necessarily moving to me, I was explaining the song to Bill. It’s always been kind of special to me, because the lyrics are so wise and seem especially poignant, particularly given the mood a lot of us have been in over the past few months.

For those who haven’t heard the song, here’s a video…

This song always moves me.

So anyway, there I was sitting in the Turkish restaurant, explaining to Bill the meaning of this song. It poses the question why, if love is so special and magical, are we so careless with it? Why don’t we pay as much attention to preserving the love in our relationships as we do to how we dress, smiling for the camera, and protecting our children from danger? For some reason, as I was explaining the song, I got very verklempt and started tearing up. I was sitting at the table wiping tears and talking about the song in a quavery voice. It was kind of embarrassing.

Bill is used to this reaction from me, especially over music. We’re both hopeless saps when it comes to some things. I usually see him get weepy when he enters a beautiful cathedral or looks at amazing artwork. He sees me tear up when I hear gorgeous music with powerful lyrics. I have a Stevie Wonder DVD that I’ve only watched once or twice because it makes me cry to watch Stevie Wonder perform. He is so incredibly talented. I am myself a singer and have sung “If It’s Magic”. I have to admit, it’s usually a struggle to get through it without getting really emotional. It probably doesn’t help that I’m also hormonal as hell right now.

I don’t know about my readers, but Bill and I have had a pretty tumultuous few months. Although it probably started with the political upheaval that’s been going on since Trump got elected, it really started coming to a head in April when Bill’s former company lost its contract and we spent a couple of scary months wondering if we were going to have to move… and if so, where? Then, both of Bill’s parents had some rather major health issues. They’re both mostly fine and we ended up not having to move, but that doesn’t mean we weren’t worried. And now Bill’s working for a new company and feels the pressure to perform and prove himself to his new employers. Although 2017 was not nearly as stressful as 2014 was– when we moved here from Texas after Bill retired– it has been a bit crazy. Add Trump to the mix and the fact that our dog had a cancer scare (that turned out not to be cancer, thank God) and you have a couple of really wound up people.

Anyway, once I finished explaining the song and wiped away the tears, we were finished with lunch. Bill called for the check, which was about 58 euros. I think he paid in cash, but I believe they do accept cards there.

Given how tense we both were, we decided to visit the Mineraltherme in Böblingen. It just reopened after having been closed for renovations for several months. I had to talk Bill into going, but he admits that every time I talk him into hitting the spa, he feels a lot better afterwards. I wanted to see the changes they made over the summer. Looks like brand new lockers, more parking spots (most of which were filled today), and new equipment in the saunagartens. I read they invested over 13.5 million euros in fixing the place up.

Today, we did something we had never done before… at least not at the Mineraltherme. Today, for the first time ever, we ventured downstairs to the textile free area and actually stripped down to our birthday suits. Regular readers may have read about our trip to the Palais Thermal spa in Bad Wildbad a couple of months ago. That was our first time getting naked in front of strangers. Well, today was the first time we did it locally and ran the risk of running into people we know.

Honestly, it was kind of awesome. After a quick dip upstairs in the clothed area, we went down to the classic sauna area, got in the raw, and hit a sauna. We paid an extra 5,50 euros each to go into the saunagarten, where everyone is buck naked (but with big towels and robes for when they sit down). We took a longer dip in the warm, relaxing mineral pool, wandered around the gardens, checking out the sandy lounge areas, relaxed in another sauna, had a beer, and then tried out the heated lounge chairs (wrapped in towels, of course). It was amazingly relaxed and pleasant. In all seriousness, the nudity thing doesn’t bother me in the slightest anymore. I have taken to it like the proverbial duck to water. Yeah, no one wants to see me naked, but I no longer give a shit about that. It’s a wonderful feeling.

After a couple of hours enjoying some rays, warm water, German suds, and peace and quiet, we headed home. Bill looked a lot less stressed. I told him we need to make a priority out of visiting the spa more often… and he needs to get back to the gym and blow off some steam before he has a stroke. It was a really lovely afternoon.

Needless to say, I recommend 3 Mohren, but make reservations if you’re coming on the weekend. Both the restaurant and the spa were noticeably less packed later in the afternoon. We will have to remember that for next time. Turkish food plus being naked with Germans equals awesomeness… A good cry over music doesn’t hurt, either.

Baden-Württemberg

Unexpected fest leads to unexpected nudity…

This morning, Bill asked me what I wanted to do today. A German who runs one of our local Facebook groups recommended the Paracelsus-Therme in the lovely town of Bad Liebenzell. It had been ages since my last trip to the Mineraltherme in Böblingen. Right now, that spa is under massive construction and will be closed until mid July. I told Bill I wanted to check out the spa recommended by our German friend.

