There is a local saying in southern Taiwan that translates roughly as 'People who live next door to a temple look down upon that particular temple; they prefer to go and make their offerings at some other temples which are far-away from their own town. Whereas people living in other towns come all the way to make their offerings at that very temple where no locals want to go'. To put it in plain words, it means people are inherently cheeky: they look down upon places of interest near their own doorsteps, but are willing to spend lots of money and energy to travel thousands of miles to visit a place far away from home.
While some would say such actions are essentially what travelling is all about, I must admit there is indeed some elements of truth in the old saying. For instance I had been living for decades in a town on the fringe of Germany's Black Forest, itself one of the most popular and coverted tourist spots in Central Europe, but it was not until recently that I finally visited Baden-Baden, a kind of Monacosque exclusive spa town (without the sea but with the scenic Black Forest in its background) popular with rich Russians and German millionaires. Although I had passed by Baden-Baden hundreds of times when travelling by train from southern Germany to the northwestern part of the country, it just did not strike me that I should get off the train and have a look what this town was all about.
And it is not just me; virtually all my friends and colleagues who live in the same Black Forest town where I stayed had never visited Baden-Baden before. Most of them consider Baden-Baden far too kitschy and pretentious for their taste. As a result, they prefer going on holidays to far-flung places such as Rio, Cape Town, or even New Zealand, even though Baden-Baden is virtually just a short train ride from our doorstep.
As Baden-Baden features prominently in the itinerary of many tourists from East Asia, my friends visiting me in Germany always look at me in disbelief each time I told them I had not been to Baden-Baden mysef. 'But why?' They asked, 'It is just less than an hour from where you live!'
Why? Well, I have never asked myself this question. It is just the way it is I guess. If you live too close to something, you stop appreciating it altogether because the novelty is gone. It applies to virtually everything in life, not just to Baden-Baden.
While some would say such actions are essentially what travelling is all about, I must admit there is indeed some elements of truth in the old saying. For instance I had been living for decades in a town on the fringe of Germany's Black Forest, itself one of the most popular and coverted tourist spots in Central Europe, but it was not until recently that I finally visited Baden-Baden, a kind of Monacosque exclusive spa town (without the sea but with the scenic Black Forest in its background) popular with rich Russians and German millionaires. Although I had passed by Baden-Baden hundreds of times when travelling by train from southern Germany to the northwestern part of the country, it just did not strike me that I should get off the train and have a look what this town was all about.
And it is not just me; virtually all my friends and colleagues who live in the same Black Forest town where I stayed had never visited Baden-Baden before. Most of them consider Baden-Baden far too kitschy and pretentious for their taste. As a result, they prefer going on holidays to far-flung places such as Rio, Cape Town, or even New Zealand, even though Baden-Baden is virtually just a short train ride from our doorstep.
As Baden-Baden features prominently in the itinerary of many tourists from East Asia, my friends visiting me in Germany always look at me in disbelief each time I told them I had not been to Baden-Baden mysef. 'But why?' They asked, 'It is just less than an hour from where you live!'
Why? Well, I have never asked myself this question. It is just the way it is I guess. If you live too close to something, you stop appreciating it altogether because the novelty is gone. It applies to virtually everything in life, not just to Baden-Baden.
Finally, the breakthrough came last year. While on my way to Alsace for a day, I decided to take a detour and visit Baden-Baden for a few hours, just to see how the place looks like. By sheer coincidence I bumped into their weekend flea-market which took place inside the park next to the Kurhaus, and this being Baden-Baden where money is nothing, even the merchandise on sale at the local flea market are not the ordinary stuffs one often sees at their neighbourhood garage sales. It would actually fit the description better to call this event an open-air antique show, where avid collectors from different parts of southern and western Germany meet up to show off what they have in store: antique watches (Omega, Longine from the pre-war years), antique silver and crystal tablewares, hand-made jewelleries from the Austro-Hungarian era, second-hand Louis Vuitton bags, Max Mara knitwears, Tod's shoes, used Armani jeans, Hugo Boss suits, Burberry jackets, and Escada tops. By the way that was the first time I saw second-hand genuine Made in Italy Max Mara trousers on sale at a flea market :)
Judging by the kind of stuffs on display at Baden-Baden's flea-market, you should now know what kind of people and lifestyle prevails in this town. Baden-Baden ranks among one of the most expensive places to own a house or apartment in Germany, and the town centre is full of expensive boutiques and specialist shops selling exclusive brandname items. Even simple items for everyday use, such as bath towels, kitchen utensils, household slippers, combs etc. on display in shops around Baden-Baden are top-of-the-range items made with high quality materials. For a town with an officially registered popuation of less than 55,000, it has one of the highest density of renown haute couture boutiques and exclusive high-end jewellery shops, where a designer gold-plated enamel ring studded with gemstones will seduce you to part with 30000 of your cash in your Swiss bank account.
