Where is the best place to shop in Frankfurt Hahn ?

Stranded in Frankfurt Hahn. Not the best place to be when volcano ejafajajokkoul (or whatever the spelling is) shut the airports down. It was Friday April 16th, 2010 and I was making my way home to Cork via Hahn Kerry after a German business trip. Decision time. I had a rental car and lodged the previous night at My Place Hotel in Lautzanhausen, a short walk from Hahn airport (the 800 metres I see advertised is a little misleading).

I walked up to the airport and discovered that I would not be flying that day. And there you are. The disadvantages of using a regional airport. One flight a day to Kerry. Armed with the knowledge that I was hanging around for another day I walked over to Hertz and kept the car for another day. Then back to the hotel I went. And after some work, calls to the family and ablutions, I went shopping.

Lautzenhausen is not a shopping destination. Either is Hahn airport. So off I went in my mietwagon in search of a proper shop. And after a few stops, some walking, and recce’s on what turned out to be some really crap shops, I discovered Norma. Norma u beauty. Like an oasis in the desert.

Before I go much further let me say that I travel light. A small bag with laptop on one side and shirts, boxers and socks on the other side; a few toiletries in the front pocket. So by Friday 16th July I needed some supplies: lynx, toothpaste etc. The clothes I had washed in the sink with hotel shampoo were drying on the heater while I went forraging.

Back to Norma. Think Lidl and Aldi at regional German prices and you get the idea. Norma is not a woman but to me she represented beauty in the form of commodities. After a good wander and loading up a basket with toothbrush, Axe (lynx), toothpaste, water etc. I came back to the tempting call of a bottle of 2007 Spanish Tempranillo-Garnacha. Badged with a prominent sehr gut sticker at an unbelievable sub 3 euro a bottle I began to suspect foul play, but reminded myself that I had been surprised by inexpensive wine in Germany before. Particularly Italian and Spanish wines seem to offer great value in Germany I have found. So in the trolley it went. And it was enjoyed with my brother in law in England the following night and we both remarked at its quality for an astounding price. So Norma, until next time, auf wiedersehen !