I stayed awake as long as I could yesterday, but the beer and the heat beat me by 7pm. Once back in my warm room I fell asleep and was up again by 10:00pm. [update: it’s now 12:10am and I am still wide awake and trying to figure out what’s next.]
I Didn’t Do It
While I had success, in a lot of ways I was a huge failure yesterday.
I didn’t eat an traditional German food.
My plan to stay in a funky local hotel (or in the house of an AirBnB host) fell through when I had no internet.
I only had one German beer, and that was something I could drink in the States. The other two beer were Irish beers. (keep reading)
One semi-victory I had (at least I think I had) was calling AT&T and getting the $200(!) (apparently the charge for international data usage is $20/MB(!)) and getting those charges reduce to $30 by signing up for their International Data Plan.
Supposedly after thirty days this subscription gets automatically cancelled.
I (almost) Did It
After securing my air-conditioner-less hotel I walked around Frankfurt looking for traditional bars. I walked up and down three major streets (about seven blocks on each one) looking for some, to no avail. I stopped at two hotels and requested help and they each pointed me toward O’Reilly’s, an Irish pub (hey, at least they speak a form of English!), the place I finally wound up having dinner.
Mein Gott! (My God!)
Finally, I passed a “beer and pretzel” bar and ducked it.
Me: “Sprechen Sie English? Mein Deutsche ist bad” (“Do you speak English? My German is bad [side note: I was supposed to say “‘schlect’ instead of ‘bad’])
Bartender: “Am bischen” (“A little”)
Me “Okay, Haben Sie ein Bier Menu?” (“Okay, do you have a beer menu?”)
(a menu was handed to me)
Me: “Ein Paulaner Export, halb liter bitte.” (“A Paulaner Export, half liter please”)
While I was was there a transvestite with a new boob job came in — seriously, I can’t make this shit up — and I picked up part of the conversation.
Finally I finished my beer and asked to pay, in German.
I was nearly proud of myself.
ITP Flickr Pic
“And So My European Journey Begins”
That beer I ordered.
I DID IT!
With my unwashed hair and a swagger that I get I big cities (don’t laugh, it’s true) I was feeling pretty German. And then it happened…
“Entshuldegen. Entshuldegen. Können Sie Deusche sprechen?” (“Excuse me. Excuse me. Do you speak German?”) said the female voice approaching me.
Sadly I had to reply “No.” because I knew I was headed down a slippery slope.
But it happened! Someone thought that I was German! Which I technically am since my father’s lineage derived from Germany.
Of course all of the people begging for money immediately spotted me as a tourist, and I didn’t even need to have my camera out to have that happen.
Will I Do It?
With no break in the heat until Sunday I am contemplating moving on to another (smaller) town, and seek out a hotel with air conditioning.
Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga/us] in [fra/de]
And though it has yet to happen there yet, a happy birthday greeting goes out to ITP-Reader Barb today.
Well done Paulie!! My German is sadly out of practice, but since I only taught myself by listening to tapes, I’m pretty happy with the little bit I know. My mom would have said “Mein Gott in Himmel” (my God in Heaven) and then some things I have never had translated, nor could find in any books.
It was a lovely night for running at George’s, a good crowd for a 3rd Wednesday. We ran the “Almost to Sherwood, cut behind the Kro-gay, pick up the unpaved Beltline” route. The only problem is the unpaved Beltline has some rocks as big as your fist, so you have to watch every step. I came upon a couple- both bikes laying on the ground about 30 fett apart, the gentleman checking on the lady, and I knew at a glance she had crashed. She said she wasn’t hurt and I told her she was keeping up with the TdF riders and she laughed.
And speaking of the TdF, Andy Talansky! That had to suck yesterday, getting left for dead, but as hurt as he was, he managed to beat the time cut. Of course, he has withdrawn today and I’m not the slightest bit surprised. Chapeau!!
Auf wiedersehen!
-FP
Aww crap!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BARB!!! I hope it is a lovely day!
It will be an exciting day today….. Driving to St. Pete FL. But, it will be fun, hanging with some of our “old” FL hasher friends this weekend.
Glad you got the phone figured out so it doesn’t cost you a fortune.
I guess I better get packing, Allan will be home from work any minute…. I’m supposed to be up & moving.
Hallo! I have just return from a much longer bar stop than I anticipated. I helped a fellow American buy some beer and the next thing I know we are talking and drinking.
I did my best to sprechen Deuschte but failed miserably.
It’s still too hot in Frankfurt, I am sweating , and have given myself a blister walking today.
Too bad you’re not here, it was 63 degrees when I left for the gym this morning.
I didn’t get peg for an American too often when I was in Europe (more so when I was in the UK vs. the Continent)…I got Canadian (because I was too nice/smart to be American, GO USA!!), Irish (okay, I can see that) and Dutch(?).
Fix the blister, nothing will ruin a trip faster…
Just relax and have a good time, you will find it in the place you least expect.