summer vacation schemes

hi, i'm rick steves,taking time out from writing my guidebooksto be your travel partner. this time, we're backfor more of germany, and we're herewith the family. thanks for joining us. after visiting germany's greatest gothic cathedral, we'll enjoy the good life, german style, at a top mineral spa, try our luck at the versailles of casinos,

crank out some old-time music, and explore the romantic black forest, with my favorite travel partners, anne, andy, and jackie. in this series, europe's our playground, and germany's in the heart of all the fun. after a stop at historic cologne, we ride the train to the resort spa of baden-baden, then hop south through the highlights of the black forest.

we are crossing the rhine and coming into cologne. there's a lot to see in cologne, but our first mission, stow these bags. station lockers work great. beautiful. first, we've got to figureout our train out of here. later we'll be heading for baden-baden. our train leaves at 16:09. that gives us just enough time for a quick look

at germany's fourth largest city. the train drops you right in the shadow of cologne's great cathedral, in a compact and people-friendly city center. we'll see quaint small-towngermany later. and that's fun. but modern germanyis not sitting on a stump wearing lederhosenand yodeling. it's a no-nonsense, leanand mean business machine,

with 80 million peoplepacked into a country the size of montana. this arch was the north gate of the roman city. it reminds us that this street and city have been thriving for 2,000 years. medieval cologne was germany's biggest city, the cross point of two major trading routes. while world war ii bombs destroyed 95 percent of the city center,

there's not a hint of that today on what locals claim is germany's first pedestrian shopping mall. after the war, the traffic-free old town was rebuilt with a park and riverside bike paths. many rhine cruises start from here. the rhine was the northern boundary of the roman empire in this part of europe. this museum is filled with roman artifacts, perhaps the finest in germany.

but when travellingwith kids, we're good for one majorsite a day. and today, that'scologne cathedral. this is germany's most art-packed gothic church. cologne has long beenan important religious center, maybe the most importantin all of germany. in fact, 1700 years ago,constantine, the first christian roman emperor,gave cologne its own bishop. the cathedral facade, while finished according

to the 13th century plan, is "neo-gothic" from the 19th century. see the tip of that spire 500 feet high? here's a life-size replica. this church makes you feel small. it's designed to. it reminds us of our place in the vast scheme of things. stained glass, enough to cover two football fields, bathes the church with divine light.

the church was begunroughly 700 years ago, but it wasn't completeduntil 1880, just about in time to celebratethe unification of so many small german statesinto one modern germany. this mosaic shows an archbishop holding the earlier cathedral that stood here centuries before this one was built. religious relics were a big deal back then, and cologne had some of the most important.

this sumptuous, 800-year-old reliquary holds the bones of the magi, 3 skulls with golden crowns. these 3 kings, of christmascarol fame, were, after their trip to bethlehem, consideredthe first christian pilgrims. they've inspiredcountless pilgrims, from medieval to moderntimes, to visit cologne. and pilgrims brought in lots of money. that's why cologne decided to build this magnificent and much bigger church.

another pilgrimmage stop and the art treasure of the cathedral is the gero crucifix, carved in 976. with a realism and sensitivity 300 years ahead of its time, it shows what the crucifixion was all about. the human jesus was dead. it's great art and powerful theology in one. on the way out, find the statue of st. christopher, the patron saint of travelers. he's always the big guy with the pilgrims' staff

and jesus on his shoulder. for 500 years he's looked out for pilgrims and travelers alike. we've got 10 minutes to catch our 16:09 train. packing light is even more important for train travelers than for those traveling by car. families need topack light, too. each kid carrieshis or her own stuff. our limit, one carry-on-the-plane-size bag per person.

with speedy trains and frequent departures, town-hopping by train is a breeze. we've had a taste of big city germany. now, it's time for romantic forests, cuckoo clocks, and germany's top spa town. baden-baden specializes in utter restfulness. this is where germany recharges its batteries. public transportation in europe makes travel without a car easy.

in baden-baden the tourist needs only bus no. 201. buses run every 10 minutes. buy tickets from the driver. validate by stamping a time on it. 24-hour tickets can be a great deal. and remember... kids go cheaper. no. 201 runs from the train station straight through the town center.

