Yes. Real actual Worms. Yes, Worms. A diet of them.

(Original trip date: 11/30/2023) Today was a busy day. It got off to a late start with some bad luck regarding the trains.

We left Karsruhe to (on a day-trip) to the small town of Worms, famous for an event known as the Diet of Worms. (Not anything to do with the little wriggling creatures.) The title refers to a council event involving Martin Luther, where he had to affirm or renounce his views (See here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diet_of_Worms ) Worms is pronounced as ‘v-orms’. We visited the market and saw the Church, former Cathedral of Worms, built in the 1100’s. Also from Wikipedia:

“Worms’ name is of Celtic origin: Borbetomagus meant “settlement in a watery area”. This was eventually transformed into the Latin name Vormatia, in use since the 6th century, which was preserved in the Medieval Hebrew form Vermayza (ורמייזא) and the contemporary Polish form Wormacja.

According to tradition, the name derives from when the legendary hero Siegfried slew a lindworm (dragon) near the city, as recounted in the Nibelungenlied.“

After spending a little bit of time visiting the Worms markets, we made our way to the city of Mannheim. Yes, Mannheim, of Mannheim Steamroller fame:

Mannheim Steamroller began as an alias for record producer and composer Chip Davis. The name “Mannheim Steamroller” comes from an 18th-century German musical technique, Mannheim roller (German: Mannheimer Walze), a crescendo passage having a rising melodic line over an ostinatobass line, popularized by the Mannheim school of composition.

The market is large and is built around the city’s central iconic water tower. We also visited Mannheim Univseristy’s “Baroque Palace” A lovely and decorative palace. Again, per Wikipedia:

Mannheim Palace (German: Mannheimer Schloss) is a large Baroque palace in Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was originally the main residence of the Prince-electors of the Electorate of the Palatinate of the House of Wittelsbach until 1777. Part of the palace is used today by the University of Mannheim. The castle, which features tapestries, furniture, paintings, porcelain and silverware can be visited on a free-flow basis with audioguides.