An Austrian town that I have been visiting for 6 consecutive years. Since my first visit, in 2013, I spent countless time in the Baden’s rosarium (Austria's largest rose garden, by the way). Among the amazing variety of roses, I found one that captured my heart – a tall delicate pink rose that smells like happiness. Four years after my last visit there I still remember its cultivar – Duftjuwel – which means Fragrant Jewel. On the first day of my every visit to Baden I would rush to the rosarium to say hi to my favorite rose just like the Little Prince did.
Sniffing all the flowers on my way to anywhere has been my habit for many decades. The seconds spent to bend or reach for a flower are my moments to slow down, to enjoy the present and notice the beauty of this world. Not to mention that flower fragrance itself is so calming.
But what is special about my Fragrant Jewel is that its smell causes an interesting reaction in my brain. I swear it smells like happiness to me. Like a fresh early summer morning, like the skin of the person you are in love with, like a homemade pastry in a small vintage café – all those little things and moments that make you feel so unbelievably happy. Even if they only last for seconds.
Baden bei Wien is itself a jewel and has a lot to offer apart from the rosarium. First, it is famous for its spa culture, the healing properties of the hot springs of this place are known for more than 2,000 years. Those who are also interested in wine culture should try sturm - fermenting grape juice, still on its way to becoming wine. Sturm is the reason I only come to Baden in autumn. Oops.
Despite the size of only 27 m² Baden has several museums, a theatre, lots of entertaining facilities and one of the biggest casinos in Europe. In one of my next notes, I should tell you how I tried playing roulette there for the first time and had a dinner in a fancy casino restaurant for 1 euro.
"And yet what they're looking for could be found in a single rose"
― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince
