A Friend in Frankfurt
I squatted down near the phone at the Frankfurt Main train station rummaging through my carry-on to look for her number. I glance up momentarily and right into my sightline waddled this extremely familiar woman with her husband and child in tow.
A very loud “HOY!” escaped from my lips before I could stop it. The only thing that prevented me from running to her were my bags. Melissa and J had not changed one bit. Maganda at guapo pa rin! They were as I remembered them years back, except for the fact that she had a round belly and that they had their little retazo, JP who I was setting eyes on for the first time. He proved to be even cuter than the photos I had seen.
J prepared a delicious welcome dinner for us, as he contributed here and there to the endless chatter and laughter as Melissa and I caught up. Hubby who was busy getting to know JP as they played with his castle and knights, tuned in and out depending on what he understood as Melissa and I switched back and forth from English to Tagalog.
After the sumptuous dinner, we headed off to the World Cup Sky Arena, a light and sound show in downtown Frankfurt that started at 11:00 pm. It was quite an experience as they closed off some roads and shut off all the lights and illuminated all the skyscrapers by projecting on them a 25-minute retrospective of the FIFA World Cup. We were among thousands from all over the world that watched and sometimes cheered as the faces of their favorite players appeared on one skyscraper or another. All in all, it would have been an even greater experience had there been some more audience participation. I could not believe that, with the amount of people there from different countries, there was no wild cheering, jeering, binge drinking or dancing. Amazingly, everyone was just a little too well behaved and polite for an event like that. I almost expected to hear an echo when I let out a little whoop when they showed Pelé, at one point. Just the same, we enjoyed the experience. I guess as fanatic as soccer fans are, they only really let loose during an actual game.
Heidelberg Hike
The next day, J and Melissa took the time off to drive us to the old town of Heidelberg, a charming city that sits along the Neckar River. We decided to sample the local cuisine before walking around. After a nice and hearty meal of sausages and schnitzel, we, along with Melissa, almost 7 months pregnant, gamely hiked the 300 or so steps up to the Heidelberg Castle. The Castle is definitely worth the climb, not to mention the spectacular view it offers of the city. We ended our little tour with a stop at a tearoom where Melissa and I gorged on four different pastries “to refuel.” :)
As Pinoys are wont to be, we discussed dinner as we were stuffing our faces with cakes! We decided we were going to go Pinoy for dinner. So the rest of the early evening was spent getting the ingredients from the Asian store. At dinnertime, two meals were prepared. J and M had chicken teriyaki and Melissa, Rhoda (Melissa’s sister) and I had Sinigang. JP had a sampling of both, a true mix of his Asian mother and his European father.
Ipagpapatuloy...
I squatted down near the phone at the Frankfurt Main train station rummaging through my carry-on to look for her number. I glance up momentarily and right into my sightline waddled this extremely familiar woman with her husband and child in tow.
A very loud “HOY!” escaped from my lips before I could stop it. The only thing that prevented me from running to her were my bags. Melissa and J had not changed one bit. Maganda at guapo pa rin! They were as I remembered them years back, except for the fact that she had a round belly and that they had their little retazo, JP who I was setting eyes on for the first time. He proved to be even cuter than the photos I had seen.
J prepared a delicious welcome dinner for us, as he contributed here and there to the endless chatter and laughter as Melissa and I caught up. Hubby who was busy getting to know JP as they played with his castle and knights, tuned in and out depending on what he understood as Melissa and I switched back and forth from English to Tagalog.
After the sumptuous dinner, we headed off to the World Cup Sky Arena, a light and sound show in downtown Frankfurt that started at 11:00 pm. It was quite an experience as they closed off some roads and shut off all the lights and illuminated all the skyscrapers by projecting on them a 25-minute retrospective of the FIFA World Cup. We were among thousands from all over the world that watched and sometimes cheered as the faces of their favorite players appeared on one skyscraper or another. All in all, it would have been an even greater experience had there been some more audience participation. I could not believe that, with the amount of people there from different countries, there was no wild cheering, jeering, binge drinking or dancing. Amazingly, everyone was just a little too well behaved and polite for an event like that. I almost expected to hear an echo when I let out a little whoop when they showed Pelé, at one point. Just the same, we enjoyed the experience. I guess as fanatic as soccer fans are, they only really let loose during an actual game.
Heidelberg Hike
The next day, J and Melissa took the time off to drive us to the old town of Heidelberg, a charming city that sits along the Neckar River. We decided to sample the local cuisine before walking around. After a nice and hearty meal of sausages and schnitzel, we, along with Melissa, almost 7 months pregnant, gamely hiked the 300 or so steps up to the Heidelberg Castle. The Castle is definitely worth the climb, not to mention the spectacular view it offers of the city. We ended our little tour with a stop at a tearoom where Melissa and I gorged on four different pastries “to refuel.” :)
As Pinoys are wont to be, we discussed dinner as we were stuffing our faces with cakes! We decided we were going to go Pinoy for dinner. So the rest of the early evening was spent getting the ingredients from the Asian store. At dinnertime, two meals were prepared. J and M had chicken teriyaki and Melissa, Rhoda (Melissa’s sister) and I had Sinigang. JP had a sampling of both, a true mix of his Asian mother and his European father.
Ipagpapatuloy...
2 comments:
pia, you forgot that pant-rip episode! hahaha
you and M are J's (and JP's!!!)favorite guests!!!
You know, I realized that I forgot about the pant-ripping episode right after I published this! I am still thinking how I can add/insert it. :) Maybe it deserves its own entry! Hahaha!
Awww! We'll be sure to come again but not wear out our welcome.
We talk about you guys a whole lot, and it's usually accompanied with laughter!!! :)
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