Saturday at Frankfurt is always a slow day because many people have left and everyone is tired.  It is also the day when the general public is allowed into the Fair which means that it is often very crowded and today was no exception.  I spent some time wandering in the foreign halls and was completely overwhelmed in the Turkish section.  This year the Fair celebrated the literature of Turkey so there were many people visiting from the local Turkish community!  Plus outside the official halls there was a huge flea market and lots of people dressed up in fancy dress, either in honor of Halloween or because they had chosen characters from literature.  I dropped into to see Colleen at her stand and on our way out we visited the Australian booth.  Then we went for a walk through the streets and ended up having a coffee in a neighborhood café, near her hotel.  It was a lovely afternoon.  The sun was shining and everyone seemed happy to be outside.  And I am happy that the Fair has ended and I can come home.

The weather was much cooler today as if fall had really come to Frankfurt.  Although it wasn’t raining it was definitely scarf and coat weather.  I started out my morning with a lovely cappuccino and muffin at the fair before having meetings that lasted all day.  The highlight of the day was a meeting with a French publisher, Les Arenes, who is publishing all of the New Yorker titles.  He has just published a big book in France about the history of the French police which looked interesting. I had fun wandering the aisles of the French publishers at the fair.  Later on this afternoon I went to a drinks party at the New Zealand stand and met some of my old colleagues, including Geoff.  For dinner I went to an Indian restaurant called The Jewel of India.  To my surprise, when I arrived, I realized that it was the same Indian restaurant where, a few years ago, the poor waiter tripped and lost his armful of plates of food, some of which ended up all over me!  Fortunately, tonight I was sitting away from the aisle and did not suffer the same consequence!  The restaurant was close to my hotel so I had a lovely walk through the crisp evening, tripping over autumn leaves, to get home.

Today I woke late but got the fair in time for my first meeting at 9am.  It was quite a busy day with lots of meetings including a visit to PQ Blackwell where I saw Geoff and Ruth. I also wandered past the Google stand.  I met with different publishers from all over the world including Holland, Australia, England, Canada and Sweden.  At the end of the day there was a party at the Australian stand where I saw some of my colleagues who I have known for over twenty years.  At the end of the day I traveled on the tram to our restaurant for dinner.  There was a long line for a taxi so Suzanne and I decided to take the tram through the city and across the river to get to our restaurant.  We had a delicious meal of truffles and pumpkin ravioli.  Dessert was scrumptious and although I didn’t have any I did take a photograph!

Frankfurt Book Fair Day 1

Last night before I had dinner with Jenny, I met our Canadian friends Rob and Colleen for a drink.  We met at the hotel where I used to stay, the Best Western, and went across the street to a wine bar in the local neighborhood.  The Best Western is in the student part of town near the University.  Rob and Colleen told me about Rob’s 60^th birthday and their trip to Tuscany over the summer, along with his planned trip with his German friend driving a Vesper in the south of Italy next year.  Rob’s daughter Kerrie, was married on the day before his birthday in the Rockies and it sounded like a great family celebration.  Rob reminded me of his grandfather who lived to be 105!  After drinks, Colleen and I walked back to the Marriott where I met Jenny in my room.  She stayed with me last night and we shared cups of tea and chat over breakfast this morning.

 

Today was the first business day of the Fair and it was very busy.  There seemed to be fewer American here compared to other years; however, there were many Europeans.  The corridors were very crowded with attendees.  I had meetings every half hour from 9.30am until 5.30pm.  I managed to sneak a cheese sandwich and glass of water for lunch and had a nice chat with an Australian man who now lives in Singapore (after I had accidentally trodden on his toe!).  Later in the day I met Geoff and Ruth from PQ and showed then our photos of our visit to Auckland.  Geoff has recovered from his back surgery and seemed very well.  Then tonight I went in a taxi to a grand hotel in the country outside Frankfurt called The Schloss.  It has tall ceilings, staircases with long red carpets, huge paintings on the walsl and wooden beams.  It is quite famous as a place for wealthy visitors to Frankfurt.  Dinner included delicious pasta with truffles and some very good European cheeses.  All in all a good, but tiring day.

Today was set up day at the Fair, so I met my colleague Suzanne in the lobby of the Marriott and we headed over to Hall 8 at the Messe. This involves walking quite a long way. I used to say that you needed to take a packed lunch with you because it was such a long hike. The buildings are reminiscent of an airport with lots of moving footpaths and large windows to look out of as you pass through. In my early days the English language hall was Hall 4 and this consisted of three levels. These days all the English language publishers are in one enormous Hall 8. These countries include the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

When we got to our booth our packages had not arrived which made Suzanne very nervous. I was pretty relaxed because I know from experience that deliveries can take time. Only once in 20 years have my catalogs not turned up so I knew the odds were pretty good. When they did arrive we had to figure out how best to arrange the posters and the books. The background color of the booth we chose this year was an avocado, olive green which seemed good when we looked at the swatch of color, but en masse in the booth it was a bit overwhelming, especially with the lime green headers we had. It became clear something had to change if we were not going to be living in a pea green soup for the whole week. So we dispensed with most of the lime green and used the posters to bigger effect. The booth definitely is unexpected and makes you smile because it is so bright and cheerful. We have featured Bee & Me, plus the Posh puzzles and the new cartoon called The Argyle Sweater.

On the way back from setting up I saw several television cameras and lots of police who were there in preparation for the opening ceremony of the fair. There are expected to be over 350,000 people here from all over the world. As I write I can also here helicopters over head. Tonight I am going to meet Rob and Colleen, our old Canadian friends, for a drink and then my English friend Jenny Manstead will join me for dinner.

The day began sleepily after an extraordinary evening at the Frankfurt Opera House.  Mezzo soprano Cecillia Bartoli gave an exquisite performance that included six encores.  Even the normally reserved Germans were on their feet applauding as she danced her way through the last three pieces.  Her feisty and fun loving Italian nature shone through the usual reserve assigned to singers of her class.  Six or seven bouquets of flowers, and several trills at high note had the crowd beside themselves.  It was quite a Sunday evening for the local Frankfurters.

 

The transition back to the real world began with our usual breakfast and studying of the International Herald Tribune for news of any hope in the financial markets and commentary about the election.  After a languid morning, we took a long, final walk through the forest, kicking piles of leaves, enjoying the peace and calm of the trees and the light drifting through the branches.  I was sad to leave as I gathered my bags and caught a taxi back to the bright lights of the big city and my enormous hotel next to the Messe, as the group of trade show buildings that enclose the Frankfurt Book Fair, is known.

 

I then took Kate on a stroll through the familiar streets beside the hotel which is adjacent to the Goethe University and a local neighborhood shopping street.  We stopped for coffee, chocolate and water; watched the locals walking their dogs and coming home from work and generally soaked up the atmosphere.  Then it was back to to the Mariott hotel to sort myself out, get ready for the first day of set-up at the Fair and catch up on email.

German Fireplace:

Blackberry Time: