Unbelievable. After a week in Frankfurt I have the feeling of being in Europe again. Up 'til now, I've tricked myself into thinking that Erfurt was representing the whole of Germany. I couldn't be more wrong! Strange to me; people act nicely in Frankfurt, smile and make jokes all the time. If I don't count the WeihnachtsMarkt in Erfurt I've seen more smiles in a week in Frankfurt than during my 5 years in Erfurt.
Of course Frankfurt has its own issues and bad sides, as every places around the world, but you can feel welcome and fairly treated most of the time. I've been so wrong to believe that the bad vibes of a city would be a standard for all of this country. For that I'm sorry Germany, my bad. Now I believe I never lived in Germany before - I am rather discovering the real country.
Sitting in a typical Starbucks in the Frankfurt City Center I see most of the adults and young adults on their own but holding on to their smartphones. Only the elderly are actually enjoying a coffee and a talk. Couples, friends, no phone. A daughter and her mother talk and share laughs. I'm writing on a notepad. Damn I am old school. Or maybe just old. A lot of japanese fellows hang on to their technology, probably enjoying the free wifi. Some just write on their toys, other speak to it, hoping to sever the distance with their dear ones. The old Bayrish couple in front of me, that have been speaking for hours, left me with a smile and a warm goodbye. A young Ipad addict sits immediately in front of me with no word nor facial movement. The other seat was taken just a few seconds ago by a Japanese lad politely asking if the seat was free. Natürlich! At the entrance three young teenage girls gossip and laugh loud while sitting down. They talked for some time I remember. Normality.
Endlich in Deutschland.
