Anyways, in this tousled framework, my profession led me to Germany. March had subjected my corpus to such a state of repair that a cramped seat at Qantas Boeing 747 and the 12 hour flight journey could not provide enough deterrent for the slumber rekindle again. And I slept like a baby.
6th April 2009 and I greeted the German sun and the land of Euro, with a tired but pleasant smile. A sleepy town of Neu-Isenburg, about 10 KM in the outskirts of Frankfurt, was where I was put up. Spring was beginning to peek in from behind the wintery shadows, as lively flowers of yellow and pink shivered in the chilly breeze.
Neu-Isenburg, a small patch of land with a population in low 10 Thousands, is blessed with two Indian restaurants(primarily attributed to the Pakistani presence in the area) and one Sub-way joint. For the starters, that was a welcome relief, for German vegetarian food – which I am sure – if given ample time to explore would suit the palate, from the first looks seemed to contain indiscriminate selection of arbitrary leaves and grasses and generous portions of cheese. On that note, ‘plain’ water was hard to come by as well – by default water meant the liquid (H2O) infused with miserly portions of Carbon Dioxide thus rendering it ‘sparkling’.
Of the limited time I could afford, I did saunter around Frankfurt. The city is a miscellany of ancient Europe concocted with the role of German Financial capital, rendering it unique in its own sense. The river Main splits it open, offering splendid views of the city. The western sky is busy with concrete and steel structures while the bank of the river is dotted with the idyllic charm of Europe- cathedrals, cobbled roads, narrow lanes and beautiful buildings including Romer or the City Hall. The roads are enshrined with restaurants and street side vans – which will serve you well as long as you have a taste for it.
The city is splattered all over with beautiful architectural sights, random fountains and a quaint allure. A tram line walks right through the city which adds exotic to the exquisite.
Right in the center of the city is the Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof or the Central Railway station , run by Deutsche Bahn and offering a gateway to Europe – you can imagine how tempting that is. Deutsche Bahn also offers bicycles on rent for an excursion around the city. Back to my favourite part of the city – the river Main, dotted with beautiful sidewalks and flowers of spring. The colours of spring and the air of freshness rejuvenated my limbs and infused verve in to my aching psyche. The river is also lively with fauna as well. The boats along the river double up as restaurants as well.
The jaunt was short yet pretty. The images are few yet vivid and fun. The air of spring and colours of life, the memories are forever. As the trip came to an end and as I was leaving for Singapore, I emptied the contents of my backpack – laptop and purse for scanning at the airport. My spinal cord instructed me to carry my bag through, without scanning. The dazed looking security official pounced on me to scan my bag too, perhaps alarmed for a split second. My spinal cord does share some secrets with my brain afterall.
