Sleep in late, Im a huge fan of the vertical gate blinds that completely block the sun. We had these in Ibiza our first year there and I forget how amazingly effective they are. I'll have to wait and see if you can get these in a brooklyn. It's safe to say this will be the deal maker in our pending apartment hunt when we return. So yeah. We get up around 11, nothing to do. No plans, no itinerary, but boredom sets in easily. We head off for the hauptwach to see the new mall that was under construction the last time we were here. Downtown is a small area and we don't need a map as it was easy to remember the way. We go about three blocks before we see a string of kebab shops and another two blocks before we hit a Starbucks. Things are looking good so. There were even three more coffee shops around the corn from there followed by currywurst stands as far as the eye can see. It's obvious that anyone who ever mentioned to us that Frankfurt was boring has different priorities in life than we do. Good food, good coffe, good techno. Sold. Sure it doesn't have the beaches and bodies of Napoli, but weve only seen one piece of litter the entire time we have been here and the trains run on time. There's trade offs everywhere you go and you just have to enjoy the positive. Even with the weather. It's cold again, but the sun sets as late ten pm. Again, no complaints.
We walk up and down he hauptwach looking for the puma store and cheap sales. H&M delivers with a 3€ wolverine shirt for Arron and 3€ for the same Kermit the frog as Bruce Springsteen (In front of an allover American flag print) shirt that Davi was sporting in Napoli. Even the fedoras were only one euro, but were not big on hats. The new mall is finished and the facade is amazing. It's a spiraling glass worm hole that teleports space into the center of the building. We couldnt fit anything of justice into the frame, but a quick google search will show you what were talking about. The germans might be horrible at humor, but it could be that same seriousness that gives them beautiful modern buildings such as this. We didn't care that it's wasted on a mall, for all we know it could be a museum a hundred years from now. Not that Frankfurt needs another one. It's a city of just over 600,000 people and they have something like 30 museums. Again, Frankfurt is far from boring.
We do an about face and head towards the supermarket, or at least where we thought it was. Google maps isn't always reliable after all. We get to where we think it is, give it an extra block, give up and head back to the hotel. A quick verification on google reveals we gave up one block too soon. We don't mind walking everywhere, but when you walk around for three hours for nothing, it takes it's toll. Not just on the ego, but your legs, knees, back, joints... Time for some stretching and a nap.
Afterward, we decide to head back to the houptwach as there should be a supermarket there. Plus we wanted to scope some computer and electronic stores to weigh our iPad and video problems. No such luck. Try to salvage the journey by getting a killer yellow with black stripe tshirt from NewYorker. Think caution tape or Stryker (yes, I just dropped a christion hair metal reference form the 80's, what are you going to do about it?). No luck... again. It's just the shirts they put on the mannequin when they have a sale. Fuckers. I really wanted that shirt after Claire put it in my head that I needed it. SRSLY. I had to deprogram myself that we weren't going to do any shopping on this trip, and then further rationalize that I would look awesome dressed as crime scene tape before committing to the purchase only to learn that what I wanted wasn't available. Story of my life.
We give up and b line it for the supermarket. It's a hike, and this the second time today we've done the same exact trek, but it pays off. We spend 23€ and get enough food to feed us for the rest of our trip. By the time we get back to the hotel it's already past nine pm and the sun is still out. We eat dinner, drink our beers (included in the 23€) and skype with our family. It's the first time I've talked to anyone this trip, and it's frustrating. Doing the math, I realize our connection is about 1/7th the strength of what we enjoy in the states. My parents spend 4 minutes talking about my trip and 45 minutes talking about fuck all. I guess they've known me long enough that this isn't the first, or last time I'll make a trip like this. My brother Tom is also unceremoniously the first person to moon me over skype. Admittedly, it was pretty awesome. The comedic effect will last long enough that any need for therapy will out last my life expectancy. Ass cheeks not withstanding, he also informs me, to my shock, that our landlord actually mailed our security deposit. Additionally he's received two pay checks from job and should receive my settlement check from Pressler & Pressler any day now. We've been going through cash pretty quickly in Europe (as expected), but padding is never a bad thing. On a side note, if you are ever wrongfully sued for debt collection and live in NYC, I highly recommend Schlanger & Schlanger for all your legal needs. Minimal effort, maximum results. Plus I think my credit score went up a few hundred points in the aftermath...
- Bill
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