Abarinhotel Baden-Baden

... so the combined train fare wasn't so astonishing.<br><br>I arrived in Strasbourg a few minutes before my brother's train so I went there to meet him. He was already there, looking around lost and confused. He spotted me and came over excitedly, and then spotted Lincoln. He made such a big scene over seeing my dog that some girls nearby laughed. He told me he had really hoped I would bring Lincoln. Of course Lincoln comes everywhere with me now!<br><br>We ...

... s not that easy. After looking up train options, researching towns and hotels, and too much deliberation (mostly between Challi), we decided on Strasbourg. <br><br>Although Chad reported it an "industrial city", it turned out to be quite the opposite, with charming (yes, I said charming) half-timbered architecture, great food, and canals running throughout the town. The cathedral, (because there is one in every city and you&#8217;ve got to see each ...

Hablar de Estrasburgo es hablar de la Gran Isla en la que se asienta su centro histórico, abrazada por el rio Ill, afluente del Rhin. Es uno de los cascos medievales mejor conservados de Europa y su catedral es una de las mas altas del mundo. La recorrimos en barco por sus canales y paseamos por el barrio de la Petite France, el mas pinturesco de Estrasburgo y el que tiene mas canales.

This place was incredible! There was just too much that I loved to talk about, but one thing that was really cool was a hotel that they have called "The Little Prince"...after the book and movie The Little Prince. My parents and I LOVED this book when I was little and we used to read it and watch the movie quite a bit. It's a pretty strange story but really neat. One the side of ...

Last leg of the European jaunt and we've decided to try out the Black Forest...the bad weather was the final nail in the coffin and after 3 days of dripping foggy weather, we decided to jack in the caravan and head to Octoberfest, but more of that later.<br><br>So a quick trip to a 500 yr old stud farm started by King Wilhelm the 1st, where they breed beautiful Black Forest horses and Arabs then, Baden Baden to take in the sights of this thermal spa town and ...

Baden Baden. Probally the most famous spa town in all of Germany. Never heard of it? Most westerners haven't. Baden Baden is located at the northern end of the Black Forest and is famous for its spas. Two specifically. The Caracalla Baths and the Friedrichsbad Baths. The Caracalla baths are the more modern of the two. Huge pools to swim in with waterfalls. Pools of varying degrees of hotness and a plethora of steam rooms, saunas and cold pool plunges. We ...

... France and walked a winding path to the Cathedral. Unfortunately it was closed for some reason so we only got to admire the exterior. We stopped for lunch at a delicious Alsatian restaurant, Au Dauphin. Here we experience the delicious local specialty, tarte flambée. It is similar in appearance to a pizza. The crust is lighter and thinner, and there is no tomato sauce or cheese, but instead a delicious cream. For toppings, the ...

We caught the wrong train and wound up in Gengenbach. While we were waiting for a train back we met a lady who told us the town had a beautiful old-town section. So we went discovering again. After a good look around we stopped at a pub while we were waiting for the next train and got talking to the owner. Turns out he'd been to Australia on holiday, so we had a good time talking to him until it was time to go.

... to pick up my bag, and off to the train station. During my 80 minute layover in Mannheim, I realized that you could print train schedules from the self-serve terminals, so I planned out my remaining train journeys, and also bought one future ticket (certain routes are significantly cheaper if you book a week or more ahead). It was a beautiful day, so I killed the rest of the time outside - it wasn't the nicest spot to hang out near the train station, but ...

... on this train ride I had a really hard time staying awake. It was about four hours and for Germany pretty flat countryside. I had to change trains 4 times and on the last train I was getting worried I wouldn't find a seat, by the time I did it was pretty much time to get off! Baden-Baden is a pretty swanky town. It's great though to watch all these people coming off the train in their finery. It hits you immediately ...