Greetings from Germany!
I’ve moved from the Bavarian countryside to spend the last five days in Frankfurt. I’ve been here many times, travelling through the airport, but never actually took a layover to settle in + explore.
My first reaction was, woah, overwhelmed. Coming from small town Bavaria where the cows practically slept next to me, to a buzzing metropolis with skyscrapers being built in every corner it had me in for a bit of shock. Now I lived in the city of Vancouver for 10 years so I’m no stranger to city life. The hustle + bustle, the loud noises, diversity of people + idea that each neighbourhood has its own atmosphere, it’s just…well been a while.
On the flip side of the intensity of such a place, is the diversity of ethnicities + cuisines. I indulge in a vegetarian peanut noodle dish (twice) from The Noodlemaker, a delicious tofu + halloumi wrap from the street vendor at Sool Imbiss, + tried the Frankfurt Grüne Soße (green sauce) + Apfelwein (apple wine) at Apfelweinwirtschaft Frau Rauscher.
Outside of exploring the city, I had a “lazy weekend”. I spent a good portion of time in my private hostel room working from my bed, binge watching YouTube + just doing a bit of nothing. Only staying in a destination for 5 days is relatively short for me + creates a feeling of guilt that I need to see everything asap. However, with this long-term travel lifestyle I’ve tried to remain realistic that lazy weekends are normal + needed. I'm working on protecting my energy levels, finding balanced meals + checking in with my mental health, which is what I did while in Frankfurt.
This week I’m off to country #27! You’ll have to wait for next week’s newsletter to find out where 😲