Day 01 - White Asparagus:  I've come to Frankfurt to meet my friends Ralf and Andi.  I met the boys years ago through the internet.  And last year I got to meet them briefly during my work trip to Wiesbaden.    Ralf met me at the train station at the deathly time of 6.21am.  And I was surprised that Ralf had so much energy for that time of the morning.  We stopped at the market and the bakery to pick up some thing for brekky, and then went back to his apartment to eat with Andi.  After a long relaxing breakfast we headed into the city for a little touring around and shopping.   Here's one thing I learnt about Frankfurt...  the people who live are so friendly!  I have so much fun with people here.  There is an "Australien"  (note the alien in the name) which has just opened in the city.  The man who runs the store sells Tim Tams, Blundstone boots, boomerangs, Vegemite and all manner of Australian goods for anything up to 5 times the price paid in Australia.  It's an interesting concept but I'm not sure who would be that keen to buy the stuff.   Needless to say I bought some Vegemite and a Pavlova Magic pack.
Then it was off to the shops.   Andi and I bought ourselves some sexy new undies at an underwear store, some clothes from the Diesel store, and Andi bought me a t-shirt from his company's store in the mall.   Oh..  and did I mention it was a hot hot day?  I think all 3 of us got burnt from running about in the sun.   We also ran into their friend Frank in the mall.   I think Frank is the funniest character in Frankfurt.   He is great to go out to the bars with and is always a lot of fun.
The boys also took me up one of the city towers to an observation deck to look over the city.   This was the last tourist stop and I was ready for a nap.  But before we left the city we went for a couple of quick G&Ts in a gay pub's beer garden.  
Saturday night in Frankfurt is the big night for most Furters.   So we headed in to town for a few drinks at Zum Schwejk.   Now...  this is the same crazy bar I saw last year.   Around midnight the music turns from current pop/dance music to 50's/60's German pop music....  and this is when the party really begins.  Enough alcohol has flowed by now for the locals to started swaying and singing along to the German pop.   It's quite a sight to see.
I also have to say at this point that Ralf and Andi are the worst cruisers I have ever met.  They were trying to line me up with half the bar during the night.  One  (or even both at the same time) would point at someone standing 1 metre away (and usually wondering why all 3 of us are looking at them)  and say "what about that one!"   It was really funny.   Mental Note:  Never let a couple try to hook me up in a bar.    Once we had exhausted any avenues of meeting anyone in this bar we headed around the corner to the much cruisier "Stall" bar.  This is the only bar I have been in (so far) that runs large fisting videos over the bar.  I'm not sure what kind of scene they are trying to create but the scene was pretty dark and cruisy.  I met one of Ralf's employees Varney there.

Day 02 - White Linen Pants:    It's Andi's birthday!  And Andi is up early preparing for a birthday brunch with all of his friends.  It was the nicest most relaxing day of my trip so far.  Ralf and Andi's apartment block backs onto farming fields and looks over to the city.  We spent the day eating and drinking out on the balcony in Andi's beautiful garden.   I also got to meet some of their friends who came from all over Germany.   The German breakfast/brunch conisted of salads, breads, sausage, eggs, tarts, meatballs and champagne.   It was so nice to chill out for a day at home.   I have to note that the 2 cutest guys that turned up were both wearing white linen pants.   I've never really understood the baggy flowing white linen pants but they seem to be very big over here.   So too are "showy" cars.  German's seem to place a lot of importance on driving nice cars...   and we saw loads of them on the road.  Maseratis and Ferraris are pretty common around Frankfurt.  It must be all that bank money.

Just to prove how connected I am on this trip I am writing this update on the sleek ICE train.  We are currently travelling at just over 300km per hour across Germany as I head up to Brussels.   The guy sitting next to me is Canadian and is worried about making his next connection.   I have booked into a new guesthouse in the centre of town.  It is called "Downtown BXL".  It looks nice on the net and costs only 50 Euros a night.   I've still got my sore throat and a little bit of a cold so I'm gonna lay pretty low for the next couple of days in Brussels.   I want to be in good health by the time I get to Amsterdam later this week.

It was great getting to spend the weekend with Ralf and Andi.  They are even planning a trip to Australia next year during our summer.   Then I get to play tour guide in Melbourne.

PHOTOS

White asparagus at the Frankfurt markets	Ralf and Andi cruising the vegetables	The main town square		Some cleverly recreated buildings
The tour group	The riverside flea market	Andi takes us to the chocolate shop	Chocolate fish	The boys local bar	Where's my Visacard?
One the observation deck of one of the tallest towers	The views below			Test driving an Alfa Romeo
Fosters is still Australian?	Frank, Ralf and Andi posing for the papparazi		Ralf is so proud of his sausage	Andi's birthday brunch	Dirk in the glasses... grrr
The ICE train to Brussels