36 hours in Frankfurt…

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Well, 36 hours give or take due to my flight being delayed out of Denver. Not until we took off did I learn that the majority of Lufthansa employees were on strike in Germany, and a lot of the flights out of Frankfurt were cancelled on Monday. Fortunately for me I won’t be flying out until Tuesday night and on Etihad Airlines instead of Lufthansa. Felt pretty bad for the guy next to me that was going to have a ten hour layover on his way home to Athens, and the strike was very obvious once we landed and the captain had to navigate his way to the gate through planes parked all over place since Frankfurt is Lufthansa’s primary hub airport. Well, onward for me, and I dashed the mile plus hike to immigration (why do they always make the gates so far away?!), grabbed my bag and a cab and headed to the Hotel Victoria.

The Hotel Victoria is a 1940’s style art deco hotel that is in a great location and walking distance to many great places of interest for sightseeing, shopping, etc. It is also, however, about five blocks away from the ‘Red Light District’ if you turn the wrong way when you walk out of the hotel. It is a pretty simple and affordable property, which is what I was looking for since I needed to book two nights and use the second as a ‘throw away’ night just so I can have the room until I head to the airport on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. But, you get what you get, and my room was, uh, a very efficient use of space 😉 After an early check-in & quick shower, I headed to the front desk to make sure I knew which way to exit the hotel in order to reach the desired sites to see on day one. The front desk agent was great, and he helped me map out where I was headed and off I went!

 

Frankfurt is the financial capital of Germany and is different from other German cities in that it has a fair number of modern skyscrapers located in the Innenstadt district. So, my first stop was the Main (pronounced Mine) Tower that has a rooftop viewing deck above the 54th floor at 240 meters high (787 feet) with plexiglass walls about waist high to keep you safe while admiring the amazing views of the city. It kind of reminded me of the plexiglass platform on Madeira Island that I visited last year, and I had to reach out and hold on each time I went to take a photo so as not to induce a serious case of vertigo. This was the perfect first stop, though, as I was able to see exactly where I was headed for the rest of the afternoon and just how close together everything was.

Next I headed toward the Goethehaus (Goethe House) which was the childhood home of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. He was not only Germany’s most famous poet but was also a politician, educational performer & avid botanist. Admittedly, I am not the most schooled person in poetry, but I found it interesting that Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert all put Goethe’s poetry to music. Once I located the Goeth House I realized that I was starving and it was almost three o’clock in the afternoon so I headed on to the Römerberg, which is the historic center of the city. I found it pretty easily and knew I was there when I turned the corner and saw the city hall, which the German term for is Rathouse. Not sure of the origin, meaning or translation of this, but I thought it interesting!

Onward into the Römerberg, where there were musicians & magicians peddling for money, and I have to admit they were all quite good. I picked a place on the square for lunch and order Schnitzel served ‘gypsy style’ with pommes frites, salad and, of course, a glass of the Apfelwein (apple wine) that Frankfurt is known for. Gypsy style meant the Schnitzel was smothered in a red bell pepper sauce which was delicious. Time being of the essence & the check paid, I dropped a tip in the amazing flute players hat & headed towards the river and followed it until I reached the Dom or Cathedral that is dedicated to St. Bartholomew. It was completely destroyed in a fire in 1867 and rebuilt in it’s present style. It was also devastated by bombings during WWII in 1944 and was repaired in 1959. What I didn’t realize until I got there was that you could pay 3 Euro to climb to the observation deck of the Dom up a winding, narrow staircase, and, for some crazy reason I thought this would be a good idea after my Schnitzel lunch. What was I thinking?? Three hundred and twenty-seven steps up and down. The views were beautiful, but goodness it was tough after a long flight and little sleep!!

I then circled back around the St. Paul’s Cathedral which was very contemporary on the inside. Not much to see there so I headed back to the Goethe House to do a quick tour before returning to the hotel. The Goethe House was built in the 1600’s and bought by his Goethe’s paternal grandmother in 1733. It was once two separate structures but was remodeled by Goethe’s father in 1755 to make it one house. It is said that Goethe was born in this house in 1749. It really is beautiful with period furniture, artwork and original documents carefully preserved and restored, and I spent a few minutes just relaxing in the garden… a very relaxing few minutes in this busy, urban area.

