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Frankfurt, Germany 040707 1254am local time
Note to self: It is not helpful to answer what you think the German Customs agent asks you in German in a mix of Spanish and English.
I find that I look surprisingly like the Germans here in Frankfurt. My thick lips don’t seem out of place at all. When I approach or respond to people with “Hallo”, I often get a German response. Thankfully, some form of English is spoken plentifully here. Although I have noticed what seems to be lacking with any 2nd language in which one is not proficient is the specifics.
For example, “Take the 2nd one on the left.” And of course, two as non-German speaking Americans in an unfamiliar country trying to get from one place to another, Nathan (my travel partner) heard the 3rd left and I thought the ever-so-helpful bus driver was pointing up the hill.
Tami: One what?
Nathan: I don’t know.
Tami: Where is the 2nd one?
Nathan: 2nd one? I thought he said 3rd one?
Tami: He pointed in this direction.
Nathan: If we get up there and there is only two then we know it was 2 not
3.
Tami: I agree.
And that’s how Nathan and Tami approached Frankfurt.
Nathan and I meandered through Frankfurt without any particular goal or interest. (Lucky for him, my GPS failed to download the caches in Frankfurt.) Nathan’s travel modus operandi is “when in Rome…” It’s worked well so far. If everyone gets on the train now, it’s ok to get on the train. If everyone gets off the train here, this is where we get off. If there are a lot of people eating at this stand, it must be good. I had “The Original Thuringer” which turned out to be a rindwurst(?) It was great at the time. As I write, it sits in me like a log, which I think has more to do with my body adjusting than the food itself.
More meandering…
Our next stop was along the river at a little cafe for a lager and appelwein. Some familiar looking birds sound differently here. What looks like a crow, does
not sound like a crow. What looks like a chickadee, sounds like a chickadee. And just to remind us once again of what a small world we live in, yes they have pigeons here.
More meandering…
…stopping at a coffee shop for their “clean toilet” and a cappuccino because the lager has caught up with me. By the way kein does not mean “clean”, it means something akin to “don’t” says my pocket guide to German.
More meandering…
We walk up to a beautiful cathedral. Apparently only half of what it once was. I told Nathan that I couldn’t wait to get internet access to read about what we had seen in Frankfurt. Nathan is an aspiring photographer and has an amazing eye for things. Sometimes he will stop to take a picture of something and I won’t even notice it until he is stopping for the picture. If I’m lucky he’ll let me publish some of his pictures here.
More meandering…
This looks like a good place to try to catch some WiFi. “Hallo, May I take your order?” Oh yeah, these tables with umbrellas aren’t set up by the city are they?
Make that another cappuccino for Nathan and pilsner for me. By the way folks, there is no such thing as free WiFi here. Be prepared to pay for it everywhere you go. Unless I’m missing out on the best kept secret, someone clue me in.
As we sit both Nathan and I start to feel the lack of sleep kick in. We decide we should head back before we are both too tired to keep each other from walking in front of cars. Besides, we have to come up with half a brain between us to figure out how to get back.
Jet lag is starting to set in again. I’m going back to bed. I’ll just tell the rest in photographs.
Prost!
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Cathy
non-member comment
Germish
It's not Splanglish, but Germish! I'm glad you have a sense of humor, it really comes out in your writing.