We flew in from Cracow this afternoon.\u00a0 Rich is still having trouble with his back, but he is determined not to waste our last day in Germany.\u00a0 I looked through the recommendations and find things in the Alte Frankfurt that I would like to see.\u00a0 There appear to be a lot of restaurants there also.\u00a0 We can have one last German meal before we leave tomorrow.<\/p>\n
We stop by the front desk to ask some questions about the best way to do things.\u00a0 The cheapest way is to take the shuttle back to the airport and get on the train going into town.\u00a0 That\u2019s what we do.\u00a0 We purchase the return tokens from the desk and step outside to wait for the shuttle.\u00a0 It is a beautiful day here.\u00a0 There are clouds moving across the sky, but the sun is out and providing some warmth.<\/p>\n
The shuttle arrives and there are six of us going to the airport.\u00a0 It appears that only one of the people is actually catching a flight.\u00a0 Like so many around us, he is sneezing and coughing.\u00a0 I hope I get back home before any of that kicks in.\u00a0 We hand our tokens to the driver as we climb into the minibus.<\/p>\n
At the airport, we go in search of the bahnhof.\u00a0 It is located down one level from the arrival deck.\u00a0 We review the screens overhead for where we want to go and the number for that train.\u00a0 The ticket machines are all automated and there is a long line.\u00a0 As we get our turn at the machine and we are trying to make selections, a gentleman steps out from behind us to help.\u00a0 We can get the machine to display in English, but the selections don\u2019t match the screen we were reviewing.<\/p>\n
The gentleman tries to help us.\u00a0 Eventually, he hands us a group ticket for 5 and takes the money I would have put into the machine.\u00a0 He even hands me change, though it is more than I would have gotten back from the machine.\u00a0 Rich is very skeptical and thinks that we just got ripped off.\u00a0 The group ticket would cover our trip and back from the center.\u00a0 I tell him to go with it until we find out differently.<\/p>\n
We go down one more level to the train tracks.\u00a0 Our train is next and is there is about three minutes.\u00a0 That timing worked out just fine.\u00a0 The door to the train open and we step on.\u00a0 No one has stopped us yet.\u00a0 We find seats and start reviewing the screen for our stop.\u00a0 A gentleman in the seat across from Rich confirms where we want to get off the train.<\/p>\n
On the way, we decide to go to another stop that will put us a few blocks north of where we want to be.\u00a0 Let\u2019s hope the group ticket covers that.\u00a0 This is the Hauptwach stop.\u00a0 No one seems to be checking tickets.\u00a0 I believe the system here uses the fact that everyone is honest and buys the correct ticket, if they buy at a ticket at all.\u00a0 It looks like the group ticket works then.<\/p>\n
We come out of the train station to the street above in a square.\u00a0 This one is more modern than where we are headed.\u00a0 There are some very old buildings surrounding the square though.\u00a0 One of these looks like an older station that might have been used in earlier years.\u00a0 St. Katherine Church is in the square.<\/p>\n
We find the street that we need to get down to the Romer square and walk toward the river.\u00a0 As we get to the cross streets, it is hard to see if that cross street leads you to the square.\u00a0 It just appears to hit a dead end.\u00a0 We decide to walk to the river and look around.\u00a0 There is a very nice path and park along the river here.<\/p>\n
This is the Main River that runs through Frankfurt.\u00a0 There are barges and river cruise boats up and down at the stretch.\u00a0 With the wind, it is very choppy today.\u00a0 We start to walk in the direction of the old square.\u00a0 I forgot about the aggressive nature of the bicyclists in Germany.\u00a0 They whiz by so fast and I\u2019m almost struck a couple of times.\u00a0 They don\u2019t seem to take tourists into account when they are flying down the path.<\/p>\n
We cross the main street and can finally see the square.\u00a0 There are a lot of old timber buildings along here.\u00a0 I had read that the Romer was sold by the business family who owned it in 1406 to the city of Frankfurt for their rathaus (or town hall).\u00a0 It is a very nice building.\u00a0 I can see that many of the buildings around it are about the same age.\u00a0 The square is large with a fountain in the center.<\/p>\n
