The Germans are crazy about their “Kur”. Literally it means “cure”, but in reality it means going to a spa/sauna and lettin’ it all hang out! It is the solution for everything, especially here in the south-west, where the Black Forest is littered with thermal springs. Got a chronically inflamed intervertebral disc? Go to the Black Forest for some Kur! Got a hang-nail? Go to the Black Forest for some Kur! Got some spare-time? Go to the Black Forest for some Kur!
A classmate, who is married to a German, enlightened me to this critical aspect of German culture many months ago. Thanks to her over-willingness to share, she led a classroom discussion about it, and come to find out, there are actual provisions within the German health-care system (although being slowly phased out) that provide a 2-week Kur every 5 years as preventative maintenance. Nice! Sounds good to me!
There are innumerable options for receiving your Kur within Germany. Any town with the word “Bad” in its name has a local hot springs and probably a spa/sauna/Kurhaus just waiting to welcome you! After hearing every Monday what a great time my friend had at the “Saunaparadies” over the weekend, I told Joe we needed to see what the Germans get so excited about.
After months of pondering, Joe and I settled on Baden-Baden for our anniversary weekend. Germany’s most sophisticated spa-town has been welcoming over-stressed locals and travelers for over 130 years:
Mark Twain: “I fully believe I left my rheumatism in Baden-Baden.”
Bill Clinton: “So nice that you have to say it twice.”
** I took this picture from the Friedrichsbad website, on account of my lack of water-proof camera and the fact that pictures were absolutely forbidden. In all honestly, it really was a beautiful building.
Wanna know more about our trip to Baden-Baden? Treat us to a few numerous beers at Freiburg’s own microbrewery, and maybe we’ll let you in on the Germans’ secret to good health. Just maybe. In the meantime, you’ll have to figure out how to handle your rheumatism on your own.