Tour von Deutschland?
Karlsruhe, Germany.
This year, the Tour de France ambles across what was once the much contested Franco-German border, to a small town called Strasbourg. For me, this provokes nostalgia—I spent a week in Strasbourg when I was 16, and remember my time there fondly. Funny bit was, as it is situated practically on the border (The Rhine), it was quite hard to tell if you were in Zie Fatherland or in Gaul, especially after a couple of Kronenbourgs.
The same stage then turns north from Strasbourg, ending finally in a town called Karlsruhe. Now, Karlsruhe is interesting, because in the 80’s and 90’s, it had a reputation for being pro-American and a favorite destination for the less than saintly American military personnel stationed in Germany, and the kids of vacationing diplomats (me). In fact, the entire stretch between Kaiserslautern and Karlsruhe was often called ‘Little America’ in those days. What a place.
Right now I am hoping against hope that the tour will swing through K-town and onto Kaiserstraße—I just gotta see the place where I barfed on my shoes. ◊
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