The two women working the kiosk were very kind. They arranged for us to be on the next bus to Frankfurt which left in 2 hours and made a special exception such that it didn't cost us a thing! Relieved we waited until the next bus.
This bus was perhaps the nicest bus we have been on. The seats resembled plane chairs with pull up trays. There were refreshments for sale and each level of the double decker had two television screens which projected what the bus was seeing from the driver's perspective. We got some rest and took care of ourselves for the 6 hour journey. The bus was ahead of schedule and out of toilet paper and so it took a break at a rest stop to pick up more. This was right around lunch and so Sara and I decided along with the entire bus to go to the only restaurant, McDonalds and pick up some food. It was amazingly crowded but I got what I usually got...only about twice as expensive. We rushed back on the bus and arrived even a little ahead of schedule.
We met up with Ben upon arrival and then immediately went to find our hostel for the night. It was only for one night that we needed a place to stay, the next three nights in Frankfurt we would be spending with our last couch surfing host, Aybi. We went to one of the serial hostel chains A and O and got a nights stay in an 8 person mixed dorm for €7.25, which is pretty cheap. We locked up our stuff and then went out to try and find a place to eat and maybe see a Christmas market with Ben.
Ben had only just arrived in Frankfurt and this was only his 2nd day in Germany and on break as a whole. We caught up and ended up going to an Asian restaurant and having some apfelwein, which turned out to be a a of Frankfurt. After wandering aimlessly through what we didn't know then was the red light district, failing to find a Christmas market, we retired to our hostel and had an early night skyping our families.
The next day was also a bit of a nightmare. We collected our things and checked out from our hostel to find Aybi's house which turned out to be all but impossible. She lived about 45 minutes outside the city and the nearest U train was still a 15 minute walk. She had given us a bus number that went right by her house, but the bus didn't go into the main part of the city. The place to pick up the bus was poorly marked as in not at all on any maps and even the information desk couldn't help us. We struggled and doubted and then just decided to try to get to her flat. After 2 hours of struggle, we finally arrived at the U station near her house and decided to walk. Unfortunately, it was all up hill, and Sara suffers from Tendonitis. She was in so much pain by the time we got there, I am amazed we could keep on a happy smile. Aybi kindly let us in and we were relieved to have just arrived.
Aybi lived with three other flat mates in an apartment near her university where she was studying computer science. There was a kitchen and main living room which had the two couches which would serve as our beds for the next the nights. The main thing of note was the white piano which sat in the middle of the room which over the next few days would play some lovely tunes by the flatmates.
We only got lightly to know everyone in the flat, as exams were coming up and everyone was busy studying. We didn't mind too much and set off back to the city to meet up with Ben and actually explore. It was this day that we went to see a few of the more close sights. We examined a close Christmas market which had a honey store, in which we bought some mead. We also saw the old opera and a few other churches. It wasn't a very long time though, until we returned back to the flat and settled in for another quiet night.
The next day, Sara and I slept in before meeting up with Ben and truly exploring the Christmas market and the dense block or two of churches, museums and landmarks. Of particular note, was another long climb up the Frankfurt Dome to a beautiful view of the city. The sun was out in full and it was even comfortable enough to unzip our coats for some much needed warmth. We took time catching up and enjoying the scenery. We learned that the best thing you can do in Frankfurt is find the highest point possible and look on...that or sit by the river!
The last full day in Frankfurt, Sara and I were a bit at a loss of what to do. We had seen most of the main sights and had little interest in going to a museum. We had come to the conclusion that we really didn't need this extra day in Frankfurt, there just wasn't as much to see. Frankfurt is a very industrial city and even though it is rich in history, it does not contain as many landmarks or sights as some of the other cities we had gone to see. We decided to just go wandering and run a few errands with Ben. This ended up being tons of fun as we stumbled upon a park and for at least a moment pretended to be kids again.
Tonight we went to the bar with the people living in the flat and got to know them a bit better. Tomorrow we will leave early for Munich and hopefully see Neuschwanstein castle. Frankfurt has been the most laid back we have been since we have begun our travels and this is probably for the best. I even got to play some videogames. We are really thankful to our host Aybi and wish her the best of luck on her studies. Look for a post on our last German city, Munich. Heres to hoping that we don't run into any other troubles on our travels to Munich. *Knock on Wood*
Adventures Await!
KH
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