Friday, 14 August
McKay:
We began our vacation Thursday when Rob got home from work by driving to Atlanta, but not before saying a peanut-butter filled goodbye to Gus, leaving him in the loving and capable hands of the Jestice family. On the way, we tried a McDonald’s mocha (both hot and cold) and decided that they really were better than Starbucks. Wow. Impressive, and kinda bittersweet (no one WANTS to like McDonald’s).
We began our vacation Thursday when Rob got home from work by driving to Atlanta, but not before saying a peanut-butter filled goodbye to Gus, leaving him in the loving and capable hands of the Jestice family. On the way, we tried a McDonald’s mocha (both hot and cold) and decided that they really were better than Starbucks. Wow. Impressive, and kinda bittersweet (no one WANTS to like McDonald’s).
After sleeping only 4 hours in our airport hotel, we woke up and caught a very early shuttle to the airport and flew to DFW (one flight earlier than planned, thanks to Rob and an on-the-ball gate agent). Fun and spontaneous, Ken (Rob’s dad) was just getting in from flying and Cherry flew from Longview to meet us in the airport and we all went out to lunch in Southlake. Yeah, what other family could do that?
Well-fed and eye candy cravings satiated (visited Anthropologie, Ann Taylor, and Nine West Shoes), we returned to the airport and were thrilled to get into first class!! DU-UDE! First class is AH-mazing! Rob had told me stories about how the chairs swivel around and you have a whole cubicle to yourself. Truthfully, I only halfway believed him, but it’s TRUE! For dinner, Rob and I swiveled our chairs to face one another and had a little intimate 5 course dinner. Then, we watched movies on our personal screen and reclined our seats COMPLETELY FLAT to beds and slept!!
Saturday, 15 August
Today, once in Frankfurt, we took a train to Mainz, walked the sights of Mainz, shopped at a farmers market I’ve only seen in my dreams, picnicked on the Rhine eating cheese, berries, and bratwurst, ate some tasty schnitzel for dinner, and are deciding to retire early as the jetlag is catching up with us.
Today, once in Frankfurt, we took a train to Mainz, walked the sights of Mainz, shopped at a farmers market I’ve only seen in my dreams, picnicked on the Rhine eating cheese, berries, and bratwurst, ate some tasty schnitzel for dinner, and are deciding to retire early as the jetlag is catching up with us.
Rob:
There are a few moments of first day hilarity. As McKay and I stepped onto our first European train we discover the infamously tricky glass doors which divide the train cars into sections. Granted McKay was first into the train so I didn’t have to actually use the door, but it was still a lot of fun to watch my lovely wife’s befuddlement. The doors slide into the wall and even though they have handles to pull them open or closed they are automatic and have a little yellow button imbedded in the handle which opens and closes the doors. McKay pulled and pulled and the door never opened until another passenger opened it from the other direction. The next door she started to pull on the handle. The nice German woman sitting beside the door was explaining to her how to work the door or so McKay thought. Turns out that the lady was trying to explain that the door was already open and what McKay thought was really clean glass was actually nothing but air and the next cabin. I couldn’t help myself - I just stood there giggling waiting to see what would happen. After a few seconds the lady “punched an invisible hole through the glass”. McKay saw the light and we continued our trip.
There are a few moments of first day hilarity. As McKay and I stepped onto our first European train we discover the infamously tricky glass doors which divide the train cars into sections. Granted McKay was first into the train so I didn’t have to actually use the door, but it was still a lot of fun to watch my lovely wife’s befuddlement. The doors slide into the wall and even though they have handles to pull them open or closed they are automatic and have a little yellow button imbedded in the handle which opens and closes the doors. McKay pulled and pulled and the door never opened until another passenger opened it from the other direction. The next door she started to pull on the handle. The nice German woman sitting beside the door was explaining to her how to work the door or so McKay thought. Turns out that the lady was trying to explain that the door was already open and what McKay thought was really clean glass was actually nothing but air and the next cabin. I couldn’t help myself - I just stood there giggling waiting to see what would happen. After a few seconds the lady “punched an invisible hole through the glass”. McKay saw the light and we continued our trip.
At Mainz we stepped out of the station and started looking for our hotel: where is the street… where is a map… where are we? I needed a frame of reference so we went looking for help. After 20 minutes McKay located an info booth and a map and we were on our way. This time when we walked out I was looking up and the first thing you see, front and center, the name of our hotel in seventeen-foot letters, “HAMMER HOTEL”. If this was Times Square, it would have been the Coke jumbotron.
