Settled Back in Frankfurt
February 1, 2004
Dear Friends and Families,
Well, we have settled back into a post-Christmas routine. I can't say it's anything special, but we continue to enjoy our Frankfurt "home town". Walks in the evening to the Main River provide what little exercise we manage, after full work days. Every few weeks, we manage a tourist visit somewhere (see Bonn and Munich) but, mostly, we spend weekends resting and doing chores, just like the rest of the world.
Unfortunately, part of the new routine has me gone for three or four or even five days a week, as I work on a new company project that is run out of an office a couple hours away. The new routine means I leave Frankfurt and drive southeast, into the Frankish part of the state of Bavaria. I definitely have had my fill of Autobahn A-3, one of the busiest truck routes in Europe. Even my quaint little gasthaus in Erlangen is getting "old" in more ways than one. I'm afraid that this situation could continue for years so we need to reach a decision on a new option. Yet another New Option but who knows what it will be. Maybe a move to Erlangen? Maybe a move to Finland, where our new project will be built? Maybe something we don't know about yet?
Oh well, uncertainty continues to be a central part of our lives so, if you want to visit us in convenient Frankfurt, better hurry. Who knows what our address might be six months from now.
Below, we put in a few local shots. As always, these are mostly reminders for us, but you are welcome to share our memories.
John and Marianne
| I am experimenting with a new, more-serious camera. However, getting inspired in gray and wintry Frankfurt isn't easy. Even the photo exhibition behind this sign was locked away! |  |
| Our major walking tour remains a 10-minute walk down to the Main River. The Frankfurt skyline is still a pleasant reminder that our "home town" is special. |   |
One Sunday evening, we crossed the river and saw an old steam train just finishing it's monthly excursion. The piles of smoke and steam rose in the early evening light and gave us an idea of how impressive such scenes would have been 70 years ago when Frankfurt's crossroads would have been filled with such scenes. Modern subways have taken over from these fire-breathing dragons and, on one of our walks, we finaly made it to the interesting subway exit at Bockenheimerstrasse. |
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| Of course it IS winter. Mostly, this means cool and gray skies but, from time to time, a bit of the white stuff arrives too. However, as veterans of Kyiv's colder climate, we have no complaints. |   |