Frankfurt Day 1

I arrived last night in the rain annoyed at the delays and went straight from the airport to a dinner that was being organized by some Indian distributors. They thought it would be fun to go to a traditional "Frankfurter House" serving sausages and Apple Wine. The problem is that Germans LOVE pork. Indians do not usually eat it. Apple Wine seemed to blur these dietary laws. At the beginning, they stuck to chicken ( NOT a house specialty) but as the night wore on and the booze flowed, they tucked in as if they'd been eating bacon sandwiches all their lives.


A friend sent me this little warning:
Here's a little info for you - needless to say - don't drink the Apfelwein!!
Customs and Traditions: A drink, which is almost the national drink of the people of the state of Hesse, is Apple Wine or Apfelwein. For the people who are tasting it for the first time the wine will taste more like vinegar or a floor cleanser. But, if you say this to a Frankfurter, you are sure to get some angry stares from him or her. This wine is made from Speierling Apples, which are a type of sour tasting apples that produce a lot of sugar acid to give the wine its customary taste. It is served traditionally in quarter liter glasses. Drink two glasses of the wine and you will require someone to drive you home. If you are able to drink two glasses of this wine and not get stoned you will be held in a lot of respect by the natives of Frankfurt.
Happy Trails

Too late It has an effect. For instance the girl pictured above is actually 75 years old and has a nasty rash . She looks good with a couple of bottles under your belt (pun intended) albeit a bit unsteady.
I emerged relatively unscathed as I have had some prior experience with the stuff. My hosts however were not so lucky.

No doubt this morning they'll be blaming everything on the pork sausages.

The bookfair hasn't really got started yet. Most people arrive tonight and tomorrow. There is a nightly ritual that people drop into the Casablanca bar at the Meridian Park hotel by the train station (the American and Brit publishers anyway). The Park is smack dab in the middle of the worst area of Frankfurt. Eros houses (brothels) crack addicts and people shooting smack on the sidewalk are some of the local attractions. The Eros houses are quite a sight. I'll try and get a picture or two for you, if I think I can do so without getting my head handed to me.

that's it for today , I've got work to do!

Greetings from rainy Frankfurt