Landing in Frankfurt

Another mostly sleepless night. I enjoyed being able to stretch out in the exit row of the 320/300 Airbus but catching just a few winks will definitely make this time transition difficult.

We arrived 40 minutes late due to the late departure and then Frankfurt wasn’t ready for us and a couple other flights so no gangplanks were available. Stuck on the plan for another 30 minutes was difficult with passengers already in the aisles and cued to deplane. Chatting with a nice couple from Tampa who were trying to make a connection for a 12:15 departure to Budapest, I learned of their river cruise plans. Luckily they had planned for 4 days in Budapest before boarding their boat. This was going to be their first river cruise but they were liner cruises already and had 6 other friends from those cruises traveling the same route with them. They took the problems in stride which was an education for me.

Frankfurt is not a well-planned airport. We walked a country mile to collect our baggage and discussed the possibility of the long walk to give the handlers time to get the bags on the carousel before we found their location. We had to pass through customs first though.

A little confused…I think this may be a constant for me while Germany…we were given a choice. I accosted a trio of well-armed Polizei with large rifles (don’t know my gun make/models) to help us make our decision of which line to enter. We could either electronically scan our passports or go to the Polizei at the kiosk to answer questions and present ourselves. We chose the “live” entry with the hopes of getting a stamp in our passport.  ;-)  Success!  Melodie got the third degree and my cute officer just checked my passport, smiled, stamped and handed it back!  Maybe I look less threatening than Melodie…or not!

Now we have bags and it’s time to search for the “luggage storage” location to collect the car keys and find the car.  We were in Terminal 1A and needed to find 1B. With directions from the Welcome Center, we started another long walk outside in search of the B entrance.  Found our first welcome to Frankfurt sign and took advantage. 

Getting a little discombobulated yet again, we had to inquire for “luggage storage” once we found B.  But through all this we were rewarded with TWO very personable young men who presented us with Henning and Kirsten’s envelope of directions AND a 10 euro note to pay for the service! How thoughtful!

They asked if we knew what the car looked like and I said “No, but it was a VW Golf”.  He laughed and said that most of the cars in Germany were Golfs!  How funny! Taking this opportunity for a little fun bantering with these two, we ended up taking down directions on how to find our car at level 601 slot 42.  After carefully writing down the directions from one, the other popped in with having us start our third trek in the opposite direction!  We took the route we had just written down and Melodie told the young many he would “WIN” if we found our way with HIS directions but would LOSE if we had to return for more info! A good laugh is always the best medicine!

WOW! Who knew parking could be so complicated! We found the signs on our way to the parking garage very helpful…no mention of signs were in our directions! (LOL).  Once we found our entry point AT THE VERY END OF THE LONG TUNNEL, we realized that we needed to pay at the kiosk about 20 yards back FIRST so we could claim the car and exit the garage.  Found the car with no problem whatsoever!

Now our first excursion of driving the roads in Germany! But first I had to figure out how to get it in REVERSE!  OMG! It’s a stick…no problem…but following the stick shift diagram kept us creeping FORWARD in our parking spot! Luckily Melodie had encountered this problem with Ginger on a trip and suggested I push down on the stick as I put it in reverse.  SUCCESS! Who says “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”?  What a great car and lots of room too!

Off to Wurzburg! The drive was uneventful on the highways which are well marked and had exit numbers too! But finding our way in the city was another thing all together. We were looking for our B&B Hotel Wurzburg and got an unexpected driving tour in the process. Retracing our steps, Melodie’s eagle eyes spotted the 5 story hotel on our second go around. Steven at the front desk was very helpful and we added breakfast to our bill to keep from wandering the streets in search of food the next morning.

So far, with a couple hours of sleep on the plane, we have been up and moving for 31 hours and it will be 39 hours before our heads hit the pillows.

Oh boy! Rush hour traffic as we follow Steven’s directions to the Wurzburg palace, chapel and gardens. We just have to do something this day besides driving and finding our hotel. My left leg is getting a workout on the clutch!  Again we experienced a nice tour of the area (my positive way of saying getting lost) as we located the parking lot for the palace.

No pictures were allowed in the palace but Rick Steves’ walking tour from his Germany guide book was a great education. I would highly recommend his products (DVDs and books) if you’re planning to travel abroad. Besides, without Ricky, we wouldn’t have guessed that the 4’ little doors in the hallway were “used by tiny servants who stoked the stoves, unseen from this hallway”.  I saw those huge fireplace/stoves in each room but they had no door on the front from which to add wood.  Question answered by Rick!  After the palace, we skipped the chapel and headed for the gardens. Outside time was much needed at this point and it was 6pm.  Now to pay and exit the parking area. So.  We watched people leaving and only inserting their parking pass they got upon entering…no payment. OK, I’ll bite!  Where do we pay? Spotted some red machines at the roadside 50 yards away so w e checked them out. Again, through the kindness of strangers, I asked a nice couple if these machines were for parking payment and they assured me they were. Grab a picture of the Palace from this spot and we’re off!

I love my panorama setting on my iPhone for a picture like this!

But wait! We need dinner! There’s a café across the street but we’ve already paid for our parking.  Ugh! OK, let’s take yet another tour (another term for purposeful wandering and getting lost) and look for a restaurant. SUCCESS just by driving around the palace grounds and the wooded park.  Grabbed a street side spot and enjoyed a meal of pork with gypsy sauce (looks and tastes like salsa to me!), French fries and a delicious oil & vinegar dressing over a mix of cabbage, lettuce, shredded carrots and thin sliced cucumbers listed as . Yum!

Found our way back to the hotel easily now that our touring has paid off in spades! Exhausted, I couldn’t do anything but shower and go to bed after getting screen shots from Google maps for our drive to Nuremburg tomorrow. Melodie persevered with her blog.  I was out like a light!