Karlsruhe

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Geo: 49.0081, 8.40376

The Novotel Karlsruhe kept the tradition of insanely awesome breakfast. In spite of walking 8-10 miles a day and not sitting in front of the TV once all week, I swear I'm gaining weight. After breakfast we headed out on foot to the Schloß. The Karlsruhe Schloß is one of my favorite castles of that era. It is truly a magnificent site to behold. Once again .. Walking down Karl-Friedrich Straße was a bit depressing. I so wanted to show Heather, Tim, and Laurie the city I fell in love with when I lived here .... But that was not to be. Something is different about Karlsruhe. It's more crowded, and is more of a modern international city the the laid back German city I knew so many years ago. Talking to several Kalsruhers I got the distinct impression they too felt the same. 2 more years till the subway is done and I think that will do alot to reset the frustration level.

We got to the front of the Schloße and were promptly asked by a couple of groups to be in a photo with them. Some sort of scavenger hunt. We sauntered towards the castle takin in the sights and sounds of Karlsruhe 2016. There was a wedding couple getting photographed with a really nice classic card right in the inner courtyard.

Back in the 90's you were able to tour the castle in part as it was with the historical rooms. Now it holds the Badische Landesmuseum. It's a pretty impressive museum from an artifact standpoint but unless you are fluent in German, or can read Chinese or Turkish. I guess the fact that America helped to save much of the history on display there from a madman wasn't enough to get us even a pamphlet. The Chinese and Turks get one. But not us. Danke für nichts Badische Landesmuseum. I hate to say it .. Because I'm still having a blast here and things like that I like to let roll off me ... But the one place I was looking forward to seeing the most ... Is the one disappointing me the most. I'm glad to have the memories I made in the 90's. For this trip, seeing my old friend Daniel will be the important thing from Karlsruhe.

After the museum, we walked around the back part of the Schloß. It was nice and seeing the bike path I used to ride down was cool .... But after 3 hours on my feet in the hear, we decided it was time for the Durlach tour.

We drove to Daniel's flat to pick him up. Durlach is a tightly packed old Eurpoean town with old European town roads. Driving to his place and getting a parking spot was interesting. We met Daniel and walked with him while he walked his puppy. As we strolled through the streets of Durlach, Daniel gave us the history. He is quite knowledgeable about his town. On out way back, we passed a VERY nice Grandmotherly German woman walking to dog. We must have stood there talking to her for a good 15 minutes. Having Daniel as a translator was awesome. It was a very cathartic experience after Freiburg, and the changed Karlsrue experiences. Her doggie was soooo cute too. he had a yellow ball he wanted to bury in the worst way! Tim was trying to play with the pooch but there was one problem. American guy ... German dog ..... There's a language barrier there LOL.

After the walk we drove up to Turmburg. It is at this castle that Karl Friedrich had the dream which became the Karlsruhe Schloß ..... Which became Karlsruhe. Only the tower is left, but you get a magnificent view of Karlsruhe and the surrounding area from here. After an hour or so here at Turmberg, we walked down to a Gasthaus Daniel knew about. We grabbed a seat and have a few beers, talking about all manner of things. It was truly and enjoyable day, and seeing a dear friend from my past life getting along so well with friends from my present life made me just about the happiest guy on earth ... Well at least on that mountain.

Not to mention .... I finally got my Cola Beer.

We walked back to the car, drove back down the hill, stopped for gas and drop Daniel off. The plan was to meet for dinner later, but, as fate would have it ... That was the last beer I was gonna have with my old friend ... for awhile at least. We got back to the Novotel and after trying to find a place close to eat, and having no luck, we settled back at the hotel restaurant. It was a good call because we were all tired. we've been going full bore for a week now and it's starting to show a little. The reality is setting in that we are on the back side of this trip and it's kind of a bummer. Baden-Baden in the morning and then up to Heidelberg tomorrow afternoon .......

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