Today, there is a wooden framework on the ground with lots and lots of green figures all around the fountain.\u00a0 The German signs don\u2019t make sense to me.\u00a0 I can\u2019t figure out what is going on and what is being depicted here.\u00a0 Rich can\u2019t determine it either.<\/p>\n
We go into the Information office on the square to get information in English.\u00a0 It\u2019s easier to determine what to make sure we see then.\u00a0 The map costs us 50 cents.\u00a0 Not too bad.\u00a0 Out in the square again, we walk around the fountain so that we can go to St. Mary\u2019s Cathedral in one of the streets behind the square.\u00a0 We can see the beautiful tower of the church, so it\u2019s not hard to find.<\/p>\n
We look at the menus for a couple of the restaurants on the square.\u00a0 One of them serves Weihenstephan and Rich decides this is the place.\u00a0 We walk on around the square and down one of the side streets.\u00a0 We head toward a museum and see a pile of dirt in the courtyard.\u00a0 It is unexpected to see dirt like this, even though there is a lot of construction going on around us here.<\/p>\n
The courtyard holds an exhibit called the Sonic Fountain.\u00a0 This fountain is a large pool of water with microphones all along the bottom and sides.\u00a0 There is an arrangement of spray nozzles up above the pool.\u00a0 One nozzle begins to drip and you get an echoing tone.\u00a0 Another nozzle begins to drip as the first nozzle increases its flow.\u00a0 This happens with multiple nozzles.\u00a0 The sound it creates is like a symphony orchestra as different instruments join.<\/p>\n
We found a plaque on the wall about the exhibit and its artist.\u00a0 The exhibit is to show the sounds related to rain and how it produces different sounds.\u00a0 The nozzles overhead are programmed to simulate different types of rain to give different sounds.\u00a0 It was a stunning idea and how the guy pulled it off was amazing.\u00a0 It was so beautiful to hear.<\/p>\n
We continue through the courtyard to St. Mary\u2019s.\u00a0 You can climb up the tower and look around the old city.\u00a0 I don\u2019t Rich\u2019s back is up for that.\u00a0 We wander around the streets surrounding the church.\u00a0 The architecture is just amazing.\u00a0 Most of the old city is from the late 1380s through the mid 1400s.\u00a0 There has been reconstruction from to time, but you can still see many of the old architecture.\u00a0 It is wonderful to look around see time through the centuries.<\/p>\n
Now it is time for dinner.\u00a0 We head back down one of the streets toward the old square.\u00a0 When we get closer, I can see a beautiful structure I have to check out first.\u00a0 It is the Ratskellar behind the town hall.\u00a0 Across from it is St. Paul\u2019s Church.\u00a0 Just as in Poland, there is a church on every corner.\u00a0 Rich wants a picture of the war memorial because the female figure on top is not fully dressed.\u00a0 I complain to him about that and he points to a male figure on the side of the church that is totally nude.\u00a0 He says there is equal opportunity nudity in this city.<\/p>\n
We walk back to the square and to the restaurant he picked out earlier.\u00a0 It\u2019s a little windy and there is some rain trying to come down.\u00a0 We decide to sit inside.\u00a0 I pick a seat by the window.\u00a0 These are benches so there is no back for Rich to rest again.\u00a0 I insist so I can watch the square and the people walking by.<\/p>\n
Our server gives us menus, which have English descriptions for the dishes.\u00a0 We\u2019ve already picked out what we want as our last meal in German. \u00a0We start out with liver dumpling soup for each of us. \u00a0I\u2019m having Jagerschnitzel with spatzel.\u00a0 Rich has schweinehaxen with potatoes.\u00a0 We do plan to have a beer or two and even dessert with coffee at the end.\u00a0 We have Euros to spend and memories to make.<\/p>\n
Our beers arrive followed by the food.\u00a0 It is all so wonderful.\u00a0 The flavors are just what we wanted from our last meal here.\u00a0 One thing we enjoy is German food.\u00a0 It is hard to come by in the States just the way you can get it here.\u00a0 We finish off the meal with coffee, apple strudel, and cheesecake.<\/p>\n
I go to find the toiletten, which is down the winding staircase and in the basement.\u00a0 It is very dark and nothing much there.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been seeing people coming and going this staircase.\u00a0 There is no one down here.\u00a0 I see a doorway that leads out.\u00a0 There must be tunnels here to get around the old part of the city.\u00a0 I find the Damen (Ladies) room and go back up the winding staircase.\u00a0 It is pretty cool.<\/p>\n
