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Published: July 14th 2012
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Due to the jet lag and a ray of sunlight coming through the room, my parents got up at 4:30 on 19 June. I got up early on that day. As instructed, we walked to Hotel Atrium to have breakfast. There were various types of bread, fresh vegetables, hot meals, e.g. sausages, scrambled eggs, cheese, fruits and coffees and teas, and we selected the food from the buffet breakfast.
It was a walking distance between our hotel and Hauptbahnhof (central station), we walked to the station every day. There were loads of Asian restaurants along the main road towards the station.
Firstly we popped in the tourist information centre and bought “Frankfurt Welcome Card” for the group, which was €19. This pass allowed us to travel on the public transport and get deductions for museums on 19 June.
Secondly, we popped in the railway office. There were quite a few people waiting. One of the ladies (who was waiting on the long sofa) instructed me to pick up the number sheet from the machine installed at the entrance. My parents found that there were larger numbers of empty counters than engaged ones. We waited 30-45 minutes
for being called and then their German (twin) railway pass was validated.
Afterwards, we headed for Dom/Römerberg by the underground. We left the exit for Dom. The cathedral, which Roman Coronation was held, possessed scores of elaborate paintings and reliefs of angels, Madonna, and Christ on the altarpieces, tombs, and wall. There was a German/Japanese speaking guide who explained to us the history and features of the decorations of Dom. Due to very ornate decorations, my mother readily recognised the difference from the Protestant churches which she had visited in Britain. As part of the customs, my father was advised to take off his hat inside the Catholic Church.
Next, we walked through the narrow path along Schirm Kunsthalle, and reached the historical square, i.e. Römerberg, surrounded by Nikolaikirche, Old Town Hall, and charming buildings which ground floors were used as restaurants. We all took photos around Römerberg and found the beautiful fountain and statue representing the justice.
We then walked to Goethe Haus via Berliner Straße. My mother remembered some of the buildings in the historic district.
Goethe Haus
As we had Frankfurt Welcome
card, I showed it to the receptionist and we got 50% deductions on the admissions.
We firstly entered the garden salon facing to the court garden. After taking photos in the garden, we started strolling through the historic rooms, e.g. kitchen, bedrooms, music room, yellow or green drawing room, study and attic room, There were self-guided notes in several languages. Unfortunately, the house didn’t provide Japanese guide, so I translated the highlights for my parents, pointing at historic furniture, maps of old Frankfurt, portraits of the family and relatives, the room where Goethe was born, fashionable pieces of china, astronomical clock, and the pianoforte and desk which he used to produce his famous masterpiece, e.g. Faust. My mother was interested in the authentic stove located in the corner of each room and its space where the timbers were warmed up, which feature was shown in the back of the drawing room. We also noted the miniature stage box which the dolls were operated by threads and people’s hands. After looking round the historic rooms, we went downstairs and looked round the exhibition rooms where the documents and copies of his articles and complete or incomplete works were
displayed. I felt that the exhibition rooms had been expanded with larger number of documents and findings.
We had lunch at one of the restaurants near Goethe Haus. As it was warm, we sat outside. We all had bread and soup.
After the lunch, we walked to Städelsches Kunstintitut Art Gallery on the south bank of Main River. We crossed over the bridge viewing at Frankfurt’s skylines and walked past Deutsches Filmmuseum (Film Museum), Deutsches Kommunikation (Museum of Communication). I told my mother that both English and German have similar styles of spellings and we can guess some of the words in German.
Städelsches Kunstintitut Art Gallery
Städelsches Kunstintitut Art Gallery was established by the wealth banker, Städelsches and possesses wealth of masterpieces from 14
th century to present time. We showed Frankfurt Welcome card and were offered deductions on the admissions.
We firstly entered the modern art (1800 – 1945) exhibition rooms. Within less than 150 years, European society underwent a rapid development, and it seemed to reflect the developments of the visual arts. We saw a number of historical paintings, e.g. Goethe
in the Roman Campagna and found famous masterpieces, e.g. Cezanne, Monet, Degas, Renoir, Picasso, Mattise, Van Gogh, Turner, and surrealists’ art works by Paul Klee, Max Beckmann, Max Ernst, and modern style sculptures and photos displayed in the gallery rooms.
Secondly, we walked upstairs and looked round the old masters. As expected, there were numerous mythological paintings painted on the altarpieces, wall, or screens which would have been displayed in the sacred places, abbeys, churches, and royal courts. Moreover, there were scores of still-life pictures or portraits of celebrities and beautiful ladies, some of which were produced by very well-known artists, e.g. Vermeer, Rafael, Rembrandt, and Rubens. It was an excellent chance to see German artists or Frankfurt born artists, e.g. Hans Holbein, Adam Elsheimer, Lucas Cranach the Elder or George Flegel. Still pictures illustrated the people’s spirits on the pictures.
It took more than two hours to look round the gallery rooms of modern art and old masters. My father was exhausted, so we decided to go back to the hotel.
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