Christiane's Clamor's: Chermany, Ya!

I made my first trip out of the country of Spain! Jen and I flew to Frankfurt over June 1-5 for some sight-seeing and to meet up with our friend, Frieder Krause, who came to UWL this past fall as a part of the federal grant.

Getting to Frankfurt was quite the experience in itself. First, we bused 2 hours down to Malaga, caught a train to the airport, flew into Frankfurt-Hahn, and then had to bus 2 more hours into the city center of Frankfurt. Whew! We arrived at 3 AM Thursday morning. Funny thing though, Jen reserved out hostel for the trip and she discovered that our hostel was located on the corner of the Red Light District (for those who have no idea as to what I'm talking about, the Red Light District is a strip of streets where prostitution is legal and there are A LOT of strip clubs--that must have been why we got such a good deal on the rooms!). Let's just say I walked really fast with my fists at the ready while we located our hostel. Haha!

Thursday morning we woke up and Frieder said he would pick us up at our hostel and take us around the city. It was so good to see him! We went around downtown and had some authentic German food for lunch. I had sausage (don't ask me what kind because I have no idea how to pronounce it), sauerkraut, and mashed potatoes! After he took us to see the old opera house and the old downtown that has been rebuilt since being destroyed in World War II which was quite stunning. Seeing the old town in comparison to the modern skyscrapers was my favorite because when I came to Germany in 2nd grade, that is what I remember, the old wooden stores and cobblestone streets. Modern day Frankfurt is too United States-ish for me. As we were walking around, Frieder's girlfriend, Sandra, called and asked if we'd like to come to a show her dance studio was putting on just about 30 minutes away in a suburb of Frankfurt. Of course we wanted to! Sandra teaches 4 dance classes and is in a group that is collaboration of all of the teachers at the studio. It was great fun to watch her dance! Jen and I also had the privilege of getting food with some of the members of the crew after the show was done. As we were driving back into Frankfurt, Sandra asked us if we'd like to stop by one of their friend's house who was having a block party. Again, we jumped at the chance! The party was in celebration of their Father's Day, which we are told is just another excuse for the dads to drink. :) Word got around and by the time we got there, everyone knew that two "Americans" were coming. It was great to meet a bunch of people who were native to Germany. I was also introduced to a typical German game, noggen (yea, that's probably not spelled right). You take a 4 foot tree stump and place it in the middle of everyone. The object of the game is to hit a nail all the way down into the wood, but with the wrong side of the hammer. It's harder than it seems! We ended up playing more than a couple rounds and wow, it was fun. I'm so glad I got the chance to partake in standard things the people living in Germany do all the time.

Friday arrived and Frieder met us mid-morning. He took us to the rehab center where he works and then we got a tour of the University of Frankfurt Sports Science campus as well as the main campus. The main campus is beautiful and so so big! Along the way, we met Amanda, who will be joining the UWL Athletic Training family in the fall as a part of the federal grant. I am happy we got to meet her before she left, hopefully alleviating any nerves or concerns she might have flying overseas for a few months. I told her to not hesitate to ask me if she needs anything, and that my Dad speaks German--her eyes immediately lit up. :)That evening we were treated to dinner by the Sports Science department at a restaurant called Apfelwein, which is known for and serves, what do you know, applewine! Frankfurt is famous for the yummy beverage that many people enjoy at a night out in a restaurant. I got schnitzel with green sauce (another famous German cuisine) which was absolutely mouth-watering!

Saturday Jen and I had the morning to walk around the city. She and I sat in a park for a while just people watching and enjoying being outside. We also sat on the grass. Now, you may think this is an odd thing to comment or write about, but let me tell you, there is no grass in Granada. To see a patch of grass that was more than a 3x3 foot square was heavenly! I even missed the smell of it, lame I know. We got in touch with Frieder later and got directions for the tram to take to his apartment. There we sat and visited for a while with Sandra and him before we headed back into the city to celebrate Frieder's birthday! The friends we had met on Thursday night we all coming out again to help us celebrate. It was a fun night had by all. Unfortunately, we had to be up at 6:30 the next morning to start our trek back home! Buy hey, that's what coffee is for, right?!

While I did not get the chance to see my namesake, Christiane Luddens, who lives in Hamburg, it was fun to get back to a city in Germany that I had not seen in years. Germany is definitely one of a kind and I can see why m y Dad pretty much calls it his second home. :)