An Afternoon in Lindau

In my previous two posts, I showed you a complete walk around the island of Lindau, with many views of the lake and the sky. After lunch at the "Möwe Jonathan", I resolved not to go on a boat tour; it was still very windy and the weather kept changing, and I was sure I would have spent nearly all the time on the boat under deck, which is clearly not the point of such a trip round the bay to Bregenz (Austria) and back. 
Instead, I climbed the lighthouse which you have seen already on a few pictures in the other two posts. It was built in 1856 when Lindau was just emerging as a tourist attraction thanks to the advent of that brand new technology, the railway. 

Of course, Lindau itself is much, much older, and the harbour was always used as such, it just didn't have such good stone works to protect it. There is archaelogical proof of a Roman settlement in the 2nd century on the island, but it found its first written mention in the year 882 and turned into a proper town, with market, church etc., in the late 11th century. Much of what can be seen today was built in Lindau's heyday in the late 15th century and, after a much reduced population slowly recovered from an outbreak of the Black Death, in the 16th and 17th century.

The views from the lighthouse were good; three countries can be seen: Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The high winds meant I did not stay up there too long, but went back down and into town for a leisurely stroll along the old streets and alleyways. My next post will be with pictures of these streets and alleys.

For the rest of the afternoon, I had a special treat for myself: I went to a rather posh perfume and cosmetics shop for a 90-minute treatment at their spa, complete with massage and something totally new to me: a proper make-up! It was only a very light day make-up, so I didn't really look any different (at least I didn't think so, and RJ did not remark on the way I looked when we met after his seminar ended), but it felt strange having something called "foundation" on my skin. Usually all I do is put some cream on, and for going out or to the office, use a bit of black mascara on my eyelashes (hardly visible behind my glasses anyway) and dab on some lipstick to match the colour of my outfit. I don't paint my nails or pluck my eyebrows; I just can't be bothered with such things, but I do very much enjoy an occasional visit (maybe twice a year) to a cosmetics salon and have someone faff with my face.
It was most relaxing, the lady who took care of me very pleasant (not too chatty, but not as mute as a fish, eihter), and I nearly fell asleep on the recliner during the 15 minutes one of the treatments had to be on my skin. A real holiday!