I Feel the Need… For a Spa Day
What would I do if I could do anything with a day off? There are so many options – it’s kind of overwhelming and I thought I would decide based on what I need on that particular day.
If I need some relaxation I opt for a day at the hamam, a Turkish bath. I take my best girlfriend with me and we go all in: steam bath, lather massage, body peeling, fresh fruits and tea, aromatic oil massage with lots of relaxing and lots of chatting. Afterwards we go to a Persian restaurant, and whatever I choose it has to be served with barberries rice. I just love that kind of rice. For dessert it is either saffron or rosewater ice cream. That is the perfect finish to a wonderful day!
If I need something calming and rejuvenating I go to Italy. I choose for example Tuscany with its picturesque scenery and beautiful towns or Lago di Garda, the largest lake in Italy, with a breathtaking view into the Alps. The food is delicious, the scenery amazing and the weather great. Really, for no apparent reason Italy has this calming and soul relaxing effect on me. I remember one summer I spent a long weekend there with friends. When I came home, I felt like I had been on vacation for two weeks! Just imagine what even one day could do for me!
If I need some excitement I travel to Morocco. I stay at a five star hotel at a sandy beach and I wake up to the salty smell of the ocean. I visit a souq, a market in one of the towns nearby and do some window-shopping. Most of all I enjoy the aromas of the herbs and spices and the amazing colors of the fresh produce. I sit down nearby to have some tea and watch the people walk by. I watch them take in the products to buy and see them bargaining over the prices. I get out my sketchbook to capture my impressions so I can take the excitement of newness home with me and experience it again and again!
Now, after daydreaming of desired destinations that will hopefully see me (again) one day, my actual day went a more like this: just the other week I needed a little time out from the city – so with my parents in tow we went for a day trip south. After initial difficulties concerning which beautiful place to go, Bad Tölz, a spa town approximately 50 km south of Munich, became our destination. We took a sunny walk into town and set down on a bench in the middle of the pedestrian area. It was one of the first spring days and a Saturday, too, so it was full of people enjoying the sunshine. We walked some more along the Isar, one of the largest rivers in Bavaria that also runs through Munich. I enjoyed the water running by, water is something so soothing for me. Later we went to a Bavarian restaurant in a small village outside Munich where some of my ancestors came from and had a delicious dinner before returning home. I felt blessed to live in such a beautiful part of this planet, which makes it easy to say, “Traveling is great and being home is great, too!”
Written by: Sabine Roggermeier; Gluecklich Im Sein
