Why did I think infinite cheese was a good idea?

 We took the long way home and flew to Frankfurt yesterday for a 2-night stay.  We first roamed Naples for a few hours before casting the cab to the airport. Every walking trip revealed more unusual shops and sites, but we felt ready to say goodbye.

We had a long discussion about one of our first ever blog posts, a post about Justin Bieber being paged at the Phoenix airport.  The flight he was being paged to was headed to Ontario, his home town.  We did some research and found his travel schedule that month, co firming he wasn’t in concert and he often flies commercial instead of by private jet.  We also confirmed the census data that there are only 8 Justin Biebers in the US, so encountering one is extremely rare. As we were just all concluding that the probability of us having encountered the famous Justin Bieber there was high, the hotel music changed songs.  The breakfast patio room started playing multiple adult contemporary remixes of Justin Bieber songs.  

We said goodbye to the beautiful castle hotel that we had all enjoyed.  If we ever have occasion to stay in Naples again, we would certainly choose this hotel.

There were two large outdoor plazas at the hotel, both with a tent over them to keep rain and direct sun out.  They were very comfortable places to spend time.

Inside the airport, we saw ads for mozzarella cheese stores, including the cheese store in the airport. Jane was very hungry for some cheese, so we went to the airline club for free lunches and coffees.  Their buffet was outstanding, and of course offered unlimited mozzarella cheese balls.

 Have all the cheese you want!

About 30 minutes after this picture, Jane pondered why she had previously thought infinite cheese balls was a good idea. Despite the miscalculation, we all agreed that the free lunch was delicious. 

Oops, too much cheese. 

Jane got to sit in the exit row with us on the plane, legal in the EU. We landed ahead of schedule and easily got our bags. Mine appeared to have had a bottle of water spilled into and down it, perhaps from another bag, but otherwise it all went smooth. We walked across the airport and checked into the Hilton Garden Inn there. 

After a rest, we rode the short train ride into Frankfurt for dinner. As our hotel is literally the train station, it’s a convenient starting point. We stopped in the booth for tickets and Joel conducted the full purchase exchange in German. Jane took a turn being impressed this time. She realized we knew some German but I didn’t think she knew how functional her father is with it. 

Impressed Jane at the ticket counter. 

As the train approached. A Spanish speaking grandma approached Joel and Jane and asked her if she spoke Spanish. Jane quickly confirmed and helped the lady confirm this was the right train for her to board. The Spanish lady didn’t have a cell phone and didn’t look like the type that would know how to use one. Jane sat by her on the train and helped her figure out where her hotel was based on a cryptic email printout the lady had from a tour operator. She was very grateful to Jane for her help, and we believe she got off on the correct stop. We have all pondered why we look so approachable, both to Mandarin and Spanish speakers. We have decided that we look friendly. Either way, it was delightful that Jane could help. If it were one of Jane’s grandmothers, we would certainly want a bilingual stranger to get them where they needed to be. Joel and I are immensely proud of Jane, with flawless performance on her occasions to use both Mandarin and Spanish this trip. 

Jane and the Spanish lady

Having been in Naples for this week, the cleanliness, orderliness, and spaciousness of modern Frankfort made a startling impression. We enjoyed a traditional German dinner.

Despite its simple appearance, this beef consume impressed us all.