It was a record day with 15 receptions and ceremonies altoghether (including singing the World Harmony Run song) and lots of media.

Representatives of the cities and communities of Ludwigshafen, Mannheim, Edingen-Neckarhausen, Heidelberg, Nussloch, Wiesloch and Sinsheim received the runners and the torch, and wished them well on their goodwill tour through Europe.

The torch was carried into the Maimarkt fair in Mannheim for an interview at SWR-radio station...

Then it was on to three schools in Mannheim-Seckenheim and Heidelberg-Wieblingen, where enthusiastic teachers, kids and youngsters had prepared welcome messages, pieces of art and songs for the runners, and happily ran with the torch for some distance in and even outside the school compounds.

In Heidelberg the torch was received at the Völkerkundemuseum (ethnology museum) by Dr. Margareta Pavaloi at the "Oneness-Tree" planted in 2001, then paid again a visit to the Documentation Centre of the Sinti and Roma, where we were given an interesting and moving tour.

We continued to the Synagogue of the Jewish Community. The boys had a stopover at the Vegetarian Restaurant Waves while the girls continued running (job-sharing!) to the next reception at the Racket Center in Nussloch, where the boys joined us again to be greeted by the Mayor of Nussloch, Mr. Karl Rühl, and the manager of the Racket Center, Dr. Matthias Zimmermann.

After the reception in Wiesloch two runners continued to Sinsheim to keep the time schedule, while the rest of the team paid a visit to the Mosque of the Turkish-Islamic community, where all of us were invited into the exquisitely beautiful and serene prayer hall - a touching first-time experience for many of us.

In Hoffenheim the president of the regionally famous TSG football club, Peter Hofmann, joined the runners to Sinsheim, where we were received again at a city festival on stage by the Mayor, Rolf Geinert, and invited to sing.

Blues singer Joy Fleming carried the torch together with the Mayor and the TSG-president - a photo that hit the local newspaper the next day. When we drove back to Heidelberg where the team stayed overnight, a beautiful rainbow blessed us.

Vasanti, Germany

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