BADEN-BADEN

The secret identity of Superman in the United States is Clark Kent… but that’s not true in Germany.

In Germany Superman arrives in the form of a guy named Mario. He’s jovial, muscular, and changes your tire in a few seconds flat. (But he charges you to save you. Dang.)

This adventurous weekend began with driving to Frankfurt airport to pick up my buddy Elizabeth. I was running about 20 minutes late and upon reaching the airport I realized my phone was almost dead. I began to panic as I had no way to charge my phone, needed to find and meet up with Elizabeth, and wasn’t sure how to get home from the airport without the GPS on my phone.

After circling a few times and not being able to spot her or reach her via any type of communication (phone call, text, whatsapp, facebook, IG, etc. I had tried them all), I pulled in, parked, and walked into the airport to look for her. I started searching for a phone charging station or a place I could purchase a phone charger because those are common in airports, right?

Luckily, the Frankfurt airport had both.

Unluckily, they were only accessible on the passenger side with a boarding pass and the shops that sold chargers on my side had already closed.

How was I going to find her?

How were we going to get home?

I could feel a meltdown coming, but I took a few deep breaths, kept pushing onward and tried to figure out my options. I chatted with a few airport personnel and realized the information desk could page her, so I was just about to do that when I found one little store that was still open that had a phone charger! I bought a charger and was able to plug it in at the Airport to charge my phone.

Elizabeth got ahold of me and we were able to meet up. It turned out her plane had been delayed an hour, so when I was circling and unable to find her she likely hadn’t even landed yet. We sat and chatted, charged up our phones, and then headed out to drive back to Ramstein about an hour and a half drive from Frankfurt.

Our plan was to do some blackberry picking just before all the sunlight went away, and to go grab some delicious dinner at a traditional, German restaurant.

As we barreled down the autobahn, we neared out final destination with only 30 minutes left in our journey. My car began to vibrate and suddenly the whole car was shaking uncontrollably. We pulled into a rest stop, turned off the car, checked to see what was going on and we couldn’t figure out why the car was shaking. We ventured back out onto the autobahn trying to see if turning off the car had done anything to stop the shaking. It hadn’t.

The car began to shake so bad I just had to pull off to the side (which you’re not really supposed to do on the autobahn). Just as I pulled over to the shoulder and had almost come to a complete stop, the front left tire came off of the car!

We got out of the car and couldn’t believe what we were seeing. It looked like Godzilla or the Iron Giant had come and snacked on the rim of my tire and ripped it right off the car.

This was NOT my night.

Again, it was about time for a meltdown.

But I was so grateful to have Elizabeth with me because she was cracking jokes right and left and telling me stories, which made a tough situation more bearable. I also felt we were extremely blessed and watched over by Heavenly Father because the wheel came off just as we had pulled to the shoulder and were completely stopped AND we were literally right next to an emergency SOS phone. (They’re about every 2 km along the autobahn). Had the wheel come off while we were driving 110 mph and cars were whizzing all around us, I don’t even want to imagine how that situation would have played out differently.

We were so lucky to be safe.

Unfortunately, my phone was dying again and this time there was no outlet to charge it. I had just enough battery to place a couple phone calls trying to reach road side assistance through USAA. After working my way through the phone tree 4 times and getting transferred a couple times to only have the line get dropped or cut off after reaching a “you’ve reached us after our normal business hours, please call back later” I gave up on trying to reach USAA.

It was starting to get cold, but luckily I always keep 72 hour kit supplies in my car, a sleeping bag, blankets, and my camping gear. Elizabeth also had a coat, so we were safe and warm while we waited for the tow truck. I had also just gone grocery shopping before picking up Elizabeth so our entire car was packed full of snacks and food for us to eat. (There was no way we were making it to that Traditional German Restaurant anymore, so we settled for some Capri Suns and protein bars. We didn’t eat the dog food.)

Elizabeth and I were able to get a tow truck through the SOS phone, which arrived only in about 30 minutes! I was expecting the truck to take an hour, because everything seems to take longer in Germany, so I was super impressed with how quickly they got to us.

