Mannheim

Yesterday we went to Mannheim to shop and see the castle. The shopping went really well--I found some things that I liked and even bought some books. Let me tell you, books here are more expensive than clothes! We found a big enough bookstore that actually had more than 10 books in English, so I was able to find 3 that I actually wanted, rather than would be forced out of necessity to read.

The castle is huge! I couldn't even fit the whole thing in one shot. And I didn't get to see the parts that wrap around, either. I only saw what was right in front of me, in the courtyard. We were too late to get the guided tour, so we did the audio tour. No pictures inside! Bum deal. However, it has mostly been rebuilt, as we bombed it in WWII. Imagine that. Probably made a nice big target from the air. The tour wasn't the most fascinating thing in the world, but I enjoyed seeing the little that we did get to see. Only a tiny part of it is on display. The rest is used for government offices and then the University on the other half.

The front of the palace--and it wraps around in a big square shape, but that is impossible to get in a picture.

Chacos on cobblestones--my footwear has been very excellent for European travel. I have a pair of Merrell hikers that I wear for tramping around where my nem--stinging nettles--hang out.

We had ice cream after the tour and just hung out with Kat's friend, who rode the train to see her.

My overall impression of Mannheim is that it is the prettiest city we have been in yet. I really liked it. The entire atmosphere is pretty cool. I think I could see myself living there--minus the fact that I don't speak the language at all. It is the sight of a very large American Base, though, so there are many Americans. I probably saw more American on signs there than anywhere else.

Beautiful Mannheim!

Tomorrow we go see Roman ruins in Trier!

Today we just took it easy. Everyone was tired and Kameron has a bit of a cold. Poor baby. It was nice to sleep in--well, it would have been nice, but whoever is working on the house decided to do something involving a loud power drill at 7 this morning. Holy buckets! So Kaelan and I got up and ate some chocolate for b'fast. I went back to bed at noon and woke up in time for lunch and then felt better.

I can't believe we fly home on Tuesday already. Where did the time go?