Frankfurt 2007- Part One

*This trip was pretty long, and content-rich, so I will split it between two posts.

When I was thirteen I traveled to Germany with my father to visit my cousins. It was the first time I had been to the Frankfurt area, and I was beyond excited.

We arrived at Newark airport with time to spare. We spent about an hour in the President's Club before boarding our plane. While my father sipped a latte and chatted, I stared at the departure/arriving boards. I was fascinated by the different cities on the list. It was crazy to think that the people on those planes were going to these foreign places, but at some point would be in the same building as me.

After an eight-hour flight, we arrived in Frankfurt International Airport's new terminal. It was my father's first time in Germany as well, and we were confused by the different colored telephones lining the walls. Later we learned that each color stands for a different purpose (business, emergency, personal, etc.)

Since we didn't know how to use the telephones, we had breakfast at a cafe. Soon my Aunt Becky came to pick us up, and we were off.

I took pictures of everything. I couldn't get it out of my head that this was Germany- I was in Germany. Like with everything I do, I pictured myself on a map. I was a continent away from my friends, my school, my life. I loved it.

After a short drive we were in Bad Homburg. The first thing we did when we got to the Hotel Sonne was take a nap. The six hour time difference had started to take a toll.

After sleeping for a few hours, we walked to the Herdieckerhoff's apartment building. Then we rode our bikes about two miles into the center of Bad Homburg.

Bad Homburg is a little town outside of Frankfurt. The center of town is filled with shops and restaurants that are a cross between new and old. It really is quite charming.

We had desert at a bakery and then went to a park. A band was playing in a summer concert, and we enjoyed some soda while lounging and listening. European Coca Cola is different from its American counterpart. It is thicker and more syrupy. It's tasty, just not what I was used to.

The next day we went to the ruins of a medieval castle. The town it is located in was hosting a festival, and we saw a parade before touring the monument. Townspeople were dressed in traditional clothing, tossing treats to the onlookers. I had the best ice cream- raspberry. It sounds like a usual flavor, but this was all natural. The seeds from the berries were in it, and I just can't describe how refreshing it was.

The only open parts of the castle were the dungeons. It was eerie to walk in a place people were once tortured in. The castle was located on a hill, and the views were phenomenal.

My Uncle Jurgen claimed he knew the way back down the mountain, but we ended up getting lost. We wandered through fields for three hours until we came upon a farmhouse. The inhabitants pointed us in the right direction and eventually we made it back to our car.

That night I had pork schnitzel for supper. It was great, but nothing special. We went to a traditional German restaurant. It was outdoors with wooden tables and a playground for the children.