Fahrradbazaar in Dieburg und Flohmarkt in Offenbach

Guten Tag alles!

Day 83.. Perfect day for a cycle!! Yesh yesh, I know I need a bike... Soooooo I woke up early to go to a Fahrradbazaar/ bicycle bazzar in Dieburg.. They sold second hand bikes.. There was a place to repair your bike.. You can buy maps of Germany.. Ok, not exactly the whole of Germany, but parts of Germany, like the different areas you can cycle.. And the maps show all the bicycle routes etc.. Damn cool! I bought a map of Darmstadt/ Dieburg area.. So Im going to cycle to the small towns one day! Wooo~!! Damn exciting!!

Anyway, I bought a bike! Im soooooooooooooooooooooo ON, after the bicycle tour last week with IGM.. A german hobby? So in Germany, do what the Germans do! hahahha!

Bicycles bicycles bicycles! Big ones, small ones, cheap ones, expensive ones!! What you want?? hahhaha!

I was lucky to find a decent one for 3o euros! You know, it's ok for me.. Because I can sell them before I go back to Singapore.. Sell for 30 euros back? hahah! We'll see...

Yup! Nice guy selling maps! :)


OK!! Me and Bikey are going to Frankfurt in a train! Lol! It's too far to cycle there!! WAY WAY WAY too far!! I love Germany's trains because there's room for bicycles! So we can go anywhere with a bicycle! No problemo!!

I don't know why, everytime I go to Frankfurt, I'll take pics of ducks!! Lol!! But they are very fascinating la.. Really beautiful! Who says only the swans are beautiful ah? Ducks can be beautiful too! :P

If you can see.. One the bridge, there are many many many cars.. They are transporting all these cars.. Quite cool! It was VERY long somemore!! I think I waited there for more than 5mins for all the cars to pass.. Probably at 90km/h? Damn long ah!!

I LOVE the apartments by the river.. Very nice, very cool, very modern!! I seriously don't mind living in these apartments!

So.... Basically I cycled from Frankfurt, along the Main river, to Offenbach.. I really really really wanted to go to a flea market!! I remember that the Frankfurt flea market was along the river.. AND there was another flea market in Offenbach, along the river too.. I don't know why the Frankfurt flea market wasn't there.. So I just cycled straight to Offenbach! Yup! By the river.. :):)

I remembered clearly that when we cycled past Offenbach last week, there was a flea market opened in the morning.. BUT today was special! Instead of in the day, today was the first night flea market!! Wah!! I was soooooo lucky! BUT it starts at 15:00, see the poster above.. I was there at 12:30.. Damn!!

There were a few people setting up their tables.. Yeah.. I saw people coming in huge trolley, pushing their stuff to sell.. Quite a sight la.. Very interesting!!

So I decided to walk around the Stadtmitte/ centre of the town.. Yup! Typical German town centre! hahha! Very easy to find!! I had hotdog bun for lunch! I was soooo lucky to find it by chance!! hahahh!! My hands also got a little itchy, so I bought some clothes.. oOps!

So after spending about 3 hours in the Stadtmitte, I went to the flea market again.. Whoaaa!! Damn crowded! AND I was sooooooo excited, because they sold ALOT of things.. Well, some are seriously junk!! But I was just sooooo fascinated!! I walked around, looked at every single thing! I thought they were cheap!! They sold sooooooo many different kinds of things! What you want? Children's toys and books? Adult books? Glass stuff? Pottery? Second hand radios and electrical equipments? CDs? Clothes? Sports stuff? hahhaha! Everything you think can be sold here are sold here!! Lol! But mainly second hand la.. Got some new stuff also..







Ohya! They sold bicycles too! Too bad I bought mine already.. I didn't dare ask for the price, because I didn't want to regret finding a cheaper/ better one here.. Lol!

Ohya! I bought a decent tennis racket for THREE EUROS!!! OMG!!! It's sooooo cheap la!! Lol!! I could resist it la.. hehe! Don't know whether I'll use it here, so I just lent it to Thiago, and he'll return it to me before I return to Singapore.. haha!

As you can see, they sell everything they don't want!

Just beside the flea market, was a funfair? hahha! Offenbacher Volksfest! I am soooooooo lucky!! I LOVE these kinda things..!

