CRUISING THE RHINE AND MOSEL RIVERS

This is the third in a series of articles about cruising the Rhine and Mosel Rivers

THE SPA AT BADEN-BADEN

By Charles N. Stevens

Photos by Dolores Seidman

We are greeted with bright sunlight this morning, only a few clouds racing overhead in a crisp north wind. The usual swans cruise by in the wind-whipped water, as proud as ever. Smoke and steam from a power plant lean horizontally from its tall stack. Despite the cold wind, the sun is out in full force, bringing out the colors of the water, trees and the sharpness of buildings. As it is Sunday morning, Frenchmen are out and about, a scull passing by, the men rowing in perfect rhythm.

We are still docked at Strasbourg, but have the morning after breakfast to do as we please. We decide to walk along the quay, to stretch our legs and get a little exercise in this amazing day. First we come upon a group of barges along the shore, all of which have been converted to living quarters. Barges that used to haul tons of sand, coal or cement are now floating houses for French families. The barges are all next to each other like a little village, many of them adorned with pots of flowers and green plants, even outside tables with chairs for people to watch the passing scene.

The leaves of poplar trees rattle in the breeze as we continue our walk, the flotillas of white swans dazzling in the sun. The French people are using their weekend to exercise, many jogging, strolling, bicycling and skating. One man tries his luck with his fishing pole. We end our first leg of our walk at a marina full of pleasure boats.

In the afternoon we board busses for our visit to the famous baths and spas of Baden- Baden, Germany. It doesn’t take us long to reach the German border. Riding along in comfort, gazing out at the countryside is very relaxing as well as fascinating, the views constantly changing. We roll by corn and hay fields, one of the later having just been mowed looking like it had a fresh haircut. We pass small villages where many of the houses are decorated with small but well painted natural scenes. As we rise in altitude the houses along the slopes are bright white with balconies and colorful flower boxes, reminding us of homes we had seen in Switzerland on previous trips. Restaurants, small hotels and bed and breakfast places were mixed among them. At the top of the hills, among the trees of the Black Forest, we have grand vistas of the land below. Ski slopes are abundant.

Once in the beautiful town of Baden-Baden, we begin a walking tour down one of its narrow walking streets of shops and restaurants. We see several of the buildings housing the baths, but do not go inside. We are told that some of them require everyone to strip down to their basic body. A few of these are mixed male and female. Moving on, we stroll by their famous casino then the ornate columns of the Trinkhalle, now used as an information office. Beneath its outside portals and along its columns, dealers of antiques hawk their wares to an interested Sunday crowd. Everywhere there are colorful flowers in gardens, pots or flower boxes. We walk on through rows of high-end shops, all waiting for the well-off to make their purchases. For the most part it seems as though we are wandering through a park. We stand on a bridge with the lively Oos River flowing beneath us, gazing at the tumbling water and the trees arching over it. It is the kind of scene that makes one want to stand in that one place and not move. To top off this idyllic scene is the shell of an old castle perched on the hills above.

Baden means baths in German. The city of Baden is located in the province of Baden, so the city is called Baden in Baden or simply Baden-Baden. The Romans, two thousand years ago, never overlooking anything, discovered these hot springs during their campaigns and founded a small city with bath houses, the ruins of which can be found today. The famous Roman, Caracalla, eased his arthritis here in the naturally warm water.

Eventually we have to board our buses again and leave this most intriguing city. While we were on the bus trip, our ship had moved from Strasbourg to a small landing at Rastatt on the Rhine. As we approach the ship the crew is standing on the top deck with a trumpeter, each holding a letter that spells out “WELCOME HOME”. A v-shaped formation of geese flies low over the water.

It’s nice to be cruising on the river again, listening to the sound of the water flowing around our ship, watching the trees go by. The trees gradually become silhouettes against the background of the fading day.

These swans cruise silently, but majestically, on the quay at Strasbourg near our boat.

On the way to Baden-Baden we pass through green hills, picturesque villages and the edge of the Black Forest.

We stroll down this walking street in the heart of Baden-Baden.

Standing on a small bridge, we look down on the Oos River flowing through the center of Baden-Baden.

MONTEREY PARK AUTHOR PUBLISHES 3^RD BOOK ABOUT HIS EXPERIENCES IN WORLD WAR II- BACK FROM COMBAT

Charles “Norm” Stevens, a 40 year resident of Monterey Park and World War II Veteran has recently published the 3^rd in his series about his experiences in WW II, Back from Combat: A WWII Bombardier Faces His Military Future.  This book details the time from when he returned from combat in England where he flew 34 missions over Germany and France until the end of the war. Faced with large numbers of returning combat vets, and not knowing how long the war would continue, the military had to plan for their future. His options were whether to return to combat, become an instructor in the U.S., or receive new training that he would use in the Pacific. The book concludes with the end of the war with an Afterward that includes an update on the B-l7’s still flying in the U.S., as well as present day accounts pertaining to the war.

Stevens is the author of two previous books about his experiences:

An Innocent at Polebrook: A Memoir of an 8th Air Force Bombardier (Story of his 34 bombing missions from his base at Polebrook, England over Germany and France)

The Innocent Cadet: Becoming A World War II Bombardier (A prequel to the first, telling of his training in the U.S. before going overseas into combat.)

He is known to the readers of The Citizen’s Voice as the author of Travel Log Articles including “From Paris to Normandy on the Seine”, “Exploring New York” and “In Search of Snow.” He is retired, having taught for 32 years, primarily in the Montebello Unified School District.

Those interested in purchasing an autographed copy of any of his books, may contact the author at 323-721-8230 or Normstevens24@gmail.com.