#89 Who's got some aircon?

I feel like every other newsletter issue I send to you, it’s always after some crazy busy, whirlwind weeks, and this one’s no exception. I recently flew to Frankfurt to help at a tech event for a week, and I spent a good amount of time deliberating whether I should take this or that camera lens for my everyday moments (limited luggage space and all).

Well, it didn’t really matter, because we got there right during the heatwave so time spent wandering around was very limited because Frankfurt is just one big building maze, reflecting sun and heating up like crazy.

Although my main job for this was the content I was helping with and just general ‘I’m here, give me jobs you need help with,’ I was also covering one day of photo coverage as our main photographer had to leave early so I was ready for that. Unfortunately, he fell ill so I had to cover some more. I had a little battery mishap but thank god I had everything I needed to cover that extra time!

Then, right during all this, my other half got really sick and had to stay and recover in the flat we were staying at, except there was no aircon so not only was he kinda dead, he was even more dead because this heatwave was relentless. I had to take 3-4 showers one day just to keep myself functioning, and not even using the towel to dry off to enjoy glorious 10-15 minutes of slight coolness on my skin.

I ended up doing three mini-shoots too to shoot some portraiture of three lovely event attendees, so by the end of it all, let’s just say I had no chance to explore the city, and even if I wanted to, I’d need a portable fan with me at all times.

As the designated nurse, I found a shop for some medicines to bring back to our room, and a supermarket that was right in the city centre not too far from us, and had such a nice range of fresh foods and snacks. My go-to snack to bring back was a big plastic box full of melon and watermelon, the one thing I was really craving in this weather.

During all these walks, I sometimes had my Fuji on me, which meant I could grab a shot or two. A small memory tokens from a trip we’ll look back at and laugh at how bad things felt in the moment.

It was almost comical in that we were both feeling like shit for different reasons, but very much brought together for our both struggles to function in this heat and glimpses of the World Cup that I caught at times when I came back to shower, get changed, or take a break.

Those 9-10 PM breezes felt like lifesavers, even though it was still warm. But, I’ve never had to deal with such almost suffocating feeling because the room kept all the heat in, and made it even worse than outside—and it didn’t matter what we do to try and help it.

Frankfurt is actually a really lovely city, as long as you are aware of the no-go places (or are very careful in these), because it feels so walkable. I racked up thousands of steps everyday but not once did I feel anything I need is too far away.

The old town area, the business district, nice restaurants from every cuisine imaginable, park and the rover, it’s all there, and we already said we’ll make sure to come visit it when we are both healthy, when none of us are working, and when the weather isn’t as extreme as this.

As we hit the last day, and we were helping with the tear-down (it’s not great fun doing heavy lifting and trying to squeeze things in the cars during such heat), I started feeling it—I was starting to get ill myself. As were a few others from the team.

I think my body gave me a pass for the entire week so I can make sure I do my best to survive and be on the ball throughout the week, and once it knew it’s the day after, my immune system totally let go. I ended up dealing with a huge headache at the airport (while our plane was delayed too, and this was after two hour bus ride), but on the flip side—we had the most beautiful sunset there.

We went to the Cologne airport because it had better flight times, and where our gate was, it’s essentially a gigantic glass box.

When we first arrived, it wasn’t that hot yet, and as we sat waiting for our bus to Frankfurt (which also was late), I pulled out my camera to help pass the time.

The man you see in that glass below, is exactly where I was stood on the way back waiting for our flight.

And this is the view from where that man was stood.

The passport check space was totally air-con free it seemed (giving us a scare we’ll be stuck for hours in this), but luckily the actual waiting area wasn’t too bad, even if it did look like a big glass greenhouse (although the plants were fake), with the lower ground waiting area giving a really nice cool refresh.

I had no painkillers left, and there was no pharmacy or general store that would sell any, so I moved between sitting in the chair with my head leaned back, rubbing my temples and my scalp to help relieve the pain, while listening to something I downloaded on YouTube, and getting up to wander around and capture how fast the light was changing from bright white to soft, glowing orange.

It’s not often that airports we go to are so nice and spacious to walk around. It didn’t have much there in terms of shops and food places, but it just felt so airy and open, a big contrast to most that stuff you in some tight waiting areas. I don’t go to huge airports generally, but the difference is huge compared to let’s say Manchester, which I think is fairly large.

And just before our plane boarded, this was my view.

I managed to get back in (just about) one piece, but had to take time off to recover from this nasty cold that took me out of the action for a while. And, here I am today—sharing my adventures with you as Switzerland and Colombia go to extra time, so let’s see what comes out of it! ⚽

That’s all from me this week—if you enjoyed this newsletter issue and haven’t subscribed yet, you can click the button below. I’d love to have you here! Hopefully, catch you next week.✨