Friday, 14 August (a.m.). The ship arrived at Greffern, Germany, about 8:00. It stopped here only to discharge those of us going on the optional tour to Baden-Baden. The buses picked us up at 8:30 and the ship sailed on for Strasbourg. It was another cool, overcast day, this time with a steady rain.

The bus ride to Baden-Baden was designed to take us on secondary roads through a beautiful, mountainous section of the Black Forest, passing through Lichtental. Despite the rain and heavy fog, that is the route we took. We couldn't see a thing, and half the time the driver couldn't even see the road. The drive took a full hour.

We passed a Russian church on our way into town, built when the czars used to come here. The bus dropped us off at Ludwig Wilhelm Platz, about half a mile from the main "bath" facilities that give Baden-Baden its name. The rain had let up but it was still misty. We crossed a park and a small stream (the Oosbach) and finally came to the Casino that is part of the bath complex.

Russian church

Fountain in park

Jane on Oosbach bridge

Theater near casino

Baden-Bade Casino

View of town from Casino

We were guided inside, but the game rooms were not open. (Jane and I had visited the game rooms with some friends one evening in 1971 while stationed in Germany.) Next we were led to the Trinkhalle (Pump House?) for an opportunity to "take the waters". They're supposed to make a person younger, but we don't think they worked.

The Trinkhaus

Our group on Trinkhaus porch

Taking the waters

 

Caracalla Spa (left) & Spital Church

Jane in Baden-Baden

Our group then walked into the city center. After a brief orientation, the Tour Director released us about 11:30, giving us an hour of free time. Jane and I walked up Gernsbacher, a pedestrian street, through what appeared to be the oldest section. It was interesting, but lacked the charm of the small towns and villages we'd been visiting. We visited the Spitalkirche (Hospital Church) and the Caracalla Spa, a very modern bath close to the ruins of an old Roman bath. By then we were running out of time since we still had to walk back to the bus by 12:30.

The ride back took only 30 minutes, half the time it had taken to get to Baden-Baden. It was still overcast, but the rain and fog were gone. With a little better planning, we could have had a much more enjoyable ride through the Black Forest. We got to Strasbourg just after the ship did. Our lunch was served at 1:15. We were scheduled to go in to Strasbourg at 3:00.

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