Mannheim Harbor and Krautwickel

Everyday here in Germany it is gradually getting warmer. Lieselotte has provided me with a scarf which has been a great help as I fight this nasty cold. Today is struggling to get out of the high 50's but the sun is shining and after a leisurely breakfast we venture out to catch a tram to the Mannheim Harbor tour. Its not a far walk and we are at the central market for Ludwigshafen where all the trams pass through.

There does seem to be a problem though, as due to the closure of the rail tracks for the tram across the bridge by Lisa's, we need to find an alternative way to get to the harbor. After a fair amount of investigation it is decided we should take a cab.

I was not aware that Mannheim Harbor is mostly man made and has become one of the most important inland ports in Europe. There are two rivers that join here; The Rhine and the Neckar. It has over 70 KM of Harbor front and a good portion of that was created by straightening the flow of the Rhine. BASF is headquartered here and they consume a lot of the ports waterfront. Producing chemicals and handling freight and all kinds of things. As they say  BASF doesn't make the products you use, they make the products you use Better.

This is the original Meridian for world charts before it was moved to Greenwich

We had to go through a Loch between the Neckar and Rhine.

A terrific day as the temperature continue to increase and by the end of the cruise we were sans jackets. We took a lovely stroll from there to the central market of Mannheim with its shops and the hustle and bustle of people living their lives. There were Frittes carts and Gelato bars and lots of clothing stores. When we got to the square we had to figure out which Tram to catch to take us back to Ludwigshafen, the long way around.  The transportation here is very good with the street cars (trams) going everywhere.

The trams were crowded and I was up close to the front standing and holding on to the ceiling rails. After the second stop, a man sat down in a space just behind me and he definitely had some mental challenges. He starts yelling at me in a language that no one understands. But he is pissed. And it is definitely directed at me. We cross the bridge and head down past the mall and now he is punching me in the back. I turn and am not exactly sure how to handle the situation and realize his condition and that I am blocking his view out the window which he probably uses to get a visual queue as to when to get off. I slide a bit towards the driver and the situation is calmed down. We get off two stops later and chat about the unusual Tram ride.

Tonight Lisa is making us a traditional commoner dinner; Krautwickel. This is a meat role of ground beef, sausage, onions, and eggs wrapped in Cabbage leaves then browned in a frying pan and baked for an hour. Delicious!! Oh and throughout this week we have been having this delicious cake that Lisa bought and has lasted several days. I have no idea what it is but I called it TJ Max as that is where she bought it. I thought they were just clothes, but this cake was mighty fine.