Frankfurt, Frankfurters, but no Hot Dogs

This article has no photos of Frankfurt because well…Frankfurt was boring.  So instead I’ve included some of my favourite photos from my time in Europe since this is my last stop.  Hope you like them too!


Arriving on the 19^th in Munich on the overnight train from Florence, I immediately caught the next high speed train to Frankfurt. The relative comfort between DeutscheBahn fast trains and EuroCity overnight trains is indescribable; suffice it to say I fell asleep quickly on the fast train. The trip was just over an hour however, and woken by a ticket checker, I was disappointed the journey was so short and my nap couldn’t go on. I found my way through the bitter cold of Frankfurt to my hostel only a couple blocks from the station, and dumped my stuff, looking longingly at the bed. But now was not a time for sleeping, today was an exciting day, because for the first time in over three months I was going to see family! My brother (Brian) and his wife (Karen) were visiting Germany and the Czech Republic as a small vacation, preceding a conference they were attending in Cologne. I wasted time on the internet until noon and went to the Hauptbahnhof to meet them. Never before has it been so good to see family as that moment. We thought we would spend some time seeing the Christmas market which Frankfurt does like every other German city – well. Unfortunately as we wandered the streets, it quickly became apparent that Canadian or not, without proper winter gear we couldn’t take much of the negative 14 degree temperature. We decided on a cruise on the River Main (hence, Frankfurt am Main, sort of like Stratford upon Avon) as long as it was heated, and had some good German beer. We were informed that we were the first to arrive for the departure in an hour, and unless 15 guests showed, the cruise would not run. We went to a small cafe and grabbed hot chocolates, hoping that when we returned there would be the required number of guests. It was great catching up with my family, hearing some of their travel stories, happy to finally have some of my own to share. The hot chocolate did the trick and we left the cafe much warmer than we had entered it. As we headed to the boat launch I think we all were hoping it would run just so we could stay out of the cold, but satiate that deep tourist need to do at least some sightseeing. We came within a hairs width of not going, but because of a New Yorker who absolutely HAD to go on the cruise and was thus willing to pay double, we got the required 15 and set sail. Frankly (no pun intended), there is not a lot to see in Frankfurt. It is a big modern city, the centre of European banking, the founder of some great things (including house trance music, but that’s up to you whether it’s great or not), but especially in such cold weather, it’s a wasteland. The cruise was a great opportunity to get out of the cold and the three of us enjoyed the chance to talk in a warm room, with a cold beer, and at least some scenery going by. The occasional narration came over the loudspeaker, but for the most part we were left on our own to admire the ‘view’. When the tour came to an end, we decided it was time for supper and after some fruitless wandering, coming across nothing but overpriced eateries, we went to my hostel where Brian and Karen researched on wikitravel (works every time!) while I set up my dorm room. We ended up at an Ethiopian food place where a heavy curtain hangs forebodingly over the entrance. Inside is completely the opposite, where warmth and dark lighting set the mood for a welcoming and quiet ambiance. Adding to the relaxed ambiance was an interesting seating scheme, where the restaurant was divided into nooks for groups of 2-20 to hang out, usually sitting on cushions rather than chairs (although one ‘nook’ was a two wheeled wagon cart with an animal skin for cushioning).  We quickly snatched up a tree fort, climbed the 8ft ladder, and enjoyed the overhead view of the whole restaurant. The food was traditional Ethiopian and we were delighted with our sampler tray, an assortment of six Ethiopian dishes from stewed spinach to lamb, all eaten in the typical manner using spongy bread to scoop up the delicious meal. We were advised to try the apple wine, and we ordered a litre expecting to share it amongst the three of us. As it turns out, apple wine is more like beer, and a litre translated into a litre for each of us, but considering the lightness of the elixir, it was a welcome treat to the palate (and for me at least, went miles in cooling my tongue after some of the spicier dishes). We hung out in our tree fort for a couple hours, enjoying the ambiance, apple wine, and good company. It was a great find and one of the best parts of my visit to Frankfurt. Regardless of venue though, the best part of Frankfurt was seeing Brian and Karen. While I was going to see my sister (Jenny in Melbourne) a few days later, it was a terrific finale to my trip in Europe.

I was stuck in Frankfurt on the 20^th, a day filled with the pain of  anticipation before my big trip halfway around the world. I decided to shorten the day as much as possible and slept past noon (a welcome sleep after the sleepless night before) before even contemplating doing anything. When I finally got my travelling shoes on to tour the city, I was surprised to find the city blanketed in 15cm of snow with more piling up by the minute. I donned my warmest clothing, a scarf and toque, and braved the storm...for about 5 minutes. After enough snow for a snowman blew into my eyes, I called it quits and went back to the hostel to hang out for the afternoon. Frankfurt’s a boring city anyways, no point in trying to see any more right? I ventured out again only for dinner at a nice Chinese restaurant just down the street, but spent the rest of the day nice and cosy. This was my LAST day in Europe, and it was snowing. I guess the Northern Hemisphere was getting the last word on my departure from winter (which I have endured for the past 20 years), but I’m having the last laugh, sitting here in sunny New Zealand typing this in January on a cafe’s patio.

I suppose this is where I do a rough conclusion on the city I’ve been visiting...nope...can’t think of one. After Antwerp, I didn’t think I would ever again visit a city and see so little of it, but then came Frankfurt. I suppose by walking the main drag, doing the river cruise, and searching for restaurants I did see a good deal of it, but with my chin tucked in my jacket against the wind, hurrying from location to location, I didn’t actually take in very much. Maybe one day when I’m rich enough to buy a small country I’ll end up in Frankfurt on business, but that’s my impression of Frankfurt, a city of big business. Next stop...a little warmer. Actually, a lot warmer.

Those were just some of my favourite photos.  There are more photos I am very happy with, but this post was too short to show them all.  Remember, you can check out all my photos at: www.picasaweb.google.com/fosterd3 .
Feel free to leave comments and tell me which are your favourites!