A quick stop in a confectionary shop to pick up a well-deserved macaroon and then back to the hotel. Five o’clock traffic had picked up, but I managed to find my way pretty easily. After a very brief rest as I didn’t want to completely fall asleep and not be able to sleep through the night, I found a really hip, awesome restaurant called ‘Urban Restaurant’ around the corner from my hotel. Great decor (with Aspen trees!) and ambiance (especially for a Monday night!). After some delicious sushi and a nice Chardonnay, it was time to get some sleep!! But at least I made it until 9:30 p.m. Frankfurt time. Hopefully this will help in adjusting to Arabian Daylight Time starting on Wednesday for the next fun filled part of my journey!

Frankfurt ~ Day 2!

After a light breakfast at the hotel, I headed out the door to catch the U4 at a station a few blocks away towards the Palmengarten (Palm Garden) and Botanical Gardens. With limited time I had to make a decision on which to visit, and, although I love to visit Botanical Gardens wherever I travel, I chose the Palmengarten for it’s historical value as well as it’s beautiful gardens, indoor and out. The villas within this garden complex are originals and not restorations as this was an area that restricted zone during the bombings of WWII. Despite the fact that it was used by the Gestapo, many wealthy Germans moved to this area when they were bombed out of their homes, and it was used by the American military during their occupation of the country. The homes around the Palmengarten are very stately, reminding me of Embassy Row in Washington D.C. I spent about two hours here as it is 22 acres and quite a lot to explore. From the music pavilion to the grand Palm House, to the Rose Gardens and Tropicarium, the Palmengarten did not disappoint. In the Tropicarium, there is an entire section dedicated to Baobabs and other indigenous plants from Madagascar that are at risk of extinction. And Leonhardsbrunn Haus had the most beautiful Dahlia gardens… I’ve ever seen! I can understand why the Palmengarten is such a peaceful sanctuary as it was filled with families and friends strolling the pathways for a little peace and quiet in the city.

Next on the agenda was to head back to the Römerberg area and visit the Museum of Modern Art. This is an interesting building that is built in the shape of a slice of pie. A three story piece of pie that is and painted in a muted mauve color. I arrived just in time to duck out of the sprinkling rain, and there was an installation called “Everything is inside,” by an Indian artist named Subodh Gupta that used lots of utilitarian & household items to convey his message of life in India. It was actually very interesting, and I enjoyed spending a bit of time learning about this work before heading up to the third floor where the Andy Warhol’s were hanging. Unfortunately there was no photography allowed, but I have a few pictures of this interesting building from the outside.

Next was the Museum District or Embankment, called Museumsufer, which is a row of stately buildings holding museum after museum. The Museum of Modern Art, being modern and all, is actually not located on this row so I had to cross the Eisener Stag (bridge) to reach the other side of the Main River. The Eisener Stag has become the ‘bridge of locks’ much like the one in Paris, but it has a long way to go to achieve that status. But there are beautiful views of the Main River from the bridge, and I enjoyed walking the Museumsufer before finding a nice place for lunch. When in Frankfurt, one must have a frankfurter, so that is exactly what I had accompanied by German potato salad and a nice glass of white wine. It was good, but I’m not much of a hot dog person, which is exactly what a frankfurter is, but I can  now say that I’ve had one in Frankfurt. Afterward I enjoyed walking along the museums, but, in the interest of time I skipped going in any of them, but given the time I would have visited a number of them.

 

I was really lucky on my quick trip to Frankfurt. With a little sunshine the second morning, and only a little overcast the rest of the time, I escaped the pouring rain that came as I was leaving my hotel for the airport. Overall I was really impressed with Frankfurt. It was easy to get around, the sights, although lots of restoration going on, were a joy to see, and the people were fantastic! So nice, polite and kind. Now I wait at the airport for my flight to Abu Dhabi connecting onto the Seychelles to be called shortly. I have to say that, although this was just a quick overnight stop to break up the longer trip, I’m glad that I stayed for this 36 hours, give or take…. (oh, and Lufthansa is still on strike… hope they get that worked out by November 8th!!)

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