Saying hello to Frankfurt

After getting a good night's sleep previously, last night I felt like I didn't sleep at all. I got a good 3 hours in, then woke up every 1 or 2 hours after that. Don't know why. I was plenty tired. I had another in my string of weird dream about being back in college and moving in to an apartment with my old college roommate. So I slept off and on until 7, then got up, showered, finished packing, and hauled my stuff through a rainy, cold couple of blocks to the train station. A quick bagel and tea and then I was on my train to Frankfurt. This ride didn't seem nearly as bad as the one to Munich, even though it was the same amount of time (3 hours) and the same path. Maybe cuz I hadn't just gotten off a plane, or maybe cuz I felt more comfortable with what I was doing. I dozed off and on, waking up to look at the beautiful contryside through an overcast, drizzly morning.

Arriving at Frankfurt, the train station was much like Munich's. I needed to find a map though. I had already figured out what stop I needed before I left, but I needed to find out my transfer train.

The map is actually not as complicated as it looks. I think Munich had less lines, so this one seemed much more daunting at first. You just have to take your time and read it carefully. I actually got around today without missing any stops or getting on any of the wrong trains. Of course, when I took this picture, I mis-translated what the employee was saying to me. For some reason, in my head, I thought he thought I was taking the picture so I wouldn't forget the lines (verboten is the word he used). I politely laughed and nodded my head. He didn't smile though and after he walked past, I remembered verboten means forbidden, not forget! I haven't been arrested yet, so maybe I got on the train before he could send reinforcements.

Here's the view outside of my hotel room.


First stop was to get something to eat. I went to Fressgasse, or Pig-Out Alley. The proper name is Grosse Bockenheimer Strasse.


This pedestrian street is right next to the Alte Oper (old Opera House). It opened in 1880, but was gutted in World War II. The exterior is faithful to the original, but the inside is now more like a multipurpose hall. I've noticed that when they are doing a lot of outside renovation work here, they put up a scrim on the scaffolding with an image of what it will look like when it's done. You can see the line of the scrim about halfway down through the bottom row of arches in the below pic. It doesn't look so messy and mucked up that way. I think it's kinda neat.



Frankfurt definitely has a much more modern feel to it. Munich has a rule in place that no building can be taller than 7 stories (except for the churches that were built before the rule was in place). Frankfurt rebuilt after the war without trying to keep the old look and feel to it. It makes for some interesting skylines as the below skyscraper is just across the street from the Opera Hall above.

Once past the Opera Hall, you get in to the heart of Pig-Out Alley. It's lined with restaurants on both sides with a few retail stores in between. Tables are put out everywhere for people to eat. Although some people seem to have taken the term Pig-Out Alley a bit too literally. My dad would have loved her.

I walked down the street looking at all the cafes before deciding on where to go. The one with the longest line was Ebert's Suppenstube. So that meant it had to be good, right? Right!! I actually was able to order without using any English. I don't know if the grammar was correct, but I got what I wanted. Potato soup with ham, a few slices of bread, and a Coke.

Maybe it's because I was so hungry, but this was the best damn soup!! The cafe is much too small to eat inside, especially a lunchtime on a weekday. So I sat outside on one of the many tables with the other folk. There's nothing like having a hot bowl of soup on a cold, wintery day. And the bread was perfect for dipping in it. I haven't had a piece of bread yet in Germany that I haven't liked.

After that, it was on to more sightseeing. I took the train to see Kaiserdom, or Imperial Cathedral (the official name is the Church of St. Bartholomew) and the Museum of Modern Art. Coming out of the train station, you're greeted with a view of the tower of the church. It's 300 feet high and is made of red sandstone.

The Holy Roman emperors were chosen and crowned here from the 16th to the 18th centure. It survived World War II with most of its treasures intact. The inside columns are also built with the same red, sandstone as outside. It was really beautiful. I actually was compelled to sit down in the pews for a while and just take it all in. It was a short, peaceful respite.

Back outside, I made a turn hoping to get to the Modern Art Museum, but stumbled upon the Christmas Market by accident instead. Well, I haven't met a Christmas Market I didn't like, so...

That, my friends, is a vat of frying, starchy goodness. Potato cakes in the deep fryer. I plan on having some tomorrow.

But this is where dinner came from. I couldn't pass up another bratwurst cooked over an open flame.

The bratwurst, along with my second glass of Gluhwein, made for a tasty treat. The Gluhwein mugs are also collector's cups commemorating the city and year of the Christmas Market.

Views from the bridge over the Main River, which was next to the Christmas Market.

Of course, I couldn't leave the market empty handed. And since I love the pretzels so much, I thought what could be better for an evening snack? What could be better than a pretzel? How about a pretzel covered with chocolate!!!

I think I'm a bit ill from it, but ohhhhhhhhhhhhh was it good!

I went through more things today than I had planned on. So I need to find some more things from my trusty guide book to do tomorrow. I still haven't found a Stein yet, but I'm not losing hope. That was the one thing I said I was going to really spend money on here. My dad collected a ton of them when he was stationed in Germany in the Army. So I have those at home. But I wanted to add to those with one of my own. If I don't find it, I won't be upset. I'm looking for one to kind of stand out for me. I don't want to buy one just for the sake of buying one. I want it to be the right one.

Today's Observations:

The crowd at the Christmas Market was much younger than Munich.

Germans always clink their glasses together when they start a drink. There's no toast, just clinking.

Frankfurt has more business men and women than Munich.

Even though I've left Munich, remember.....Greta still loves you!