Wading on the World to Change | Alex Boudreaux

While diligently grinding on our final project on the last day of the trip, Mrs. Paige stormed into our room, and we knew she had something up her sleeve by the smile on her face and the glare in her eyes. She asked if we needed any help or advice on our projects to divert our suspicions, but we denied her expertise in fear it would break our deep concentration. Personally, my group’s project was coming along quite swimmingly, but Mrs. Paige was persistent with her promises of fun. She was talking about a hidden pool in the woods called a “wading pool.” With our curiosity peaked, we decided to cave in and follow her blindly through the back roads of Brannenburg.

There were a lot of difficult things the trip brought upon us but the worst by far was the walking in Europe. I miss the comfort of my car and having the ability to be anywhere in Baton Rouge in a matter of minutes. Europe is a different kind of culture. Walking on both feet, one right in front of the other, is the main mode of transportation. The only thing that could fix this was some sort of massage for our feet. Luckily, Mrs. Paige knew of the right place. Only a few paces away from the front door of our hotel was a community spa dedicated to the tired and beaten feet of the people of Brannenburg.

The spa came in three steps. The first portion was to walk over various materials in a spiral. The materials included varying sized rocks and pebbles, mulch, and wood. The first thought as I stepped on to the lava rock was discomfort, but after a couple of steps in the ache was replaced by a feeling of solace. Next was the wading pool itself. The pit first looked like a small pool you would see at home. It took a while to fully understand the purpose of the pool, but once we got in, the pool’s effect and purpose was apparent. The water was sourced from the mountains surrounding the town making it near freezing, but wading in the pool was the perfect way to relax your legs after long kilometers up the hills of Brannenburg. The last step was for the arms. Another small pool was just to the right of the wading pool, and it was the perfect height for a person to bend over and soak their arms in natural spring water from the mountains. The whole experience was a great surprise and Mrs. Paige did not disappoint.