Visit Baden Baden

“I walked into town to experience Friedrichsbad, the famed 17-step Roman-Irish bath that opened in 1877. Entry is 35 euros ($38), which includes a sheet, slippers, and unlimited time in the spa. With only a towel (it’s really a sheet) and sandals, I was pointed to step one which is a thermal water power shower. I thought to myself if Mark Twain can do this so can I, and hung up my sheet. [...] The thermal springs are 12,000 to 17,000 years old and spew about 200,000 gallons every day. My left leg was in pain from days of nonstop walking and I thought this would be a good test. It was mystical to be inside a venue that has housed magnanimous nobility. The frescos everywhere help transport you back to a more magical time. The nights I slept the best were after I spent the day inside Friedrichsbad. My skin morphed into baby soft and yes the pain in my leg went away.”

“For me, there are delightful road bumps in my intense research schedule–wonderful God-sent detours where I put away the schedule and notes and simply enjoy the moment. The Friedrichsbad in Baden-Baden is one of those fine little breaks. And today, I needed it: city after city, still reeling from Berlin, with lots of inputting into my laptop. I don’t care how far behind I am in my writing. Now it was spa time. Wearing only the locker key strapped around my wrist, I weighed myself — 92 kilos. The attendant led me under the industrial-strength shower — a torrential kickoff pounding my head and shoulders…obliterating the rest of the world. He then gave me slippers and a towel, ushering me into a dry heat room with fine wooden lounges — slats too hot without the towel. Staring up at exotic tiles of herons and palms, I cooked.”