Baden-Baden Day 2

Today we went on our own walking tour of the city (Rick's walking tour) and if you check out photos, you can see that this is really a beautiful town.  It is really a resort, not at all city like and one doesn't feel as if you are in a city.

There are the traditional spas and the more modern ones.  In the traditional ones, it is nudity all the way, and on some days, the sexes are separated, other days they are not.  One pays for as many hours as you wish and basically go from hot pool to hotter pool to even hotter pool....and then cold splashes, back scrubs, etc.  The brochures show young, pretty people....Rick mentions you can see silently aging bodies in the mist.   Judging from all the folks we've seen with towels, Jim would have been thrown out in 5 minutes for making wise cracks about fat, ugly people!!!

We did take a bus ride up to the highest peak, then a funicular, hoping to see insane paragliders jumping off.  Even though it was sunny below, it was misty and apparently not quite the right wind conditions.   A man riding up on the funicular was going to check out the site before jumping off at a future date.   It was definitely more fun sitting up there having a beer than contemplating jumping off.....

We returned to our room, taking a rest and then finishing a bottle of wine we had bought (where???) oh, in the vineyards yesterday!!!   Now we will head out to dinner, then off to the casino to try MY luck at a slot machine.  To play the tables (which we don't anyway) men can rent a tie and jacket for 11 euro so that they will be allowed in.  Peasants like us (aka budget travelers per Rick) have no dress code.  So, I shall see if I can win enough to pay for trip.  Ha ha ha.

A candle was lit in the Catholic church for the friends flying off to the west.....may your plane land safely and may your bags arrive with you!!!