Welp, my first trip throughout Germany is in the history books! Has you
can see from my part one post, i was a bit nervous about how the trip
would end up but im here to tell you that it was pretty awesome!
Arrival:
So as me and my travel mates are pulling into town we are searching for
my hotel which did in fact end up being very close to the Red Light
District (several reviews on TripAdvisor.com mentioned this as a
negative aspect of the hotel because of noise and 'suspicious' activity). Being a young man in my mid-twenties, this didn't seem like
it would be a big problem for me. As we pull up to the front of the
hotel I am immediately impressed with the hotel exterior and its
location (could see the main train station just a few hundred yards from
the hotel).
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| My Spot! |
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| View from my window - Train Station |
Me and my travel mates depart from each other after
confirming the pick up time on Sunday for the ride back up north and I
go into the hotel to check-in. Check-in was speedy and as soon as I
walked into my 5th floor room (7 stories total) I was extremely relieved
that my room was excellent, clean, and had a great view! After a quick
walk to the corner store across the street to pick up drink mixers and some
snacks, I make a drink and start getting dressed!
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| Part of the Room |
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| My Survival Kit! |
Party Time:
As I mentioned in part 1, my coach made a call to an old friend down in
Frankfurt to see if she could pick me up and take me out and show me
some Frankfurt nightlife. Just as I was checking into my hotel she
called me and let me know that she would pick me up in an hour, around
11pm, and take me to one of the most happening clubs in town. She
sounded cute on the phone and said she would be with a few of her
girlfriends; now I'm crunk and ready to get the party started!
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| All Black Everthing |
After
about an hour and a few drinks, I was just about ready when she called, "hey Mike T, its Andrea and we are
right outside in front of the hotel in a black van... you'll see us".
Im thinking, "A van!? how the hell are we going to hit the club in a soccer mom
van?? whatever.. lets gooo!" After a few extra squirts of Gucci Guilty
cologne I head down and when I walk outside I immediately see the big
"van" in front; definitely NOT a soccer mom van! The slim german girl
gets out the passenger seat to greet me outside. She is tall, slim, and a
little cutie but again, not quite my cup of tea. As I get in the "van"
I am immediately impressed as this was no van, it was a mini party bus!
Im talking 2 or 3 flat screen tvs, high ceilings, little neon
lights aligning the plush leather interior... the works! It goes without
saying but now I am feeling like a certified bawse! To come to a new
city on the other side of the world, check into an awesome hotel, and
get picked up in a party bus by some pretty ladies... BAWSE! haha.
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| Not Actual Van, But VERY Close |
In
the party van, there were two other girls inside who were definitely
more of my taste (Brazilian and German) and an older guy driving the van
(friend of Andrea). Everybody was friendly and we were all looking
forward to a great night out at Club King Kamehameha! After a quick 15 minute drive, we arrive and park right in the
front, VIP. The line was long and wrapping around the corner and I hate
having to wait in lines. As we walk up we go right past the line and
straight to the front door! Andrea is leading the way and is getting
love from EVERYBODY, from club-goers waiting in line to the security
gaurds and bouncers. Im thinking to myself "Damn, who is this girl?? she
is a real bawse!" haha. We walk right past security and make our way
inside the club and it is CRACKING! Beautiful people everywhere and the
music is rocking (Black Music was the theme for the night - when they
play hip hop songs).
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| Main Dance Floor [internet pic] |
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| VIP sections [Internet Pic] |
We get settled into a section and immediately
start ordering drinks and now im feeling awesome. I decide to take a
couple of laps around the club on my own to see whats up. I come back
frequently to check in with Andrea and the others and "Alles Gut"! After
about an hour and half at the club I get a text from Andrea while I'm on the other side of the club getting to know new friends and
she writes "hey one of my friends had too much to drink and is sick, we
had to take her home, sorry. There are taxi's outside so you will be
fine getting back". I am shocked that I went from being chauffeured in a
great party van with some cool people to being alone in a huge city, not knowing where the hell I am, and
no confirmed ride home. Im not mad though, because I'm grown and I'm a bawse!
Let the solo exploring begin! haha
I stay at club King Kamehameha for a few more minutes but then I decide to get out
and try another club that I read about when I was doing some research on
Frankfurt. There was supposed to be a huge "black music" party going on but it was
nearly 4am so I wanted to get there before it closed. I find a taxi and
tell him the name of the club, Living XXL, and we are there in 10
minutes. I am feeling pretty good after several drinks throughout the
night and when I walk up to the door I was denied access into the club
because apparently the club was going to close soon (in 5 minutes).
Initially I didn't believe these german bouncers because since being in
Germany I was warned that some places will deny black guys into the club
for various bogus reasons.