Bill doesn’t enjoy visiting spas. He’s bashful about being seen in a bathing suit. On the other hand, once I cajole him into going, he usually enjoys his spa time almost as much as I do. Of course, here in Germany, many spas are textile free, which means that patrons are naked. I sold Bill on the spa in Bad Liebenzell by reminding him that unlike the Mineraltherme, the Paracelsus-Therme does not have a textile free area. Everyone would be wearing bathing suits.

Although he still wasn’t too hot on the idea of hitting the spa, my dear husband finally relented and we loaded up the car and went. The drive was kind of quiet and awkward, yet absolutely stunning. If you haven’t been to the towns in the Calw area, I highly recommend just taking a Saturday or Sunday to drive through there. It’s an incredibly picturesque area.

So… we got to Bad Liebenzell, turned a corner, and ran smack dab into the middle of another unexpected fest. We didn’t stop and take a look around, but it looked like there were a bunch of classic cars on display. No matter. We were headed to the spa.

We got to the spa and the parking lot was completely full. I’m pretty sure many of the people who had parked there were headed to the fest. Despite circling around the parking lot several times, we were unable to find a spot. Bill was getting more and more irritated; I was getting hungry; and my car was running out of gas. We decided to abandon the idea of going to Paracelsus-Therme. While Bill was gassing up my car, I had a sudden brainstorm.

Back in 2015, Bill and I drove to the spa town of Bad Wildbad and took a walk at Baumwipfelpfad, otherwise known as “the treewalk”. This very cool attraction has become popular with Americans in the area and it was definitely fun to try it. On the way out of there, I noticed signs for mineral baths. Remembering that Bad Wildbad was a really nice town and has spas, I did a quick check on my iPhone to see what was available.

Bad Wildbad has two main spas. There’s Vital Therme, which is evidently a conventional spa where people wear bathing suits and there are exercise classes and such. And then there’s Palais Thermal, which allows suits in some areas and not in others. I read a few reviews on Trip Advisor and a few people complained that Palais Thermal is a spa for “nudists”. Since I’ve been wanting to go nekked for awhile now, I told Bill we should go there. And yes, I did warn him that it was “textile free”… eventually, anyway. He wasn’t thrilled. I won him over with giggling.

Bill did visit the first floor of the Mineraltherme with me once, so he had been in a textile free spa before. However, before today, neither of us had ever had the pleasure of actually being naked in front of a bunch of strangers. This was going to be FUN!

My husband was decidedly grumpy as he pulled into the parking garage. I reminded him that he had given me a gift certificate to Friedrichsbad in Baden-Baden and if he planned to join me there, he’d have to get over his aversion to nudity in front of strangers. With a sigh of resignation, Bill followed me to the Palais Thermal.

In we walked… A pleasant lady was seated behind a reception desk. Bill asked in German if she spoke English. She hesitated, then pointed to her colleague, a friendly looking lady who laughed when I giggled and said we were “shy Americans”. She handed us a piece of paper with instructions on how things work at Palais Thermal and two bracelets which we would use for purchasing spa treatments and food and beverages. Cash is not used in the spa. We were used to this system. It’s pretty much the same one used at the Mineraltherme.

If you decide to pay Palais Thermal a visit, I highly recommend getting the instructions in English so you’ll know what to do. Some Trip Advisor reviewers mentioned being taken aback by the nudity and not knowing when nudity was required of them. Nudity is enforced in the rooftop pool area and you’ll see it all over the spa. Although the staff we encountered today was friendly and helpful, I did read in at least one review that staff can be rather insistent about the nudity rule. Since you’re going there to relax, you don’t want to be yelled at by a staffer for breaking the law!

The outside of the spa area.

Bill takes a deep breath…

And in we go!

For obvious reasons, I don’t have pictures of the inside of the spa. That’s too bad, since the bottom floor of the Palais Thermal is absolutely lovely. It was built in 1844 and retains a lot of old style charm. But I don’t want to get ahead of myself. First, we had to get ready. We went into the changing room, which is unisex. There are stalls where you can change in privacy, but I guarantee after a couple of hours at the Palais Thermal, you won’t care who sees you in your birthday suit.

Nevertheless, I wasn’t wanting to go ugly early. I donned my newest swimsuit, which I bought last year and never had the opportunity to wear. I removed my shoes, since street shoes are not allowed in the spa. I recommend bringing a robe, shower shoes or flip flops, and at least one towel.

