I had a lovely weekend visit by Tim and Alina. They are working in the UK and travelling Europe each time they save enough to leave the hospital! When I travel there is nothing I appreciate more than having access to a kitchen, a washing machine and the internet. Only after that is a bed is a priority for me! Unfortately my apartment is just too small for me to have offered them a proper bed but we made do. Friday afternoon / night was the tour of Mannheim - it doesn't take long! The highlight was heading to Heidelberg for the Heidelberg Herbst. For me it is great to have people to visit because I can be a tourist too! Heidelberg is great at the best of times but when 100's of 1000's of people decend on the town it gives it a great atmosphere. The Hauptstrasse was chocker block with food and art/craft stalls as well as music. We found plenty of places to have a beer and Zwiebelkuchen (onion quiche), the Autumn specialty. We watched the traditional street parade which included music and flag twirling! All very German but fun. We climbed up to see the view over the city from the Schloss (castle). We timed it close to perfection as the sun was setting throwing glowing colours over the old stone castle. It was beautiful to look over the bustling city from the relative quietness of the castle. Heidelberg is a understandable tourist attraction due to the combination of the Neckar River, the castle, the old city and the green hills that enclose the whole lot. Tim and Alina couldn't find Mannheim in the Lonely Planet but were able to read a lot about Heidelberg! Just before the sun set totally we quickly headed back to the Steingasse and each bought a litre Vetter (local beer) each to drink on the Altebruecke! We were treated with buskers, a setting sun and great home brew! For me it was extra special to be with mates from home. Throughout the streets there were plenty of small stages playing all sorts of music. We did a bit of a music, flammkuchen and beer crawl before catching the tram back to Mannheim! A cracking day. Sunday was a little quieter! Tim and Alina had been to the Market on Saturday while I was studying so had bought a lovely selection of goods for a picnic which we devoured in the Luisen Park. We were lucky to have such nice weather to sit in the park, eat, drink and read. After the long picnic I got Alina and Tim on bikes meaning we ended the day cruising the streets on Mannheim. At one point we were in the Jungbusch area which, politely said is a very cultural and 'interesting' area. It would be fair to say we passed through there as quickly as possible! That's Mannheim! We finished the day with some beers with MBA kids. Monday was an early start to get Tim and Alina on the train to Bonn and me to school. I was very sad to see them leave - my last organised contact with Australia!
http://picasaweb.google.com.au/ajoest/GransburyRogersWeekend#
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