Getting Away...

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First Days In Germany

Day 1 - I landed in Frankfurt at 5:35am after a six and a half hour flight. The Flight from Boston to Frankfurt was actually one of the better flights that I have been on. Everything went very smooth, unlike some of my other experiences with airports and travel. The plane arrived early, my bag was the 4th to come off of the conveyer belt, I was the first in line at customs, and Sandra was outside the gate waiting. In a nutshell, this all equals a successful journey. No lost luggage, long lines, or strict customs agents. American Customs Agents go above and beyond but, they have to do waht they have to do I guess.

It's amazing how nice this area of Germany is. I was here during the winter on my last visit, so it's a bit different. Germany didn't get any snow while I was here last time, but since it's summer the trees have bloomed, and the vineyards are growing strong. The weather and air temperature is not something you can complain about, that's for sure. We went to Darmstadt for lunch after we got to the house and I got cleaned up a bit. While we were walking back to the car, as we were passing through the city centre I spotted some musicians who looked like they were getting ready to play some music. Out of curiousity, I went over to see what it was all about, and soon realized that it was a religious tour through Germany that these people were conducting. Some of the people were from all over Europe and Germany. This one guy in particular who was from England, we talked to for a few minutes. The only reason I write about it now is because it makes a really funny memory. I wont go into detail but, long story short, he ended up putting his hands on our shoulders and "blessing" us right there in the middle of the city. He said a prayer that seemed to last like 5 minutes. It was just too funny because of the accent, and the circumstances surrounding. Plus I was still a little loopy from the Jetlag. Anyway, afterwards we went to an ice-cream shop in Zwingenberg. I had never seen an ice-cream shop like this one. We sat down, and began looking at the ice-cream menus on the table. Most of the ice-cream shops where I am from are the same in that you park your car, walk to the window and order, and usually get a cone, or dish, or maybe a sundae. This place was quite unique. They had all kinds of different flavors that I had never seen, and the presentations were awesome. They even had spaghetti ice-cream, which is ice-cream that they must put through a machine or something to make it come out looking like spaghetti (that's what Sandra ordered). I got this chocolate coconut type sundae with assorted fruits (kiwi, strawberry, apple, pineapple, etc). It came in a margarita glass.

Settling In

Day 2 - Seeing some of the familiar faces from my last stay in Germany has been nice. I got to see a lot of Sandras friends, meet new friends, and of course see some of her family. One of Sandras friends was living in New Jersey for the last two years, and a surprise party was thrown for her last night for her return to Germany. There were lots of German foods, drinks, and good conversations. A lot of English was spoken, so that was nice. (Reminder - The Rubber Story)

Day 3 - Today I walked to Zwingenberg, the town that Sandra and I had gone to for the ice-cream. I still can't get over how nice the town is. It's so small, comfortable, and compact. Things aren't spread out as much here as they are in the USA. An hour is a long drive over here. I know people in Maine who commute that far to work, daily. Anyway, I walked like 8 kilometers so my feet hurt pretty bad, but it was worth it. As I said, that town kicks ass.

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Photos

Sandra
With Friends

Sandras Hooka
She doesn't use it for anything...

Comments

[Uncle Dave]

I'm glad the trip went so well. Take care and be careful. Geesh, I sound like the tauntes... haha. See ya when you get back. Uncle Dave

[aunt julie]

hope your having a great time....see you when you get home...say hi to sandra......luv aunt j