Anyone familiar with MannHeim or Ludwigshafen Germany?

Factual Questions
1

I’m here on customer travel for the next week, and possibly thru the next weekend - I’m looking for two things - (other than how to walk into a random resturaunt and actually order what I want - I like german food, but being alone and not speaking the language makes it difficult to know what your getting).

I am looking for

Tackle/Hunting shops
Comic/Model/Hobby shops

I’ve found bookstores and have spent a good deal of time walking/driving downtown in Mannheim (RoseGarten area) - but have yet to find either of those.

Any help is appreciated.

2

My brother and his wife have been living in Mannheim for the past year or so (job related). If it would help, I could connect you up with him via email/phone/Facebook.

3

thanks kayaker, but I dont want to intrude on folks that don’t know me - I did finally figure out a search in google that worked so I found 3 tackle shops and 2 comic shops - hopefully I’ll have time to find them over the next week…

Now to figure out a better way to get food -

4

You might have a tough time getting “German” food - most restaurants here are either Italian, Greek, Asian or whatever. German restaurants do exist, but you probably won’t find them walking down the street.

5

exactly - and its even harder for an american to order italian food when the menu is in german!

fortunately, ‘point and hope’ works for the most part - and there is a mcdonalds a couple km away…

6

The Mannheim tourist office has a website which might be useful:

7

Ludwigshafen is a dump (was there several times on Refinery visits for Shell) so I hope Mannheim is a more rewarding tourist experience.

The only German joke I know is about a couple making out in the back of a car and when they get down to serious business the lady cries out in passon, " Ah! Hans! Now kiss me somewhere dirty!"

Whereupon Hans gets back into the front seat and swifty drives them to Ludwigshaven.

8

Ludwigshafen has the fascinating Zeppelin Museum.

9

No, that is in Friedrichshafen, which is about 200 km away from Ludwigshafen.

10

I lived in both Ludwigshafen and Mannheim - don’t even bother with Ludwigshafen…it’s a dump.

If you want authentic german home-made food then you have to visit Hemmlein (S2 - that’s the name of the street) - it is run by a woman in her 70s, handtyped menus with the Euro sign being a capital C that she amends to look like Euro and cheap as chips with good portion sizes. If you’re on the mainsquare (with your back to the cityhall) then go up the big street untill you reach a square on your left (Marktplatz), turn right and go one street over (you gotta love a gridsystem) and it is right there - the place looks like a pub from the outside…

I take you are familiar with the grid-system called Mannheim? Within the ‘Ring’ there are no streets as most people know it, all address are referred to by their block (quadrant) but easiest way to explain is to just look at a map

11

Heidelberg is pretty close - I went there for dinner after a days work in Ludswighaven so it can only be a short drive away.

Beautiful place with many fine places to eat. As a university town also has many beer halls where you will not struggle to get decent traditional German food.

12

Turns out my bro and his wife have been in Barcelona all week. He did second the suggestion for Hemmlein, urging you to order pfalz teller, or the saumagen.