After the Jet Lag: Germany 2019, pt. 2

Our journey to Germany from June 14 - 15 was a little eventful - but we still arrived safely and only a couple hours delayed.  You can read about it in part 1 if you want to know more.

Upon landing in Frankfurt on Saturday late morning of June 15, we immediately took our cell phones off airplane mode - and my son's iPhone immediately connected.  My old version Android took its sweet time - and at first, I wondered if I'd even be able to roam and make calls, despite having talked to my phone provider (Ting) and confirming I could connect internationally as long as a cell tower connected with my phone.  (It took me a day or two to figure it all out!)

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TRAVEL TIP:  international roaming and calling charges are EXPENSIVE (at least with my service).  Since my son was going to be in Germany for 7+ weeks, we got him a German SIM card ahead of time and activated it the day before we left.  We got his card from Modal.  He has been in Germany for 15 days at this point- and it has been THE BEST THING!  He has no problems using data, calling, and texting.

Also, we use Whatsapp to communicate with each other - and with some of our German relatives, which provides us with free texts, videos, and calls - if you have WiFi or data connection.
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A cousin of mine picked us up from the airport in Frankfurt.  By the way, I just have to say customs/immigration was a piece of cake in Frankfurt!!  Granted the well-armed Polizei were watching, but we went from our plane to baggage claim through a custom's check point very quickly and efficiently (contrast this with our experiences later at JFK airport on the way home - total opposite!).  

Our cousin was waiting, and we soon were on the Autobahn, headed to my aunt's apartment in Eschersheim, a district in northern Frankfurt.  The view from her balcony is directly of "my" tower, a television tower built in 1979 in Ginnheim, where I spent all my childhood summers with my grandparents. (I wrote about it briefly in this post.)

After some visiting and a snack of German bread, meat and cheeses, the kids and I took a nap.  We didn't want to sleep too long, but after an almost 24 hour trip, we needed it!  We got up and got ready for dinner.  My aunt wanted to take us out - and because she doesn't drive, she called a taxi to take us to a charming restaurant in the Niederursel-district called zum Lahmen Esel (literally:  to the Lame Donkey), which was founded in 1807.  (The website has a lovely history of the restaurant - and a poem about the donkey it was named after - and how he came to be lame.  All in German, however.)

photo source

Frankfurt is knows for its "green sauce" - a traditional sauce made of 7 herbs with a sour cream or yogurt base.  This sauce can be put on anything from boiled eggs to fried potatoes or meat.  My aunt, son and I opted to order Wiener Schnitzel with green sauce and fried potatoes.  My daughter stuck with the traditional Schnitzel with just a little lemon juice.

[I wrote a post with a more detailed description of Grüne Sosse <<here if you are interested.]

photo source

It was a wonderful start to day 1 in Germany!  We were glad to get to our beds that night.  The next day (Sunday, June 16), we were going to start our trip to take my son towards the region around München, where he'd be for his study abroad time.  

More about that in the next post.  

LOOKING BACK:  Part 1

LOOKING AHEAD:  Part 3 Part 4 Part 5