This magical-looking space also plays host to the tri-weekly vegetable market in Mainz. Photo (cc) flickr user szeke

When I moved here I didn’t even really like Mainz.  What I liked was the community that I would be living in, and the lack of an hour commute between me and the Beard.  Long distance relationships suck, but I was willing to have one with the city of Frankfurt.  Expats love to hate on Frankfurt, but I love to love on it.  I can see how all the banks and faux New York-ing might put a body off, but it can be quite charming once you take the time to get to know her (as they say in German) “chocolate side.”  But that is really besides the point.  The point is that, this week, I found myself appreciating Mainz, really deeply appreciating it, for the first time since I had moved here from Frankfurt almost four years ago.