Time to head back to the train station and to the hotel.\u00a0 We decide to walk the river for a while and then take one of the streets back up to the main train station.\u00a0 We do fine until we get into a maze of traffic circles and trams.\u00a0 We can see the station just ahead of us, but it is a circuitous route to get over to it.\u00a0 We finally make it and inside.<\/p>\n
Now the real fun begins.\u00a0 There are local and long distance trains in here.\u00a0 We have to figure out where to go and how to find the right train.\u00a0 Rich is trying to read screens and boards.\u00a0 I figure I\u2019ll ask at the information desk.\u00a0 I get into line and look around for Rich.\u00a0 He is wandering off to the left of me.\u00a0 He comes back and says the Information line is too long.\u00a0 I look at the people in front of me and it doesn\u2019t look too long.<\/p>\n
A gentleman behind me says that I need to go to the back of the line.\u00a0 I turn to look and him and ask him to repeat what he said.\u00a0 He points behind him and the long line of people and says I need to move to the back of the line.\u00a0 Apparently, there was only a break in the line and I didn\u2019t see the long line behind.\u00a0 I apologize and agree with Rich for once.\u00a0 The line is too long to wait for.<\/p>\n
We find a ticket machine that appears to work and we buy one-way tickets back to the airport.\u00a0 Rich doesn\u2019t trust the group ticket that we are holding.\u00a0 Now we have to find the right platform for the train to the airport.\u00a0 The screen says it is on 103.\u00a0 We got down the escalator and try to stay out of the way of people using the left to keep walking.<\/p>\n
Down on the platform, we are looking for the S8 train.\u00a0 The S1 train shows up first.\u00a0 People scramble to get on board.\u00a0 A young man tries to catch the door to get inside, but the door continues to close.\u00a0 The train sits for a minute before the doors reopen.\u00a0 I guess they have that capability, but I don\u2019t see how it knows.\u00a0 There don\u2019t appear to be any conductors that I can see to make that determination.<\/p>\n
The train moves out and the S8 train is on its way in to the station in about 3 minutes.\u00a0 When the train arrives, we step on board and find seats.\u00a0 There are two older women and two younger women who sit near us.\u00a0 They appear to be heading for the airport also.\u00a0 From their discussion, I believe they are Spanish.\u00a0 The younger girls talk to one of the locals about which stop they need.\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure they really understand.<\/p>\n
We arrive at the airport and get back up to the arrival level so we can wait for the shuttle.\u00a0 There are three men already standing there with cases.\u00a0 I see the shuttle stop at the first stop, which is not its usual thing to do.\u00a0 Someone flagged it down.\u00a0 The shuttle finally moves on to us.\u00a0 All of the men are waiting for the same shuttle.<\/p>\n
I wait as the suitcases are loaded and people are getting on board.\u00a0 There is only room for 8 and there are 9 of us.\u00a0 The guys in the back row are nice enough to make room for me so I don\u2019t get stuck at the airport.\u00a0 We move on to the next stop even though we don\u2019t have any more room.\u00a0 Luckily, there is no one waiting there.\u00a0 We get back to the hotel and start to pile out.<\/p>\n
Back in our room, we get comfy and settle in for the evening.\u00a0 This is our last night on the road.\u00a0 That is if you don\u2019t count the night that we spend chasing the sun across the sky.\u00a0 It is a 9 hour flight.\u00a0 Tomorrow night, we spend in our own beds, in our own house, and in our own town.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
We flew in from Cracow this afternoon.\u00a0 Rich is still having trouble with his back, but he is determined not to waste our last day in Germany.\u00a0 I looked through the recommendations and find things in the Alte Frankfurt that I would like to see.\u00a0 There appear to be a lot of restaurants there also.\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3829"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3829"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3829\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3830,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3829\/revisions\/3830"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3829"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3829"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3829"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}