"Only there for the beer (and the VT Euromeet) :-)" Karlsruhe by leics

Karlsruhe Travel Guide: 895 reviews and 4,119 photos

It's very odd. Normally I'm super-keen to get pages written as soon as I get back.

But this time it was diferent. Maybe I just didn't want to 'download' and let go of the memories?

I went to Karlsruhe for the VT Euromeet. I don't think I'd ever have visited the place otherwise.

It's a really nice town, and felt very safe and welcoming.

How can I be nostalgic for a place I've only visited once? Why did I feel at home there so quickly, even before I'd met any VT-ers? Very strange...........

Impressions:

Lots and lots of green: trees, parks, the zoo......lovely. On a hot, sunny Saturday people were enjoying thse in the way they should be enjoyed....chatting, playing games, walking the dog............no drunks, no noisy groups of slightly scary teens, no edginess.......a tolerance and an acceptance that one's behaviour should be governed by consideration for others.

Lots and lots of space too.........it made me realise even more how cramped and busy UK towns and cities are.

Lots and lots of bikes too. An amazing number of bikes, in fact. I loved only having to worry about bikes and trams when wandering the town centre, and I loved looking at the huge variety of bike and riders. all ages, al appearances (bikes and riders!).

Deutsche Bahn bikes all over the place, ready to be hired once one had registered. Absolutely brilliant idea, wish the UK would adopt it.....but know it would simply not work. They be stolen or damaged within a couple of days at the most.

Fountains and statues; nice to see these dotted about everywhere, even nicer not to see them covered in graffiti or half-wrecked.

In fact, the almost complete lack of graffiti and rubbish really underlined the difference between any UK town centre and this one. Makes one wonder (again) where we are going wrong.

Wonderful and logical tram system. Such a green option, and so sensible to have so many running, even through the night. If I lived in Karlsruhe I'd be a tram and bike person too.

Courtesy and efficiency from shop and restaurant/cafe staff. Always hoped-for, rarely in evidence quite as often as in Karlsruhe. They bore with my German, seemed to understand it, and were all more than happy to re-explain in English when my face clearly showed I was at a loss. And they even counted out my change, as we used to do in the UK in the olden days when courtesy was still commonplace.

And a quite remarkable number of people on crutches, or with casts on their arms. A very sporty place, perhaps?? :-)

And a superbly-organised visit to Speyer (thank you, Ingrid) and an independent visit to Heidelburg . And to a much less visited suburb of Heidelburg as well; thank you Christine. The wall-paintings in Tiefburg church are very special indeed, and I would never have seen them without your help (and the kuchen was scrummy!).

Hoepfner pudding..........o yes......:-))

I enjoyed the VT pre-pre, pre- and main meetings hugely, and the beer (both Weissebier and Dunkelbier) was even better than I was expecting. It had far less of an effect on me than I thought it would.......I wonder why,......maybe it's a bit weaker than English real ale or maybe my excess of adenalin kept the wibbles at bay.

And yes, I know now I really like German food. The Hotel Blankenburg had a superb selection of breads (and cake and cheese and lots of other things) for breakfast.........and I ate my very first herring roll, which was very pleasant....and the laugerbretzel were scrummy.....and the two formal meals we VT-ers had were really lovely (especially the potato salad and the pudding at the Hoepfner Burghof). I also had a brilliant two-flavoured eis (or two) whilst wandering. I'd definitely put on weight if I lived in Germany!

Medieval anatomy models

There was less time than I usually have for individual wanderings, of course. But I took myself off on the tram to Durlach, and spent a goodly chunk of Saturday afternoon in the rather superb Karlsruhe Palace Museum (ok, and watching the Karlsruhe firemen!). The museum is full of the things which I am most passionate about from prehistory, Roman and the early Medieval periods. It is one of the best museums I have ever visited in terms of presentation; so often such places are both difficult to navigate and off-putting to anyone who is not an archaeology/history enthusiast.

I didn't see a 'no photographs' sign until I was leaving (and several people were taking photos without being accosted by the attendants). So I took some photos (without flash). That's my guilt about breaking rules coming out......

The firemen were pretty good too. :-)

Pros and Cons

Pros:A friendly, safe-feeling town with more to explore than I had expected
Cons:None that I came across
In a nutshell:Good place to visit, good as a base for explorations.

Last visit to Karlsruhe: May 2008
Intro Updated Feb 26, 2011
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Reviews (10)

It's big, it looks like a... Restaurants (4)

..........and it's a brewery. And a hotel. There's a beer garden, and a room which is used for functions (that's where... more travel advice

Interesting place......... Restaurants (4)

It's a brewery, it has an indoor slide, there is a suit of armour......... .....and it dealt very admirably indeed with... more travel advice

Florentiner something-or-other - Karlsruhe

Really friendly place Restaurants (4)

I'd have liked this place anyway, I think, even if they hadn't coped so brilliantly well with a sudden influx of 30+... more travel advice

Huuuge portions! Restaurants (4)

The pre-pre-VT-meeting was held here. We sat outside, as did all the other customers, because it was so warm. But the... more travel advice

Hotels (1)
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Comments (23)

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junecorlett May 16, 2009 at 7:15 AM

Interesting sculptures!
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Fullmoonfever Feb 7, 2009 at 9:22 AM

I feel much better! again, there is hope!
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Nemorino Aug 18, 2008 at 4:56 AM

Glad you had such a great time at the Karlsruhe VT meeting -- so did I. Here's a bit of help in deciphering some of those signs: "Square of Basic Rights" - Karlsruhe Things to Do Tip by Nemorino
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ray_d Jun 21, 2008 at 12:34 PM

The Maltese Contigent...love it :o)
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Waalewiener Jun 16, 2008 at 7:39 PM

Great page Jane Great pic's of a wonderful time with nice people We should do this more often eh Jane Yeah let 's do it again soon like in September eh
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DAO Jun 9, 2008 at 1:00 PM

Good stuff!
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a2lopes Jun 9, 2008 at 12:37 PM

Really nice memories. What a great event. And I found fantastic statues all around :-)
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Belsaita Jun 9, 2008 at 11:39 AM

Great pics and funny comments!!
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Gwynfiguy Jun 9, 2008 at 7:08 AM

Like your Photo's and comments memoris of a great weekend. thanks. Rob
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TravellingSpirit Jun 9, 2008 at 2:19 AM

It was great to meet you again, if slightly briefly. I really enjoyed your photos here. The scultures, everywhere were wonderful and I wish I'd taken more photos