This is quite common.. Cookies, with words on it! Chocolates! So tempting! hehe! Looks pretty, but I always don't buy them.. I don't know why! Lol!

HUGE game stalls, with HUGE soft toys!! If I were to win those, I don't know how Im going to carry them back! Lol!! Those are like the kind you see in tv, where the guy wins something for the girl! Lol!

Fruits, coated with chocolate!! Germans do know how to tempt me ah!! :P:P I wish we have those kind of things in Singapore!! haha!

I was watching the lady 'playing' at this game stall.. It's sooooo dumb!! It's like lucky draw.. Pick 5/ 10/ 25 strips of paper.. And on each strip, there's points in it.. Add the points up, and you'll win something.. Soooooo difficult to win something la! The lady only won a small soft toy! I think the HUGE ones are for display only! Lol!

Ok, everywhere you go, you CONFIRM find a Biergarten/ Beer garden.. A place where you drink beer.. Germans are soooo famous for their beer drinking!!

Bumper cars!! Too bad I got noone to play with!! If not, confirm I'll ride.. My favourite!! hahah!

Long...... Long.......... Sweets!

When I was walking back to my bike to return to Dieburg, I met a nice guy.. AND he happened to be going to the mosque.. I was soooooooooooooooooooo lucky la! I was already thinking that I need to rush home to pray.. So I prayed at the mosque there.. It was very near.. And there was a HUGE halal supermarket and bakery! Wah!! Quite cool!

Girls' Movie Night!!!

Guten Tag alles!

I've been sick for 3 weeks already.. I haven't fully recovered.. Yesh, STILL!! Arghhh!! The first week was bad.. I had a bad cold and fever! Then it moved to a sore throat and then cough.. And the cough persisted til today..

So when I met up with Martina yesterday, Day 81, she bought me to the doctors.. Martina is the Bulgarian girl, studying in TU Darmstadt.. She's doing her exchange in NUS for the next 2 semesters.. hehe!

Anyway, usually in German, you'll have to make an appointment with the doctor when you're sick.. It's VERY weird.. If Im sick NOW, of course I need the doctor NOW, and not next week!! hahahha! BUT lucky the doctor that she brought me to is not popular.. Noone there!! Lol!! AND after I saw him, I understood why!! hahhaha! Don't ask the details.. It'll be considered bad-mouthing right? And that's not very nice... :P:P

So he just prescribed for me anti-biotics!!! Lol!! I was thinking, what a joke!! hahah!

Then we had ice-cream and I went home..

At night, it's girls' movie night!! Woooooo~!! The few of us decided to watch some movies, for girl bonding! Me, Asli, Kate, Lynn and Shruti.. We watched a chick flick! Lol!! All girls wat! It was nice! I bought a cake from Aldi and the rest brought other snacks and drinks! hehe! But we didn't stay until very long, because some of us have classes the next day.. Yesh, the one of us is me (my Friday tutorial).. :P:P Bleaghh~!!

Fahrradtour entlang Main

Guten Tag alles!

Day 76, Shaza is going on a Fahrradtour entlang die Main von Frankfurt nach Aschaffenburg am 9. Mai/ Bicycle tour along the Main River from Frankfurt to Aschaffenburg on 9th May.. Wooo~!! Yesh, this was organised by IGM (International Generations Meeting)..

International Generations Meeting is a private initiative in cooperation with
the International Service Office at TU Darmstadt. We are a group of citizens in
and around Darmstadt and would like to

- get in touch with international students of the TUD
- be friends and hosts
- help with everyday's affairs
- show what Germany looks like beyond the campus
- meet interesting people from other cultures

Anyway, they are made up of VERY nice and friendly folks! Seriously!! I love them! Some of them are old, BUT they are VERY fit!! Don't underestimate the Germans!! Even though they drink alot of beer, some are also very fit! Of course, when cycling and rollerblading are their hobbies!! Lol! Yesh!! You can find LOTS of bicycle tracks in German.. AND you can see SOOOOOOOOO many people cycling or blading in Dieburg!! It's leisure/ family time for these folks on weekends, so they are usually on their bikes or rollerblades.. Old, young, ALL!! hahahha!! I like it ALOT!! That's why I think Im gonna buy a bike when I return to Singapore.. So I can cycle to Eastpoint, or Simpang Bedok, or East Coast Park etc..

