Well, well, well. It\'s been quite a long week these past couple of days. I am in Frankfurt and I believe that the bike is set to go tomorrow. Within ten minutes in Germany, I made a friend. I was waiting next to the oversized luggage counter wondering about this long (maybe 10\') blue canvas bag. It was too big to be skis and too hefty to be fishing poles. Just then an older Chinese-German man ran up and grabbed it trying to heft it onto a cart. I didn\'t let him flounder too long before I grabbed the bag and set it in it\'s place. He was so thankful and ran on in German that was so fast all I got were the verbs at the end of the sentences. But I asked, Was ist das? He said Malen, Malen. Ohh, paintings, it all clicked into place. He said we were friends and gave me his card. He\'s a painter who lives in Stuttgart andthen he showed me pictures of his art and a picture of the Pope looking over one of the paintings. Maybe I\'ll stop and see him in August.? The World Cup is definitely on. People are abuzz and Brazilian yellow shirts are ubiquituos. I however am just happy to be here. I stepped off of the train from the airport and there stood my first of many German bakery experiences. I got two Berliners and was very, very happy. I stood in the morning light and watched the business people go to work. Men in suits and women in heels all riding bicycles through the street. How civilized. I set up in a public square and began assembling my bike. I attracted more stares than I cared for. I tink that I was not Ordnung. Knowing these Germans there is probably a place set aside fo assembling bicycles from abroad and I was not where I should be. I was even berated by a woman very briefly and the Polizei came by but they let me be and I was done in about two hours. No harm done. I, off to eat and then to the Staedel Museum if it\'s still open. Tomorrow, Weilburg and then to Marburg along the Lahn River.