10/31/15 day 1: Frankfurt, DE

Arrived in Frankfurt around noon without international incident. Spent most of the plane ride trying to wedge my cranium between the seat and the window and was mildly successful. Had the vegetarian option (käse tortellini) and promptly passed out again. I gotta tell you, access to your airlines lounge is worth it's price, especially if you have a couple hours to burn before the flight. I ate and drank my fill and relaxed in a comfy chair and watched the Mets play. Best $40 I've spent in a long time.

Upon arrival, I made my way to the Frankfurt Fernbahnhof which is more or less attached to the airport, if by "attached" you mean a couple miles away. 

Quick pit stop for a cappuccino and a schokocroissant seemed like the right idea for fuel. Today's destination was Köln (Cologne for the layman home of Früh Kölsch, one of my favorite beers) to attend the wedding of my dear host sister Lena. In 1994, when I lived with the lovely Naumann family in Aachen Germany for my gap year, she was my youngest host sibling with a big heart and sass for days and now she is tying the knot to Stephan. I was honored she even asked me to attend and stoked when I realized I could make it work. I will be the only cat there wearing jeans and a skull tie... Gotta represent... I'm already a little embarrassed... My mother taught me better than that, but hey, at least I brought a tie.

Grabbed a cab to Hotel Imperial in Ehrenfeld and promptly took a nap. I was falling asleep on the train (I ended up setting an alarm ten mins before my stop which came in handy). Wish I had more time in Köln it's a really impressive city. The Dom just dominates the downtown. Didn't even have a moment to snap a quick pic. The nap was needed tho and I was on a mission. Once awake and showered, I walked a couple blocks to the reception location. Ehrenfeld looks like a cool neighborhood. I'll explore more tmrw. The reception was great! So awesome to catch up with my host family and meet the new wives and husbands. 

The reception was pretty standard; delicious buffet style dinner, clinking of glasses, etc. There were also some fun performances by Lena's brother and sisters and some games which revealed clues to various gifts. After the dinner the party moved into the next room where there more speeches, dancing, and then this. 

The couple danced under her veil as guests threw money on top (for their honeymoon trip to the U.S. next year).

Me and my host father Werner. Looks exactly the same as he did in 94.

The couples get away vehicle.

I called it around 1, said my goodbyes and walked home. I'm a little fried out and I'm hoping to get my sleep schedule on track. Night from Köln.