I was certain my car would have to be towed, even though I had a spare tire, because the damaged tire looked so bad I was certain some other damage had been done to the car that made it unsafe to drive.

Mario, our jovial superman, popped out of his truck and came over to take a look.

Mario: Woah! He exclaimed. How did that happen?

Me: I have no idea.

Mario: You have a spare tire?

Me: Yes, in the back. There’s a jack, too. I just don’t think we can put a tire on thought, it looks like the whole rig is busted up. It’s probably going to have to be towed.

Mario: Well, let’s see. Why do you have all this?

Me: uh … in case I’m ever in a situation like this? Don’t most people have a spare tire and jack in their car?

Mario: No.

Me: Oh.

A few minutes later he’s got the tire popped off (Which he managed to do in just a few minutes. I’m pretty sure it would have taken us an hour or more. He was so strong he was able to get the lug nuts off easily).

Elizabeth: Now that’s a man right there… not wonder the Germans made it through 2 world wars.

He puts on the spare tire, comes to tell us it’s all fixed and alles ist gut.

Mario: You’re very lucky. You can drive now. No problem.

We’re good to drive off. WHAT?

Me: Don’t we need to drive slow?

Mario: Why?

Me: Well the car was shaking and I don’t know why the tire came off. I know there’s an issue with the wheel bearing that needs to be replaced, but I don’t think that’s what caused this.

Mario: No, I looked it’s fine. You can drive no problem.

So we follow him to an ATM to pay him for the expensive tire change. (Luckily USAA will reimburse us with all my difficulty trying to reach their road side assistance).

Then we drove home, safe and sound. No issues. No more shaking. No idea why the tire came off in the first place.

I’m grateful we were watched over, that the car didn’t have to be towed which would have been even more expensive. We were safe, had food and warm clothes with us in the car, and I got through the entire evening without a meltdown (I think in large part thanks to Elizabeth and her positivity).

BADEN-BADEN

Baden-Baden is so nice, they named it twice!

The next morning we woke up and were SO READY for the spa day we had planned in Baden-Baden. Baden-Baden is known for it’s thermal baths. Each day 800,000 liters of thermal water come up from 12 underground springs to fill thermal baths in Baden-Baden. The waters are presumed to have healing properties and have been sought out for over 2000 years for health rejuvenation and therapeutic rest! Roman Emperor Carcalla started a bath culture during his reign and you can still see the ruins of Roman Soldier Baths underneath the Friedrichsbad Spa. The thermal pools are filled by mainly sodium chloride with other traces of minerals such as lithium, cesium, silica, boric acid, manganese, magnesium, cobalt, zinc, and copper.

Our plan was to drive to Baden-Bade, relax, soak in the thermal waters, and sight-see. We had a gradual start to our morning, sleeping in, enjoying delicious breakfast, studying the New Testament together, getting some lunches and snacks ready for our day trip, and then we set out.

We began driving towards Baden-Baden and about an hour into our trip ran into traffic! Ugh.

The autobahn was at a complete standstill. (I still don’t know if there was a wreck or what stopped traffic). Everyone was getting out of their cars and walking around, letting their dogs out to potty, soaking up sun. So, we did the same.

We got out and stood on the side of the road, where we started to play a game of heads up while we waited for traffic to get moving again. (If you haven’t played, it’s a great app on your phone to download. We use it ALL the time when we get stuck waiting in line at places or unexpectedly get stuck somewhere. It keeps us entertained instead of getting frustrated).

In Heads Up a word comes up on your phone and the other person has to describe it. There is also a deck you can play where you act out the word on the screen like charades.

We started playing the charades deck.

I would love to know what the people sitting on the highway thought while watching us play :) Perhaps we provided some entertainment while they waited, too. Ha!

