Jernie's Hub: Back in Mannheim,Germany

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Back in Mannheim,Germany

We touched down at Frankfurt airport on Friday morning. I wasn't expecting the day to be cool and cloudy. I felt like it's early spring time. The next day, we picked-up my parents at the same airport. They were quite exhausted after a long flight from the Philippines and due to the time difference. On our way home, Herbert introduced to them the places we passed by. It's really great to have them here in Germany. When we got home, we took them to their place, introduced them to my parents-in-law, briefly took them around our home, had a short dinner and called the night off as we were all suffering from jet lag.

On Sunday we stayed home, had barbeque lunch and enjoyed the rest of the evening in the garden. Some of Herbert's friends came over to meet us. The next day (Monday), we went out for shopping. My parents were wondering why there are not many people in the streets, even the street cars (trams) passing by were barely empty. When we got into the supermarket, my mother was asking how come there are not many staff around and there was only one person manning the cashier? There's even no one to pack the purchased items for us. Indeed, a very different scenario compared to the Philippines.

Since the weather was not so nice today (Tuesday), we decided to just take a stroll at the city center which is just about 10 minutes drive from our place.

Mannheim is the second largest city of Baden-Württemberg after the capital Stuttgart. It is situated at the confluence of the Rhine and Neckar rivers. It is the largest and most significant industrial and commercial cities in the north of Baden-Württemberg. For a detailed information and history about Mannheim check this link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mannheim .

We first visited the Mannheimer Wasserturm (Watertower). It is the most famous landmark of the city, constructed on 1886 according to plans of then only 24-year-old Architect Gustav Halmhuber. The construction is made of yellow sandstone, has a height of about 60 metres, holds 2000 cubic metres of water and is built in the Roman monumental style. The top of the Water-Tower is adorned by a statue of Amphitrite, the wife of the god of the sea, Poseidon. Bronze groups of mermaids and tritons adorn a small pool and two groups of centaurs made of stone can be found at the big pool. The park at the foot of the Water-Tower was designed by Bruno Schmitz (1901-03). The semicircular arcades made of red sandstone, together with the Festival Hall and the Art Gallery, which face each other across the park, were a model of modern urban development even before World War I. Several parties are being held around the tower. This is also a venue for the annual Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market) which normally starts on November.

The Mannheimer Wasserturm

The Maritim Parkhotel

Across the Wasserturm is the Planken Strasse, one of the main shopping streets which is used by pedestrains and streetcars (tram).

The Holocaust Memorial. The see-through cubeholds the names of the Jewish citizens of Mannheim in the 1930s.

Opposite the memorial is the Paradeplatz. On one side lies the outdoor coffee area, where we had our sip while enjoying the view and watching people passing by.

From there, we walked to the Marktplatz (Market Square)to show my parents where we got married. The building holds both the church and some city offices i.e. Standesamt. Every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings; the square is a venue to fresh produce market. I have been here one market day and it was really great.

Our final stop was at the Mannheim Castle (Mannheimer Schloss). The Kurfürstliche Schloss (Electoral Castle) was built during the years 1720-1760 under the Electors Carl Philipp (1661-1742) and Carl Theodor (1724-1799) and is the largest self-contained baroque complex in Germany. When Elector Carl III Philip had confessional controversies with the inhabitants of his capital Heidelberg, he decided to make Mannheim the Palatinate's new capital in 1720. He decided to construct a new palace as his residence on the site of the old Friedrichsburg. It was part of a general trend among the German princes to create grand new residences in that era. Construction was commenced solemnly on June 2, 1720. It is said to have been designed after the Palace of Versailles in France. )

I got more photos below.

Chinese Restaurants

A popualr German delicacy.

German breads
One of the popular bakery in Germany
This is where people can dispose glass items: brown and green bin respectively. At the far end is a bin to drop old clothing and shoes.