Crossing the Pond

 

Saturday, June 28 – Sunday, June 29, 2014

At Gate 46A a little girl sings Christmas songs and enunciates over and over “Bon-JOUR” in her brother’s ear; a family photo is snapped and later Instagrammed; a woman complains about the airport Starbucks; two young men play games in matching Michican State gear; my boyfriend eats a Detriot-style chili dog; an old woman sleeps; pilots and a parade of flight attendants board; and Welcome! Willkommen! is announced. Time to fly.

Do not forget to sign your passport. Thus far the only minor mistake I have made after months of what I shamefully assumed to be thoughtful planning.  Otherwise, my first international flight was a success. Free dinner and breakfast on the plane was a perk. Food is my antidote for stress which means I need to walk up every flight of stairs I can find. Luckily, as soon as I exited the Frankfurt  train station, I was greeted by a colossal flight of steps to the center of the city. (I was not fully able to enjoy it at the time because I was exhausted from my flight, but the center of the city was beautiful in the gloom. Tall, stone buildings and clock towers. German romance.) And the trudging around over step and cobblestone with my carry-on luggage commenced. I just made the getting off the plane and out of the train station sound effortless there – it was not! We wondered about most of the first day just trying to locate our hotel. My favorite part of the “lost” day was sitting on the river watching the runners, walkers, and bikers go by – it made me feel at home in Frankfurt.

More on Frankfurt to follow …