Anyway, we met at Darmstadt Hauptbahnhof.. I went with Thiago, and we were supposed to rent a bicycle there.. The bicycle rental place was open, BUT there was noone there.. I called, and the guy only comes at 10am, when I should reach Frankfurt to meet the rest at that time! Lol!!

So... We just went to Frankfurt and rented a citybike there.. Mr and Mrs Wien helped us with it.. OMG... They are SUPER nice!! Extremely sweet couple.. AND Mrs Wien is BEAUTIFUL, especially for her age.. [She's a retired teacher btw.. But now she's teaching about health and teaches yoga too..] Her beautiful personality was like shining through, and I have to admit, I was looking at her the whole time!! YESH!! I love to meet these kind of people.. I wish and hope I was like them.. Like their smile and their personality is soooo nice and comforting.. Amazing!! I can't believe Im saying this la..

Anyway, we were cycling along the river, from Frankfurt and our final destination would be Aschaffenburg! That's IF we can make it there.. We basically cycled past towns.. And it was very nice.. So many greens.. And it was relatively easy, because there wasn't much slope, as in was beside the river..



This was still in Frankfurt! Super cool! Ich means I/ me..

It says that 'Every man is unique. It applies too for all animals. Hold on tight to it always. Here.' haha! Cool huh? So of course I took a pic!



Some of the view... It was really nice... :) It felt great because it felt like a break, from all the business, all the people and just time-out for myself.. Very nice~!

hahahha!! One hand!!

Taking a short break, while waiting for some people that got lost! Lol!

I love this pic!! Hmmm... Are we on the right track??



First time I see this.. Shit! I forgot what is this called!! Arggghhh!!

Horses!!

Beside a town..

Notice that the person in front is in a poncho! Yesh! It rained for awhile.. But it's ok.. Thank goodness they brought extra ponchos for us!! For me, why in the world would I have a poncho in Germany, right? hahah! Make me appreciate home! Because at home, I can find everything!! hahha! Poncho? Umbrella? Sleeping bag? Picnic blanket? Tent? Just name it! That's one reason I cant really call my hostel in Dieburg home.. Because I don't have everything, like I would have at home!! I don't even have minyak gamat! hahha!

Yesh.. Another nice view! :)



This is outside another town, Seligenstadt.. This is a beautiful old town.. Very small and quiet.. It's one of the oldest town in Germany.. And you can tell by the typical wooden buildings..

In the town..

This is a typical old German building.. Made of wood.. Very interesting! There are some weird ones in Dieburg too.. I'll upload someday k.. hehe!

We had ice-cream! Wooo~!! Barbara's treat! AND of course, I had my usual, chocolate! I think that's usually the safest AND the best choice for me.. Lol!

Then we went into Einhard-Basilika.. Very nice place.. I loved this small town because it's really well-maintained.. The buildings, even though they are old, they are very nicely preserved.. Anyway, there were sheeps!! hahha! I touched them! Lol!!



Flowers flowers flowers!

This is interesting!! Some growth on the leaves.. Like some disease! No, they are not worms or insects..

In the herbs garden.. I think this is in a monastery, or former monastery? AND this is Mrs Ingrid Wien..





AND me, Thiago and Mr and Mrs Wien left the rest here.. We had to go to Frankfurt to return the bicycle.. The rest continued their journey to Babenhausen, and they'll take a train back to Darmstadt..

It was a LOVELY day!! I totally enjoyed my day! Nice view, nice company... :) BUT..... My legs were aching when I was walking back to Dieburg!! I was whining like crazy!! YESH, I admit, I was whining.. Goodness! Probably because I didn't stretch enough and I wasn't used to it.. BTW we cycled for 50km.. No joke! So of course, aching legs were forgiveable, right? hehe!

AND back in Dieburg, I met some of the rest, and as usual they were teasing me like crazy, because of the way I walked!! Lol!! BUT I had a nice hot bath.. Soaked myself in hot water for an hour!! Lol!! It was much much much better!! Ahhhh...