Mannheim Summer 2001&2002 (you can click these thumbnails to enlarge)
Summer in the city. There is a wonderful view from an inside/outside cocktail bar located just a block from our accommodation at the Internationalen Begegnungszentrum (IBZ) of Mannheim University. The university (three pictures below) is located just across the street in the other direction.
There are lots of parks in the city (below). Unfortunately the cluster bombing in WWII only left a few historical landmarks.
I love to take the bicycle trail along the Neckar river to Ladenburg, a little medieval town and Heidelberg, the well known tourist trap. What is interesting, the cities were able to conserve natural habitats. This is very much in line with the German ecological movements. One of the reasons President G.W. Bush's politics are seen as retarded by most Germans. He is widely considered to be a man from an old time where military power and short term economic benefits do not take into account ecological responsibility or World peace. Telling people that we are Texans, we get a lot of flag here in Germany. Well, Germans are not the only ones harboring stereotypes about Texans. I currently have a paper under review that investigates the stereotypes about Texans in North American academe. In essence: stereotyping Texans is a two sided process in which stereotypes are welcomed by the stereotyped as a means to built state pride and self-identity.
Below you see some other snapshots from the bicycle trail. The ultimate German folklore: A German Gartenzwerg is just as tacky as the Oktoberfest. For a modern contrast, my bicycle that I keep in Ladenburg.
Disclaimer: The documents linked to other sources on the WWW, others than http://www2.tltc.ttu.edu/Schneider/ and its subdirectories, do not necessarily express the views of Texas Tech University or Dr. Andreas Schneider. @Copyright 2002 Andreas Schneider