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the rise of a new generation of exceedingly rich Russian billionaires, Baden-Baden has once become the place where rich Russians congregate. Back in the old days when Russia still had its Tsars, Baden-Baden was the in-place for Russian nobility to spend their time and squander their wealth at the town's famous casino. This spa town has been the setting of several literary works written by some of the best-known Russian literary greats such as Ivan Turgenev and Fyodor Dostoyevsky. In more recent times, rea estate agents in Baden-Baden are doing a booming trade with their Russian clients. On the windows of many real estate agents' office located in some of the most expensive areas of Baden-Baden are large signs written in Russian language advertising the presence of Russian-speaking staffs.
Rich Russians apart, Baden-Baden also has one of the highest concentrations of rich German pensioners I have ever seen so far in a town of similiar size. Many OAPs I encountered in the centre of Baden-Baden are extremely well-dressed (in some cases bordering on over-dressed), who go about doing their morning grocery shoppings in their Escada tweed suits and carrying their Chanel bags. I don't mean to be sarcastic, but the estimated value of the clothing, jewellery, and accessories worn by some of them on a normal day probably exceed the annual income of average households in many developing countries. Come to think about it, no wonder some people find this town and its residents a bit creepy.
Fortunately, most of the visitors who come to Baden-Baden as tourists are not laden with expensive designer jewellery, and in contrast to the omnipresent nouveau riche Russians who have taken over Antalya and the Turkish Riviera in recent times, the billionaire Russians living in Baden-Baden are actually very low-key when it comes to showing their economic prowess, and are very civilised.
Putting aside all the talks about chic OAPs, expensive shops and rich billionaires, Baden-Baden is actually quite a nice place for a visit if you like towns with an upper-class touch. The compact town centre is very well-preserved with very tidy streets, rows of beautiful medieval houses, nice restaurants and cafes, and green public parks suitable for a nice picnic and a nice walk along the scenic little stream that flows through the town centre. Some corners of Baden-Baden even has a distinctive French ambience to it. The biggest attraction of Baden-Baden though is the natural hot springs, which have been in use since the Roman times. Those who enjoy spa treatments can choose to pamper themselves in some of the best spas in western Europe. Another landmark of the town is its historic Kurhaus, a beautiful 19th century building built in the neo-Classical style and ranks among one of the world's most glamorous casinos. In the adjoining Kurgarten (Spa Garden), live classical music concerts are held in the summer featuring some of the top names in the world of classical music. One of the world-famous director-composers who used to perform on the white stage located in the garden was Johannes Strauss Jr., famous for his Viennese waltz and light operas.
The beautiful Kurgarten is very suitable for a relaxed afternoon walk with your pets. It would be nice if I could take my shiba here with me. Imagine how nice it would be to be able to play ball with my shiba on these lawns!!
It is easy to get to Baden-Baden. All trains from Frankfurt-Mannheim-Karlsruhe will pass by this town's train station on their way to Switzerland. The train station of Baden-Baden is located at the outskirt of the town centre, but don't worry, regular buses to the centre of the town depart from in front of the train station on a very frequent basis. Tickets can be purchased either from the machine located next to the bus stop, or from the driver upon boarding the bus.
Copyright@2012. All text and photos by YC Cheng. All Rights Reserved.
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