Great Tits

Great tit chicks : Roman ruins : Badenweiler, DE

No, I'm not referring to an anatomical feature on women. I'm talking about the birds. Great tits are common throughout Europe and are characterized by a black head with white cheeks and an olive or yellow underbelly. They're playful little birds and really delightful to watch. At home in Ferney, we have a bird feeder set up for their enjoyment, and ours. During our visit to the Roman bath ruins, we stopped at the end of our self-guided tour to watch a video. After the video ended, we could hear birdsong. It was so close, we suspected it was coming from birds nesting in the ruins. 

Lunch is served! : Roman ruins : Badenweiler, DE

Sure enough, on the wall right in front of us were a pair of great tit chicks. As we sat and watched them, an adult tit showed up with lunch. These are a few photos of a wonderful moment in nature among the ruins!

That blur on the left is the adult tit, off to find more food : Roman ruins : Badenweiler, DE

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 5/2012

Badenweiler

Beautiful flora in the public gardens were in bloom. The Cassiopeia Thermal Baths are in the domed building in the background. : Badenweiler, DE

I have a colleague who recently bought an apartment in the Schwarzwald town of Badenweiler. She said we were welcome to use the apartment as a get-away, so we took her up on her offer. Badenweiler is one of those towns Germans go to to "take the waters" and is a destination that, if you go for therapeutic reasons, is covered by the German national health insurance plan. We enjoyed a couple of days of rest and relaxation.

Ruins of the original Roman baths : Badenweiler, DE

While we were there, we took a self-guided tour of the original Roman baths. These date back to 75 CE/AD and are well-preserved. Additional photos of the bath ruins and various buildings and features around the town can be seen here.

Mating dance : Seen in the gardens near the baths : Badenweiler, DE

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 5/2012