Father Daughter Bonding

This past weekend I was able to meet up with my dad in Frankfurt, Germany. Flight there was fairly smooth with the exception of the longest security line I've ever been in. When he first picked me up, we had a scenic hour and half drive through the country side of Germany. We decided the reason Germans decided to settle in Wisconsin was because it looks so similar to Germany. I really enjoyed seeing the rolling hills covered in trees that were just starting to change color for fall. I don't get much nature interaction in Florence, so I'm always eager to hug a tree when I see one. After getting to downtown Frankfurt, we wandered around the rebuilt old town square which was very traditional looking compared to the skyscrapers that are everywhere else in Frankfurt. We snacked on a brat and some beer and had the chance to catch up. I was beyond happy to see him, and what better place to bond than Germany. For dinner I had the chance to try some traditional German meals like Wienerschnitzel and Schweinshaxe which were delicious and much needed after a day of travel.

Day two we got up and feasted on the hotel breakfast, man I missed waffles. Then we got in the car and drove to Heidelberg which is an adorable German city between the hills. We hiked up to the castle and took the funicular up to a look out point. We shared a beer and enjoyed the view from 1800 ft up. We ventured back to the bottom, got some chicken nuggets and fries, and enjoyed the live music. It was a great day of sight seeing, eating, and bonding. I was enjoyed traveling with my dad until I got the text that my flight was cancelled. Day took a slight turn to panic when I realized I had no way to get back to Florence in the next 24 hours. I wasn't happy this happened but I was very happy to be with my dad when it did happen. He was calm and insisted we'd do what we had to to get me home. We returned to Frankfurt and started searching quickly coming to the conclusion that the only way to get me home in less that 18 hours we'd have to spend extra. The final solution was sending me to Rome then training home.

In the end, we were able to fix the problem, and after a stressful day of planes, trains, and automobiles, I was back in Florence. I had a great weekend with my dad, and although it was hard to leave him, I'm glad I had the opportunity to travel Europe with him for the weekend. I learned a few lessons along the way as well. I will never fly Ryanair again, and I will never hesitate to ask strangers how to read my train ticket, where the security line is, if I'm on the right train, how to get a train ticket, where the train station is, etc. Special thanks to all those foreign strangers that dealt with the lost American girl this weekend. Biggest life lesson I've learned throughout my travel so far is I have no control over a lot, and I just need to roll with it and know it'll always work out in the end.