mannheim

(it seems that again blogger wont let me spellcheck or add pictures, so you'll have to get by without my pictures and any spelling mistakes are too bad. this is starting to really piss me off. is it something i'm doing or not doing? i don't think it's the size of my posts, as some of the earlier ones are larger and i could still use all the basic tools and add pictures. if anyone knows could they please tell me before my frustration makes me move this blog to a different site.)

let's talk about mannheim. now mannheim is south of heidelberg and takes about 20mins to get to by train. one thing i have noticed is that that travelling by train in germany is more expensive than at home. that being said, i think it may have something to do with the country being alot smaller than australia so the prices are upped a little. this doesn't really bother me though, as with the extra revenue raised by this makes travelling by train a little nicer than at home. the carriages are smaller, but they are kept in a really nice state. something that i am not that used to. in melbourne, and i guess the surrounding metlink areas, the carriages are covered in graffiti and have this vibe that anyone who isn't used to it would feel a little cautious of their fellow commuters. i have only felt this vibe in frankfurt, and if you read my earlier post about frankfurt you'd understand. oddly enough, everyone i have spoken to about frankfurt agrees with me. no one seems to like it except those who live there, and i'm assuming it's that strange patriotism one gets about their hometown. but enough about frankfurt, this post is about mannheim.

mannheim is beautiful, as has been all that i have seen of germany so far. the only difference between heidelberg and mannheim is that there is no castle there and there is no american presence. thank god! the american accent seems to bombard the ears and grate the brain. no offence to any americans reading this, but when in a non-english speaking country, that particular accent stirs up stereotypes and ideologies that are better left behind. and just so you feel better, the australian accent is no better off. we just have a different boganish quality to ours. now mannheim is seems to be all about the statues and architecture, the shopping and the nightlife. (the nightlife i'll have to take the locals word on this as i haven't experienced it yet.) the acchitecture is brilliant, but somehow not as grand as heidelberg. that said, there are some fantastic buildings here. the water tower for one (pictured). this 'thing' stands proud and surveys the area like a king amongst paupers. as you approach you can see it from all sides and several streets away. the only thing is that there is no water anywhere near it. i asked alexis if this is normal and he was unsure. he told me last time he was here the large water pool in front of it was full and there was a grand fountain shooting water out of the middle. i saw no water. i saw no fountain. the tower itself has windows all up th sides and has this entrance, between two sphinx, at teh ground level. i started thinking if there really was water around here and if it wasn't some relic from yester-year to attract tourists and those looking for a hookup. the ledge where you can walk around has graffiti all over it, mainly with hotmail addresses with names such as 'hot_greek_boi' and 'lusty_girl_4U' - you get the picture. shame though, cause it really is a sight to see.

'the castle' in mannheim is not a castle. don't be fooled by the mannheim tourist board! it is merely a palace. there's no moat, no turrets, no drawbridge or anything else you would describe as a being castle in appearance. it was a fine building in its own right, but it is not a castle. however, now it seems to have been transformed into a university building.

other than this the martkplatz in mannheim is worth the trip. there's a statue in the middle that was given to the town by heidlberg and it stands in front of the town hall (pictured). it's an older german style building that has these two ledges either side of it. i was half expecting the mayor or someone to come out onto it with a proclamation about something or other. apart from the many random statues that again line the streets of a german city (there was even one here that seemed to be about young gay boys getting busy outside the bibliotek (library)) there was the christuskirche (church of christ) (pictured). this was truly amazing. sure it wasn't one of the biggest churches i've ever seen, but it had this cool vibe about it. that and the place didn't crumble to the ground by lightening stricking it when we walked in. as soon as we entered in knew that this place was important as there three older people ready to tell you about the place. one guy walked straight up to us and started going on in german about the place. me not knowing anywhere near enough german to understand what was going, and alexis being the same, we just listened and gathered that he was talking about the accoustics and the organ that stands behind the altar. we know this cause the german word for accoustics and organ are pretty much the same as english, that and he pointed alot. when i mtioned if i could take a photo he nodded and came right up close to me and whispered something about something being fantastic. i just smiled and nodded. as we left i grabbed a pamphlette in english and he said, 'oh, englisch. haha...' then continued on in german. alexis said that he was amazed that people keep speakin german to me, but i retorted by saying, 'look at me, i'm blond as can be. you're oblviously not german with your cuban looks.' then we laughed and said a few random rascist things about me having a black servant because he was holding the bags and how the older germans must love it. thank god no one can understand our english, cause if they did the polizei would be on their way! lol.

the shopping in mannheim is wonderful. there are so many shops to waste money on. there's a place called saturn that sells electronics that is about three or four levels tall. i got to show alexis the playstation stuff and start to tempt him with going halves in a PS3. (i really miss the one i left at home. my brotherhad better not be leaving it to collect dust or he's in big trouble. she needs to be played everyday.) this store aslo had a largish DVD section, from which alexis bought the proposition (aust movie) and several others. apat from that mannheim is also great for clothes. i bought a jacket here for the german winter and i love it. some black thing with a fur-lined hood that i keep wearing and it being almost a week later i think it's staring to need a wash. although i can't uderstand the german on the tag and how i wash the damn thing! it only cost 99euros and was insanely cheaper than alot of the other stuff on offer. the only thing i can't seem to find anywhere in germany is a good pair of jeans. they all seem so flimsy and american in style. where are all the cool euro styles? i have found a few shops down the hauptstrasse in heidelberg though, so i might go looking down there as i don't like the generic clothing and like to opt for a more alternative style of dress.

so that's mannheim. the only other thing that happened on this trip was at the station before we entered the hauptbahnhof (main train station) alexis was approached by some old guy who asked for change. the only reason i bring ths up because he described himself, in english, as a man who lives under a bridge. i've never heard this phrase before and had to stifle a laugh. not because he was funny, far from it, but it brought on these visions of the simpsons and the hobos tikling each other with a feather.