Sunday, 16 August
Rob:
Today we grabbed a train from Mainz to Frankfurt. We got on one of the ICE bullet trains for international travel. When the lady checked our tickets it was pretty obvious we weren’t supposed to be on this train but because we were only going two stops she didn’t kick us off. Frankfurt is a pretty quiet town on Sunday (minus all the church bells). We put our bags in a locker at the train station and walked the city. The Germans know how to bring nature into their city. We walked along the Main River amid beautiful gardens and green fields. The old town center called Römburg was rebuilt in 1986 from the original 1418 plans, considering we flattened 95% of Frankfurt in WWII, it was cute. The cathedral kind of made it through the war with the walls and tower intact, but interior and roof burned. The pipe organ looks like it was built by a hot rod enthusiast, probably the most intimidating pipe organ I’ve ever seen. No shops are open on Sunday so we spent most of our time strolling in the wonderful parks that ring the city and window shopping. We had a leisurely lunch at the local street festival, enjoying Frankfurt’s signature apple wine, berries, bread, cheese and amazing cooked mushrooms from local vendors.
McKay: So Frankfurt is lovely. Its skyscrapers and busy streets infused with parks and serenity give it a very New York City feel. We trained it over from Mainz this morning after a lovely breakfast at our hotel where I successfully interpreted everything the hostess said – I got her to bring us coffee and everything until she asked us about “secht” which I did not know and which revealed that we spoke no German whatsoever and I had just been lucky in interpreting her up to this point. *sigh* So sad. “Secht” is champagne or sparkling water or something like that.
The language is so frustrating! If I’d realized we would be in a German-speaking country (Germany and Austria) for a total of almost a week, I DEFINITELY would have brushed up on German. As it was, my brain said, “Oh, we’re not in any one country for that long…” and I’d known too many Germans whose English was so good that they were just frustrated with my German. Still, I LOVE to at least start off my interactions speaking the native language. I WILL brush up!
Today we grabbed a train from Mainz to Frankfurt. We got on one of the ICE bullet trains for international travel. When the lady checked our tickets it was pretty obvious we weren’t supposed to be on this train but because we were only going two stops she didn’t kick us off. Frankfurt is a pretty quiet town on Sunday (minus all the church bells). We put our bags in a locker at the train station and walked the city. The Germans know how to bring nature into their city. We walked along the Main River amid beautiful gardens and green fields. The old town center called Römburg was rebuilt in 1986 from the original 1418 plans, considering we flattened 95% of Frankfurt in WWII, it was cute. The cathedral kind of made it through the war with the walls and tower intact, but interior and roof burned. The pipe organ looks like it was built by a hot rod enthusiast, probably the most intimidating pipe organ I’ve ever seen. No shops are open on Sunday so we spent most of our time strolling in the wonderful parks that ring the city and window shopping. We had a leisurely lunch at the local street festival, enjoying Frankfurt’s signature apple wine, berries, bread, cheese and amazing cooked mushrooms from local vendors.
McKay: So Frankfurt is lovely. Its skyscrapers and busy streets infused with parks and serenity give it a very New York City feel. We trained it over from Mainz this morning after a lovely breakfast at our hotel where I successfully interpreted everything the hostess said – I got her to bring us coffee and everything until she asked us about “secht” which I did not know and which revealed that we spoke no German whatsoever and I had just been lucky in interpreting her up to this point. *sigh* So sad. “Secht” is champagne or sparkling water or something like that.
The language is so frustrating! If I’d realized we would be in a German-speaking country (Germany and Austria) for a total of almost a week, I DEFINITELY would have brushed up on German. As it was, my brain said, “Oh, we’re not in any one country for that long…” and I’d known too many Germans whose English was so good that they were just frustrated with my German. Still, I LOVE to at least start off my interactions speaking the native language. I WILL brush up!
Rob, however, just starts off speaking English and I KNOW I see, though briefly, a look of “Anglo-centric American… thinks everyone should speak his language” before they politely reply to him in English.
Renting a car went very well – we got a car that starts with an “S”. Unfamiliar with the brand, we still don’t know what car it is, but it’s nice. We followed our map out of Frankfurt and drove some smaller roads through the countryside on the way to Heppenheim. Rob is a very good driver, but I just couldn’t help being a little nervous as a passenger with someone having a little too much fun on the steep twisting country roads where, according to the sign I just saw, might not be allowed to drive on this road… umm… nevermind… just breathe… what a lovely view… down that steep hill… on this 2G turn… pretty colors… I love my wonderful husband… this is how every other car is driving… lovely view… just breathe. Really, it wasn’t that bad… mostly.
We had a sweet dinner in Heppenheim at a restaurant with tables on the balcony overlooking the cobblestone streets. Now we’re back in our hotel writing to you and will soon check our much neglected email.
2 comments:
McKay- Matt and I agreed that the sister he knows should have had fun riding on the crazy roads and should have been the one driving!
Rob- We found it delightful that you found it "cute" that we flattened 95% of the town in World War II.
Oh yeah, glad you are having a good time!
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