1 July Bad Karlshafen No internet connection here, will send this next
time have one and will upload the flickr pics as well
Left early as today was to be very hot and, in a good way, with very low
wind, but all uphill. Wanted to get to this 'Bad' town before the high
heat, usually late afternoon and early evening.
Immediately out of Holzminden we saw a bicycle driving school. Roads,
traffic lanes, intersections, just like a real area only in miniature. Have
not seen this before. QB has a picture that will be uploaded to the flickr
site, especially now that all can see.
On the way we passed the schloss at Covey. One section is a wine
distributor. Apparently the owner likes to collect better wines, mostly
French, as well as some of the food trappings. I mentioned to the sales
person that the wine looked good but we are on bikes and a full bottle is a
bit much for the way we travel. No problem. She directed us to the
section called Rad Fahren, bike riders, where they were selling .25l bottles
with screw caps. Just perfect. We bought two and will drink them this
evening.
The summer season must be strarting in earnest. Many more bike riders and
tourists arriving in the campgrounds. Of course this is a recreational
area. The Fairy Tale Road. The Grimm brothers spent 30 years in Kassel
( we reach Kassel after Hann.Munden stop) collecting stories about this
area. Hills, forests, rivers, cliffs, trolls. The "road" from Bremen to
Kassel and then down south almost to Frankfurt am Main is called the Fairy
Tale Road.
Stopped for some ice cream along the river bank and once again the pricing
disparity between water (water, beer, coffee) and all else. Three scoops
of ice cream 1.50 euro One small glass of mineral water 1.80 Coffee is
almost always more than a Wurst with a roll. The only inexpensive place to
get drinks is at the gas stations. Cold drinks in large plastic bottles.
Generally cannot be obtained cold in stores or markets.
The "Bad" town has a thermal Bad unlike others we have visited. Same up
scale facility with restaurants, cafes, small store, and nice building.
This one was more elaborate. Has 1000 lockers for day users. As usual no
instructions in any language on how to navigate through the changing area.
When one enters one sees the 1000 lockers out in the open. You put your
card into a slot inside the locker and it dispenses a key on a watch band.
However, where to change. Well I found out afterwards not in the open!
There are changing rooms, a bit hidden, and you then put your stuff into a
locker.
Entering the pool area one finds atleast 8 different pools ranging in temp
from 32C to 36C and at 3%, 5% and 12% natural salt coming from the source
about 1000 m up the hill. Each pool is big enough to swim in and several
have outside tunnels that connect. The mens shower area, the inside
dressing one, has 15 showers plus two or three for various states of being
disabled. In short a big place with lots of choice but no real hot tub as
I would like it.
Tried and experiment. Floating at 3% salt and my feet dragged to the
bottom. At 5% they hung at 35-45 degrees, bareable. At 12% toes were
exposed and I drifted off until my head bumped the side.
There is also a Sauna area, I did not pay for it as it was hot enough
already, that has five different temparture Saunas, mud baths, and three
different increasingly hot steam rooms. This area appears to be clothing
optional. One central area to lounge around and drift off into the rooms
for a bit of the "Kur".
Hope to find some French influence in the cooking tonight. When the
Huggenots were expelled from France in the 17th Century they came to this
area as well. Gentle readers may remember the role of Fredrick II mentioned
earlier around the Potsdam portion of the trip. If not clear on German
geography (one learns quite a bit about it on a bike) a map might help place
the tail of the Weser and the section just East of the Elbe.
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