Elegance and Stillness
A Summer Glimpse of Baden-Baden
Travel Notes
Travelling at times just unfolds. Talking to a friend from Germany can be a motivating factor to travel. Xenia, who is from Baden-Baden. I met her in Cádiz during the Covid period and during that time we forged a friendship by playing tennis together at Cádiz Racquet Club. On our way to summer holidays, she and her friend Zina dropped by to visit me when I was on a farm in Maro, a small village in Southern Spain. The visit reinforces friendship after Cádiz.
The following summer, life’s situation paved way to travel to Germany. First to Stuttgart, then Xenia and Zina picked me up and showed me Stuttgart and then, drove to Baden Baden. Having the locals around make it easier for me to just go with the flow and indeed, they were easy to get along with. They did all the plannning in our day to day activity and was accompanied. In life, you don’t get this opportunity often. Their Spanish is really good. We spoke Spanish all the time. Surprisingly, they didn’t leave me by myself. They would pick me up in the morning and hang out together the whole day. I also tried the bus going to their place for a BBQ. Public transportation around town was free. Then, one night, I used their bike to go back to my place. Although it was quite straightforward going back home, I still got lost
Golden Age in the 19th Century – “Summer Capital of Europe”
Baden-Baden reached its cultural and social peak in the 19th century, especially between 1830 and 1870.
It became the preferred summer destination of European royalty, nobility, and artists—including Queen Victoria, Napoleon III, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and Brahms.
The town’s Kurhaus and casino were (and still are) central to its elegant social life. The casino was called “the most beautiful in the world” by Marlene Dietrich.
Writers like Dostoevsky found inspiration here—he famously wrote The Gambler after losing a fortune at the Baden-Baden casino.
One evening, we stepped into the casino, dressed for the occasion. Xenia and her friends came ready to play, chips in hand. I, on the other hand, was there for the ambiance—for the quiet thrill of being in a place that has witnessed centuries of elegance and risk. The chandeliers glowed softly overhead, and time felt suspended.
Baden-Baden is the kind of place you can walk through with ease, yet feel transported. One afternoon, I wandered along a vineyard path that curved gently into another district. The rhythm of the days here is slow and deliberate, and I found myself growing quietly comfortable—almost like I belonged.
Staying for nearly a week gave me a glimpse into what life feels like in this refined little town in summer. There was more than glamour. One morning, we hiked to Mummelsee Lake, where the forest met the water in stillness. On the way back, we stopped in another trail and followed the trail to a hidden waterfall. These walks through the Black Forest grounded me—reminding me that even in a place of luxury, nature is never far, and sometimes, it’s the forest trails that stay with you the longest.