Tuesday, May 21
I departed Edmonton today at 5:45 PM on a direct flight to Frankfurt with Condor Airlines. It was quite a pleasant flight. I was in premium economy class which provided more leg room and better meals. To add to that, I got a window seat with nobody beside me which was great. Unfortunately, I still didn't get a wink of sleep, but managed to watch three German movies. 
Wednesday, May 22
Nine and a half hours later, I arrived in Frankfurt at 10:40 AM and by the time we taxied around the airport, took a shuttle bus to get to the airport, go through passport control and pick up my luggage, it was almost an hour later. I made the mistake of trying to take advantage of a free taxi that was offered to me with my hotel booking, but by the time I got to the meeting place, there was no taxi for me and when I realized it wasn't going to happen, I simply caught the train, which in retrospect, was much faster than a taxi anyway. I chose to stay at the same hotel I was at last year, the Ruby Louise, so I had no issues in finding it. By this time I was exhausted, but still couldn't sleep, so I decided to go for a walk and find something to eat.
As I was wandering the streets aimlessly, looking up at the various buildings, I happened to step into a hole in the cobblestone pavement which caused me to fall, but fortunately, I didn't have any serious injuries except for a good scraping on my elbow. The warning sign was set up at the next hole in the pavement which was larger. Go figure! That wasn't a very good start to my trip as that fall could have been a lot worse. I had visions of another broken wrist. How will I maneuver all the uneven steps in Italy when I can't even avoid a fall on flat pavement! I guess it didn't help that I was sleep deprived and hungry.
My second cousin, Katja, met me at the hotel at 9:00 PM. She came back from Berlin and made it to my hotel faster than the time it took me to get to the hotel from the Frankfurt airport! We had a lovely visit. It's hard to believe it was already a year ago since we last met. 
Thursday, May 23
Considering I was awake for almost two days, I still woke up before 5:00 AM. I had a leisurely morning and headed out for breakfast to one of the places I had been to before, Cafe Karin. It's a quaint little place with lots of variety. The breakfast was huge! There was no way I could finish all that, so I kept some of it for lunch.
I love their bottle return system here. It just seems so much more sophisticated than what we have!
After breakfast, I went to the Alte Oper to buy some concert tickets.
Then I headed up to the Main Tower for a panoramic view of the city. The tower is 200m, the elevator takes 45 seconds to get to the viewing platform on the 55th floor. They even have a fitness club on the 53 and 54 floors. 
Following that, I did a 50-minute sightseeing cruise on the River Main. The sun was shining and the cool breeze made it very enjoyable. 
Dreikoenigskirche 
Main Plaza 
After the cruise, I wandered around Römerberg, got myself an ice cream and then joined a two-hour historical walking tour. It wasn't one of the best walking tours I've been on, albeit, the leader was new at this job. It just moved a bit too slowly for my liking, more standing than walking. However, I did learn some new facts that I didn't know about and it was a nice day to wander around the city.
I finally went back to the hotel to freshen up, back out again for a bite to eat and to the symphony! There happened to be a "Fressgass Fest" just down the next street to my hotel which was perfect. It's one long street closed down with tents set up for eating and drinking. It's kind of similar to our "Taste of Edmonton" except it's not just a taste, you get enough for a meal at one place. There appeared to be more drinking establishments than eating. I found myself a nice bratwurst on a bun followed by some traditional "Apfelwein" (apple wine with strawberries). Both were delicious! 
From there, it was off to the symphony at the Alte Oper. I've always seen the outside of this building, but had never been inside, so it was nice to attend a concert and it was even a piano concert! My jetlag was setting in and I had a tough time staying awake throughout the quiet pieces. A few people started clapping between one of the movements and a lot of "tsks" were heard ... people should know better! It didn't happen again. I was impressed that not only do they offer drinks, but you can even order various types of food. I treated myself to some wine and a pretzel during intermission ... so good! After the concert, people mingled outdoors on the steps drinking wine and chatting. I wandered back to the "Fressgass Fest" which was so crowded by this time that one could barely move. I can't stand those kind of crowds, so got out of there as quickly as possible and crashed just after midnight.
Friday, May 24
Today started out with pouring rain. I ran to the bakery to get a bit of breakfast and was drenched by the time I got back. Around 11:00 AM, my second cousin Jürgen came from Marburg with the train to meet me. We hadn't seen each other for over 10 years, so it was nice to catch up again. We wandered around town and he showed me a few things I hadn't seen before. I learned a few more things than I did from the walking tour yesterday! Jürgen treated me to lunch at a nice restaurant called Metropol am Dom. 
By the time we finished lunch, the rain had stopped and we took a short train ride to Bockenheim which is just outside of Frankfurt.
This is where Jürgen grew up and the first place I visited on my first trip to Germany back in 1981. We went to look at the house where he grew up and where I have some great memories from my visits with my Dad's cousins on numerous occasions. They have since passed and the house has been sold, but it has been newly renovated and looks quite different from the way I remember it. 
Afterwards, we went to a nice cafe (Frida's) where we enjoyed some "Kaffee und Kuchen". I had my favourite cheesecake.
After a lovely visit, we parted ways and I took the train back to my hotel. I wandered back into town and decided to check out the Galeria, which is a huge shopping mall with a restaurant on the top level. I checked out the view, had a bite to eat and when the rain started again, I headed back to the hotel. It was time to pack up as tomorrow I'm off to Italy! I had a very enjoyable three days in Frankfurt. It was nice to actually spend some time here instead of just flying in and out.
This featured blog entry was written by liztravels from the blog 2024-05 Europe Adventure.
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