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Published: September 15th 2011
On Saturday I took the 9-hour, direct Condor flight from Anchorage to Frankfurt. The flight was long, but I brought a book, a newspaper and a magazine to keep me company. None of this came anywhere close to being as interesting as my neighbor Sam, from London. He and about 10 other friends purchased an old Navy bus off of ebay for $2,000 and spent the last 6 weeks driving it from New York City to Nashville, New Orleans, the Grand Canyon, California, up through Canada and on to Anchorage, stopping everywhere in between. He shared his pictures from the adventure and had fabulous stories. he definitely got me motivated for the journey and the unknown adventures ahead.
Once I arrived in Frankfurt, I took the S-Bhan (commuter train) from the airport to the Houptbahnhof (Main Station). I had planned to stay the 5 Elements Hostel that evening, but had no idea how to find it. My new friend Marian, who I met in the Anchorage airport on her way home suggested I visit the information center there.
The Houptbahnhof, or main train station, is enormous. People scatter in every direction with important business to attend to and vendors
Condor Route
Over the Pole!light up the edges of the walkways like an airstrip. There are long distance trains, and the underground subway trains all encompassed by the massive 19-century railway station arching above. The clatter of feet and chatter of rushed travelers buying Starbucks coffee and fresh rolls fill the air. I made my way to the information center. It was only 12:00 pm and I was exhausted yet determined to push through on my hunt for the hostel. I was still functioning on AK time, having not slept on the plane.
It turned out that the hostel was just a few blocks away! I headed over the stone streets, past sex shops and strip clubs naturally merging with street cafés on the sidewalks. Sure enough, after numerous clubs and “Sex” and “Amos” Inns I found the hostel amid Frankfurt’s’ red-light district. The hostel itself was very clean and had a comforting character. The lobby was full of international travelers utilizing the free Internet and some sat outside enjoying the sun and a beer or snack from the bar. There was a TV/game room downstairs with cages to lock your luggage in.
Luckily the hostel was not full and I was
able to get a bed in a 6-man suite. I left my bags and decided to explore the city on foot to avoid going to sleep. I was determined to stay up until at least 8:00 pm to avoid future jetlag.
I set out over stone streets, past cathedrals, ridiculous shopping centers, large fountains, statues, and out to the main river. Here I crossed the walking bridge full of locks. As I later found out, years before in Cologne couples started writing their names on these locks, fastening them to the bridge and throwing the key over as a sign of eternal love. Here in Frankfurt, people started doing the same. I was interested to see that on lock even had a ring attached to it.
I made my way back into the city center and decided to head into what I thought was the general area of my hostel. An hour later it turns out that I have no idea where I am, I wasn’t too worried because I had a handy dandy map that I got at the hostel. It seemed pretty inclusive at the time. Unfortunately this map was not as detailed as one would
hope. Many intersecting streets bared similar names, none that I could find on my map.
I began to retrace my steps and found myself again at the Zeil, a large shopping area I later found out spans about a mile between two stations. Here the sky began to roll with a distant thunder. A few drops fell and within moments the streets scattered to the edges as if there was an alien invasion about to take place. Following suite, I joined a couple under a nearby awning and watched. With in seconds of finding cover, heavy drops of rain began to slap the sidewalks and awnings. It fell as though a monsoon has just charged the city, flooding the streets in mere seconds. Shortly, the rain let up a little and umbrella carriers hesitantly ventured out not making it far before it began to pour again forcing them to scurry to the nearest cover.
I jumped from awning to awning in what felt like a childhood game of hopscotch. I joined a dismal looking group at one of the large mall entrances open to the street. The crowd sat staring powerlessly out at the rain as though it
were a personal punishment. Some people acquired trash bags while others submitted to the limited protection of their umbrellas. One man came to the entrance, grunted in frustration, took off his shirt and placed it in his gym bag. He then dashed out into the rain as if a soldier headed to battle. I used this time to ask around and figure out where I was. My wondering had brought me farther off course than expected and the woman helping me thought I was crazy for wanting to walk back.
I followed the path laid out to me by a stranger. Nothing looked familiar and it was now dark. The rain had let up some, but I was now soaked through my sweater all the way to my dress. Soon I saw a familiar fountain and was back on track. I came across a café with open glass doors from floor to ceiling. There were couches and tables facing the open rain, as though watching a show in a cinema, the awnings, rather than a screen, were all that separated the guests from the dismal reality of what lay only a few feet away. It was time for me
to take a front row seat in the audience.
I enjoyed the warm coffee and then ventured back to my hostel. I was the first to arrive and was asleep by 8:00 pm. When I woke up at 11:30 am the next day, I was ready for my journey to begin.
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Mona Jones
non-member comment
Hello my dear Nice pictures. Well miss ya and take care...