Part 2: Frankfurt and Thinking Hard
Yesterday I arrived in a rather hot Frankfurt to a rather lovely hotel with, once again (good luck for me!) my own bathroom. Though I'm pretty sure the heater is turned on in there and I can't figure out how to turn it off. Anyway.
After returning to a normal hue rather than bright, sweaty pink, I ventured out to explore the main street through the Altstadt and get dinner. I bought a vest/dress/sweater that I've had my eye on at H&M since Kassel and had dinner at Frankfurt's only Ramen shop, since I'm really starting to miss New York. You could tell it's the only shop in Frankfurt. It was pretty good, but with not much more than noodles, and for 9 Euros, I wanted a little more pork and bamboo shoots. Nothing like Chinatown, or Rai Rai Ken on the East Side. And it was too clean - an actual restaurant. I'm aching for grungy ramen and chinese food restaurants, the kind where the tables are really shiny because the grease stopped coming out, where bowls big enough to feed 300 pound men cost 6 bucks, and where the Tsingtao is cold and cheap.
In all, I'm glad that Frankfurt is my last city rather than, say Heidelberg. Or even Munich. I really miss New York, and Frankfurt is the closest I've come to it. (Conseq
uently, if I were to live in Germany, it'd either be Frankfurt or Berlin.) But that's the thing. I love Germany, but this trip has made me realize that, above all, my heart is in New York. There's just something about New York City that makes me feel totally alive. The energy is different. I think part of it has to do with the mix of cultures that's unique to America, especially the city. Everyone here is white, which is actually rather unsettling. There's more diversity in Frankfurt than the other cities that I've been too, but that's not really saying much. After white, blonde Germans there's a decent amount of Turkish, but they stay in their own districts for the most part. There doesn't seem to be a lot of mixing. I miss hearing 5 or more different languages on the way to school every morning, and street performers who are playing things other than American rock music on acoustic guitars. I miss taking trains at 2 AM and the possibility of eating food from a different country every day. I miss DINERS - I miss places where I can get coffee 24/7. I miss stores not being affected by religious holidays. I miss America, namely New York, plain and simple.Not to say I'm not enjoying myself in Frankfurt. I had a rather lovely day. For one, since Frankfurt is like Wall Street, it's busting with attractive men in suits and dress clothes. =)
I spent most of today walking through the park that replaced the old city walls. How clever, and beautiful! I also saw an incredible statue of Goethe, with scenes from Werter and Faust carved into the sides.
I had lunch outside of the Alte Oper, which is a grand stone building, and basically enjoyed being in a city. I also bought a couple of souvenirs - Toy Story auf Deutsch, and something special for my family that I'll reveal once we're together again. (In California most likely - my sister had her twins and, from the photos I've seen, they're beautiful! Congrats sis!)Tomorrow I'm headed to Goethe's house, bumming around once more, having a last Wurst for dinner, and chilling by the river knitting, provided it's not too warm. I'm excited to be coming home!
To the last day here,
Prost!
Katharine