like many european old town centers, baden-baden is closed to private vehicles and serviced by a great bus system. 19th century baden-baden was the playground of europe's high-rolling elite. royalty and aristocracy would come from all corners to soak in the curative mineral waters and enjoy one of the world's top casinos. today, this town of 55,000

attracts a more middle-class crowd. tourists in search of a lower pulse, and germans enjoying the fruits of their generous health care system. hotel am markt is my vote for baden-baden's best small and friendly hotel. herr and frau bogner offer expert travel advice, comfortable rooms and a great price. it's inexpensive because it's family-run

and there's no night clerk, tvs or mini-bars. andy and jackie have settled right in. for me, the locationis what matters most. we're right in the cobbled oldcenter, the baths are just a block away, and it's quiet. [ bells gonging ] thankfully, the bells stopat 10 p.m. for me, a highlightof baden-baden is a visit to the baths.

there have been mineral bathshere ever since roman times. as a matter of fact, it's beensaid that emperor caracalla himself may have soaked awayhis rheumatism right here. today there are two very different baths. a baby-sitter we arranged through our hotel is taking our kids to the modern water park called the caracalla baths. this huge complex comes with the therapeutic works. but to some customers, it's simply lots of wet fun.

meanwhile, anne and i are going to the more aristocratic friedrichsbad for a sober two-hour ritual called the roman-irish bath. for the cost of a gooddinner, you get the works. men and women are separatedfor most of the routine. the ticket gets you in, releases your locker key, and gets you out, as long as you finishwithin three hours.

attendants help you stay on course. hello, yourfirst time? yeah. you take shoes,you have a shower, and then yougo on, okay. danke. friedrichsbad is powered by a steady river of hot and therapeutic mineral water. after a welcoming shower, you soak and sit in a series

of peaceful pools and exquisitely tiled sauna rooms. the routine seems complex, especially when you're naked, new here, and don't speak the language. thankfully, multi-lingual signs, arrows and numbers lead you from room to room. ahhh, stop no. 6 is a highlight. the soap-brush massage is rough, slippery, oh, yeah.

and finished with a good teutonic spank. you'll glide like a swan under a divine dome in the central pool. this is the one mixed area, shared by men and women. the dress code is always nude. being your average american, that took some getting used to. but once inside, you find it's an elegant experience, sedate and safe.

a great thing about travel is contrast. and after all this hot water, there's no better contrast than the cold plunge. hello. after the icy plunge, the attendant dries you in warm towels. okay, so now we goto slip in here, okay. finally, wrapped in a cocoon, you lay clean and thinking prenatal thoughts in the mellow-yellow

silent room. traditionally, bathers cap the experience with a sip of the thermal water. after freidrichsbad you'll feel, as they say, five years younger, or, at least, no older. at the baden-baden casino, the gambling starts in the afternoon and goes into the wee hours. coat and tie are required, and rentable. i guess this one'll do.

built in the 1850s, this is, according to marlene dietrich, the most beautiful casino in the world. inspired by the palace of versailles, it's filled with rooms honoring french royalty, who never set foot in the place. anyone over 21 is welcome to try their luck. but you don't need to gamble. in fact, a third of those who go in, just observe. linger under gold-finger cupids, and listen

to the graceful reshuffling of personal fortunes. the next morning we took the 30-minute tour the casino gives daily, the only time kids are allowed inside. now a little bitin english. you are here now in our mostbeautiful gambling hall, the florentine hall. and dostoyevsky,a russian writer, liked very much gamblinghere in this room here. he visited this room veryoften and described

it in his work,"the gambler". the casino may be the toast of baden-baden, but it's the bread and butter, too. you are herein a private casino, and the private ownersmust, of course, pay for havingthe concession for gambling. that means, since long years,they must give 90 percent, 9-0, to the land of baden-wertenbagfor having the concession. the casino wins 35 million a year, and 90 percent

of that goes back to the city and state in taxes. more aristocratic old-world elegance surrounds the casino, offering charms even the newly penniless can enjoy. the trinkhalle's 300-foot long portico is decorated with frescos recalling romantic local legends. back when baden-baden was famous as the summer capital of europe, this was the place to see and be seen. kaiser wilhelm i was a regular here for 40 years.

