Trip to the City of Pyramids

No, I haven‘t taken a trip to Cairo lately. I wouldn’t have had the time. The “City of Pyramids” I refer to is Karlsruhe, the next bigger city around. Strangely enough, Karlsruhe does have a pyramid in the middle of the huge Market Place, a pyramid motif on the doors of the City Hall (which is situated at the same place) some obelisks and other structures mainly associated with Egypt (although I have yet to find the Egyptian reference for the two winged dromedaries flanking one of the obelisks). And I meant to take photographs while I was there, but I forgot my camera.

Anyway, yesterday I took a trip there (which is the reason for not posting anything yesterday - after the trip I didn’t go online at all). The last couple of times I’d visited this city, it had been because of job interviews, meaning I never got the chance to just enjoy the stay and have some fun. I didn’t have the time to check out my favourite stores or just stroll through the city where I went to university. Yesterday I did have that chance - and I used it.

Starting at one end of the main shopping street of the city, the Kaiserstrasse, I made my way to the other end. I went to the Postgalerie, a shopping mall build into the old main post office. A great, old building with a very modern core - but it looks great, both from inside and outside. I found a small shop selling really innovative and delicious gummi bears and other sweets of that kind there. Now I’ve got jelly spiders, skulls, bats and ghosts and, in addition, jelly cups tasting of coffee latte.

Then I went to various shops (mostly bookstores, though), had lunch in my favourite fish restaurant, checked out the new comics in my favourite comic store and finally went to the second mall in Karlsruhe, Ettlinger Tor, which is even bigger.

For the first time I went to the highest level, looking down at all of it. It was great and I really wished I had not forgotten my camera then, because the view is hard to describe. (Still, the whole structure probably is small, compared to American shopping malls.) At the Ettlinger Tor, I went into various shops as well and had a delicious sundae (which looked smaller than it was on the menu, but was extremely tasty). Afterwards, well into the afternoon, I made my way back to the main train station and took a train home. Going to Karlsruhe by train is far more relaxing than by car, which is why I always do it this way.

I’ve still gotten two days to sleep in and relax this weekend (well, one more day to sleep in, as it is Sunday already). But I surely will be visiting Karlsruhe again soon enough - with my camera. Then I can show you all the great places.