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| Club Living XXL [Internet Pic] |
I tried working my verbal magic but to no
avail. After seeing groups of people leaving the club and other people
being denied access, I decided to leave and find another spot. I spoke
with a few random groups of people outside of the club to see where the
best after hours club was. I received a few weird looks as though they
were thinking "who the hell is this random black guy speaking english to
me??" haha. This has become a common occurrence here in Germany. While
walking around aimlessly, a little drunk, I see the glowing lights of
a late night diner and the signs indicate that it serves my favorite food
since being here in Germany,
Döner! I seem to just float right into the
doors. haha. I spark up a conversation with some girls in the diner after I
order my food and they let me know that they did not know where any
after hours places were, and right before they leave one of the girls
says, "there's always the Red Light District". Whaaat?? haha. Anyway, I
soon finish up my food and head back into the streets. After walking
around in the same area, I realize that I am actually right near my
hotel because I recognize the bright lights of the Red Light District so
I head in that direction.
RLD
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| RLD near my hotel |
Its almost 5 in the morning, I've been drinking a good amount haha, and I'm en route to my
hotel which is right on the edge of the Red Light District. Now before
coming to Germany, I had heard about the infamous RLD but I thought this
was only in Amsterdam. Not true. They are all over Europe in most
cities, even Kiel (the small town where I live) has a RLD. In Kiel, me
and the rest of the "American Dream" team visited the RLD one time just
to see what all the hype was about. Interesting to see. I heard that
the RLD's in bigger cities like Hamburg or Frankfurt are much bigger and
crazier. Well as I'm walking to the hotel I decide to take a look and
see what its all about which seemed like a good idea at the time. haha.
Now let me get this clear, I only wanted to go in and take a look and
did not have any plans to indulge in the usual activities that go on in
these places. I wont go into much detail due to the public access to
this blog but i'll try to paint you a PG-13 picture.
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| Blurry, but you get the picture! |
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| Red Light District |
The RLD consisted
of several large buildings that I would say reminded me of the dormitory
buildings in college, but with pictures of naked women on the front
door and windows, haha. When you walk into the buildings, there are
flights of stairs and on each floor there is a long hall way and there
are several rooms (10-12) on each floor. Just imagine the dormitory
halls from college where on each hall there a several rooms on each floor
where students live. Well, on each of these floors there were doors
with women sitting in the entrance of each doorway, half dressed, and
strongly encouraging you to come in their room. As I'm walking through
the halls I am flabbergasted at how this whole system works and how it is actually
LEGAL! It's just as easy as going to a department store and just picking
up a shirt and trying it on. Crazy right!?
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| Frankfurt Red Light District |
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| Usual Entrance [Internet Pic] |
Although it was 'cool' to
see, it also has a feeling of being dirty and just wrong! I don't judge
anybody for what they choose to do at these places but I definitely knew
I just wanted to see the place and how it works and that's it. As I was
just about to leave the RLD and head home I walk by a BEAUTIFUL
girl standing in one of the doorways and of course she insisted that I come in. We started talking and she was constantly trying to get me to come
inside the room; she was all about the money! But again, this was not in
my plans, simply entertainment.
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| Typical RLD Hallway [Internet Pic] |
So as we are talking I begin to try
and "counsel" her on reasons why she shouldn't be doing this and how she
has other options in life! In the midst of my drunkness, I realize
this stop in the RLD has turned into a social worker visit! haha. Trust me, it was
as weird as it sounds. During my rant, I mention the fact that i know
she is probably here by force from some poverty stricken country and has
no other choice! I watch too many movies, smh. I also mention the fact
that she is too beautiful to be subjected to this type of life style
and that I know she has some other talents in life that she could use to
make a living. Yes, I just met this woman and don't know her from a can
of paint but I'm really trying to help her see the "light", no pun
intended! haha. After talking for about 25 minutes, I decide to leave
but not without shouting "Dont worry girl, I'm going to come back and
shut ALL this shit down!!" hahahaha. Yes, I realize the fact that I was
trippppping and after telling this story to some of my friends here
(American Dream Team) and best friends back in America, they cant help
but laugh at my plans to shut down the RLD! I got out of there and made
it back home around 6am!
**Although this was a funny experience I had at the RLD, there are
issues that I have with the existence of the red light districts and how
it allows women to sell themselves (usually not even for their own
profit). Again, I do not judge others who indulge in these activities
but I do not personally endorse the RLD and the activities involved **
Part 3 coming soon! Remember, comments are always welcome, tell me what you think!
Moments later, I let out a big sigh of relief knowing that I was
completely done with the planning and booking of my voyage which I now referred to as my "EuroTour2012"! Not long after this sigh of relief came the
stark realization that this was actually going to happen and was soon
followed by a little bit of anxiety! I'm thinking to myself, "damn Mike,
what have you gotten yourself into??". During the planning of my
EuroTour2012 I spoke with friends and family from America and some met
these plans with skepticism and worry but I quickly dismissed their
opinions due to my strong aspirations to travel and experience new
places. Now I have began to think, "shit, maybe they were right? It is a
bit dangerous... Remember the movie "Taken"!? What if I'm sold into the
sex trade!?" haha, although this feeling lasted for all of 10 minutes, it
still crossed my mind! I did what I always do in situations where I'm
unsure of the outcome, I prayed! My faith in God runs very deep and
after praying for his protection during my travels, I was put at ease
and I am now fully ready to get my #EuroTour2012 started!! Let's goooo!
