trip recap: part I, frankfurt

View from rooftop cafe in center of Frankfurt. I particularly like the clouds here....we saw many clouds on the trip. I arrived in Frankfurt right smack on time and was greeted at arrivals by Big Jim, our friend T., and his friend the other Big Jim (henceforth referred to as the other BJ). I had heard much of the other BJ and was extremely curious to meet him in the flesh. He recently returned to living in the UK after working for Amnesty International in Japan. However, even more interesting about the other BJ is how he supplemented his AI income while there: he became certified as a "Christian priest" at a wedding chapel. Apparently, there is high demand for Vegas-style weddings in Japan, and thus the other BJ was much sought after. After eventually finding T's black BMW in the sea of black BMWs that is the Frankfurt airport parking garage, we went back to his place, dropped off my bags, and then headed out for a beverage (or two). The first stop was right around the corner from T's apartment, the previously mentioned Coffee Clatch, which in the evening becomes a terraced restaurant serving mainly veggie meals. Just before midnight, though, we had to make a mad dash to another bar a couple blocks away. One of T's friends was celebrating her birthday at 12:00 am, so the free champagne was a major draw. :-) The women told us there had never been so many men present at the place before (was a lesbian bar), but took it in good stride and then proceeded to whip the boys' butts in fussball (or as the English call "table football"). At 1 or so both Big Jim and I started to flag as the day of traveling was catching up with us, so we called it a night. The next morning, we accompanied the other BJ to breakfast at the Clatch and then to the tube station for his flight back to the UK. Would have been nice to spend more time with him, but then again I still had the original Big Jim to amuse me. We set out on our wedding attire search as I mentioned in a previous entry. The dress I eventually found was purchased at a store called Peek & Cloppenberg. Should you ever find yourself in one of these shopping meccas, there are a few critical items you should know. First, after you have selected an article you want to purchase, don't expect to just take it to a cashier and pay for it. This is not how P&C works. You need to find one of the handful of never-present or always-occupied assistants, turn over the item to him/her, and take a receipt to the single register and pay for it there. While you wait in the inevitable long queue, the assistant will deliver the item and place in a cubicle behind the register. It is also better to do all your shopping first before going to pay. As Big Jim waited in line, I made the mistake of browsing the accessories section and finding a wrap that went perfectly with the dress. It then took fifteen minutes to track down one of these assistant people, during which time the check-out queue grew even longer. Okay, we finally are next up, and here is the second important thing to know about P&C: despite being a large department store chain in the banking center that is Frankfurt, they accept neither Visa nor Mastercard....only a German debit card or American Express, which is what we used in the end (after Big Jim threw a "I can't believe this" sort of hissy fit, which fortunately the cashier didn't understand much of because she spoke Russian). After paying, you are still not done. You then take your "paid" receipt and join another line to pick up the packed and bagged purchases. I don't necessarily have a problem with the system per se, but in a country with near 12% unemployment, P&C hire more staff!
A happy Big Jim, after one of our "coffee and cake" lunches. On the way back to T's apartment, Big Jim & I stopped at Cafe Wacker for a beer (BJ) and a glass of wine (me), and later we joined T and a couple friends at an Italian restaurant called Golfo di Napoli. Get the carpaccio and anything fish. Skip most pasta unless you like it overboiled....true for most pasta I've had in Germany actually. But I figured at this place, with owners from Rome, I'd give it shot. Unfortunately, my plate of lovely handmade ravioli was soggy, soggy, soggy. Everything else, though, including our dessert of tiramisu (my favorite) was supergood. Had an early-ish night because Big Jim and I were off to Munich the next day. To be continued.... hasta pronto, mylifeinspain