Christmas markets
Arriving in Frankfurt for the start of our festivities. High expectations, feeling festive coupled with low attention thresholds, thirsty for culture, beer and did I say beer?!
A few Cardinal rules for arrival into a big city, you're perhaps unfamiliar with and unsure of the language, are as follows.....
If you see a man walking towards you with an open bottle of wine, don't engage in conversation.....not unless in his other hand he's clutching two crystal glasses. It's a good litmus test of looney. This is also extended to carrying a bottle of beer, cans and/or anything unidentifiable being waved toward you. After all it was only 9am and its not octoberfest!
It proved invaluable as my beautiful friend seemed to draw the.....shall we say circus 'extras'. Also added to the list of 'please don't engage with' was anyone with no teeth, insisting on smiling and anyone, who had more food around their face than they could carry on a plate.
Thankfully the city is a great mix of beauty and the inevitable beast, just like everywhere else I've visited.
Surely it was beer o'clock somewhere and time to join this merry band of locals in their charge to inebriation and pursuit of happiness!
Glühwein and steins was only the beginning. Schnitzel and hot apple cider led the way, slowly followed by brandy hot chocolate and beer with coke. The latter proved near fatal to the day, as it could have killed the evening. The four of us decided, best keep the two beverages separate, coke should definitely only see the light of day when too much beer has been your friend, the night before!
The streets in old town, Frankfurt were lined by dozens of stalls and drink stations, specifically united to encourage the poor shopping choices. Christmas baubles, souvenirs and ornamental steins were all around, each drink made them more attractive and a definite must have......here's where the money to beer ratio works in your favour. By the time your drunk enough to buy them, you've no money left. Thankfully that's one walk of shame we're spared. And as we know, procrastination, is the art of keeping up with yesterday, let's regret those souvenirs till next time.
Seated alongside rows of happy beer and Glühwein swillers, the party is in full swing. The atmosphere is New Years like and everyone seems on a festive high.
Two new merry makers arrive, sitting nearby, an obvious married couple. He's wearing a tarnished emerald biker jacket, she's rocking a bat wing sleeved, leather jacket in either Congo pink or fandango......I had to google those. They were obviously time travellers from the 80's or just walked out of the darkest depths of a Bavarian Forest. On greeting them and welcoming them to the table in our perfect, alcohol fuelled German, we discover they are from plymouth. Exit stage left.
I think we managed to explore all the markets, even the pink market(don't ask, don't tell), met loads of fun people and drank our fair share of Christmas cheer. Left with an indelible impression of Frankfurt....and I think we left them with one of us.
