Sidestep

blog 2: sidestep
Landing at Frankfurt in the early morning, we deplane onto busses to drive us to the terminal. My least favorite mode of travel - which i blame (loudly and often) on Heathrow airport. But I put on a happy face -- easy to do with Kerry constantly pointing out "ooooh look, it's Germany. Oh wow, that guy is speaking in German! Hee Hee that sign is in German!" The trip to the terminal is actually easy and short. We're funneled into a queue for passport control and then customs and it isn't until we're through to the exit that we realize we never had a chance to talk to a gate agent about a hotel and dinner voucher. This means we must navagate row after row of check-in counters to find the two long United desks. Another extremely helpful desk agent answers all our needs with a smile and provides for our food and lodging for the next day and a half. 

The Stiegenberger Hotel is lovely, with a view of the city from afar. We spent both our lunch and dinner voucher for dinner outside in a beautiful courtyard. I had lamb chops which i cooked myself on a super-hot lava stone. With a side of ratatouille and a cold pilsner. Kerry went a bit to the edge with a succulent hare stew pie.

Then it was off to explore the city. The shuttle back to the airport was easy and armed with both a downtown city map and a pocket-map of the u-bahn and s-bahn, we set off to find our way to see what the Manhattan of Europe is like.  Finding a train to the downtown main train station was easy. We found a seat and waited.  And waited. And waited while watching train after train head off in other directions. 

We hopped off at one point to double check that we were on the right train and went back on, our guesses confirmed.  finally, when we were nearly ready to give up, the doors close and off we go. It  wasn't until the next day that we realized we had missed the "trains to city" sign and had inadvertently gotten on the regional train ending at Frankfurt rather than one of the numerous local trains to the same spot.

Trains are always tricky. You can read the map, ask a guide, read the sign on the front, but you never know until you hit the next stop whether you're actually headed the way you think you are. As we pull into the first stop I think I was mumbling under my breath which stop I expected it to be: "stadium stadium stadium" and sure enough, there it was. I was beaming, so proud of myself. I'm easy to please.

Frankfurt is a bit sleepy on a Thursday evening.  The financial district was still and quiet and it wasn't until we got to the theater district that we saw more than a few stragglers. 

Following nose, ears, and the pull of curiosity led us down a side street of cafes and shops past shwarma stands, gelato counters, and shoe shops. Turning the corner we see the main train station ahead and a row of buildings lit from below in blue and pink and gold light. Beautiful so we head that direction. Turns out to be Frankfurt's red-light district. We walk through, marveling at storefront after storefront of sex and I wonder aloud at whether it doesn't just make more sense to devote an area to it rather than spread all around.

Frankfurt seems to be pockets of activity amidst a general stillness. And their spirit animal would definitely be the bunny rabbit. We saw several large warrens of bunnies slowly advancing across parks and fields. Nibble nibble hop.

Our night concluded at U60311, a techno club in an abandoned u-bahn station down in concrete box under the street. Smokey air, plenty of pretty, European hipsters, the constant thump of the beats -- this was great.