Some weeks ask for more voice than one has. This was one of them: many enquiries, many conversations, and texts and photos to deal with in the evenings. So on Wednesday I drove to Baden-Baden early, with no plan and my phone switched off at the bottom of my handbag. Last time I was only there for a drink. This time I wanted to stay.
The Caracalla Therme sits at the edge of the old town, and it gets quieter the moment you step into the foyer. The water comes from the city's thermal springs, warm and almost soft, and it carries you a little. I stayed in the pool for a long while, watching the light slowly change colour over the water. Hardly anyone speaks there, and that is exactly what I love. Nobody has anything to prove.
Afterwards, a lounger and a blanket, and a book I have been carrying around for weeks and still only half read that day. Robert Kiyosaki is one of my beloved authors.
I found I did not mind in the slightest. On the way back there was a slice of cake at Café König with a pot of tea, nothing more.
I think real luxury today is no longer what is expensive, but what cannot be reached. Two hours in which nobody wanted anything from me and I wanted nothing from myself. Whoever is in Baden-Baden next time would do well to plan an hour more than they think they need.
Discreetly yours,
Lena