07 July 2007

A Surprise Day In Frankfurt


Because of the travel *cough cough* mishap I ended up with an extra day in Germany, able to explore the wonders of Cologne with Lori Burkett, alumni swimmer from AU turned international banking superstar. She works at Commerzbank, which makes its home in Frankfurt’s tallest skyscaper. Because she’s a business professional, I met her for lunch and dinner, as well as a lightning-fast tour of downtown.


Lunch ushered in the largest cheeseburger I have ever seen, sold at a subsidized price for employees (and really good American friends of employees who get stuck in Frankfurt on their way to South Africa).


After an afternoon nap (what else was I going to do) I maintained German tradition and kept eating…and eating…and eating. In fact, Lori took me to an international food festival, where we enjoyed Thai food, German food, Italian food and even some Tacos and Crepes (from the same vendor. Hmm…). The icing on the cake was definitely the torrential downpour that happened mid-meal. While we were running from the drops, one couple decided to do a marvelous umbrella dance, of which we played witness!


One last stop at the European Central Bank (I’m an EU junkie/geek) and it was back in a taxi on my way to the airport. This was, of course, in the midst of yet another rainstorm. After checking my bags I came across an internet machine that boasted “High-speed access for only 12 euros an hour!”


The sad part is, I almost logged in to check my email again. I had just checked in 40 minutes prior and here I was doing it again. I couldn’t help myself. It was at that moment that I realized I have a problem. “My name is Kyle and I’m an emailaholic.” Luckily (I think) my internet prospects in South Africa are slim, which means I’ll need to face my problem head-on and become completely disconnected. It seems oddly freeing yet simultaneously stressful…we’ll see!

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