I made it thus far

Arrived in Frankfurt on time and was greeted by 2 high official air force officers, both women in their mid to late 30's, slightly built with one being much taller than the other. Both were wearing fatiques and combat boots and had an unexpected sweet and gentle nature albeit an organized personality. I fell asleep in the car in the middle of a sentence which caused much laughter as the day went on. I was dropped off at Hotel Europa, my accomodations for at least 30 days, and gifted with 2 cases of water, fresh fruit, low fat Triskets and trail mix. I was "ordered" to stay awake until 9pm and expect to be picked up by 8am tomorrow to begin my orientation.

As tired as I was, I wanted to get a head start on exploring what will be home for who knows how long. Believing in packing light, I took only my cigarettes, passport and a $20 euro, also left for me by the Lt. Col. Ramstein is not small. I walked for 4 and a half hours and was awstruck by the cleanliness of the streets (yes, I believe they still sweep their stoops), the well maintained homes, the narrow streets and unbelievable flower and vegetable gardens no matter how small the green space in individual lots. This encourages me in being able to find a place with outdoor living space. I can't describe the architecture yet (sorry Austen.)

I stopped in a neigborhood pub with outside seating and had a german beer and reflected on how easy the transition has been. I had a short conversation with a young woman at the pub who was reading Dovstetscky in the original verse and discussed various villages I may consider. I am drawn to Landstuhl for no good reason but saw the sign that says it is 3 KM away. I'm hoping to visit it over the weekend. I found a really good hardware store (similar to Chuby and Tubby's in Seattle) that had beautiful potting plants and I'm excited about planting again. Also, I located the local food market and even tho' they had gorgeous fruits, vevetables, enormous fresh cheese and fish and meat, plus aisles and aisles of French, Spanich, Chile and German wines starting at $3 ero PLUS as much of a selection of beers, I was disappointed that I didn't find the little individual specialty markets we saw in Prague and Vienna. Please remember, my search has only begun.

My legs are sore and so are my feet because I am unaccustomed to walking on cobblstone, therefore I will dine on Chev Brie Cockshl cheese, grapes and a small bottle of J.P. Chenet cab/sab from Frannce. For desert I will have trailmix. All in the privacy of my room 306 Hotel Europa. My plans are nice hot shower, and I may or may not make it until 9pm. But, I will have fresh clothes and be ready to go tomorrow morrning.

I had meaning special thoughts of my friends in Tulsa, knowing that at least 3 of you could name the flowers in bloom.