The week that includes 1 May is the "MaiMarkt" in Mannheim. We have heard so much about this event over the years, but never attended until today. Marika and I went with some friends and checked it out.
We got the impression that it was similar to a county fair, and knew there would be an animal show, which worked well since the girls need to attend an animal show for a Girl Scout Badge. So we bought the 9 Euro per person tickets (which include taking trains to/from the markt from anywhere in the VRN district) and headed out early this morning to be at the 400th annual MaiMarkt when it opened at 9:00 (and hopefully beat the masses).
There were crowds of people waiting for the turnstiles to open when we arrive a couple of minutes before 9:00. It was much like Disney World at park open. Luckily, the crowds dispersed fairly well once things opened up. We saw several displays outside, including historical fire trucks and fresh veggie stands.
Then we headed into the "vacation and travel" building in which many regions and hotels, both semi local (Heidelberg, hotels in Bavaria and Austria) and far off (Canadian resorts) had displays, samples, brochures, etc. I picked up several brochures for places that look interesting to visit at some point--there is a hotel in Tirol Austria that I really hope we get to visit next year. Meanwhile, our friends sampled some good "Algau" cheese:
The crowds were getting heavier and I did not get any photos in the "fitness and wellness" building between the jostling and the lack of interesting photo ops (lots of hot tub and specialty mattress vendors). The historical building wasn't too full yet, and looked very interesting, so we popped in there to look around and we enjoyed the displays:
(an early Mercedes)
Then we moved on to the surprisingly empty "play building" and hung out in the Ravensburger Games section building origami animals for a bit:
We bypassed many other shoulder to shoulder buildings and made our way to the animal displays, which were not packed yet (being in the very back helped I think).
Next up we stopped for a snack before the horse and livestock show started. Mmmmmm currywurst!
The show was one of the smaller ones for the Markt (there are big riding tournaments on two of the days), but it was very enjoyable. There were several breeds of horses shown:
Here is one of the horses who had been trained to run with a very different gait, that made the ride VERY smooth--so smooth that the riders did not spill any beer! Only in Germany are horses trained so the riders can drink beer lol:
The Arabians were really beautiful and it was fascinating to watch them. Their trainers let them off halter and one person stood in the center of the ring shaking a stick in different ways and they all ran around in a very well coordinated pattern. They kept it up for over 5 minutes. It was really cool to watch and I have never seen anything like it.
After the horses, the livestock came out.
(I loved these black and white goats--so funny how they color changes so distinctly right in the middle)
After the show, the entire place was FULL. Really, really full. Working our way back out we stopped in the "international" building--which was disappointingly full of very cheaply made, mass manufactured things which did not even seem to be indicative of any particular country anyway.
We stopped near the exit for "Maimarkt Bechers" which were very strawberry shortcake like and quite tasty (my camera card was full at that point--my friend took a photo on her phone which I hope to add if she gets it to me) and then got out of the crowds and enjoyed the 10 minute stroll back to the train platform.
All in all it was a nice day and a fun outing, but not anything we feel a need to repeat. Basically EVERYthing we saw there was mass produced. There were none of the pretty handmade items that abound at Christmas Markets. The crowds were intense even early, and we were glad it was unseasonably cool, otherwise it would have been miserable. There are hundreds of truly delightful, unique and fun festivals to attend here in Germany. This one does not compare.
--Hadley
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