News from Germany: A Stroll Along the Kaiserstrasse

The Kaiserstrasse runs east-west through Karlsruhe. In the town itself, the strasse (street) is restricted to pedestrians and trams; it is a major shopping area and one which Art and I have become familiar with as we walk along it every day. On Thursday, I had strolled from my office to our apartment, because the tram operators were on strike. Here are some scenes along the way.

Peering out my office window, I saw these tram workers who were on strike and marching towards the Marktplatz for a large rally.

Parking lot outside the local high school. Susan, maybe Erin would be interested in this. :)

Here is our local grocery store. We have been pleasantly surprised at the variety and quality of the produce and meats; not so happy with the price, as everything is extremely expensive.

This is one of the shopping centers, the Post Gallerie. I included this photo to show you the construction along the strasse. The goal is to run all the trams underground eventually, so this sight is common everywhere.

This is the front of the Post Gallerie. It contains three stories of shops and restaurants.

A typical eatery. Between my office and our apartment, I expect there are 20-30 of these establishments. I think every fourth or fifth store along the strasse is some kind of restaurant.

This is an advertisement for a local gym. A far cry from my Wellness Center, which I miss a lot. I don't think I will be working out here.

Sculpture along the strasse.

More cool sculpture.

The Marktplatz, which is in the middle of town.

Turning 180 degrees from the Marktplatz, here is the castle which is the geographic center of town, and the reason Karlsruhe exists. More on this later.