Ahh, so there is a God!

Well after my sad pathetic ‘poor me’ rant from last week, lets just say I have found the light! Last week was not good, I was sick, Max was sick and we were both housebound, so let’s just put my entry last week down to ‘Cabin Fever’. This week however you could almost say I have a spring in my step. It all started getting a bit brighter when I got my act together and hopped in the car and speed off to Frankfurt for the day. Now bare with me, I’m just going to blow my own trumpet for a little bit, although I may end up occasionally in a few sticky situations (get your mind out of the gutter!!!) I actually have a pretty good sense of direction. Somehow I have miraculous found numerous places, with no navigator, map and with only vague directions not to mention also driving on the wrong side of the road – and I’ve only been here a few weeks. As I’ve never been there (to Frankfurt that is), I had no idea how to get there, and my navi refuses to work for me so I just headed east, and miraculously I made it to the centre. Found a parking building and started walking around. Frankfurt is often described as the Manhattan of Europe, and although I didn’t see all that much I was pleasantly surprised. As the World cup was drawing to an end there was still a festival/party atmosphere in the streets.

Ok what was I talking about? Ahh yes Frankfurt, well right when I was about to accost a poor couple who were walking beside me and talking in English, and begging them to talk to me “Please just talk to me, say anything I don’t care” (I didn’t do that, just in case you were confused, just being hypothetical) I found the movie theatre with the Original English versions. Can you be in love with a building at first sight? I went to see the ‘Lake House’, new Sandra Bullock-Keanu Reeves chick flick. Pure escapism, just what the doctor ordered. I think I should just point out at this point, that Germans don’t just put subtitles on top of English movies/television. Oh no, they dub over everything!! They have one person who does all of Tom Hanks movies, and another who does Julia Roberts etc, consequently who ever does Julia Roberts is also likely to do Monica on Friends – you get the gist. So you can imagine just how heartbreaking it is for me to watch them destroy House and Lost, way too painful to sit through.

After feeling positively rejuvenated I then decided to hop into the car and played the game ‘Left, Right’ usually played with other people (only a minor detail). For those of you clueless, when ever you come up to an intersection, just pick the most interesting looking road, and take it. Or if you’re lucky enough to have a passenger*, flip a coin. (*Sorry just a bit of sarcasm). I ended up in a small country town, up on a hill in a middle of a whole lot of vines. Not sure if I was allowed to be there but no one came running at me in shorts, braces, socks and sandals! So I sat on this hill, looking at the village, and church bells started to ring, I could see all the little people as small as ants on their weekly Saturday bike rides (which is big here, bike riding that is), and I began to think – this is why I am here.

The next day was even better, after a glorious sleep in (oh I’ve got curtains now by the way.) I got back into the car, played another game of ‘Left, right’ and ended up in Rüdesheim. Rüdesheim is a very touristy little town right on the Rhine River, and is surrounded by hills which are covered in lots of vines, which is mostly Riesling I think.

I then met up with some of René’s friends in Mainz, for another tour of the City. Torben and Yvonne, are lovely. Both born and bread Germans, and they both speak excellent English. Torben’s even been to Gisborne, and I am also told he even has an NZ flag in his kitchen (a remnant of his Tour of NZ, when going to visit René). They are the answer to my prays! One of Torben’s friends, had a friend that is learning to be a tour guide, and used us as test dummies. So I happily went along (Lisa’s wise words of wisdom, to never say no to an opportunity, ringing in my ears) he basically took us on a loop around the City showing the various churches and statues.

Now it wouldn’t have been everyone’s cup of tea, but as some of them were 1000 years old I was a little impressed. They’ve survived bombings and floods, and attacks from various other elements. Having a wee bit of prior knowledge about the old Catholic religion and so fourth, actually came in rather useful, just don’t tell my mother! But of course the best part of the tour was being around fellow twenty-something’s. When they decided to go for drinks afterwards I was in heaven. Torben has a bit of free time up his sleeve at the moment, so we’re going to go explore some of the surrounding area together in the next few weeks, and Yvonne is going to Paris for a couple of months and has already invited me to go and stay with her! We’re also going to the Open-air movies they have here, down on the Rhine. Can you see my glow, from here?

To top it off I have found an English-speaking group who meet twice a month, and I am going to a BBQ this Saturday to meet the crew and see if I am interested in joining. I’ve also found a small job, talking English to a Turkish couple for an hour each weekend, which is paid!! I also have a brand spanking new Gym membership. Things you could say are looking up!

Look after your selves, and I miss you all heaps
Niki

P.s. for those of you who don’t actually know me, and for whatever reason have actually made it to the end of this odd blog – please rest assured I am not a fanatic of the English language, or desperately needy for friends, I am simply a small duck in a rather large pond, and clinging to whatever is familiar as I find my way