Day # 39 Walk to Baden Baden.

Elegant living in Baden Baden.

             Set my alarm for a Sunday morning relaxed 7.15 am and at the sound of the alarm, the only other outside noise noted in my quiet ground floor hotel room, was the splash of water cascading down from a plugged eaves-trough above my window. As forecast, the heavy rain had arrived. Quick decision---back to sleep.
         After breakfast at 9.30 am, the rain eased up and by 11 had virtually ceased. With rain equipment at the ready and a supply of hard rations, set out on the 15 kms hike to Baden Baden (B-B). My path, virtually parallel to the main train line and zig-zagging around fields of mixed crops.            
         With the suspicion that  Baden Baden hotel rooms at a reasonable rate and availability would be hard to find,---- this is wine festival, Fall tourist season, I decided to make Rastatt, an industrial city, my centre of walk operations for three nights. ie: complete my walks and return via train to Rastatt.
            Baden Baden is a beautiful large town catering to the rich of Europe. The predominant architecture style epitomizes the  wealth & glamour of the 1860's when B-B was the playground for royalty and their hangers on. Emperor Napoleon III of France deemed B-B to be his escape from Paris and the town functioned as his 'summer capital' till the 1880's. Unfortunately, it being a Sunday, the casino or kurhaus, inspiration for Dostoyevsky's novel, "The Gambler", was closed to the public and I was unable to watch the REAL high rollers lose their money. The famous spa  and hot water thermal baths, were open and doing a booming business, judging by the 150 person + line-up.
            Interestingly, at the popular  B-B tourist sites--art galleries, casino, shopping arcades, the third language that one now sees displayed after German & English, is Russian. Clearly, the affluent eastern set has high interest in rediscovering some of its old capitalistic western European ways. Noticeably absent to me in the tourist throngs and despite the heavy presence of 'famous' retail brand names in the deluxe stores, were the Chinese tourists.
       5.28 pm,  to be exact, German style, with clear skies, I took the train for the 12 minute ride back to Rastatt for a quiet evening of laundry.
       Tomorrow Monday, I shall repeat the train/ hike process and complete the Baden-Baden to Buhl leg, returning to Rastatt in the late afternoon. At least for a couple of days I will be spared the extra energy required to push my laden buggy.

14.0 kms. walked today per Google Maps.
Cumulative kms. walked: 735.5
 Type of overnight lodging:  Da Franca Hotel, Rastatt.
Cost of lodging: 59E.