Frankfurt 21 March. Cathay-Pacific CX209 flight made three-point landing at 5.30 a.m., disgorging passengers after two cordon bleu dinners on the 12-hour flight. They drag themselves from melatonin-induced sleep or choice of 100 in flight movies.

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High octane “Quantum Solace” of James Bond (Daniel Craig) gave no respite: But I recommend “L’affaire Farewell” the French spy thriller by Christian Carion an intellgence officer who ended the Cold War by drawing open the Iron Curtain for the ’Wizard of Oz.

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Vi Surtida also gifted me Guther Grass’ “Peeling the Onion” as good companion and hindsight look over the shoulders of the author of “Tin Drum” and “Dog Years.”

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Frankfurt Airport is a copy of NAIA 3. That’s a joke. NAIA 3 must have been dusted off blueprints of Frankfurt Airport. Even the uniforms for NAIA 3 are the beige and green of Frankfurt police.

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Could we not have a more generic Pinoy to showcase our forest and an aquarium of marine life and diving spots?

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In any case, we’ve had that long-promised opening of NAIA 3 going back to the season when Dick Gordon was secretary of tourism.

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Mayor Klaus Wowereit still holds onto one of the last four pieces of the Berlin Wall in recognition of EDSA “People Power;” but PGMA hasn’t come to collect it because of NAIA (NAHIYA?) and Fraport.

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The next President can come after we untangle the tango of three administrations dealing with the buccaneering Fraport management, For all its shortcomings, NAIA 3 is still a better airport than an elephant.

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We should have asked Germans, who make the best autobahns, to run SLEX. But again, maybe that wouldn’t have worked since German autobahns are toll-free.

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Chancellor Angela Merekel is not disposed to be milking cow of spendthrift Greece; but German export economy is in the best situation and the European Bank sits in Frankfurt.

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In previous incarnation, I was cruising 150 kph when my wife complained of a faintly thumping sound. It was a BMW 520, so I said the sound must be the autobahn. More bothered by wife’s nagging than the sound. after 5 minutes, I pulled over at the next exit.

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As the BMW parked. the right fender dipped. The right front wheel was flat... but the engineering compensated with a life-saving self-leveler for three wheels at high speed. If it were another car, I might not be writing this column today.

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Actually, the French design better cars: but the Germans build them better.

Nobody does mass production as well as the Germans.

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The French named one of their first models after a lemon. But, then again, a Citoren saved President Charles de Gaulle from real-life Jackal assassin.

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Germany developed the high-speed magnetic bahn decades ago but never put it on the rails because of the booming sound barrier. They finally sold it to China which has enough open space and not inconvenienced by environmentalists.

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Before I could exchange my US dollars for euros, the cashier dashed out of the counter to run after a client who had absent-mindedly left her money at the counter.

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Returning, cashier exchanged my bills and, seeing my passport, greeted me a beautiful “Magandang umaga.” Maritess Zulueta is from Surigao and 19 years now in Frankfurt with her Filipino husband.

No, she still eats “kanin” and yes, she hasn’t forgotten habits of honesty.

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ROAD TRAFFIC. Zero potholes program of DPWH on the way. They will cover potholes with manholes.

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Better yet, take a cue from Niederzimmer, a village close to Leipzig. Mayor Christoph Schmidt-Rose has the bright idea of leasing advertising space on manhole covers. Feedback, jazqmb.com.ph