Mannheim, Germany September 4, 2009

So... Day 2 in Germany and it was decided to stay in Mannheim for the day, which is where Chad lives. What a great little city. We visited the Marktplatz, the Water Tower (Am Wasserturm), The Paradeplatz, the Schloss which was turned into a Universitat, and the Hauptbahnhof (the train station). In Mannheim they have a fairly large shopping section of which had several H&M's Stores, a WoolWorths, Markets... Wow. Chad wanted me to familarize myself with downtown so that the days he had to go into work I could head downtown and shop... I have to admit it was a bit confusing, I had no idea what was east or west or north or south and living in Utah that is a bit of a challenge. Their downtown is done on the grid system, but it is different. It is a letter number system. Each block was a letter and each space/business was a number. For example the sushi restaurant we ate dinner at was at Q12 downtown. On our way into town we stopped and ate breakfast at a little card called Cafe Fellows. I had the best bagel I have ever eaten. It was great to just sit and eat and relax. There was no hurry at all. I was amazed at how everyone smokes over there. The cafe had a nice none smoking section and a smoking section as well as outdoor seating. Fun little tables, chairs and couches gave it a homey feeling. After touring the city and doing a bit of shopping, buying sunglasses and Chad buying a cell phone cover and an aweseom ring, we just walked and walked and walked. I love that aspect. They have an amazing public transportation system and everyone walks. Honeslty in the 12 days I was there I think I saw maybe 4 or 5 obese people, everyone else was slender. Friday night it was off to sushi, my favorite food. I was honestly amazed that my younger brother would eat sushi. Growing up all he would eat was applesauce and Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches... then here he is enjoying raw fish and seaweed with me. We met some of his friends for dinner. I enjoyed their company, but it was strange not being able to understand much of what was being said, due to my lack of understanding of German. I have decided it would be beneficial to take a german class before I go back to visit again. Friday night I crashed again after a day out on the town. I fell asleep watching Mamma Mia on the couch. Enjoy the pics!