Day One: If these walls could talk.

Day One: 650 KM

I sit here, on my four poster bed, in front of the fireplace surrounded by antiques in a 200 year old sea captains house.  There is a pool, sauna and hot tub just steps outside of my window.  The house seems like a typical New England bed and breakfast, doesn't it?  Sounds like a place I can't afford on my $250 accomadations budget for this trip.  Correction:  This room cost me $69 and included all the use of the facilites.  Which is great as long as you don't mind a sausage festival just outside your window.

I spent most of the day avoiding naked people.  I sat with Richard, the owner of the establishment "Richmond Sauna B&B" and listened to his stories and asked him question after question about this place while nudists paraded back and forth to the saunas.  Yes, it was weird at first...but by the end of the day I was hardly shocked at all by the openess.  I was the freak in the bathing suit, cover up, and towel.  Yes... all three.

If only these walls could talk... or have a video camera.  Oh right, they do.  Richard has surveillance cameras posted every where.  When I first took the tour and had a chat with him, I asked him what was the "protocol" here.  I guess I wanted to know what to expect and how to avoid any trouble.  Being a solo female traveler in a male dominated nude sauna is a bit of a daunting task.  However, I had nothing to worry about.  Richard's clientelle is 90% all gay males.  No kidding.  That's why the high percentage of weiner dominating the landscape.

Richard was eager to share his stories with me.  We talked for about 2 hours in his lobby where he handed out towels and took the $10 nightly usage fees.  Richard looks to be about 55 years old.  He hasn't a wrinkle on his face.  He takes a daily sauna and never goes in the sun.  He promptly tells me he is 75 years old and has been running this place for 38 years.  He started it back in 1974 and it's been a haven for all types of professionals all over the world.  He tells me wicked stories about his clientelle and I can barely believe a word.  He tells me about his wife, Jenny, who is 20 years younger than him and his jobs as an engineer, a navy seal, a schooner sailor, a photographer for National Geographic in Africa, the list goes on.
We had a great time, ate some cake together with a few of his guests while we chatted: a historian, a man who hasn't yet gotten over his wife's death,  a world traveler and another man who didn't know how to properly drape his towel over his crotch.

This is why I love to travel by myself... I meet the most interesting people and get to hear their stories.    And no... I didn't get naked.  However, I did take off my bathing suit top and not a goddamned person noticed.  I will try it again at the mall.

C'est la vie.