BETWEEN TRIPS

This week has been a bit hectic, in that we had been gone all last week and we are preparing to leave for Albania tomorrow morning.  When we go out of town we take our computer with us and try to work in evenings doing our regular duties but there are still some items that we can only do when we are in the office.  This means that when we get back in town we spend a lot of our time just catching up.  However, I (Russell) can tell we are making progress and getting faster at doing our jobs.  When we returned from Montenegro last June it took me a week to get current with all the outstanding items.  After returning from Bosnia it took only one-and-a-half days with no late nights to catch up.  This was the first of two experiences this week that let me know I was totally acclimatized with being here.

The second experience was when we were Skyping with Jessica and her family on Sunday.  In reviewing our prior week with her I said, “it feels really good just to be back home!”  The words came out so naturally and sincerely I think it surprised me almost as much as it did Jessica and her kids.  Bailey and Markus definitely don’t consider our being in Frankfurt as our being home.  Perhaps living in Belgium helped us adjust more quickly to being here.  For me, after two months and getting my welfare/humanitarian role duties down I have felt quite comfortable here. 

For Eileen, in addition to mastering her daily duties (which she has done very well at), she wants to be able to learn some German.  She feels a great need to be able to communicate when we are outside the office with those who can’t speak English in order to be comfortable.  Whether it might be at the store or a doctor’s office there definitely are times when knowing how to communicate in the local language is very helpful.  In addition to studying on her own most days for an hour in the evenings, Eileen is going to start a four-week intensive German language course when we return from Albania.  The class will run from 8:30 am to noon five days a week.  She is taking it with one other senior sister from the office.  One big difference between the two of us is I would be dreading it and she is pleased for the opportunity.  I am so grateful to serve with a companion who can compensate for my weaknesses.

Yesterday we took a few hours to take a walking tour of downtown Frankfurt.  It is something that has been on our list of things to do for some time now.  The tour was lead by a U.S. expat who has been living here for 14 years.  Either he, his wife or an employee conduct the four hour tour 365 days a year – rain or shine.  Trip Advisor gave it a great rating and after going we can see why.  It was very informative and a wonderful break from our duties this week.  Eileen’s fit bit said she walked 25,966 steps (about 11 miles) yesterday.  By the end of the day my legs were tired.  I had jogged three miles before we walked the three miles from our apartment to downtown for the tour and back.  It made me realize just how out of shape I am and my need to exercise more.

Romer Platz in Frankfurt, the main square

According to our guide, Jim Morrison of the rock group "The Doors" made a donation of $500 to the pastor of this church and then proceeded to play the organ for over an hour

Old architecture near Romer Platz

Karmelite Monestery-built in 1460, with murals painted by Jorg Ratgeb (1514-19)

Spiderman on this building-apparently there are several depictions of spiderman throughout the city

We saw dozens of policeman preparing for the demonstration protesting against the EU-US trade agreements. Tens of thousands of people showed up, we tried to stay out of the way, although it appeared peaceful.

Long lines at the Apple Store. Perhaps waiting for the new Iphone 7

Opera House-built in 1880, destroyed in war and rebuilt

This tower was part of the original wall which surrounded frankfurt

Frankfurt stock exchange-bull and bear are in the plaza in the front of the building

Choose your favorite chocolate at the Klein Markt Hall

Meat Market at the Klein Markt Hall

Flower Stall in the Klein Markt Halle

Holocaust Memorial Wall-memorializing over 11,000 individuals who were killed in the holocaust

Stones are put on each memorial as a sign of remembrance to the individual who died

Stolpersteins or stumbling stones are placed throughout Europe. Over 50,000 have been laid in 18 European countries. They bear the name and life dates of individual victims of Nazism