Nordic Spas

We all have heard of the Nordic spas, and who has not dream of going to one? and be pampered like the movie starts?

Pärnu is the summer capital of Estonia, with long sandy beaches with shallow waters and lots of sun, many cafes and restaurants and most important, the famous Nordic medical spas.

So, of course while in Pärnu I visited one of these spas, after all, I have been told that that is what you do here.

There are many spas in the city; however, there is Spa Tervis one block from the house where I am staying, so there I went.

These therapy treatments are cover by the insurance of the people here, however, my insurance doesn’t cover for preventing medicine, so I paid regular prices for all the treatments. There are packages treatments that you can buy when you stay in their hotel; however, I am not staying there so I paid everything a la carte.

First thing I needed to do was to have a physical exam and then the Dr. recommends what type of therapy I would need.

I had my physical and I am very healthy so I was allowed to take whatever treatment I wanted just to take them.

I also had my cholesterol and triglycerides check and a dental checkup. I had to go to the hospital to get a pop smear and a mammogram.

Once the medical exams where done, I went for a haircut, many/pedy (1 hr. ea.), a 1 hr. massage, a mud bath, and of course the sauna.

Mud baths are a cure for all; they are anti-inflammatory and great for the skin. All I know it’s that couple hours after my bath I felt very light. My legs, my body were light and days later I still felt light, so I booked another bath for the day before I leave here.

As you lay in the warm mud you are supposed to relax, however for the first few minutes all I did was giggle because it was such a funny sensation, it was like being submerge in pudding.

They have Finnish sauna, Turkish sauna, salt sauna, infrared sauna, and of course regular sauna and they are great, but I love saunas and I go to them as much as I can.

This is just what I did, the spa offers: pools, exercise classes, different types of massages and spa treatments, physiotherapy, examinations, dentist, face treatments, body treatments, beauty salon… You name it and they offer it.

Needless to say that every day there is at least 3 full buses of people coming from other countries just to this spa, I don’t know about the other ones but I am guessing they are about the same.

The place is great and the people very nice and helpful, even if they don’t speak much English and when they do it is very basic so you need to figure out what they are trying to say.

I am enclosing the prices for all these treatments and exams. Make sure you are seating down and do me a favor, once you read them: close your mouth!

Treatment	€	$
Medical exam	16	21.38
Cholesterol	27	36.07
Popsmear	22.67	30.29
Mammogram	26.34	35.19
Dentist	10	13.36
Total for Drs.	102.01	136.29
Hair cut many/pedy	77	102.87
Mud Therapy	13	17.37
	13	17.37
Massage	35	46.76
Sauna	5	6.68
	5	6.68
	5	6.68
Total for pampering	153	204.41
Grand Total	255.01	340.7

At these prices I would like to have done everything they offer, but I didn't, I behave and I am very happy with everything I was able to do.

Really, I felt great. It is nice to pamper oneself once in a while, besides it have been couple years since I had a medical checkup so I was due for one.

Next time I need some pampering I know where to go.

First green apartment building

A complete first of its kind green apartment building has been built in Punta del Este, Uruguay.

The building has nine wind turbines and the roof is cover with solar panels.

 The turbines generate all the electricity for the building which consist of 16 floors, 54 apartments, two penthouses, eight elevators, garages, pumps, electrical awnings and all the amenities that such a modern building demands.

The solar panels provide the hot water, the heating system and even the hot water for the two pools, one indoor and one outdoors.

Punta de Este is a summer beach resort, due to that fact, there is a significantly lower consumption by the number of apartments that can be unoccupied, and the excess energy is given to the electric company which in return will give the extra energy back to the building in the summer without any exchange of money involved.

This is the first and only building of this kind and as such it was very expensive to build. However due to the progress in the technologies for solar energy and wind turbines prices should lower making this process available to more apartment buildings and private homes.

Or I least I hope.

Kaiser-Friedrich-Therme

Wiesbaden is famous for the thermal baths. So of course being here I had to visit one.

I get up in the morning and put on my bathing suit, got dress, had breakfast and walked to Kaiser-Friedrich-Therme, which are situated in the center in this beautiful old building. They have 3 hot springs pools with different temperatures,  3 saunas with different temperatures also, steam rooms, sudatorium rooms, relaxing rooms, cold rooms, hot rooms, I mean it’s incredible all they have.

They charge by the hours so at arrival I clock in and proceeded to the thermal pools to find out that I was the only one in a bathing suit, everybody was naked. So when in Rome….

I sat in the thermal pool for 20 minutes then I went to the sauna for 20 minutes, then I jumped in the cold water pool and then to the whirlpool for 15 minutes. After that a nice shower and a body and face scrub, and I felt great!!!

The feeling of clean and fresh after seating in the sauna it’s incomparable. I just love it.

I used to go to the sauna three times a week when I was home, now I just do it here and there and every time I tell myself that I have to do it more often, however, they are no saunas near every place I stay, so I just do them when I can get them.

Anyway, the place was great,

I had a fabulous time and I felt new and refresh all over.

Burg Frankenstein = Castle Frankenstein

South of Darmstadt, up in a hill, sits the ruins of Burg Frankenstein.

Here is where Mary Shelly had the inspiration for her novel. I still don’t know how looking at these ruins inspired somebody to write Frankenstein, but she did.

There is not much left of the 750 years old castle, only some walls and stairs and tower, howeve,r still standing is a little chapel where now a day many people gets marry. Actually the day I was there, there was a wedding. I think it’s very nice to be marry in such a place.

The road up the hill is through the woods and 

once there, the views of the country side around it are very pretty with their green pastures and grey skies; it rains a lot in Germany.

Every year the castle hosts one of the biggest hallowing parties in Europe which seems very apropos.

A few decades ago they built a restaurant in the castle, however, it looks new and the bricks they used don’t match the original stones. To me, it looks out of place.

Still, it was great to walk through those ruins while remembering scenes from the book and the many pictures I have seen.

Back in Germany!!!

There are many beautiful countries in this world, and Germany is one of them.

What a gorgeous place, with it green pastures in the north and mountains in the south and the many rivers crisscrossing the country. The people are so nice and friendly, every time I come to Germany I get the same welcoming feeling and it feels great.

When my daughter used to live here I use to love to come and visit her,

1.      I wanted to see her and my granddaughter (yes, my son in law too…)

and 

2.     because I love this country.

This time the first place I have been is:

Bensheim

After an overnight bus ride from Lyon and 1 hour on a train ride and a wait of 3 hours before my host picked me up at arrived at my new destination.

What a lovely family, the couple it’s great, words can no fully describe how genuinely nice, friendly and welcoming they are. They have two very nice boys and one very nice girl. The house is very nice in the outsides of town in Lautertal which is near Bensheim.

Bensheim is located south of Frankfurt and near Mains, Heidelberg, and Darmstadt, and it’ s a very nice little town. Actually I walked the town while I waited for my host and that was enough time to see it. It was a market while I was there, so it was nice and enjoyable.

I walked around Lautertal a few times when we had nice days(it rains a lot here right now) and the place is very pretty and tranquil and all green. Well, with all this rain it better be green!

I am just happy to be back in Germany.