[ symphony music ] he may have enjoyed the baden-baden philharmonic, just as visitors do today. [ applause ] baden-baden seems made to order for strolling. bestow a royal title on yourself, and promenade down the famous lichtentaler allee. prince andrew and countess jackie don't quite get it. the lane meanders along the oos river,

past grand old spa hotels built in royal fashion during baden-baden's 19th century heyday. this art nouveau rose garden, with dozens of kinds of roses, is a fragrant bonus. baden-baden is a gateway to germany's black forest, a range of thickly wooded hills stretching a hundred miles south along the french border. rural areas like this are easier by car, so we've rented one for this part of our trip.

the black forest is a hit with germany holiday-goers, city folk whose doctors have prescribed some serious r & r, and families, just out a-wanderin'. and, like the locals, our family enjoys the fresh air, great views, and wide open spaces that come with a good black forest walk. thickly wooded and for centuries isolated and mysterious, people called this

the black forest, that's the "schwarzwald". now, rather than black, it's a bright and sunny vacationland. but even today, in remote villages and farmsteads, local dialects survive, and traditions are strong. [ stringed instrument music ] staufen is an ideal small-town base for exploring the southern trunk of the black forest. rolling or strolling through the pedestrian-friendly

cobbled lanes, or daydreaming under gingerbread buildings, the town's a delight. staufen is a good example of why for many travelers europe's charms are best found in small-town packages. perched above the town is a 15th century castle. ruined by the swedes in the thirty years' war, today it seems only to protect the vineyards. staufen is on germany's wine road, and locals here are proud of their hometown wine.

this is winefrom the castle. okay, good. gesundheit. germany's forte is white wine. it comes trocken, halb-trocken, or suss. that's dry, half-dry, or sweet. cheers! mmmm. cuckoo clocks are one of the region's touristic

claims to fame, and around here, time really is money. shops are perpetually wound up and ready to greet the tourists. cuckoo! now, i see this littletiny word here. does that say"switzerland"? no, that's germany. they're all madein the black forest. completely?

every little part isfrom the black forest? yes. why are there threepine cones? one isfor the cuckoo, the second oneis for the clock mechanic, and the third oneis for the music. can we try? i will show you. cuckoo, cuckoo, cuckoo,cuckoo, cuckoo, cuckoo!

the town of furtwangen's impressive german clock museum offers more than a chorus of cuckoo clocks. it traces the development of time-keeping devices from the dark age to the space age. black forest clocks date back to the 17th century. simple and made almost entirely of wood, they were the first affordable clocks. and accurate? to within 30 minutes a day.

from here, clocks evolved. the local knack for mechanical cleverness found fun ways to announce the hour, like "the dumpling eater." at three o'clock, he eats three dumplings, or at least one dumpling three times. over time, locals mixed automation into their clock making. when this superclock from 1880 strikes noon, the apostles pass before christ,

each bowing as they're blessed. from these same villages and same techniques came fanciful music boxes. the calliope is a classic. [ music ] this one's called "an orchestra in a cupboard." and it takes no practice to play the grind organ. [ speaking german ] [ discussion in german ]

smart parents punctuatetheir sightseeing with breaks. and we're munching the famousand extremely decadent... danke schoen! ...schwarzwald kirschtorte. that's black forestcherry cake. bon appetit. jackie, tell me,what's in your cake? there's chocolate,whipped cream, almonds, and, of course,cherries.

and a little bitof schnapps. the black forest open-air museum is near the village of gutach. it's a creative, folk life show-and-tell, housed in original buildings moved here from all around the black forest. the museum staff is happy to explain the exhibits. around the turn of the first millennium, europe harnessed the power of wind and water

with mills like this. this corn has to begrinded four times to get the realflour out. ingrid, what isthis mask for? they put the maskon here because they are verysuperstitious. and they hopedby doing that, they would keepthe fungus away. with no shortage of animals to feed

and traditional crafts to learn about, open-air folk museums are great for families. you know, farming the blackforest was really difficult. so people were lookingfor alternatives, like basket-weaving. they made cuckoo clocks. they had glass-blowingall over the country. and, of course,they had sawmills because lumberwas abundant.

and actually, this sawmillhere which we are going to is one of the lastthree still working in the black forest. whether grinding flour, or making planks from black forest logs, small but powerful innovations like these kicked off a chain of industrialization which helped to shape the europe travelers enjoy today. from modern cologne,

to elegant baden-baden, to old-time black forest hide-aways, and with the kids, i hope you've enjoyed our look at this exciting slice of germany. i'm rick steves. until next time,keep on travellin'. tell me the main four thingsin that beautiful cake. chocolate,whipped cream-- [ laughter ]

okay, okay. and you missedone little importantingredient:scnapps. okay,sleep well.