First Night in Germany

I remember the first night I arrived in Germany. My flight came in late in on a January night, and the first thing I saw of Frankfurt was its impressive and intimidating skyline. I am 100% European and have never been to America, so seeing skyscrapers was a new experience for me - and I believe Frankfurt is the only European city to have such a skyline.

I was a scared 20 year old at the time, I had never really travelled abroad alone before - especially to live. I wasn't even sure someone would come and pick me up at the airport! I couldn't speak German (well I still don't really to my shame!), and did not even really know how to get to my accommodation. I was a little bundle of nerves landing and coming out of the plane on a cold January night. All my possessions for that year crammed into two suitcases, which were delivered quickly at the airport with German efficiency. Luckily my nerves subsided when I saw two ladies waiting in the arrivals with my name on a sheet of paper. They were very kind and we went back to one of their apartment's to take some dinner. I had the opportunity to see a bit of Frankfurt that night. It reminded me a little bit of Budapest in the area we went to, with the old central European style buildings. It felt familiar to me as I grew up in Budapest so at least I did not feel like I had been transported to an alien country.

We had a nice dinner and then it was a long drive to Darmstadt in the dark late at night. My rooms were in some barrack like buildings which belonged to my institute in the middle of nowhere. I had the misfortune of living there for 2 months, but that I would rather not talk about. These are about my nice or interesting memories here and those rooms were neither (in other words, a dull, boring and grotty place to live!).