Blogs from Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany, Europe - page 11

Friday, Germany Day 2 First, we really aren't in Frankfurt ... we're in Rodgau, but just a 30 minute train ride to Frankfurt. No rest for the wicked!!! We’re out of the house at 7:45. Breakfast was served at the pow wow grounds. We get the eat free!!! Now that’s a good thing for a bunch of Indians!!! We were served the typical German breakfast: bread, cold cuts, cheese, butter, something like Miracle Whip. And coffee. The coffee was good. And, hey, it was free!!! After breakfast, we went to work setting up many canopies that belong to Tdom Bah. I raised my hand and used the “elder card,” so I snuck off to a quiet spot and typed. Had to get that Germany Day 1 done. We went back to the house in the afternoon ... read more

What are you looking for ? Getting a Schengen Visa was as tight as a Muay Thai fight ! Several follow-ups, written explanations, phone calls and documents later, we finally got that shiny sticker pasted on our passports. And, it almost got ripped off !..How ? ...Read on.... The Kolkata airport interiors at night is a dream come true for insomniacs. Dimmed lights (not intentional but due to the dust accumulated), soft and soothing music (again, they might be playing Techno, but then - the dust on the speakers makes it sound like a Yanni masterpiece), very scary policemen with very medieval riffles, and last but not the least, the proud office bearers at the immigration counters - very annoyed with their night shifts, and very annoyed because you're flying at an odd hour ! ... read more

There has been a serious delay in posting this entry. This was due to lack of high-speed access for the last few days and a busy schedule to Toronto and back and to Toronto again to see Adele's final show at Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts and to attend her graduation ceremony. More about that later. First though, the flight home. Our flight from Amsterdam to Frankfurt was short and sweet. When we got to the gate in Frankfurt we were directed to see an agent regarding our tickets. Turns out our seats were sold and they had to issue us different tickets. Originally Lenora and I were not sitting together so Lenora asked if we were together now with these new tickets. Well, the lady said, sort of -- you are across from one ... read more

Brian and Amy went for a run/walk and had some breakfast with Peggie, Jerry, and Eva in the morning. Amy's gone back to healthy oatmeal for breakfast but it's hard to turn down "brotchen" (great crusty rolls)", cheese and salami. Brian's weakness is the liverwurst on black bread. Plus, sometimes, there is "speck" (bacon) - bacon is gooood. We better walk more. After yesterday’s bike to ride to Frankenthal to pick up more Euros, today we returned to Frankenthal to spend them! We all loaded up into Eva’s car and she drove us to town for some shopping. She dropped us off in the center of the city and we fanned out to find some bargains. Since the dollar is not very strong, most things were a little expensive and we’re really sorry we can’t easily ... read more

Amy’s started to come back to life a little. Today she had a mid-day massage in the close-by spa town with both hot and cold stones. We’re hoping this chases the last of the germs away. While Amy relaxed, Brian, Peggie, and Jerry walked around Bad Durkheim. After Amy was finished, Karin picked us all up and we drove to the historic town of Speyer. The town was the home of German Emperors with some of the earliest architecture dating to the 1200s. Karin, Brian, Peggie and Jerry walked around the town, while Amy stayed at a café both to rest and to do work . You know she’s feeling better when the computer and phone come out! She got to talk to a lot of the gang - John, Greg, Barb, Christine and Ron so ... read more