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“It’s a small world and Frankfurt is a village”, many people here say. When a street fair or some other bigger event takes place in Frankfurt, then I can be sure to meet someone, who I know. Although I really do not know hundreds of people. It does not only happen to me. At a comedian’s performance in the full Frankfurt stadium, only two rows in front of us, my friend discovered one of his buddies who he had not seen in months. On the way home, a friend met an old classmate, who had gotten married in the meantime. A few days ago, as I was on the way to a brunch with friends, I experienced a very special form of this coincidental reunion.

With me, an older woman, around 70 years old, stepped into the almost empty bus. I sat down in one of those spots in a four-seated area, where another older woman sat across from me. After the first older lady had bought her ticket, she sat herself next to the second older woman. The first older woman placed her bag on her lap, in order to put her ticket into her wallet. After a short glance over to the left of her towards the other older woman, she saw that both had the exact same bag made out of material with horses embroided on it. “A lovely bag you have there”, she said chuckled to the other.

A conversation developed naturally: where they bought the bag, where their way was heading, where they lived in Frankfurt. Only three stops further on, they discovered their joint past: they went to the same school. And if that was not enough of coincidence – they even had math class together. More than 50 years later they were not sitting in the same class room, but in the same bus. With a loud, heartfelt laughter about this coincidence, both of the ladies got off the next stop and walked to the next bakery to grab some coffee together.

I went on for two more stops, until I left the bus. With a smile and thoughts about what the two ladies would be talking about now. Several jobs, passed romances, developed families and almost forgotton memories. It’s a small world…full of wonderful encounters.

Lively Main river.

Just don’t move too much: Tree upside down.

Spring Fever?!

Street corner with a garden.

Old and New in Frankfurt.

(all photos shot and copyrighted by me!)

From many people I heard about a Halloween Parade in the Village. This year was their 38th year and is planned by a non-profit organisation and the Theatre of New York. Donations help to support and finance the parade. The parade is 25 blocks long and runs on Sixth Avenue between Broome St and 17th Street. Clubs, several organizations and artists, also partly art student from colleges, have own cars and present large balloons all Halloween themed. The special part of this parade is that everyone can join and walk in the parade. I simply needed to see that.

And if I attend, then I wanted to go all the way and do it right. A few days earlier I purchased my costume (a black dress covered with glitter) and vampire teeth, which glow in the dark. On Sunday in the early afternoon I carved my pumpkin like every year, thought of my make-up, dressed up and met a friend, in order to take the subway to the parade together.

Many others were not dressed up in the Subway, so we started to question Halloween, haha. Many people looked at us, told us how great our costumes / make-up was. When we got out at the station, the picture changed. Many people in costumes walked to one direction – to the beginning point of the parade. A long, wide line of people could be seen. At 6:30 p.m. the first Halloween car started to head up Sixth Ave. Once the first car passed the starting point, the first bunch of people were let on the avenue. And that is how it continued; we got in the third bunch.

Amazing and unforgettable hours followed. To the left and right of Sixth Avenue, young, old, small, tall people stood and watched the parade. Costumes of all kinds were to be seen: vampires, Pebbles, giant baby, dinosaurs, skeletons… I could extend this list for a long time. We walked in the parade from the beginning to the end behind a car which was escorted by a group of young people dressed in mid-evil clothing, who danced to rock and house music. At each corner the car stopped, the song “I Am the God of Hellfire” tuned and when the song line “And I bring you….FIRE, FIRE” ended, everyone, also us behind the car, started to dance like crazy. It was so much fun! The walk in the parade was three hours, in which we also saw the in orange lit up Empire State Building and several light-shows on other buildings as well.

Back home I saw one of the first news reports on the parade – the official attendance (meaning only the audience on the street and us, who actually participated in the parade): 1.8 million! Now that can only be done in NYC!

The evening was a special experience. It was just spectacular and I am still thrilled how the parade was organized. Especially that anyone was able to attend the parade itself and be part of it – it again showed “the spirit of New York City” – anyone can make it and get the chance.

