Karlsruhe Germany

Karlsruhe

We took the train from Paris and went to Karlsruhe in Germany for 4 nights. We lived there for 2 years from 1972 – 74 and then for 2 periods of 8 months in 1983 -4 and 1987 – 88.

It felt a bit like a homecoming and was a real blast from the past. Karlsruhe is a relatively young city for Europe – founded in 1715 when the schloss or palace was built. The schloss was badly bombed in WW2 and rebuilt afterwards. The main city streets radiate out from the palace so there are views of it from several angles around the city. It is in the west of Germany, at the northern tip of the Black Forest and very near the French border. It has a population of around 300.000.

Lots of room for children to play

We still have some very good friends there and it was delightful to see them again. We spent a day with each of 3 families. They are all friendships that just resume where they left off and it was a special time for us.

Simon was born in Karlsruhe and some of our friends remember that and they all remember our boys when they were younger. Having 3 children relatively close together was very unusual in Germany then and I think we made quite an impression! One couple had 2 boys of a similar age who were bilingual and had a house with amazing toys so our boys loved visiting them

And another friend – Ambrose used to go to a very exclusive chocolate factory in Switzerland and bring chocolates back for the boys of a quality they may not have had since! 
Ruth was the secretary at the Institute where Bob worked. She and Ambrose have been very good friends over the years and Bob is still "one of Ruth's boys." Manfred was a technician and he and Bob always got on well. We had a chance to practice our rusty German and were pleased at how well we went while admitting that being with supportive people helps a lot.

We met a lovely lady – Susannah who can remember baby sitting the boys one evening and how nice they were. We still talk about the evening a rather inexperienced student  from New Zealand babysat and the boys gave him a very tough time!

I had some real flashbacks in time – one was going into a shop – Peek and Cloppenburg where I used to look for clothes for the boys. They mostly had to be on sale because we didn’t have much money but I remember some things I bought for them there and it all came back. Stretch and grow all in one suits had just come out when Simon was a baby but were still not in NZ when we moved back so they were pretty special.

Karlsruhe is flat and well laid out so it’s an ideal city for getting around on bikes and there are lots of them with lots of tracks. There is a very comprehensive tram system as well which goes many kilometers. There is a lot of construction in the city at present because they are putting the trams underground in the city area. This is a huge construction and is behind time so will not be finished for some years. 

Of course the city has changed a lot – the main thing we noticed was lots more shops and commercial opportunities – but lots is still the same and we enjoyed walking around and refamiliarising ourselves with it.

Wolfgang and Helga took us to Baden Baden which is an old spa town about an hour away from Karlsruhe. This involved going on the autobahn which, as all over Germany, has no speed limits. We coasted along in Helga’s BMW at about 120 km/hr as other cars passed and were gone at much higher speeds. Everyone kept reasonable distances and I felt quite safe.

We went to an art exhibition by Emil Nolde – a German expressionist from the early 1900s. He used very vivid colours and amongst others painted some vivid flowers. The garden of the gallery had planted beds of flowers similar to those in Nolde’s paintings which was a lovely extra touch.

We met a jewelery designer – a friend of Helga’s who showed us a piece that she is making for an art collector. It is made with Cannel coal which she told me is 250 million years old and probably formed underwater. It is quite light and has an amazing lustre. The ribbon around it has small diamonds encrusted on it which are beautifully contrasted with the coal. We didn't discuss the price except that it was expensive but if you're interested I can put you in touch with her.

We went to a nice restaurant for dinner and had local specialties in the garden which was bordered by the forest. A really nice time. Thank you Wolfgang and Helga.

                                                          The outside of the Casino.

Can you see the very correct looking man sitting in his office in the casino foyer? There's also the very elegant staircase also in the casino. I only saw the notice about not taking photos when I already had - well one of them anyway!

Baden Baden became popular as a spa town when it was visited by a Prussian Queen in the early 19^th century who found that it improved her health. Even Queen Victoria visited. It has a very old casino and remains a town with a rather exclusive air and some very large homes. It has recently become a tourist town for Russians again to the extent that a bookshop we saw had a window display of children’s books in Russian.

I can remember going here with my parents when they visited us in Karlsruhe and my father buying my mother a winter coat which I think you still wear Kathy!