Some folks are shooting a commercial on the platform but I'm not watching them. Instead I'm looking at a couple, who are with the commercial shooters, but are oblivious to all but each other. They are making out with such passion and enthusiasm that I'm afraid they are going to topple over the guard rail and plunge 55 stories to their mutual deaths. I poke Pam who doesn't always notice such things, being more interested in the view and she ignores them. I finally give up hoping they'll consummate what they've started and instead focus on the magnificent 360� view.
After an ear-popping elevator descent, we walk east from the Opera House, down a beautiful tree lined street, Grosse Bockenheimer, nicknamed "Gourmet Street." We stop for a cappuccino and a beer to watch the pedestrians stroll by. After our break we go over one street to Goethe Strasse, which is lined with fashion stores. To me it's not near as interesting as "Gourmet Street." We walk by Goethe House but decide not to stop but instead to go to the hotel. Pam must make a phone call and I absolutely must take a nap.
We have trouble finding a restaurant near our hotel that meets our major requirement, a decent salad menu. We decide, after walking around for quite a while, to return to the Kakadu. We sit under the trees, watch the passing crowd which is more interesting in the evening than it was during the day - we aren't too far from the red-light district.
We are looking forward to tomorrow's Rhine cruise so we call it a night relatively early even for us. Neither of has any trouble falling asleep.
The day starts on a low note and never quite recovers.
When we check out we discover charges in the hundreds of Euros for phone access. There is a discrepancy between the time and the charges. Even though, Pam will be reimbursed, I question the accuracy of the charges. The owner is behind the desk and is extremely helpful. He tries to call the phone company to straighten things out but they, of course, cannot respond immediately. This is a problem because Pam and I have a train to catch. We figure out that Pam most likely was on the internet for more time than showed on the bill so we agree to pay and the owner agrees to reimburse us if it turns out we are over-charged. The question I cannot answer is, "Why do I trust this man?" But I do and we roll to the train station.
As we enter the station, I look up at the departure board and cannot find our train number. I have a Eurail schedule and a printout that agree with each other for a change. Where am I screwing up? We check at the information desk and the agent tells us in a very Germanic way, broaching no disagreement, that there is no such train number, even when I show him the schedule. He gives us the number and platform for a train we can catch in an hour or so that, with a change at the Frankfurt Flughafen train station, will get us to Frankfurt in the early afternoon.
Appropriate of nothing, I love the word flughafen or as I imagine it "flight haven." I also like hauptbahnhof or "Chief Train House." Sounds like a good American Indian name.
While waiting, I notice the original train number is listed on one of the many bulletin boards meant to help travelers. It includes a visual description of the train configuration. Evidently this particular train has been permanently cancelled. Then I realize our train will be late. I ask myself, "Is the German train system running a management exchange program with Italy or what?"
The train itself is very comfortable and though we arrive late at the Flughafen Station - there's that word again - we make our connection to the Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof.
To facilitate my 5:30 AM departure on Saturday, we stay at a grand old hotel, across from the hauptbahnhof, named The Monopole Hotel - high ceilings, wide hallways and a huge bathtub. We unpack and rest for a while before going back to the hauptbahnhof. (I love the word but I'm getting tired of typing it.) We need to buy tickets for the train to Koblenz where we will catch a boat to take us up the Rhine. I mistakenly think we cannot use our Eurail passes on both the boat and the trains on the same day - a 50 Euro mistake.
I realize later I asked the agent the wrong questions. I asked if we could use our Eurail pass on the boat and did we need train tickets to Koblenz. She answered yes to both questions without pointing out we could also use our Eurail pass for the train on the same day. Because many Germans speak good English, I often forget to be specific about what I am asking and assume they will provide additional information to fill in the blanks. Wrong! This is neither the first nor last time I make this same mistake.
Pam and I are famished by this time and head up Kaiserstrasse, a main street, looking for a sidewalk caf� that serves salads as well as the usual German fare. We finally choose an Australian restaurant, the Kakadu. It's a little weird but we just aren't up for sausage and potatoes.
After lunch we walk through a narrow park on our way to the reconstructed Opera House and the Main Tower. We pass the Euro Tower, home of the European Central Bank. They must be doing something right - the Euro costs $1.24. The weather is beautiful and the park has its share of joggers, strollers, pram pushers and as in any big city the homeless.
We are both very excited as we will be taking a boat up the Rhine, today. Breakfast is interesting. First, the food comes from down the street at the Hotel Europa. Second, many of our fellow diners are from Taiwan. I try my best "Ni hau ma" greeting to no avail. I don't know if they don't understand me or are just ignoring me.
Rebuffed at my attempt at cross cultural communication, Pam and I cross the street and board the train for Koblenz. We are traveling second class since I still didn't realize we could use our First Class Eurail pass. The train trip is pleasant enough. Pam is getting off on identifying castles and announcing them even though I don't want to see them until I'm on the river.
When we get to Koblenz, we can't find the TI office because the station is being renovated. We finally do find it after walking around for 10 minutes and are told the KD Rhine Line boat pier is about a 10 minute walk from the station. It's a beautiful morning and we enjoy looking at some of the older houses as we move towards the river.
We find the KD ticket office which is staffed by a very jolly lady who is laughing as hard at my attempts to speak German as I am at her attempts to speak English. She is, however, the first person to tell me the truth about my Eurail Pass, that I could have used it on the train that day. Oh well, another expensive lesson learned.
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