Continuing from an earlier post on Baden-Baden … Other than the spas, Baden-Baden is also famous for its casino (Kurhaus). In 1800’s, gambling was banned in some of the neighboring countries and as a result, the rich people of the surrounding states congregated here to try their luck.
I (Chris) was not wearing a tie and Sue was not in a skirt, nor were we in a gambling mood, so we skipped the casino and went to the coffee shop.
People were very well dressed even in the coffee shop which looks out onto an open plaza (Kurgarten) with small shops, a lawn and a bandstand.
A very pleasant and I might even say elegant place to have tea.
Here, we thought it appropriate to try the Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte, otherwise known as the Black Forest cake in the US or Black Forest gateau in the UK (don’t know why a french word is used here). It was good and one can definitely taste the alcohol. We later found out that the cake owed its name to the cherry liquer (Kirshwasser) that comes from the Black Forest.
Next to the casino is the pump house (Trinkhalle) that was built in the 1830’s to service the spas of the casino which is stunningly grand. It is now a tourist information center.
The arcade is richly decorated with murals.
The town center was dead quiet at night – it is too early in the year.
Very pedestrian friendly shopping streets. We did some minor damage to our wallets here. Since we had our car, size and weight was not a concern but we cannot deduct the sales tax.
This is the main drag – Lange strasse.
A restaurant across the street from the Gasthaus where we had dinner.