Things would come up like slicing a water melon, changing a diaper, brushing your hair, putting gas in the car, etc. We were having great fun acting things out, and then at one point it was my turn and the prompt was “pole dancing.” I just laughed and said, “Um, I’m not acting this one out on the side of the highway with all these Germans watching us…”

Elizabeth turned the phone around to see just exactly what “prompt” I wasn’t willing to act out and just started laughing. We got quite a kick out of that.

Traffic began moving again and we were on our way. In fact, the stop ended up being a really nice way to soak up some sun and we didn’t mind so much.

Once we reached Baden-Baden it was simply GORGEOUS. There were mature trees and eclectic shops lining the sidewalks. The sun was shining and people were bustling about.

As we started walking towards Friedrichsbad, we passed an antique shop selling baroque-esque antiques that were astonishing to look at! I loved the ornate candle sticks and large furniture pieces.

We also came across some Stolpersteine (the tripping stones that are a commemorative project by Gunter Demnig). I am always amazed how easy they are to miss and how they can be tiny but poignant reminders of the holocaust.

Here we were in this gorgeous city enjoying ourselves, and right under our feet was the entrance to a home where Jewish families were taken to concentration camps and murdered.

We kept walking and entered into the plaza where there were the Carcalla and Friedrichsbad spas. The architecture was lovely and we were so excited for our 3 hours of complete thermal bliss waiting for us inside.

Here’s some info about the spas if you’re interested in going:

There are two spas in Baden-Baden

CARCALLA: this spa has an indoor and outdoor pool that are connected by a lazy river. All the services are co-ed, though there are separate changing and dressing rooms for men and women. There are hot tubs and several different saunas with essential oils. Bathing suits can be worn, although many people enjoy soaking nude in the thermal waters. You will be required to shower before being allowed into the pools. Cost is 15 euros for 2 hours or 25 euros for the whole day.

FRIEDRICHSBAD: Mark Twain frequented this spa and reportedly said that after being in these thermal baths for 20 minutes “you forget the world.” I would have to say he was right!

This spa is a bit pricier and more luxurious than the Carcalla spa. I absolutely loved the mosaic walls and felt like a Roman empress walking around this gorgeous spa. At Friedrichsbad there are 17 stations where you go through a series of alternating baths, massages, showers, steam rooms, and gently bringing your body through warm and cool temperatures. The 17-step recommended sequence is very easy to follow. Each station has instructions written on the wall in English, French, German, and Russian. This is a naked spa so no clothing is allowed. That is important to know before you go. Even if you feel apprehensive about the nudity, I would really encourage you to go. When you arrive you will be given a locker and a wrap to use for the sauna rooms. Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays men and women bathe separately, but they will always mix and bathe together at stations 10 and 11 where the most beautiful bathes are located. Holidays will also be all mixed stations. Cost depends on the experience you want to have.

There are 4 options.

1. 25€ for a 3-hour basic package, no brush massage

2. 37€ for a 3.5 hour basic package plus soap and brush massage (The brush massage is really nice and gets all your dead skin off. I would recommend purchasing it)

3. 49€ for everything at the 37€ price plus a cream massage

4. 59€ includes a meal and a drink plus everything form the 49€ price.

Showers have soap dispensers and at station 15 there are different moisturizing creams to choose from. Hairdryers are also provided. You can park underneath the spa for 0.50€ for the first two hours and then it is 1€ every hour after that. Directions on how to get here. Open 9am to 8pm for admission (but stays open until 10pm). Map of the spa

Once you finish the final station, you get wrapped up in a heated towel and directed to a lotion station where you can slather yourself with all types of luxurious creams.You then have options to take a nap in their relaxation room or to sit in a quiet lounge room and sip some tea.

Back to our experience:

We stepped into the building and were greeted by a lovely german lady at the front desk. We bought the basic package for 3 hours and 25€. She gave us our watches for the lockers to store our things, and the watches also track your time in the spa. If you want to stay longer you can always purchase more time at the machines in the locker rooms.

We were a bit nervous for the spa experience (or maybe it was mainly just me, since Elisabeth seemed not nervous at all). Friedrichsbad is a naked spa, meaning they don’t allow you to wear clothing. I was apprehensive about being butt naked with a bunch of other people, but it actually turned out to be such an awesome and relaxing experience!

