Wanderlust

A few years back, I went on the worst trip ever.

It was one of those Korean guided bus tour packages. You know, with the travel guide waving a tiny bright coloured flag, playing mama duck to a trail of middle-aged visor-capped ducklings.

I went on one of those. I was one of them.

It was a whirlwind of a tour. We hit up more countries than I can recall (Off the top of my head: Germany, Austria, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary). My camera would suggest that it was an action-packed month-long trip, but the entire trip lasted just 6 days and 5 nights.
Due to travel logistics, I found myself with one extra day in Frankfurt.

The day was perfect. What a relief it was to not have to follow a little waving flag all day!

I enjoyed my breakfast in relative silence in the hotel lobby, planning my itinerary for the day.

The itinerary was nothing special - a stroll along the river, a few hours at the market, stop by a few churches, and a jazz club at night. Just being able to make my own itinerary was a thrill.

Along the river, I caught a small knight on film - he was about 8 years old, and with his family, who were dressed in plainclothes.

The market was like most other German markets I'd been to - but it was such a luxury to not have a 30 minute deadline to catch the bus again. I walked around that market for close to 5 hours, breaking in my new Birks (they were on sale for 19 Euros!)

Lunch was nothing spectacular - I spotted a little cafe buried in a few office-y looking buildings. I wasn't that hungry, since I'd been eating throughout my time in the market, but it was so exciting to get to choose my own meal! (The tour orders for you ahead of time)

And the jazz club was a real treat.
The club itself was housed in the basement of what looked like a shopping complex, but I felt like I stepped through a portal and found myself in a space that was half cave and half cellar. The headliner was this beautiful Argentinian lady, singing mostly standards and a few of her bossa nova inspired originals.

In my terrible broken German, I managed to try the three beers on tap, and even bantered with the bartender - he laughed about how I was ordering this one particular beer to make him do more work (overpouring the beer, cutting the head). I enjoyed a few more conversations with some locals, and only left when a stiff in a suit kept trying to get a little too close.

I think I skipped most of the 12 minute walk back to the hotel. What a wonderful day it was.