Getting to Frankfurt

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A convoluted start

We had not started our planning with a consistent view of anything more than being in Rochester to spend Xmas with Daniel, Rachael and the grandchildren. When Elaine looked at flight options, our original thoughts about arriving mid-Dec and leaving mid-Jan moved forwards a fortnight. It also gave us the opportunity to plan taking a Xmas Market tour with Trafalger, and form me to plan a week's walking in England.

But it also meant getting to Frankfurt after arriving at Heathrow, a rather more convoluted trip than going straight to Frankfurt from Australia. It also meant just over 36 hours travel. We were still recovering a couple of days later.

Visiting Frankfurt Part One

We arrived a day before the tour started, so we had the opportunity to take the subway from where we were staying in Offenbach am Main into the centre of Frankfurt. We had a little time before the shops opened, so had time for a coffee and a visit to the town market while traders were setting up their stalls.

Then it was a search for a pair of jeans. I had planned to bring a pair as an alternative to wearing my trekking trousers, but somehow had not packed them. This was a futile endeavour. I became thoroughly fed-up with the words slim and slender, and size ranges that either ended one short of my waist size or required me to be another 10cm taller for a decent fit!

We then had an amble through part of the Xmas Markets and admired the taste treats and trinkets. I suppose fried potato of various descriptions must count as a vegetable, otherwise there wouldn't have been any vegetables in sight at the food stalls.

Getting Lost in Offenbach

Before returning to the hotel, we had a wander through the central area of Offenbach, starting with a wrong turn and a 20 minute detour to get back on track. One sees some interesting parts of a city this way, even if it isn't what one intended. Lunch, including salad, another wander through another Xmas market and another fruitless search for regular sized jeans followed. The it was back to the hotel to have a granny nap before joining the tour.

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Photos

Statue in park Offenbach
Watching the traffic outside our hotel.