A Transatlantic Journey

 Yesterday afternoon Alejandro drove me to the airport for my flight to Frankfurt, Germany.  The flight was due to leave at 7:50 PM, but I was supposed to be there three hours ahead of time.  Check-in was very quick and easy, and Alejandro and I had time for a light meal, before I went through security and headed to my gate.

The departure hall was jammed with people.

There were three flights leaving from this hall, two domestic flights and the Lufthansa flight.  The bulk of the passengers waiting here were going on the flight to Germany.  It was a jumbo jet, and the flight was full.  As it turned out we all waited for quite a while because the departure was delayed one hour.  I didn't have to worry, since I did not have to make a connection.  Nevertheless, I was growing antsy and eager to board the plane.

As I mentioned before, I had purchased a "Premium Economy" seat, and it was as roomy as a First-Class seat on a domestic United Airlines flight.

Plenty of room between my knees and seat in front of me

Even though it was a comfortable seat, I am never able to sleep on a trans-Atlantic flight.  After having a late supper and listening to some Rachmaninoff and Mahler, I sat through the night, as I often do on these flights, looking at the flight map on the screen.

What I found interesting about the ten-hour flight from Mexico City, was that more than half of the flight was spent flying over the North American continent.  The plane flew over the eastern half of the U.S., from Texas to New England and then over the Canadian Maritime Provinces.  More than five hours had passed, and more than 5,000 of the 10,000 miles of distance had been covered before we passed Newfoundland and set out across the open ocean.

We even passed over a small section of southern Ohio.

By the time we left Newfoundland behind, the sky was already growing lighter.

Around three in the afternoon we made our descent into Frankfurt International Airport. Although I had a window seat, I was seated by the wing... and the wings of these jumbo jets are enormous.  So, I was rather limited in getting good photos.

After getting off the plane, I had to pass through immigration.  The line was not too bad, but the official in whose line I was waiting was quite slow in passing people through.  However, he only asked me the purpose of my trip and how long I was staying.

After collecting my suitcase, my next step was to take the S-Bahn train that goes into the city.  I tried buying a ticket at two different machines, but they were not selling S-Bahn tickets.  I went into the "Reisezentrum" (travel center office) and told the gentleman that I was unable to buy my ticket.  He explained that only the green machines sell S-Bahn tickets, but he sold me a ticket there.

I went downstairs to the track, and in about fifteen minutes, a train arrived.

The train took me to the Haupt Bahnhof... the main train station... one of those big iron and glass structures built in the late 1800s in most of the big cities of Europe.

 My hotel, which is called "The Frankfurt" is right across the street from the train station... very convenient since I am taking three excursions by train from Frankfurt.

The hotel seems nice.  It's quiet (so far), and the rooms are quite spacious for a European hotel.  The bathroom is large and modern.

The view from my room

A tram route passes right by the hotel

The only down-side is that the neighborhood around the train station is quite seedy with casinos, strip clubs, and drug dealing going in the open.  However, from the little I had seen so far, the nasty area stops just before my hotel.  It seems that from here heading south to the river, the neighborhood improves.  However, as evening approached, I was not going to go wandering looking for a restaurant.  You would think that I would be having schnitzel and spaetzle... instead I went to an Irish pub just a few doors from the hotel.  It was, however, a few doors in the wrong direction.  There were some shady looking characters on the street. 

The pub was crowded and noisy, but it was a more respectable crowd than what was on the street outside.  I ordered the house specialty, fish and chips.  I have had better, but the portion was certainly large.  Schnitzel will have to wait for another day.

  

Although, as I write this, it is afternoon in Mexico and Ohio, here it is after nine PM.  I am too tired to try to figure out how many hours I have gone without sleep.  But from past experience, after a good night's sleep tonight, I should be adjusted to the time change tomorrow.

Auf wiedersehen!