Last days

I rubbed the rabbits tail.

Der Hase is a latter 20th Century sculpture based on a popular painting by Albrecht Dürer.

It's as ugly as hell...the rabbit in question is presumably dead! But the level of detail and its links to the famous painter make it a worthy sight-seeing venture. It's also a recent legend of sorts that if you rub the rabbits tail, you will have good luck! :) Man-kind is ever the superstitious type huh? :)

Thus my first visit to Nürnberg city finished.

The next day, Friday saw me packing my suitcases and running to the post office to post back a parcel of goodies that would not fit into my suitcase. I'm still waiting for it as I type this back home :)

Bat and I finished our visit together with more DVD watching that evening. I will miss the bloke very much. It's rare to find people who "match" you and yet stretch you too. He is a wonderful person and very clever. He sleeps a lot but I rather like him anyway I think. Hahahaha ;)

I shall miss the darling S and my wee Niece and Nephew by proxy, Fizz and Schnu. I hope to see them again in the flesh as often as time and finances will allow in the coming years.

Saturday I was nervous about my forthcoming hours of travel and very sad to be leaving Nürnberg and my wonderful friends. It really IS tough to say goodbye to loved ones when you don't know when you will see them again. Even Raphi cried apparently when I left, the dear little man.

I got the ICE train to Frankfurt from Nürnberg. It's a very comfortable train and even though I was rather forlorn at this stage in my early journey, I did find myself soothed and comforted by the speed, efficiency and calmness of this public transport. I amused myself by trying to translate the gist of the german text that was displayed in red LED over the end carriage doorway.

Once I got to Frankfurt Airport, I confess to getting somewhat confused about where I was supposed to go to check in for my flight. I seemed to walk from the train and go up and down escalators and around corners for an age. I followed all the signs for the terminal I required but it seemed to be taking forever to get there.

My confused state must have be quite obvious as a gentleman approached me and asked if I needed some help. In carefully constructed English, I told him where I was required to be. He offered to help me and promptly grabbed my suitcase from my hand and led the way up even more escalators.

We talked some, his English being quite good albeit slow. We seemed to walk for ages through the airport terminal and at one point I had a crisis wondering if my naiveté had gotten the better of me and I was about to be taken to dark corners for foul deeds. But, he kindly led me to my correct check in counter and then promptly requested I pay him EU$5.00 for the privileges he had just granted me! I accepted with relief. I figured it could have been very much worse. Besides, I was grateful he had got me here...I'd have been quite thoroughly lost I'm sure otherwise.

Checking in was a breeze. My suitcase was actually LESS heavy than when I had arrived in Germany. My dear Preciousss though still weighed an insufferable amount on my shoulder, but there is no WAY I will ever let from my sight on these travels even so.

I paced the departures hall for the two hours and ate a rather old stale Brezeln for my supper along with a lovely cup of tea. I phoned bat from the boarding lounge to reassure him and the family I was okay.

The flight from Frankfurt to Bangkok was long and tedious as usual. I was stuck in the middle row of seats and had to tap the poor Gentleman beside me and ask him in my halting German if he would allow me out so I could go to the toilet on more than the odd occasion *blush*.

I was surrounded by middle-aged, neatly if somewhat blockishly attired, semi-retired German couples all travelling for various reasons to Asia via Bangkok.

It was a long, not very uncomfortable flight. The lady next to me fed me chocolates by surprise - mainly because she was on my blind side and I didn't see them coming - she was a sweetie even so despite the fact we could barely communicate with each other. We got on even so.

Tales of Bangkok Airport to follow. :)

Thankyou S. Rita, Raphi, Schnu and my dear Martin for allowing me into your life and country this past month. Friends forever huh? :)

PS - I still haven't smelled the coffee! Yet to be accomplished. :)