Day 1 Frankfurt

Our flight at Jerez was at 10:00 so we got up at 7:30, had a leisurely breakfast and left the house at 8:00 since it's only a 25-minute drive. The line was still short so we were able to check in right away and get a low number. FYI, discount flights here are open seating so you have to be there early. There was no passport check conducted and the plane left on time. The weather was beautiful and the flight was uneventful except for the two jets heading the opposite direction looking like missiles as they flew by.

It was a direct flight and we landed at Frankfurt-Hahn Airport at 1300. It is the main hub for RyanAir in Germany and was once a US Air Force base. It's about an hour and a half from downtown Frankfurt with a shuttle bus service running every half hour during the day. Again, there was no passport check conducted (I think this is the standard for EU countries) and we headed out to the bus stop after collecting our luggage.

It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed the scenery along the way. We noticed that Germany has acres and acres of farmland like Spain and fall colors were already on the trees. The roads are well-paved and motorists observe the posted speed limits. Germany is famous for its Autobahns (expressways without speed limits) but it is mainly for long stretches of roads away from the city. Passed the city of Weisbaden and made one stop at the Frankfurt Airport before going into Frankfurt. The bus stop was behind the Hauptbahnhof (main station) and only a block and a half from our hotel.

Walked to our hotel, checked in and then had lunch/dinner at a Chinese restaurant named Ding-ding near our hotel. We'll try the local food later on because we were so hungry. Mom had fried shrimp with garlic and onions while I had chicken chop suey. It was excellent especially we had white rice and jasmine tea with it. Returned to the hotel afterwards and booked for a tour to Heidelberg for Saturday and a Rhine River Cruise for Sunday.

We had our first experience of German hospitality when we went to the train station afterwards to check on fares and schedules. The guy in the ticket counter asked for our destinations and approximate time frames and helped us select the best times and fares that fit our schedule. I think it was at least fifteen minutes that he assisted us and he never showed any impatience at all. He even informed us that we qualified for a 20% discount because we booked in advance. We ended up buying tickets for Cologne and Rothenberg for Monday and Tuesday because he was very professional, courteous and helpful. Outstanding customer service.

Headed out to downtown Frankfurt checking out the Christmas stores and walked down Zeil street which is a long pedestrian shopping promenade. Mom did some shopping while I took pictures. It's just too bad that we will miss the official opening of the Christmas season in November 23. The decorations are not put up yet but the stores have their window displays already. We'll definitely be back next year.

It started getting a bit windy and chilly so we headed back towards the hotel. Stopped at an Asian market and bought some water and then went to the underground shopping area by the train station. Found another Asian market and bought some Thai soup mix and barbecue marinade which were not available in Rota and El Puerto. It's just funny that we had to buy these items here like buying the bagoong when we went to London in March.

Had to fix the TV cable in the room to get a good reception and was able to watch BBC and CNN. Got woken up at midnight by a wrong number and again at 6:00 when the front desk dialed our room by mistake.