Cheers, Frankfurt!

I have ended as I began with Frankfurters and Apfelwein.  The sausage here is so tasty, and not at all what people are willing to accept back in the United States.
I had a bit of adventure--not wacky--sorry.  I decided to try another stop on my way home on the S Bahn, which turned out to be a mistake.  Evidently if one gets off at the Messe Fair the only options are to attend the fair or get back on the train.  I ended up being shooed away politely from a restricted area.
I am leaving tomorrow fairly early, so I spent the day in shopping.  As always I began by my daily walk to the Hauptbahnhof.  I picked up some things and walked back to dump them off.  Then I got cash and a day ticket for public transport and went off to the Zeil.  Some of the chains any American shopper would find familiar, and H and M and Zara are in fact European.  Other stores might have different names but the merchandise would certainly appear familiar on account of Globalization.  I have the idea that the chains have taken over and you will find few independent shops now.  I shopped in department stores.  One cool thing about them besides the perfumes one can sample, is that in the basement are gourmet foods and huge candy departments for those buying presents.
In Frankfurt there is nothing distinctive about German dress.  If traditional dress still exists in Hesse, no one wears it as they do in Bavaria.  Business beings wear suits, teenagers try to look sexy or weird, the rest would not be out of place in any American city.  Except.  There is a strong and traditional Middle Eastern presence here, so women in veils and the occasional man in traditional dress are common.  They are in my dwelling.  I believe they come here to escape the pork!
Another thing.  Have you ever seen a fight attendant in a non-airport setting?  Lufthansa is a major presence in Frankfurt, and many of the flight attendants seem to stay in Mainz.  Because of their job requirements their impeccable grooming makes them appear almost freakish among the rest of us slubs.  It's as if someone had stepped out of a glossy magazine onto the S Bahn.
Germans are Always Eating.  They eat in public transport.  They walk down the street eating.  They have huge meals at mid day, but it looks like mostly Asian or Italian food.  When I went to Bologna a couple of years ago, I found big signs everywhere touting "Gluten Free!"--and this in the land of Pasta.  I have seen no such signs in Germany.
And there is no sign of a low carb movement.  Mention going wheat free to a German, and I imagine the reaction would be a hard stare and then, "Ach, zo.  Amerikaner."  Accompanied by a pitying look.
Like other Europeans Germans also smoke.  I hate especially seeing young people puff away and am horrified by folks smoking in front of children.  They follow the rules and don't smoke indoors in public places but as soon as they get off the train or leave the building, they feel compelled to light up.  Entrances and exits are littered with discarded butts.
I have had another terrific trip and have gone everywhere I meant to go and have seen most of what I wanted to see.