Bad Harzburg

Bad Harzburg is a spa town on a thermal spring - saline water bubbles up from 840 m underground and is a constant warm temperature. Divine for just bathing in and doing you good too we were told. Odd though to be so far inland and swimming around in what tasted like sea water!! The town itself is very middle class, prosperous with lots of clinics, physios and various treatments available almost at every corner.

There was also a very long pedestrianised main street with loads of lovely coffee n cake shops, restaurants, ice cream parlours and the usual retail outlets to tempt the passerby. Philip has great difficulty passing the cake shops in particular... and didn't always manage to ! This is a picture of what seemed to be his favourite - warm apfel strudel with both whipped cream and ice cream - the works !!

In the main square was a very amusing and delightful fountain...first really funny one I've seen. Each figure seemed to have been sponsored by a local and was themed by/for them.

The mermaid (cute n sexy in a troll sort of way) was my favourite and then the cheery optimist. He just looked so happy and joyful !! brought a smile to my face indeed. The others were pretty good too. Everybody just loved the fountain square for its light-heartedness I think, we certainly did and spent many a happy hour watching the world go by.