Day 3: Mannheim
This ended up being a very laid-back day travel-wise. After a leisurely breakfast we dropped my laundry off at the laundromat and headed towards the University of Mannheim, 
a former castle (built after the Heidelberg castle was destroyed) and the place where Peter went to school. On the way we passed a church under restoration and glanced inside; it had the most beautiful gilded "rays of sunshine" on the wall behind the altar. At the University Peter took me on a tour of the English/American Studies department, and then we went to the cafeteria for lunch. It turns out school food is scary no matter where in the world you are. The Wurst and fries I had weren't too bad, but I still cringe when I think of the sight of the blue-gray refried beans being served as part of "Taco Day."
After lunch, we went to the part of the University that is preserved from the days it was a castle and took a self-guided tour. It was only a few rooms but they were elegant. From there I insisted that we go to the computer center so I could check my e-mail, and ended up spending an hour writing three messages. By the time I finished we were half an hour late for 4:00 coffee. We walked through downtown to Movenpick Marche' and sat outside eating and drinking and talking some more.
After coffee and cake we picked up my laundry, changed clothes for dinner and stopped by Peter's parents again to let them know we would not be going out with them the next day. Coincidentally a family friend, Ernst, was also there. Ernst is also known as "Ernesto" because he grew up in Mexico and speaks fluent Spanish! I was very happy because after trying to speak and understand German it was a pleasant break for me to be able to talk in Spanish. We didn't stay long though because we had plans to go to the Fernmeldeturm for dinner. The Fernmeldeturm 
is a tower in Mannheim with a "Skyline" restaurant at the top that rotates 360 degrees every hour. Peter was worried that we were going to be too late to enjoy the view of the city, but actually our timing was perfect: we arrived right at dusk. The sky was a hazy blue and orange and the street lights were just starting to come on. It reminded me vaguely of the view from my dorm rooms at Whittier, but without the downtown skyscrapers. Just trees and buildings and a few industrial smokestacks. It was even prettier as night fell. The dinner was the nicest one we had had yet, a 3-course meal of spargel soup, fried fish with potatoes, and a strawberry shortcake-like dessert. It was also the most expensive dinner yet, 100 marks for two, but I think it was worth it.
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