Day # 31 Worms to Mannheim.

Ice cream Mein Herr?

          Left the stylish town of Worms and it’s youth hostel into a a warm sunny world. Funny, I remember staying in this youth hostel circa 1965. There is a rather unique circular staircase in the central lobby leading to rooms. I do not recall from 1965, the rooms for two with the en suite and the offering of 8 different flavours of tea in the dining room—how times have changed!

       Again we swung away from the secondary roads, to the tracks that bordered the Rhine. At this point I feel that I have seen enough tracks and will attempt to navigate my way to Switzerland along the minor roads and to pass through more villages. The villages offer a little more interest and who know, I might even see one of those backerei/konditorei stores selling really tasty buns and great coffee at 10.30am. More: passing through a number of villages helps this long distance walker pass the time and the kilometres a little quicker. Tomorrow, my brother in law, Keith Edwards, leaves his 250 km section of the walk from Bonn down to Mannheim. He is taking the train from Mannheim to Heidelberg---11 minutes per the timetable. It will take me the best part of the day walking to cover the same distance! Anyway, thanks Keith for all your humour and navigational skills—it’s been fun, let’s do it again. AND: sorry about the blisters!!

          Germans and smoking. Germany reeks of cigarette smoke. People, including teens smoke widely on the street, and bars/restaurants are often full of blue haze, although I should say that hotel rooms seem to be no smoking areas. Cigarette vending machines are scattered along town & village streets, readily accessible to minors. Packaging seems to contain only subdued warnings, no scary cancer pictures per North America. Passing a local bus station, we noted large posters showing young people puffing away in a social setting. Come on Germany, time to join the 21^st. century and do more to protect the health of your citizens.

24.7 kms. walked today per Google maps.
Cumulative kms. walked: 598.6
Type of overnight lodging: Central city pension hotel.
Cost of lodging: 30E.