Last weekend, we drove about an hour to visit Baden-Baden for the first time. We’re allowed to move freely within our state and thankfully, outdoor exercise is still permitted. So we decided to change it up a bit and enjoy some new scenery for our weekend hike.
Baden-Baden is a spa town on the northwest border of the Black Forest. Of course, all of the mineralthermes have been closed for over a year, as are the hotels and most of the shops, but it’s still a lovely town.
Things aren’t uniformly green yet, but at least the bulbs are blooming!
There are some beautiful homes here. The city was fortunate to remain mostly intact during the bombings of WWII, and so the architecture is less modern than in other German cities we’ve visited.
This is definitely a tourist town and consequently many of the businesses are suffering. This is one of their main drags and it was virtually deserted on a Saturday (since stores are all closed on Sundays in Germany, Saturday is usually quite busy).
I wasn’t sure if we’d be able to find a good place offering takeout for lunch, but my husband and daughter have a nose for fabulous restaurants and we wound up at Maltes Hidden Kitchen, a Michelen-rated coffee house/restaurant:
This beautiful open sandwich with wild shrimp, aioli, and spargle (asparagus) was only 9,50€:
We enjoyed it while sitting on the curb across from the restaurant and it tasted as good as it looked!
There were some stores that I sure wish had been open–we will definitely have to go back if/when things open up again–but it certainly was nice to enjoy a change of scenery.
Enjoy your day, everyone, and thanks for stopping by.
It is so sad still seeing everything still shut down over there. My niece just got back from a 2 1/2 month school exchange in Germany but it certainly was not the experience she had envisioned. She was only allowed to venture out the last week she was there. I love all the pictures and detail you give about your time there. It seems like a beautiful country!
Oh, my, I can only imagine how dull an exchange program would have been right now! My daughter and her friends have had a pretty sad senior year. Hopefully your niece will be able to come back one day and really enjoy the country.
Oh what a fabulous place. I would love to have a tour of more of those wonderful shops. Hopefully things open up soon.
I’d love to get into more of those shops! Right now you have to have a negative Covid test (within 48 hours) and an appointment, so there’s precious little I feel like going shopping for these days. Maybe soon…
I love to hear about your experiences in Germany. Thank you for sharing the beautiful photos!
Thank you! I’m glad you guys enjoying hearing about them, because I certainly enjoy writing about them.
The Canadians used to have a great PX in Baden Baden with one of a kind items I couldn’t find elsewhere and for great prices. It is still there? If so, definitely worth a visit back to the town. We were in Baumholder and Kaiserlautern. Loved, loved, loved being stationed in Germany. But things are definitely different from when were there in the 80s.
Yes! We were in Baumholder in the 90’s. I think what we called the French PX is probably the same. They had beautiful things, great inexpensive wines and lots of Russian champagne.
You had me at “inexpensive wines and lots of Russian champagne.” I’ll have to head back to find out if it’s still there!
Judy, that’s a great question. I didn’t know that there was a PX there and we didn’t think to check. Maybe a return visit will be in order so I can find out!
I love that you share the sites while you’re out and about! The architecture is so beautiful! It’s sad that so many businesses are still closed…hopefully, things will open up soon.
xo
Pat
I hope so, Pat. The economy is in trouble for sure. Hope you are well!