Another german lady greeted us when we entered the spa, helped us get our lockers set up and explained the different stations to us. We communicated in French and English. The entire process was very easy to understand and we felt so sweetly taken care of by the staff.

As we went through the 17 stations, I felt my body just begin to completely relax. We were sweating out all the toxins in our bodies and bathing in mineral waters. My joints kept saying “thank you! thank you! thank you!”

At one point sitting in the mineral steam room I thought I was going to die with how hot and humid it was! It’s the only naturally heated, thermal steam room in the world. I am sure it was great for my skin, but I could only stay in that station about 10 minutes.

We went on a Saturday so the stations were separated by men and women. Although, when we were hanging out at station 9 this hilarious german lady swam over to us and started chatting with us. She leaned over and in a hushed tone said, “there are lots of naked men in the next bath… and not the kind of men you want to look at.” Haha! We just had to laugh.

I think I was nervous initially for Friedrichsbad just because I didn’t know what to expect, and also nudity is such a different cultural taboo for my culture than for Europeans. Coming from the U.S. you are typically only naked with another person when you’re going to have an intimate, sexual experience. I think we are not as comfortable with the human body as are Europeans. In the U.S. sex appeal is used to sell everything and in some ways nudity gets equated with pornography. Because of this, many people associate all nudity with sex. I think this is unfortunate because there is so much we can learn and respect about our bodies and the bodies of others without there being sexualization of the body.

It’s so sad that our society has over-sexualized the body instead of being mature and frank about people’s bodies.

Elisabeth and I were discussing our spa experience afterwards as we sat out on the balcony, sipping our tea and doing some people watching. We felt so grateful for the experience because it allowed us to feel comfortable with our bodies. By being with a bunch of other women we were completely removed from all the sexualized images of women and women’s bodies that we’re constantly barraged by, and we were able to see that our bodies were just like everyone else’s. I thought that as a younger woman it would have been a great experience to see that real women actually come in all shapes and sizes and are beautiful and can be comfortable with their bodies just as they are.

A few other sights to see in Baden-Baden

Most people go to Baden-Baden for the spas, but there are some more hidden gems in Baden-Baden, like Lichtentaler Allée where you can stroll next to the Oosbach River for 1.5 miles along oak trees and rose gardens. This is a gorgeous promenade.

You can make your way to a Medieval Cistercian Abbey where you can also stay at the guest house and volunteer to help in the garden. There is also one of the most ornate casinos (the Kurhaus) is in Germany that inspired Dostoevsky to write The Gambler.

(Casino only accessible by guided tours. 9:30am to 11:40am April through October. 10am to 11:30am in winter).

There are live music performances, festivities throughout the year, several museums, and hiking paths. (We were there the weekend of an international horse racing festival so there were lots of horse statues around the city and lots of live music)

Not to mention, there are lots of eclectic shops and all the gelato your heart desires :)

CASTLES

There are 2 free castles in Baden-Baden.

Altes Schloss (old castle) and Nues Schloss (new castle).

Burg castle is 4 miles southwest of the city center and is from the year 1200

MERKUR MOUNTAIN

5 minutes drive from the center, you can hike up or ride the Funicular to the top for a lookout of the town. It is a 4.5 km hike to get to the top. The Funicular runs from 10am to 10pm and is unmanned so you just purchase a ticket and press the button to ride it up to the top. (Don’t forget to press the button or you’ll just hang out at the bottom)

GERMANY’S 2nd LARGEST OPERA HOUSE THE FESTIVAL HALL

MUSEUMS

Fabergé Egg Museum

Frider Burda

L8 technology as art

Staatlich Kunsthalle (contemporary art)

Museum of Roman Bath Ruins

WATERFALLS OF GEROLDSAU & WALKING TRAILS

Free Guest Card Gives you access to surf the web for free in the Baden-WLAN. It also gives you discounts on several shops, activities and services.