One Night in Frankfurt - Seriously Crazy

Somehow, around 2 in the morning, I'm in a Brazilian bar in Frankfurt, Germany with a bunch of guys from Ireland and Philadelphia. How the hell did this happen??....

After being on study tour for 2 weeks with St. Joe's, some of us decided to hang around in Europe for a little bit longer. Most of the group went out skiing in Austria, another went to Spain, and I went to London to visit a friend of mine (see very first blog entry!) One of the caveats of staying extra was that since we flew Luftansa over to Germany to begin our trip, we had to fly Luftansa back to the U.S. out of Frankfurt when we returned. Everyone was ok with this, but we all decided collectively as a group that we would all return on the same flight back to Philadelphia. One way or another, I had to get from London to Frankfurt and meetup with the group. I decided that I was going to take a later flight into Frankfurt, since the main group was not going to arrive there until later in the evening anyways. When I arrived at Heathrow, I became a little suspicious of my flight when I checked in when the ticket agent said "We don't have an 8:00pm flight'. Are you kidding me? Here's my ticket pal, 8:00pm. Then he realizes, oh, I'm American and don't use the 20:00 hrs. too often. He corrected me and checked my bag, and I was off to the gate. I then discovered that my flight was delayed. Ok, no problem. Then I kept seeing the departure time push back futher and further. At one point, the only thing going through my mind is, I need to get to Frankfurt tonight, or I am screwed. Like, seriously screwed. As I sat in Heathrow constantly checking the monitors, an annoucement was finally made as to what gate my plane was taking off from. I headed to the gate where a bunch of us frustrated passengers boarded our flight to Frankfurt. We were informed that our flight had been delayed due to bad weather in Germany, which was starting to clear up. The downside was that now our flight was not going to land in Frankfurt until 11:30pm. Mind you, I have never been inside the city of Frankfurt, in addition to the fact I had to find this hostel by myself. To make matters even more interesting, the train that runs from the airport to the main terminal in downtown Frankfurt was not running. Top it off with the fact that I don't speak or read a word of German, and I'm ready to go! Once I gathered my luggage, the only option that I had was to take a cab. I had no other choice. No train or subway, and no one was picking me up at the airport. I had to rely on the cabbie. I head outside the terminal to the taxi cue, and hop in the first cab that I can find. Thankfully, the gentleman spoke English and knew exactly where the hostel was. I put all my faith in this guy to get me to my destination, and I prayed he did not get lost, because I had not a clue where I was! The driver took off from the airport and headed down a main highway. It was dark and not very well lit. Additionally, this guy was flying, I mean, pedal to the medal hardcore here. I guess that is what happens when there is no speed limit on the Autobahn. I sat in the back seat and hoped for the best. I mean, this guy was going really fast. We got off the Autobahn, and he took off through downtown Frankfurt. A very industrial city, there were tons of huge buildings and cool structures as we headed to the hostel, still going 150mph. The other thing to note is that it is quiet as hell on a Sunday night in Frankfurt. I mean, no one was out and about, even driving through the city. We sped through the streets, and all I could think was "Please, let me get to this hostel alive". Thankfully, there was no traffic. We arrived at the hostel, and I was in absolute relief. I was in such relief that I gave the guy a 3 Euro tip and said "Hey, get yourself a beer my man". Needless to say, I was going to need a couple myself.

I walked into the hostel and dragged my bag up 2 flights of stairs only to be greeted by my friends with a "Kaaaaaczzzz!" Of course, they were all drinking and having a good time. One of my friends showed me to the room where I put my bag down, and then it was back upstairs to meet the rest of the group. We caught up, and ended up talking with these dudes from Ireland that were celebrating their friend's birthday in Frankfurt of all places. The table we were sitting at was just filled with empty beer bottles, so needless to say, most were well lit. I had a beer, and then it was decided that it was time to head out to the bar. A group of us walked down the street with the Irish guys to this Brazilian themed bar. Why it was a Brazilian themed bar, I have no idea. At any rate, everyone proceeded to have a few more drinks and enjoy the last night in Europe. At one point, one of the Irish guys asked me where I was from. I told him originally from Massachusetts, sort of near Boston. This guy goes "Oh, do you like the Boston Red Sox?" Of course man. He then replies "Do you know the Red Sox song?", and starts singing the following: "Dirrrty Waaater...Dirrrrrty Waaaaater...Dirrrrty Waaater". Oh yea, precious. Then came a moment that just made us all stop. Peael Jam's "Alive" came on over the jukebox, and everyone just stopped and started singing. The Irish guys got really into it. and started circling up and putting their arms around us in some wierd sort of Pearl Jam drinking ritual I guess? Then for no reason at all, some of them started taking off their shirts and it just got wild. Yea, crazy time in Frankfurt. Me and one of my friends were some of the last guys to leave to bar as we headed back to the hostel. I never thought I would have a night like that in Frankfurt, but i guess there's a first time for everything.

Until next time, safe travels

-Kacz

*Note - Not all pics are from Frankfurt, but showcase some of the more..let's say...non-academic times from study tour.

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