We went into the “quiet room”, which is right next to the “cafeteria”. This is one area where I think the Palais Thermal could improve. They had beer, wine, soft drinks, and water. They also had a limited selection of food. It wasn’t quite as nice as the restaurant at the Mineraltherme, but it was good enough to satisfy my hunger. Bill had a smoked salmon sandwich and I had a couple of wieners with a hot baguette and mustard. Actually, given all of the uncircumcised junk I saw today, that little snack was especially inspired!

The quiet room is really beautiful. The ceiling is stained glass, so the sunshine affects the lighting in the room. There are wicker chairs and loungers everywhere. People sit in there in their robes and towels and eat and drink. Most people were completely covered up.

After we ate, we took a deep breath and found our way to our first pool. The Palais Thermal has these cool little baths that are ideal for couples. You can get in one of them and soak for a bit, maybe even in privacy if you’re lucky. There’s also a larger, deeper pool on the first floor where bathing suits are allowed. It’s really pretty. There’s a statue in the middle of it and the roof is stained glass. There are a couple of shallow pools with massaging jets on the first floor. Again, they are rather small and private, which is nice. There are also a few small jacuzzi like tubs for couples. All of the baths on the first floor are marble and majestic. I ditched my swimsuit before we left the first floor and it was totally not a big deal at all.

On the second floor, you’ll see a lot more nudity. That’s where the saunas, steam rooms, and massages are. Bill and I usually don’t go for saunas, but we decided to sit in one for fifteen minutes today. The saunas at Palais Thermal are, like all saunas in Germany, textile free. This was where Bill lost his trunks! After a couple of minutes, I could tell he was getting into the groove, since everyone else was as naked as we were… and most everyone had towels and robes. If you use the sauna, you will need to sit on a towel. It’s forbidden to sweat on the wood in the sauna.

After we sat in the sauna, we cooled off in a marble plunge pool full of cold water. Then we went into a super hot aromatic steam room which neither of us could tolerate for more than a few minutes. I would think that room would be great if you needed your sinuses cleared. The air was extremely hot and full of a mentholated substance that I initially found hard to breathe. After a couple of minutes I got more used to it, but it was just way too hot for me.

On the second floor, there’s also an indoor pool and a shower area that connects to the spa hotel. This is obviously where people staying at the hotel can access the spa directly. The second floor pool allows bathing suits, although everyone we saw in there was naked.

On the third floor, there are few more saunas, including the Oriental sauna and a salt room. We’d had enough sauna time, so we skipped that and went to the fourth floor, which has a panorama sauna and a pool. In this area, which is outdoors, everyone is naked. There’s also a bar in this area, but it didn’t appear to be attended today. The outdoor pool is very nice, with warm water, massage jets, and waterfalls that massage the head and shoulders. This is also where you’ll find a smoking area, although I’m not sure where people carry their smokes!

As I enjoyed the warm water and sunshine, I couldn’t help but marvel at how unexpectedly freeing it was to be naked in front of a bunch of strangers. Seriously… I think I was born to be European. It was interesting to see who was at the spa. I saw all kinds of bodies and no one stared or acted embarrassed. I saw old people, thin people, fat people, young people… one thing I did not see was young children, which was a real blessing. The youngest people there were a couple of teenagers. They appeared to be brother and sister and were with a guardian– not egregiously sucking face like I often see at the Mineraltherme. In fact, everyone was behaving themselves. Maybe it has to do with being naked.

After a little while, Bill told me he was getting wrinkly. We got out of the water and headed back to the locker room, where we got cleaned up and dressed. On the way out, we paid 58 euros for a couple of hours in the spa and lunch, including beer. If your stay is less than three hours, you can get your parking ticket validated and it’s free. We paid with a USAA credit card, too. How convenient!

Bill’s face kind of looked like this as we exited. I have a feeling he won’t be as reluctant to go naked again.

Bad Wildbad is a beautiful town. Here’s a picture of a creek that passes through there.

I think the Mineraltherme in Böblingen is bigger and newer and has better food. But it lacks the incredible beauty of stained glass and marble tubs that the Palais Therme has… and it does get very crowded there. And one bonus to Bad Wildbad is that the drive to and from there, particularly from where we live, is very beautiful and not nearly as congested. I would say it’s probably not much further or time consuming to get there from Unterjettingen. I think we’d like to go back for a weekend and just chill, even though the drive there is less than 45 minutes from our house.

I guess going naked with a bunch of Germans is one way to celebrate our decision to stay here for at least one more year. We left the spa feeling relaxed, yet invigorated. I would not hesitate to go back to the Palais Thermal and now I know I can handle whatever weirdness Baden-Baden throws at me! Highly recommended!