Those of you with whom I've spoken have heard me refer to Baden Baden as paradise. Those to whom I spoke while I was there heard an even more detailed account of why. I'm so grateful to Geoffrey and Cora for inviting me to visit them last week. Just like my trip home, this was serendipity.
Once again, I am going to take you on a photographic journey with along my running path. Here I went about 2.5km out on Lichtentaler Allee and back again to Geoffrey and Cora's house. Much the way the images of Sofia don't adequately capture the running experience here (btw - someone actually swerved AT me today...intentionally), the images of Baden Baden can't quite convey the beauty, the serenity, the restorative nature...but hopefully you'll get the idea. I still have my zen...here's my attempt to share some with you.
This is the Festspielhaus...the theatre that is just up the street from G&C's place. Close enough to go home for a snack at intermission!
This is the Kundsthalle Museum...Cora is a curator here.
http://www.kunsthalle-baden-baden.de/
This was nearing the halfway point of my run...right about now I wish I had a scratch and sniff blog for you. As I ran past this neverending green field watching dogs and children frolic, passing elderly folks out for a stroll, and young folks out for a bicycle ride, my senses were overwhelmed. I stared at the vista of the green mountains in the background, the bright colors of blooming flowers all around, the sounds of my favorite voice crooning in my ears, and as if that wasn't enough...I was suddenly bombarded by the smell of apples and wine from the nearby vineyards.
Ties and tophats...if this image makes you think I traveled not just across a few countries, but across a few centuries, you're correct. This lovely little town enjoys horse-drawn carriage rides by drivers in tophats....and the modern version of taxi rides given by men in neckties driving a Mercedes. Definitely a leap through the time-space continuum compared to Sofia!
In this animal friendly town, even the birds stop to pose for photographs. Most restaurants had food and water dishes set outside for dogs. Canine companions were welcome in the shops. People were out walking, jogging, playing fetch, and enjoying the beautiful spring weather with their four-legged friends. Of course, I was in heaven to see so many happy pups, made all the more elated when I ran into a man walking his Rhodesian Ridgeback...she looked just like Swissie, only with a ridge.
B told me her parents met in Baden Baden. It's easy to see how someone can fall in love here. Love is literally in the air...roses, lillies, honeysuckle, lilacs and wine. It's evident everywhere you look...from the toddler brother who held his sister's hand and kissed her cheek to the teenagers hugging, from the daughter pushing her father's wheelchair down the walking path to the elderly couple sitting under the flowering tree by the creek...this is a lovely place for people of all ages. I can't imagine a more perfect vacation for early May.
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