Baden: Famous Roman Spa Resort

I wanted to visit Baden the most when I researched where I could visit from Zurich.  That is because Baden has hot springs, Onsen.  I learned that Baden had been famous as a spa resort since Roman times.  As a Japanese person, I wanted to find out how European Onsen looked like.  Despite my main purpose of visiting Baden's Onsen, I fell in love with the city itself.  Baden was lively but in a peaceful manner.  Some houses were colorfully decorated but in a tasteful manner.  New and old architectures were blended well.  I saw many heart objects standing throughout this old city, which were quite charming.  In addition, the town seemed to cooperate with its natural surroundings, such as the Limmat River, forests, and hot springs.   

I had cheese fondue at the cheese fondue restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.  In addition, I did not think that I would be able to taste the real Swiss cheese fondue during summer.  So, I was aiming for other authentic Swiss dishes.  However, I saw the cheese fondue restaurant open in Baden.  I was delighted.  The restaurant was very cute and stylish.  The staff was friendly and kind to a solo international tourist, who was the first customer at that time.  I experienced a gap between the Swiss and French (but American-flavored) fondues.  In Switzerland, I had a simple fondue which consists of cheese and bread.  In the States, I dipped a variety of ingredients, such as bread, meats, vegetables, and fruits, into different pots filled with melted cheese, hot oil, and melted chocolate.  At least, I can say, "I had the authentic cheese fondue in Switzerland!" 

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In my opinion, Baden has three sightseeing areas:

• The main street from the train station to the river - for shopping and eating
• The old town and the Limmat River - for history and architectures
• The spa area - for visiting where Baden was originally famous

I thought that Baden only offered thermal baths.  However, I spent many hours walking around the two areas other than the spa area.  I walked on the main street which had many shops and restaurants from the train station.  The street seemed young and stylish.  I enjoyed looking at the artistic decorations of shops and making short visits to some stores.  I saw many local people at this main street area.

On the other hand, I barely saw local people in the old town area.  Instead, I saw a few guided tour groups.  Despite encountering a small number of people, I loved strolling through the old town.  Many old houses there were interesting.  They were colorful and artistic.  I sometimes enjoyed making up my own stories by looking at the unique features of the architectures in the old town. 

I spent longer exploring those two areas than I expected to do so prior to my Baden trip.  It was dim when I searched for a thermal spa resort.  I researched that the public spa called ThermalBaden was close to the casino.  The casino was bright, but it was darker when I walked away from the casino.  I did not see a sign showing a direction to the spa area.  I spent seemingly a long time circling around the casino and looking for the spa.  I went inside the casino asking the staff for a direction.  I finally reached the spa resort, but a receptionist at the resort said that I could take a short bath due to its closing time.  I decided not to take a bath, because I thought that the short bath was not worth paying for it.  I was walking around the resort, hoping that I could find a place for me to have a small spa experience.  Then, I met three wonderful ladies there, who made my Baden trip memorable.  They told me where I could drink mineral-rich water and bathe my hands in hot spring water, free of charge.  They showed me around the spa area, such as the cute hotel and Roman bath ruins.  In addition, one of the ladies gave me a religious charm to wish for my safe trip.  I have kept it as a reminder of my fond memory of the Baden trip. 

I did not stay a night in Baden.  However, three ladies whom I met at the spa area took me to a hotel called Atrium Hotel Blume.  They told me that inside of the hotel was famous.  Indeed, it had a beautiful atrium decorated with flowers and plants.  I saw many guests relaxing at the atrium instead of staying inside their rooms.  The ladies told me that the hotel had in-house thermal baths as well.  Atrium Hotel Blume is not a gigantic modern hotel which usually has an atrium, but a charming historic house.  It was nice to peek into this unique hotel. 

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