A tale of the second city
Welcome to the very belated announcement of my move to Karlsruhe.
Eh...I apologize for the very late announcement, and the long break. In my attempts to make a long story short, I shall describe how it came to be and the process thereof, within one paragraph (for as long winded as I can be, this will be a stressful training exercise).
I met this guy…Sven. We like each other, so I decided to switch schools and my employer so we could try the whole living together thing. It happened last summer right after my visit back home in July. Since August I've been here, a city with a population around 350,000 and a minty fresh subway system (which has been downloading for over 10 years now, and from my understanding in the same manner as Microsoft's ever adjusting time calculations).
Alright, so I live in Karlsruhe…a city in the German state of Baden-Würrtemberg. It's 20 minutes from the border to France. Basically if our feet are feeling itchy we can go for a Saturday morning drive and pick up some legit eclairs. The city itself is pretty chill, no skyscrapers and a quick train ride to the Black Forest.
Yes, that's right my fellow Americans, I am next to the birthplace of one of the most well known German cakes (for Americans). Fruits of choice here are strawberries, cherries and apricots. They even use cherries to explain Osmosis in school. It's quite quaint and sweet.
Karlsruhe is also famous as the home of the German Supreme Court (Bundesgerichtshof). I used to bike past it everyday on my way to work. The security is so tight there, they have two old guys with pot bellies nearing retirement with the only automatic weapons I've seen here since I moved. The most dangerous situation I've run into since I've moved here is when I'm wandering around on the cyclists- only paths as a pedestrian. Those fuckers move fast, and they don't use their bell. Absolutely impolite.
I did forget to mention the stench of testosterone (the most common complaint about the place). There is a local Technical University (KIT) that is very big, and as technical fields still tend to go…it's predominantly filled with men.
Our new apartment is a hop, a skip and a jump away from the Alb. The Alb is a creek that flows through the city of Karlsruhe to the Rhein. During the summer, when I want to go out for a bike ride I can hop on the path
And bike on down to the Rhein, which is also the border to France. (photo credit to radtouren-karlsruhe)
Alright, enough about my new hometown.
As with any move, there are lots of new and exciting things, and also a loss of the old familiar. I have been struggling with the change in location as I am having to build up a friends network all over again. I have also been very busy with school and with my employer (Internship provider we can call it). However, I am finally starting to feel like roots are sinking in, as Sven and I cozy up to our new digs.
Our new apartment is quite the catch, or so we think. I also turned 40 recently, and as a world traveler and immigrant, I couldn't be more happy with where I have landed. I hope all of those of whom this reaches know that I think of them, and wish them well. I think of Oregon often, and do my best to keep updated about the "going's on". Drop me a note so we can shoot the shit. And with that I will leave you with a little peek at my new life.
