31 JULY, 2006 --- CITY ON THE RHEIN
Who would have thought the temperature in Mannheim in July would be the same as that in Berlin in March? That is, if you use the Fahrenheit scale for Berlin and Celsius for Mannheim. Daytime highs in Berlin were about 32° F, here it's about 32° C. That's close to 100 ° F. With high humidity, it's a lot like home, back in North Carolina. Only here there is no air-conditioning.

This was an easy day, because I got here a day early. Nothing to do until tomorrow, when I check in at the university. I can't even get into my housing yet, so I'm staying at a Youth Hostel for the first time in my life. A youth hostel at my age. Good thing this isn't Bavaria.

The hostel is right on the banks of the fabled River Rhein. In an indirect way, this river is why I'm here. Years ago, when I was young, two things happened at about the same time: I got seriously interested in mythology, and I discovered the music of Richard Wagner. The magical combination of myth and music in his operas was unlike anything I had ever experienced. This is what got me interested in German culture and language, an interest that after many twists and turns led to my decision to become a translator of German, and that is why I have come to Mannheim to study at the university (made possible by the gracious generosity of the Honoraray Consul of Germany in North Carolina).

But about the river --- this mythical river was the home of the Rheingold, source of the magic Ring of Power and its deadly curse, a curse that could only be lifted by returning the ring to the waters of the Rhein. And according to the medieval German version of the saga, the "Nibelungenlied", the hero Siegfried met his doom (in the person of a beautiful woman) in the city of Worms, which still exists a few miles down the river from here. (More of that later.)

So naturally the first thing I did when I got here was walk down to the Rhein. It is not as wide as I imagined and flows easily between well-manicured banks, having been deepened and straightened for the sake of navigation and to prevent flooding. The water is cold and green. If there are any water-nymphs, they swim deep beneath the surface now.

After some exploration of the city, I have a dinner of pizza at a French restaurant --- but the beer is German --- and return to the hostel at about 9:30. It is not yet dark. Although I have been without sleep for three days, it is still too early --- and too hot --- to go to bed. I walk into the narrow park that lies between the hostel and the river, and as the sun sets across the river and twilight begins to gather, I see there people in small, and not so small, groups talking and laughing and playing music. One group has a fire going. I walk toward the largest and noisiest group, where people have guitars and are singing. The song: John Denver's "Country Roads".

I walk up the bank of the river as the little parties continue well past dark. In an American city of this size it would be considered dangerous, and probably illegal, to be in a city park after dark. Not here. Mannheim is a bustling modern city, but still peaceful enough for people to go out and enjoy themselves outdoors on a hot summer evening.

What adventures await in this city on the Rhein, only time will tell.