BUGA Mannheim

Actually, from today on it's called:

wir=129:2- on the road.

And because it's not far from Heppenheim to Mannheim to the Bundesgartenschau, we're driving there.

At 9:30 at the entrance to Luisenpark. A dreamlike park that was once BUGA in 1975. Mannheim has made another piece of gardening history out of it. The beautiful old trees that provide shade today were probably already providing shade back then. And they still do their job very well today. There are lounge chairs and other chairs everywhere on the lawns. In between, some geese are resting and the stork parents are getting breakfast for their offspring.

Although many people of all ages bought tickets at the entrance, it was very relaxed - it's also a large area. Some ponds with beautiful water lilies are home to frogs - luckily they have a similar color to the leaves. Father stork has a bit of a hard time finding them.

And then there's also the gondola across to Spinellipark - for free! You can also take the bus - although it was standing at the entrance without a driver. How long the bus ride will be also depends on the traffic on the roads. The gondola ride doesn't take long - about 8 minutes for such a ride and 10 people can fit in one cabin. Then Spinellipark is completely open - without old shade trees - on a former US Army site. It is recommended to apply sunscreen to the skin in time - or to use a small mobile sun umbrella. A hat or cap can also make a useful contribution to sun protection.

There is a lot to see and experience here. Colorful gardens cared for by schools; former warehouses and workshops that now include gastronomy; experimental fields; in one of them, electricity is generated from urine among other things. Very interesting and should be visited by all visitors.

There is also a metal lattice observation tower planted vertically. Great view from up there. The builders thought of something here - stairs lead up to the tower and on the other side, visitors go back down. Definitely helpful in case of large crowds. However, there are no corresponding signs.

It was a beautiful few hours at BUGA. However, if we visit again, we will allocate our time differently. Arriving early at the beginning of the week is a good start. However, take the gondola straight to Spinellipark (because of the lack of shade) and then return to Luisenpark as temperatures rise. There is still plenty of gastronomy there; for example, by the lake with a view of pelicans and flamingos.

One more tip: there is also the Landesgartenschau in Balingen in Baden-Württemberg and it is definitely worth a visit.

See you soon