It probably shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise to see how much American influence there is in Europe, even in countries like Germany and France. Sure, there’s the old churches and beautiful Gothic architecture, but often right across the street—even right next door—there’s a McDonald’s or a Burger King or an Express .

No, we didn’t shop at any of those places.

We did go to the outdoor farmers market in Frankfurt with our friends Sal and Bethany. I couldn’t help but think about the food truck market I went to when I was on assignment in Portland, Ore.; the Frankfurt market had a similar vibe, but with a LOT more wine. That we did sample, although to be perfectly honest, I enjoyed the Riesling more than the apple wine that is a specialty around Frankfurt.

We peeked inside the Church of St. Catherine during our walk around Frankfurt. These churches really are beautiful; considering all the various conflicts that have occurred across Europe over the centuries, it’s amazing to see these incredible pieces of architecture still standing.

Then there’s America, where a 20-year-old sports arena isn’t suitable anymore and needs to be demolished and replaced…

Stick with what works. So, while we ate at the farmer’s market while we were out and about (bratwurst because yum!) we ended up having dinner at the same restaurant we did our first night in Germany. Paulaner was delicious both nights; plus, it wasn’t far from our hotel. Speaking of our hotel, one thing Hilton Garden Inns do well is breakfast. It was nice to have some familiar foods to fall back on, like eggs and bacon (even if Europeans apparently don’t believe in crispy bacon) but I also ate like the locals with some (OK, a lot of) Nutella on a croissant. Tasty!

Thanks to our tour guides. A special shout-out to Sal and Bethany for serving as gracious “hosts” during our time in Germany. Sal gets a bonus because he encouraged us to try macarons while we were overseas. Thanks for the new addiction.

It’s a hub! Before we met up with Sal and Bethany, we walked around the area where we were staying, which is part of the airport but also a train station with a highway nearby. Lots of traffic but considering we were sleeping right under the flight path of incoming planes, we were never disturbed. It was cool to watch the planes come in.