travel

The Spa Life in Baden-Baden, Germany

On the edge of the Black Forest just across the French border from Alsace, the spa town of Baden-Baden is a relaxing stop on a European road trip. My husband and I were headed to the tiny town of Ingolstadt to stay for a few days and visit the Audi Factory there, and we had pre-booked our spa treatments at the historic Friedrichsbad Spa, which dates from 1877 and offers a wide range of treatments, including the traditional 17-step circuit of showers, brushes and massages, baths of various temperatures and steam baths. Be sure to leave your modesty at the door, as the Friedrichsbad Spa, like many in Europe, requires full nudity. Men and women are separate for the treatments on certain days of the week, and can enjoy treatments together on other days. Check the Carasana website for a full schedule.

Since we only had a brief amount of time before getting back on the road, we didn’t do the full 17-step circuit. Instead, we each got a massage and shared a soak in the Emperor’s Bath. The massages were just what our road-tripping, tight muscles needed after sitting in a car most of each day. We got big, fluffy robes to wear between the massage area and the Emperor’s Bath, and we put our bags into a locker before entering the private room with a deep, soaking tub full of warm mineral water. Beneath a plaque of Kaiser Wilhelm, we soaked in the relaxing water, enjoying fruit juice, German wine and mineral water and some German-language magazines.

In the same historic bath area, you can also visit the Roman bath ruins, which lie beneath the main spa. Guided tours are available on some days, and self-guided tours on the remaining days. Just steps away is the newer Caracalla Spa, a large, modern European spa with outdoor and indoor pools and numerous wellness programs and treatments. From massages and body wraps to facials, couples massages and more, there are plenty of ways to treat yourself. Parking is available in an underground deck that connects to the Caracalla Spa. From there, the Friedrichsbad Spa is a short walk away.

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Highlights from a weekend trip to New York City

New York City is one of my favorite places in the world. It’s like an onion with so many layers of history to peel. Every time I visit, I discover something new.

A few weeks ago, my husband and I got to take a weekend trip to NYC for a concert at Irving Plaza. We stayed at our favorite “secret” hotel, the Comfort Inn Lower East Side. This inexpensive hotel on the edge of Chinatown has a parking garage at the back of the block that you can reserve via the BestParking app and get great weekend rates. There’s free wifi and a free continental breakfast, and it’s easy to get in and out of Manhattan via the Manhattan Bridge.

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We found a tiny seafood bar just down the street from the venue in the East Village, Bait & Hook, that had delicious fried oysters. We grabbed a couple of picklebacks and some Guinness before we headed back to the hotel.

We spent Saturday exploring the Metropolitan Museum of Art, particularly the Egyptian and European art wings.

While heading back to the subway, we found a cute brewpub in Hell’s Kitchen for lunch. NY Beer Company had paninis, burgers and other sandwiches, pizza and a huge selection of beers, including a bunch of local New York options.

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My last (and favorite) discovery was the most charming little bar right down the street from our hotel. Les Enfants de Boheme is a French bar and restaurant with a full cocktail menu, cheese and charcuterie boards, mussels and various entrees. The Saturday night we visited, NYC was hit by a snowstorm, so we hung out at the bar, soaked up the atmosphere and watched the snow fall. It was New York magical.

Seafood and fun on the Outer Banks

This past weekend was full of fun, food and relaxation! My husband and I took our family to Hatteras Island, NC to stay in a “tiny house” cottage at Hatteras Sands Campground, just down the road from the Hatteras/Ocracoke ferry. The cottages are all painted in fun colors, and have a downstairs bedroom with a queen bed, tv (which, unfortunately, did not work while we were there), microwave and mini fridge. Upstairs, there are two twin beds for the kids. The cottages are air-conditioned and a recently-updated bathhouse is right behind the row of “tiny houses.” The campground has a nice pool and plenty of tent and RV sites, smaller cabins and even single and double wide trailers to rent. A canal runs through the campground, and kayak excursions are offered.

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We started our visit with a stop at Burruss Red & White Market in Hatteras Village to pick up some food for quick breakfasts and lunches:  cereal and milk, bread, peanut butter and jelly, a few bags of chips, paper plates, utensils and plastic cups. The Market has fresh-sliced meats and cheeses too, and homemade sandwiches.The staff are super-friendly and will make sure you find everything you need for your trip.

Dinner at a local seafood restaurant was next on the agenda, and we picked Quarterdeck Restaurant in Frisco. They had several daily food and drink specials, and the wait for a table wasn’t long, even though the restaurant is small. My husband and I split a fried seafood platter with fish, scallops, shrimp and oysters plus baked potatoes, and the kids shared fresh steamed crab legs and fries. Hushpuppies were served on the side. The food was fresh and delicious and I’d definitely return again for seafood.

On a camping trip, one of the most important things to find is COFFEE! Our cottage rental did not have a coffee maker, so it was imperative that we head out in the mornings to discover where we could buy some good coffee. On Hatteras Island, there are a handful of coffee shops. We tried two:  Red Drum Pottery and Coffee and The Dancing Turtle. Red Drum is a tiny coffeeshop housed inside a pottery and jewelry store on Route 12 that also offers visitors the chance to paint and fire their own pottery, hear live music or stay in the facility’s new Airbnb.com rental. Closer to Hatteras Village, The Dancing Turtle is a charming little coffeeshop with a huge range of fancy coffee and tea drinks, as well as yummy desserts and souvenirs.

For a quick snack in the afternoon after a morning at the beach, we stopped at Lee Robinson General Store in Hatteras Village. The kids all got ice cream and souvenirs, I picked up a bottle of Duplin Winery’s Carolina Red Sweet Muscadine Wine and some homemade asiago cheese bagels for breakfast the next morning. The muscadine grape is native to the southeast, particularly to North Carolina, and a number of wineries in the Tarheel state produce muscadine or scuppernong (a variety of muscadine) wines. These wines tend to be red and sweet, and are delicious to sip on their own or with dessert.

In the evening on Saturday, we drove down the road a bit to the Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry. This free ferry ride takes about an hour and puts you off at the end of Ocracoke island, about 13 miles from the village of Ocracoke. There are beaches and campgrounds on Route 12 along the island, and plenty of motels, marinas, restaurants and bars in the village. We ate at the Ocracoke Bar and Grille, a breezy spot with surfing and sports on the numerous televisions and delicious Baja-style food, like fish tacos and freshly-made guacamole. The vibe was laid back and the service was terrific. They get fresh fish and seafood in from the docks almost daily and the reggae on the radio and Hawaiian craft beer give this place the perfect island vibe. We will definitely be back to the O’Bar!

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Our quick Hatteras weekend was a great appetizer, and I can’t wait to bring our family back to Hatteras Sands’ “tiny house” cottages for a longer getaway next time!