A Fabulous Destination/Baden-Baden in the Black Forest

  Most of the weekend was a game of hide and seek with the sun but, we still managed to have a lovely time.

Mac and I headed off to Baden Baden, a spa town in the Black Forest.

In German, the word baden means "to bathe" and this is a perfect name for a town

that is fed by 23 hot springs that produce 200,000 gallons of mineral water a day. This town has been known for these springs since Romans times.

Years ago I had gone with a friend for a spa treatment which, was AMAZING, but we didn't stay to explore the town.

Saturday, Mac and I set out to see what this famous place was all about.

We decided to start with a carriage ride.  We like to do this when we arrive at a new destination. It gives us a feel for the layout of the city and often leads us back to something we want to further explore.

Our driver was lovely pointing out the sites (good thing we understood German because he didn't speak English)

Our carriage ride took us through the Lichtentaler Allee.

This beautiful park/arboretum  was begun in 1655 as path between the town market and Lichtenthal monastery.

The ride led us by lovely fountains and

an interesting Rose sculpture.

It took us past the oldest tennis courts in Germany and

wound it's way around by fascinating old trees.

These are the tree trunks of the tree you see in the previous picture.

Does anyone know what kind of tree it is? 

Toward the end of the ride we passed the fabulous Brenner Hotel.

Since 1872, this hotel has hosted the rich and famous. It's seen the likes of Walt Disney, Henry Kissinger, Elizabeth Taylor, the Dalai Lama, Irving Berlin, Frank Sinatra and many more!

We stopped where we started in front of the theater. Now we were excited about getting started exploring by foot. 

It was a wonderful place to explore with it's fun cafes

quaint alleys and

interesting architecture.

Mac and I opted for an early lunch at the Gasthaus Lowenbrau

on the terrace.

Mac had the schweinshaxe (ham hocks) and semmel knödel.

It was very tasty and he was not disappointed in this choice. 

I had the most incredible melt-in-your-mouth roast beef with the lightest cream sauce.

This sauce contained a hint of horseradish. It did not over power the beef but complimented the taste.

Oh dear, the blog is getting a bit long and I haven't even begun to tell you all the other reasons to come visit Baden-Baden.

Pssst......come back tomorrow and I will tell you why the rich and famous....and the not so rich and famous like Mac and me LOVE this town.

Ahhh look, Mac has found a new friend.   He gives today the thumbs up and says to tell you, "My new friend is a bit of the SILENT type."