Today we are docked in the town of Rastatt in Germany. It was an early start because it is going to be an action-packed day. First off, Nana and I began with a delicious breakfast in the Crystal Dining Room. After getting fuelled up, we headed back to the cabin for a bit of relaxation before packing up our things needed for our excursion at the Caracalla Spa. At 8:55am, we went outside and boarded the bus that would drive us thirty minutes to the town of Baden-Baden.
Caracalla Spa is a well known thermal bath and wellness centre. The indoor and outdoor pools are fed by natural thermal springs where the water temperature ranges between 32°C and 38°C. The indoor pool which is under a glass dome has massage jets, neck showers and a water bowl. The outdoor pool has a current channel, waterfall, mushroom fountain, jacuzzi seats/loungers and hot tubs. The Wellness Facilities include saunas, steam rooms and relaxation areas. I think I am going to enjoy this place.
Once we arrived, we were given a wristband and directed to the changing room area. After getting our bathings suits on and securing our belongings in lockers using the wristband, we made our way to the pools. Unfortunately you are not allowed to take photos so the following are pictures that I was able to get from the internet.
For the next hour and a half, we alternated between the outdoor area and the indoor area. We made sure to try as many things as we could. At one point, Nana said she was giving up the outdoor pool and going inside because she was being swept away. I could not understand what she was talking about since I had no problems. What we eventually figured out is that the current channel would go on and off. And I guess when I was walking around it was off and when Nana was walking around it was on. We all thoroughly enjoyed our time here. I was in complete relaxation when we left.
We made sure to give ourselves some time after the spa to explore Baden-Baden’s Old Town. The next hour or so was spent wandering through the streets, checking out the various shops and just taking in the atmosphere of this town. We got back to our meeting point at 12:20pm and shortly thereafter boarded the bus for the trip back to the ship.
We got back and headed straight to the dining room for a late lunch. After we finished eating, we made sure to go up to the Sun Deck to enjoy the beautiful sunshine that we were having.
Earlier in the day, Siim (Cruise Director) mentioned that the ferry which we were docked next to goes back and forth to France. And the best part, it is free. We thought let’s take the opportunity and go to France. We grabbed our passports (just in case) and headed out to the dock. We lined up with the other walk on passengers and the people travelling on bikes. The ferry holds six cars, twenty-eight bikes and seventy passengers. We got on the ferry at 4:15pm and by 4:20pm, we were in France. How cool is that. We walked along the shore of the Rhine River and were able to get some great pictures of our ship. There is really nothing to do or see there so by 5:00pm, we were back in Germany.
It was an early dinner tonight which was served at 6:00pm. The reason was that we had one more excursion this evening, a private concert at the stunning Rastatt Residential Palace. It is the oldest Baroque residence in the Upper Rhine Valley and it was a short ten minute bus ride from the ship.
When we arrived, we entered the Garden Hall and were greeted with champagne and appetizers. We then proceeded up the grand staircase for a brief tour before settling in for the concert in the Ancestral Hall. The singers Alexandra Paulmichl and Lemuel Cuento were accompanied by Fan Yang on the piano. It was an exceptional performance featuring pieces by Strauss, Mozart and even a number from “West Side Story”. One of the highlights was when they sang Happy Birthday to one of the guests.
The concert ended at 10:00pm and once we got back to the ship, we ended our day by checking out the late night snacks in the Lounge.
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