Baron in Italy, Chasing the sun, Thu, 05 Dec 2019 | written by Simon
Jemma and Simon at a Sauna/Baths in Europe, Germany

First night in the van!

This was much better than expected. -3 outside, but we were all pretty happy and snug in our insulated van and under our duvet and the extra woollen blanket my mum gave us. Thanks mum!

Still, there was a lot of frost outside and getting out from under the duvet was an experience… And the mist, just like frost in the air. It’s seriously way colder here than in Poznań.

We went to the Terme Erding baths around 11, I had to sit around for a bit to do a work call, but soon we were all ready to warm up in the saunas. Lu brought me here first a few years ago – it’s so good to be back! I remembered what was what vaguely, but it was fantastic exploring it anew. And there is a lot to explore! The baths are huge, with a massive selection of pools and saunas. And most importantly, you get to be naked all the time!!!

The best experience was being King and Queen of the sauna during an event. There was a massive throne in the room that was super high up (and you know what that means in a sauna). The guy leading the event taunted people to try it and nobody would – so we did! To the general cheer is the whole packed room and assorted congratulations afterwards. It was a challenge, but totally worth it! Also, they played Rammstein, Fever Ray and Prodigy, and a hot guy in a cloak was wofting us with a massive flag! How cool is that?

This sauna was part of a Stonehenge area – nice to see England getting culturally appropriated for a change 😜

Other fantastic moments included a nap in the Alhambra, piña coladas in the outdoor pool, and assorted naughtiness.

We got out just before 11pm closing time, ready for another night in the caravan park outside the baths. Bring on the cold, we are not afraid anymore! Also, we have my grandma’s wine to help us through the cold.

What an amazing start to the journey!!!

9 September 2021

We’re back!!! On our way to the second trip to Italy, heading towards Venice this time. We are chasing the sun – August has been pretty miserable and we want to get a bit more warmth before the winter comes.

We started driving yesterday after work and today we begin the holiday with a whole day sat the baths. It’s actually kind of nicer this time, because there are fewer people due to Covid. A bit shorter visit today though, as we had to leave the pool an hour early. Can’t always win 😅

It was great not freezing, by the way. It was pleasantly warm and even a bit too hot around noon – Jemma got a little sunburnt.