DEAR FRANKFURT, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL.

            We arrived in Germany this morning at about 8 a.m. without incident. In fact, getting here was infinitely easier than many trips I’ve taken to New Jersey.  There were no delays, no issues checking and retrieving our instruments, no screaming kids on the plane, and Kevin was too pumped full of Xanax to have a panic attack and get us all arrested. 

            Our hotel is the Leonardo City Central Hotel or something like that. The rooms are nice, but very small. The beds are barely big enough for one person and all the furnishings look like they came straight from IKEA. It’s a great location. We are right downtown and there are plenty of places to walk to.

            In fact, when we first got to the hotel we decided to find a market and get some food. The clerk in the lobby gave us directions to one that was about two blocks away. It was completely overwhelming to be honest. It was so strange to not be able to read any labels and have to guess about what it is that you’re buying. And forget about reading the nutritional labels.  I wish I knew German.

Everything looked so good though! They had sandwiches that looked unreal and then everything else was seriously offered in chocolate flavor. It was damn near a candy shop.  I would have diabetes here for sure.  We must have looked like idiots.  Picking things up, shaking them, turning them, putting them back down, scratching our heads, grunting...  It must have been a sight. One thing I tried that was amazing was pistachio and coconut flavored milk.  Yes, that’s right: pistachio and coconut flavored milk. At least I think that’s what it was.  I do know it was awesome.

            After our breakfast we took naps. Come to think of it, I’m not sure if Kevin has even truly been awake during the past 24 hours. He has just been in Xanax-zombie mode since leaving for Charlotte and I don’t blame him. The poor guy had been dreading that flight for months. I hope when he wakes up that he is a little more cognizant of his surroundings and can start to enjoy himself.

            I woke up before everyone else (around 3p.m.) and decided to walk around Frankfurt. Since I can’t read and certainly can’t pronounce street names, I decided to rename everything so I could remember how to get back. Wundmuhlstraeb would now forever be called "windmill street” as far as I was concerned. You’re welcome, Germany. I walked about a half mile to this beautiful river with bike/running trails, parks, and several foot bridges that go across to the other side.  I took a few pics and then ran in one direction until it ended, crossed over, and ran back. The weather was beautiful and so was the scenery. I listened to European electro-pop while I ran so that I would feel more like a native. That and I didn’t have any Hasselhoff on my iPod. It was a perfect way to start the trip.

            I’m back at the hotel and the rest of the guys are waking up. The plan right now is to find some authentic German food and beer and try not to make asses out of ourselves like we did at the market earlier. Hopefully it goes well. 

-May 15^th, 2012 (6p.m.) Frankfurt Germany