Our family had to take separate vacations this year. While my husband and son went to Sardinia, our daughter and I opted for a completely different type of vacation.

Theirs, on Sardinia, is in a self-catering vacation apartment. To get around the island, my husband booked a rental car.

Margo and I enjoy All-inclusive this year, with a paid driver on the side.

On Sardinia, the temperature is a decent 27° (80 F). Where we are, the temp is hovering at 35° (95 F) for today, with 38° C – 40°C (100 F – 104 F) in the forecast for tomorrow. We have a nice view onto a beautiful park stacked with flowers and lounge chairs. There is an in-door pool and we are getting spoiled by room service versus the regular line-up at the buffet.

The staff is very kind and it makes me wonder if they had to go through a U.S. American customer-service training. We are being greeted every time we step in and out of the elevator. Doors are being held open for us. Special requests are delivered promptly.

And – I have never met so many men in my life. This place is just swarming with guys, suntanned from their extended stays. Margo has her own room boy, who takes her out for leisurely strolls.

In the hallway, there is a special room with only an ice-machine in it. We can help ourselves to ice at any time!

The other guests are extremely nice and kind, too. We open each others doors  as the staff is setting a supreme example. Meeting new guests is made very easy and we freely talk about how we ended up in this location.

We arrived by car. Special guests arrive by helicopter.

80% of the guests are male, ranging from young men to senior citizens. Everybody is so kind and helpful – I doubt it could be any better in a 5-star hotel.

Curious now  where we are spending our vacation?

We are having a lovely time at the Berufsgenossenschaftliche Unfallklinik (BGU) a.k.a. Workmen’s Emergency Clinic in Frankfurt.

Due to our daughter’s injury at school three days before the planned family holiday, we ended up here.

By the way, her knee surgery (avulsion fracture, torn ligaments) went well and we just learned we are booked for another five days with the ever remaining option for another extension.

This morning proved to be a good time for a short walk in the forest. There was a slight drizzle, but this does not keep the forest-loving Germans indoors.

Forsthausweg Oberursel

I saw quite a few joggers, dog walkers, and bicyclists. A few cars came along the Forsthausweg (forester’s lodge path). They were either on their way to one of the forest restaurants or they were trying to find a way around the road blocks which had been set up for today’s bike race on Hohemarkstrasse.

Hohemarkstrasse Oberursel

Some foreigners claim public holidays to be quiet and boring in Germany. Because shops in Asia are generally open seven days a week, I am sometimes asked what Germans actually do – since the shops are closed – on such days.

Very general, some young people hang out in cafés in Frankfurt, families might take walks or visit the Opel Zoo (its front page pointing out that they are OPEN on holidays) or Freizeitpark Lochmühle. Some people relax at home or visit relatives. You might also find the whole family at a local beer fest. But public holidays are meant for spending time with family and NOT out shopping.

Once in a while, when I am pressed for time, I wish shops were open on Sundays and holidays in Germany. Tomorrow is such a rare day – a list of all Verkaufsoffene Sonntage in Hessen for 2010 (scroll down to view list).

But overall, quiet public holidays and boring Sundays have their charms, too.

For a list of public holidays in Germany, visit worldtravelguide.

If you visit or live in Bavaria, the biggest state in Germany, there are three extra public holidays:

06 January (Epiphany)

15 August (Maria Ascension Day)

01 November (All Saints’ Day)