So due to our 12 hour lay-over in Frankfurt, Germany we were able to get out into the city and do some exploring. After going through customs and getting my frist stamp ever in my passport, we were off to find the train. We couldn't get the ticket machine to take our check cards and we didn't have any Euros, so we decided to jump on the train as stow aways in the back car. This worked well and no one hassled us for not having tickets. We rode on the train for a long time taking the scenery of the German city and country side and enjoying the German architecture. We were lucky to have Katee with us who had lived in Germany before and could speak and read German fluently. We got off the train at what we thought was the right stop only to find out we were wrong. We made our way through a very stinky tunnel and Katee asked a car man for help who directed us to get back on the train and take it down one more stop. So, we made our way back to the train platform, waited for the train to return and then stowed ourselves back into the back car of the train. We then rode down to the main train station which looked strangely similar to that of the train station in the Harry Potter movies. We proceeded then out into the city to take in the sites. With many bags and even more cameras clicking as we walked, we were easily pegged by locals as a group of American tourists. Katee heard them talking in German about us. We walked for many blocks (the problem with this is that my carry-on was about 30 pounds and my back was killing me by the end) down to a little town called Weisbaden. Here there were many little shops, a Saturday market, and the hustle and bustle of families out for Saturday walks. During the time we spent walking around, I noted some things I saw frequently in the short time we were there.
1) Smoking was very common and casual, people all over were walking and smoking cigarettes and there were smoking squares and lounges outside many shops
2) Small babies were pushed in laying down bassinet type strollers, never once did I see a car seat type attachment on a stroller for an infant like we use in the US
3) All babies were covered with like a mini sleeping bag that was zipped up their body to under their armpits
4) There were little bread shops and stands everywhere you turned
5) Men and women would carry baskets with their plastic shopping bags of purchases inside
6) There were tons of sets of twins from babies to young children, I saw at least 5 sets in an hour (this made me very happy)
7) Germans drink bubbly water, if you want regular water, you must ask for still water
We walked around for some time and found a nice little German restaurant called Restaurant Uhrturm. I decided I wanted something traditional so I ordered Bratwurst. Everyone ordered fun things and did a great job of sharing. My professor said she was so pleased that we were all able to eat off each others' plates. Because of this, I got to try some schnitzel as well. Once done with our meal, we made our way back to the train station and we were whipped. We decided to take naps as we still had 5 hours till our flight left. By the time 8:30pm Germany time came around everyone was looking a little drained...
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