Hotel Nies Hanau

... spent too much time investigating. Aside from a few months of an Introductory German course that I failed and dropped, I certainly have no 1st hand experience with their culture.
Planning, plotting, and practicing is how I will accomplish this irresponsible feat of travel and confusion.
Godspeed and good luck I've wished myself well in advance.
Who knows?
Maybe I'll never even make it out of Frankfurt...

Again it seems to be an escape from the inevitable. But somehow I actually think it's way more than that.

Why do I think that? I'm sure you are wondering what special thing happened at the end of my last entry in the first world trip ...

It was sooooo cold in Frankfurt, we didn't want to spend much time here since we had no winter clothing. WE got in late, went to our hotel, then back to the airport to get our flight to Bangkok moved up. We though it would be at 8 that night, but they managed to get us on the next flight out, which was pretty much within the hour. Woohooo! I also kept speaking Italian in Germany... so confused with all the languages.

... returns and I was allowed to enter the holding pen. This very different from the US. You cannot enter the "waiting area" near the gate until the ticket agents open the area and you make it through the proces mentioned above. Then you sit and wait an hour while ticket agents random check your bag sizes trying to force you to "check" the carry on. Then you line up in the same non-orderly fashion to board another cold bus ride to the ...

... their walls, not to mention some German candies.

Unfortunately it was time to call it a trip, so we all piled in the car and Flo kindly drove us home on the ultra-efficient Autobahn where nobody drives slowly in the left lane.

Auf wiedersehen! It was a great trip!

Pam and Glenn said:

Pam’s first observation of her old high school alma mater town of Frankfurt was that it had not changed much. From the Bahnhoff down ...

... and helped to get our things and showed us where to go was so precious!!! She didn't speak much English but she helped us along and gave us big hugs when we left. Without words she showed us so much love!!! So wonderful!!! I love people!!!!! :) :) :) :) Tonight we head to Munich and then tomorrow night we take an overnight train to Paris. It's weird to think that a week from today we'll be in London and then it's only a ...

... gentleman pulled into his house next to the bus stop and I asked him for his advice. He said that I wouldn't be able to walk there in time, so he called the taxi service and explained my situation and they told me they would be there within 10 mins! What a relief! I waited until 6.50 and there was no taxi. By this time it was pitch black and freezing. I assumed the taxi wasn't coming. I looked at the sign again and saw that the next "taxi bus" was ...

... river. We arrived in Koblenz around 6:00 to meet Chelsea's friends from Germany. It was a good thing that they were there too because at supper (once we finally found a place) they totally came in and helped with the chaos that was ordering. (it is much easier for 2 people than for 7) Even though it is more.....whats the word....lets just use the word....more....with 5 people as opposed to two, it is still great to be here. Our ...

... I have to find Dustin first at that moment a anocement saying my name and to go to luggage came on. I thought maybe dustin had got the wrong time and left but at that moment knew he was there and he paged me. I finally found him. and we got the luggage whitch was to much for both of us to carry. we went to money exchange and when we finally got to base I realized I had left my passport at the money exchange and without that I could barley get on base.

... you’d never do in the US, where freeways scream right over and around the centers of towns, frequently chopping up neighborhoods in the process. In Europe they stop at the edges, strictly a point-to-point sprint. You still have to wind your way through the cities, usually.