Thursday, June 18, 2026 (6.9 miles)

High temperatures continue as we keep hearing of heat waves in every place we go!  We have been forewarned of no air conditioning in our sleeping quarters, which is of course a first world problem, albeit uncomfortable.  I’ve pretty much been hot and sweaty since leaving Washington State in May, putting me in the “Catch 22” position of needing to wash my small selection of clothing items frequently – yet knowing they will dry quickly when I string them on a line wherever I can!

We had a two hour, scenic bus ride, even though it was mostly highway, and after a brief break, it was another hour on the road to the old town of Baden-Baden with its 19th Century spa resort, famous for mineral baths and games of chance, having also the fourth oldest casino in the world.

We had a chance to check into our rooms in the Bad Hotel zum Hirach (established in 1689), and then it was off for an hour orientation stroll through town, showcasing the stylish streets, famous baths, and in the longest portion our tour – their grand casino!

Baden-Baden Casino is storied, Opulent Beyond Belief and in addition to the collector level works of art – houses a couple of high end restaurants as well as outdoor patio areas.  Designed to resemble Versailles, it purportedly still looks like it did when it was built in the 1850’s. The Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky came here, lost his fortune and wrote a book about it, “The Gambler”. This casino has many events all year long, and there is no shortage of folks who book their special occasions here, reserving portions or all of the premises.  Their gaming area seems small, yet luxurious for sure!! A benefit to our tour was a coupon to come back at their evening opening (strict dress code, men must wear or rent jackets) bypassing the five euro  admission fee just to come in.  Once admitted one can imbibe at the bar, dine in their fine dining restaurant or gamble.  I was very tempted to do so, yet the language barrier feels like an impediment to my success in games and situations of chance!!

There are so many things to do! After the casino tour,  most in my group were going to a pool or the natural mineral baths. Given our 90° temps, no thank you! I wandered over to Trinkhalle, the building housing a fountain of Baden-Baden’s mineral water, where I happened upon our awesome tour guide, Ruby!

She directed me to a wonderful, two mile river promenade to an Abbey (and back) that was shaded by ancient, tall trees through a park – seemingly the size of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco (acres and acres of green expanse)!!  

Along the way was a popular rose garden, yet most blooms were on their way out, I saw some children and young people in the river (low water level) that I walked alongside, a handful of cyclists and an equally small number of dog walkers – otherwise it’s like nobody was around! Still doing my Camino here in Germany, with new pilgrims.

I really kick myself for not getting a bratwurst while in Germany, yet I was so hot and sweaty, I decided to go to the grocery store nearby and set myself up with the same old/same old – a salad with olives (and my stashed olive oil, salt and pepper), plus some local “wasabi”cheese, a jar of sardines, protein added Wasa crackers and a Kabinett wine. Tomorrow we sleep in Switzerland!!