Had a nice sleep in this morning - I did wake up before 8am, but turned over and got up around 9:30. Felt much better for it. I finally unrolled the yoga mat I bought last weekend and did just the warmup exercises from my pilates book (I am that out of practise) - but had to stop 2/3 of the way through as I was getting nauseous from the 'new plastic' smell from the mat. I opened the windows and headed out to find the post office and do some shopping as everything will be closed tomorrow.
Found the post office, which was inside a cute stationery shop called "McPaper". I managed to start the conversation in German, but finished it in English as the lady at the till had much better English than my non-existent German. Le sigh. I found yet another Rewe supermarket - they seem to be evenly distributed about every three streets. Also found a health food/chemist where I got some muesli and green tea. They don't seem to do tetra-pak fresh soups here, so I got some tinned ones.
Wrote a few postcards and got a text from Z who was in the town centre, so I walked in and met him. The Japanese restaurant was shut so we ended up looking for a cafe and stumbled upon an asian food shop - udon and soba and miso and even rice cookers! I am so tempted to buy one. They do the best rice, and it's only 45 Euro for a cheap one... also fell in love with a large bowl, and they have very sweet bowls and plates with cherry blossoms on a pale blue background. Must remember I'm not here forever.
We had coffee and cheesecake at a cafe just off Zeil, which was a bit expensive but not too bad. It turned out to be a cafe of a bakery chain, but good nonetheless. I had a plain baked cheesecake with slivered almonds and bits of fruit on top, and Z had one with mandarin segments, which I see a lot. We decided we both had food to use up at home, and swung by the English Shop on the way back (overpriced Maltesers, etc.) but it was closed in true German style. Z went food shopping and I headed home.
I have to say the driving and most certainly the cycling in Frankfurt is insane. If you are enraged by unannounced lane-switching or cutting up, please avoid this place at all costs. The cyclists ignore not only lights but oncoming traffic, and do the hip Oxford thing of cycling at night with dark clothing and no lights. And then there's the bike couriers (one of whom stopped me for directions the other day). Nuff said.
So, enjoying the walking, and having the safety net of the U-Bahn when it's raining or I need to be somewhere quickly. It is reminding me how out of shape I am though, as just walking to work now gives me an incredible pain in my shins. I think I've forgotten how to walk properly... might invest in some heavy-duty shoes when I'm back at Easter. I have walking shoes, but I think they're for people who can already walk...
So, a nice relaxed Saturday, the kind that feels like Sunday. Might head out to the zoo or botanic gardens tomorrow and take the camera.
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