25.5.2010: I have to accept….

Written: 5/25/10 11:48 (Frankfurt time)

Please note: This post does not reflect my thoughts at this moment. Instead it reflects the time in which it was written



….that I am no longer in America.
(Not everyone speaks English, no matter how much we’d like to believe this.)

….that I have a long way to go and loads to learn.
(German. German. German. And culture shock!)

….that my Deutsch is sehr schlecht.
(What was that guy asking in the bookstore? Ich habe nicht versteht. Langsamer bitte!)

….that there is no kostenlos internet access in Europe.
(Nor in the airports. The going rate is $8-9 per hour! Oh, and Windows 7 is too new for the hostel’s system-the one place that I can get free wi-fi. And even McDonald’s here isn’t unlimited free. But I don’t have a Handy at the moment, so I couldn’t get on there today.)

….that I am not staying in a youth hostel.
(There’s an older gentleman bunking under me, who was already in bed by nine.)

….that I am living a mixed dorm.
(People of mixed genders bunking together. Let’s hope they don’t do anything more than that.)

….that I am staying in a hostel next to a sex shop, on a Strasse of many shops like it.
(It’s called “WOS: World of Sex”. I think I might be living in the red light district. But other than the sex shops, the location is excellent- it’s right across from the Hauptbahnhof!)

….that I don’t know anything about Fussball.
(And the World Cup is this year.)

….that I love Döners.
(I had my first one of this trip today! Everyone would be so proud of me- I ate it with all the fixings- and sauce!)

….that I love riding on trains.
(I’m so looking forward to traveling!)

….that I looked clumsy and awkward in the airport.
(Going around in circles would be one’s first clue that I had no idea what I was doing. But one must learn that you have to look at the signs!)

….that I totally over-packed.
(Again. My carry-on bag was too big for the plane. So they took it to be checked-in. I had no wheels in Philly and going through customs in Frankfurt. And my computer bag strap snapped this evening- easy fix, when I get to it.)


Traveling is always fun. And it definitely was an Abenteur trying to navigate through the airports all on my own. I have learned that I was mostly a follower when traveling before, but it’s not too hard to do it by myself. I almost hyperventilated on the plane from Detroit to Philly- I had gotten myself so worked up. But I calmed down, and the rest of the journey was quite smooth. I think the trip from Philly to Frankfurt was the smoothest, most turbulence free flight I’ve ever been on. The pasta dinner was decent, the movies okay. There was a cute guy across the aisle, but I slept (sorta) most of the trip.

I got another stamp in my passport, and all my bags made it to Frankfurt too! For convenience, I left my large luggage bag in storage at the airport. I finally got onto the correct S-Bahn, and I may have been a black-rider for the first time…. I’m not sure though…. I’m not sure if I validated my Eurail pass correctly, but there were no checks, so I’m not going to worry about it.


So as you can all guess, I am now in Frankfurt, staying in a mixed gender, ageless dorm room hostel. It’s not the best hostel I’ve stayed in, but it’s not the worst either. (I think I would put the one we-Max Kade- stayed in while traveling in Munich was the worst… I wonder if they ever got that door fixed.)

I’ve had my first Döner of this trip. It was huge! And lecker! I had all the toppings, and drink a small Coke. Since I wanted something else cold to drink, I walked down to McDonalds and ordered a large Coke and a “Magnum Brownie McFlurry.” I haven’t seen these in America, and the sign was convincing.

I found my new favorite dessert.


Other than the Döner, McDonalds, and no free internet, there wasn’t much to my day. Once I finally figured out how to get to the Hauptbahnhof, the rest was uneventful. I showered, I brushed my teeth, I slept. Don’t worry, I didn’t mess up my itinerary at all, since that’s all that I had planned.


Tomorrow I will be touring Frankfurt, reserving my spot on my Frankfurt to Paris train, and working on getting over my jet-lag. It’s already 12:40 local time and I am fully awake.