What is a weekend if you don't unwind, right? At times it feels like everyone is more inclined towards winding up for the weekend than they are simply unwinding on the weekends. Unless there is some exhaustingly animalistic plan for the weekend it doesn't feel like a weekend at all.
"Hey, let's go to the countryside and set up a tent for the weekend"
"Yo, let's marinate the grill on Wednesday and go shopping for the barbeque we are going to have on Saturday"
"How about we go hiking and sweat our shins off?".
Bruh, why does it always seem like we are going to put in more effort into our weekend than we toil at work, anyways? I can't stand it. What I cannot stand more is that most of the plans are usually something that will get me an express ticket to mosquito bite land and swollen feet avenue. I just want to chill. I do not have usual weekdays, and I do not have usual weekends. Sometimes I work at night and sometimes I work through the weekends. Depends on rotas and patients.
That is when the epiphany hit me. My escape. My weekend. Proofreading this thing made me realize I sound like a nature hater more than a roaring feral weekend-plan concocting hater. Don't get me wrong, I love nature. Just not enough to hug a tree. I need an escape that wipes off the cluster metastatizing in my head from work. And nothing does that better than mother nature.
At the same time, I do not want to manifest a mega plan, the size of a D&D map, throughout my working days. Nor do I want to drive for hours and then drive back with mosquito bites or an aching thigh. I want a simple escape. Something of balance in between nature and man's creation.
BADEN-BADEN
This is a beautiful hotel resort at the butt of the city center. A mere 15 minutes drive for me and a place where the most effort I need to put in is wearing comfy clothes. It is exclusive enough to keep away unnecessary crowding. The best part is their garden with the "besedki". I love taking a walk in their small woods with paved floors. The fresh air and the smell of flowers simply put, is relaxing.
Away from the noise of the bustling city. Away from the loudness of the excited crowds. In midst of nature and everything magical about it. Not a single worry penetrates the greeneries. It feels like this is what a weekend should be like. Balanced, and relaxing. An escape. Away from the toil and calm. Even if it be for a few hours.
I discovered the place almost 4 years back and immediately fell in love with it. We have a very special kind of relationship. The kind where you wouldn't visit it so often that it'd lose its special touch but visit it enough that it'd remain just as attractive as the first time.
I sat in this part of the restaurant, as usual. Ordered a nice drink and a dessert. Their pasta is good, too. I was once offered their beef wellington but I soon realized that baden-baden doesn't feel very calm and relaxing on a heavy stomach. Today felt more like a Hookah kinda vibe.
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I almost every time go there at around 5 PM, call it a ritual. I take a walk while the waiter prepares my usual order. After almost an hour the sun starts to set. That is when I sit in the restaurant and watch the water crash into us. There is just enough nature surrounding you to take you away from the concrete jungle.
I watch the trees on the other side and enjoy the leaves dancing to the beat of the wind. Often the guests take a dive into the water, and it never hurts to be around a little bit of joyous noise. My favorite part are the ridiculous boats. People that live on the other side of the riverbank must be huge fans of the Redbull Candola boat race.
In my childhood, we used to go for long drives almost every weekend. Unless there were plans for family get-togethers or community parties and so on. It was the sole reason why I learned so much about comfort on a weekend. You'd have me sold if your weekend plans were snacks and a football match. Or a LAN party. Man do I miss those.
Otherwise, baden-baden is spot on. By myself or with friends. Put on a pair of comfortable shoes and drive to the place that feels like a fancy backyard. That's it. Enjoy the sunset with laughs and drinks in the pod of your choice. May it be the dining area or a "besedki" somewhere in the garden.
One of the things I like about baden-baden is that these "besdki" are scattered all over the place. Every corner has soft music playing and always feels so welcoming. Talking about unwinding, right? Amidst the beauty of mother nature and the unchallenged comfort created by man's imagination.
That sounds like a good escape, doesn't it? An unwinding without the irony of winding up for weekends. Something to put my feet down and make me one with nature, but not lost in it. Baden-baden might be my perfect weekend, doesn't have to be yours. That is individuality.
For me, the weekend is about being pointless and feeling bliss. Someplace where I can forget about the past week and look forward to the next with a clear head. I do not care much about the journey nor the destination as much as I care about being still, calm and content when I leave the weekend behind. Unraveled, in one word.
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