"Only there for the beer (and the VT... " a Karlsruhe Travel Page by leics

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!).

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!

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. :-)