Grocery shopping itself is not anything spectacular. Necessities like butter, milk and bread must be bought; many other not needed items like cake mix, pudding or sweets also are added to the shopping cart. For a lot of people, it is a thing you have to do, maybe not a thing you want to do. Here in the States it is different, as I experienced on the weekend again.

We went to a big grocery store, which was a dairy farm many, many years ago. Today, the silo is only decoration and can be seen several miles prior to the exit on the highway. Outside in front of the entrance, you were able to buy hay bales and pumpkins. As it is with a lot of things here, these were also available in XXL format, on which little children climbed on, while parents reaching for their iPhone or BlackBerry snapping photos for the grandparents.

Directly at the entrance, you are greeted by a woman, who holds a basket full of housemade apple donuts and offers them to the incoming people. And in every other corner, there are things to try. Until I had reached the cash registers, I had sampled apple donuts, bread, vegtable stew, chicken-meatballs, homemade apple juice, yoghurt, chocolate cookies and a new energy drink.

Snapple (Peach Tea) Real Fact #720: Fresh apples float because 25 percent of their volume is air.

Between all the shelves packed with groceries, there were many small figures, which turned, sang and if you pressed a button, advertised a specific product. The singing banana with the famous head decoration, which advertised Chiquita was awesome! And if that was not enough, a small toy train moved over your head throughout the whole store with small signs with the day’s specials.

Do you need all of this in a grocery store? Probably not. But: it all entertains you and makes a simple grocery shopping task into an experience. After seeing the dancing banana, there is no way you could not be in a good mood and not have fun. And by sampling all the different things, I was even able to skip dinner! ;)

Snapple (Raspberry Tea) Real Fact #796: India has more English speakers than the United States.

Together with a friend, I discovered the area. We walked through the streets of Brooklyn and at some point stood at a street corner. And while we stood there, I knew: I have been here before. I could not grasp when and why or with whom, but I had a certain feeling. A “You-stood-here-once-before”-feeling. My friend knew exactly what I meant. At a different, but also a plain corner, she felt the same way a few days ago.

We then asked us: why? We sat down in a small cafe for a break and tried to find an answer to our question. We could not find an answer. But we did agree on one thing: this feeling mostly comes in a positive way. While we then started to watch people walking by, I thought about the corners in Frankfurt, which remind me of something.

The corner with the shoe store, where a friend and I always met, when we were going somewhere together by bike. The parking lot, where you can walk on poles and eat Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream. The wooden bench in between the two university buildings… In the end, it is not a beautiful place, which writes memories. Only beautiful memories turn a place into something special.

Snapple (Raspberry Tea) Real Fact #901: The quartz crystal in your wristwatch vibrates 32,768 times a second.

But luckily, there is the internet – the channels offer a free recap video, mostly around five minutes long, for each series, in which the most important plots are shown. So I was completely in the picture again and able to enjoy the season premieres. I thought it was a very good solution, because who actually remembers all the important plots from the last season?

Snapple (Raspberry Tea) Real Fact #714: When thirsty, a camel can drink 25 gallons of water in less than three minutes.

My personal series evening program for the week looks like this:

Monday – 8pm: House M.D. - right at the first season premiere I was completely surprised: House and Cuddy? Even the big three words were said! A very cute episode, in which they get close, then burst out in pure panic as they always have and then try to come clear and enjoy their new relationship.

Thursday – 8pm: The Big Bang Theory – I was most excited about this one. Good start into the new season, although I do miss the humor between Penny and Leonard, when they were still dating. But Sheldon did not dissapoint and I cannot wait for next Thursday!

9pm: CSI – I think it is always very surprising how a season can end highly dramtic and then in the first episode of the new season, this drama is soothed within only a few minutes. It is not negative, since CSI started pretty interesting into the new season.

Friday – 9pm: CSI: NY – my favorite CSI, especially also because I know the city and always discover known corners. Also a good start into the new season, but I was dissapointed with the brief explanation why Stella is not there anymore. It was not enough for me. Or was it said in the last season already and I just missed it…?

Sunday- 9pm: CSI: Miami - Starting on October 3rd. Will follow up on the premiere then.

Season Premieres overkill so to speak – but so the time for it :)

Snapple (Raspberry Tea) Real Fact #893: Jack-O-Lanterns were originally made out of turnips.