Blogs from Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, Europe

Da gestern in Baden-Württemberg Feiertag war, bin ich von Stuttgart zu einem Besuch nach Mannheim gefahren. Dabei habe ich die A6 zwischen Heilbronn und Walldorf benutzt und die Baustelle, die ich seit 2017 beobachte, ist nun bis auf den Bereich um die neue Neckarbrücke fertig und die Autobahn 6-spurig. In Mannheim selber war ich ja zuletzt 2015 zu einem erfolglosen Vorstellungsgespräch. Mein erster Besuch datiert allerdings im Jahr 1999 von meinem damaligen Praktikumsort in Heidelberg/Walldorf. Diesmal habe ich in der Nähe des Wasserturms einen kostenlosen Parkplatz bekommen und bin von dort an der neuen Kunsthalle vorbei zum Starbucks, wo ich zum Mitnehmen einen White Coffee Mocca Venti mit Sahne zum Mitnehmen gekauft habe. Neben dem Mocca Frappuccino Venti mein Lieblingsgetränk bei der Kaffee-Kette aus Seattle. Von dort bin ich in Richtung Hauptbahnhof, wo ich schon einige ... read more

Haven't flown on a 747 for few years but that's what it was from Hong Kong to Frankfurt. One forgets how big they are with their top deck and cavernous body. 12 hours is a long time to be inside an aluminium tube but we had paid extra for some seats with more leg room and it paid off. We could stretch our legs out and not reach the seat in front. Highly recommended and with our carry-ons for footrests it was relatively comfortable. Lufthansa service was efficient and friendly so no complaints. The flight avoided hot-spots as we took a crooked path away from places like the Ukraine the Middle East and detoured over the Balkans and Italy. Speedily through customs and immigration at Frankfurt and on to a fast train to Mannheim (30 minutes ... read more

People can drink publicly, I knew that, but it's still weird to see it. People by themselves and in groups, on the bus, hanging out on the corner, walking around town with their country colors and get ups on and their beers in hand. Kinda like how it used to be at Grand Ol' Day when folks could walk through the streets with a drink. very festive. But it wasn't as mayhemic as I anticipated - until after. I had a hankering for some schnitzle, spatzle and hefeweisen and we found a great little spot right across from a cafe that was showing the game. Not that we cared but we were trying to care. J got the schnitzle "vienna style" -- these are not light meals, mine even had a big dollup of super sweet ... read more

4 hours of sleep is plenty. just returned from the breakfast that still makes me happy. There is something about the coffee and the little spoons that they use for real, not just for show, that makes the coffee delicious. I skipped the prosciutto this a.m. - it too is delicious but every once in a while when i eat it my brain plays a trick and thinks it has a mouthful of raw squirming animal fat and forces me to gag obnoxiously. I didn't want to go through that again and besides, i was already shaming America by showing up with my bed head and puffy eyes to bfast. This sure ain't like the Americinn continental bfast up der in Brainerd - most people here are showered and ready to show themselves in public. not ... read more

Beautiful morning - was super surprised by the great and big breakfast that's provided by the hotel - eggs, ham, prosciutto, salami, fruit lots of cheeses, tomatoes, cucumbers, granoly cereal and yummy breads. It's cool outside - I went for a walk to attempt to pay the guy back for the water - closed, nothing and i mean nothing is open, not even the pharmeke, which I attempted to go to two and both closed. It's perfectly quiet on the streest except for the sound of the loud church bells which seemed to last forever and my scuffling feet which makes me think i'm waking people up. Apparently up until just a couple years ago everything was also closed on Saturdays by 6pm. I've got an hour before J gets back from the a.m. workout so ... read more