Germany: Frankfurt

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Arriving in Frankfurt I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I had never really heard much about the city, other than its reputation of being Germany's main financial hub, offering a breath taking skyline. It was never somewhere that had cried out to me as a tourist destination however as my flight on the way to Berlin dropped me there, I thought why not check it out en route.

Upon arriving in Frankfurt we decided to embark upon a bus tour. This seemed like the most sensible way to discover the city I knew so little about. Sitting on a bus with minimal movement also seems like a great idea when you have been traipsing round an airport since 4am!

The bus tour was EUR19.00 and claimed to offer a day ticket for the city tour, the skyline tour and a walking tour. We decided to opt for the city tour first. This appeared to offer an excellent insight into the city highlights, stopping at various locations. The information provided via the audio headset however left a lot to be desired. The vast majority of comments were in relation to the airport, the size of the airport or something equally as stimulating.

After a very delicious currywurst break, we carried on wandering to the city's Altstadt (old town). This is by far my favourite part of Frankfurt. It almost feels like you have left the city. Instead of gazing up at an intimidating skyline, you are able to walk along the cobbles and enjoy some stunning traditional German architecture. This was the Germany I had in mind! Bars on wheels buzzed passed us as we wandered around. It appeared we had found the main tourist hangout.

We realised quite quickly that Frankfurt is definitely more of a business centre than a tourist attraction and for that reason the city does not offer a considerable amount of things to do. However we were fortunate enough to have inadvertently arrived during a large festival. In the evenings, both sides of the river were decorated with stalls and marquees from around the world. Every single country you could possibly think of had a stand, with their local delicacies on show and this was amazing to see. While enjoying a Vietnamese meal, we sat at the river. We also enjoyed a local drink 'Apfelwein.' An acquired taste, but worth trying nonetheless. The markets also have a great marketing campaign to keep you nearby. They provide ceramic plates and glasses with a deposit of 2 and 1 euro charged. This ensures that you have to return your plates at the end of your meal and are less likely to leave the area. Quite an effective plan!

On one of the evenings we were exploring we decided to venture into one of the local churches. As we walked into the church which was full of visitors, we made the big mistake of taking a seat. We soon realised that we had walked in at the beginning of a service which was obviously entirely in German. After 20 minutes of sitting in awkward silence listening to a service we could not understand, we tried to think of a way we could escape without causing a scene. Luckily a few others sitting nearby had made a similar mistake and were brave enough to make the escape. We swiftly followed suit and shuffled out with them. Quite a funny situation at the time.

As mentioned above, our bus ticket also included a skyline and walking tour. Unfortunately due to the limited times of the walking tour, we were forced to choose between the two. We decided to opt for the skyline tour and hopped back onto the tour bus. Unfortunately we were soon to realise our mistake. This tour was exactly the same as the city tour however instead of taking us to the main sights, took as round all of the sky liner buildings. I guess the clue was in the title of the tour however we had hoped that this would be a worthwhile trip. After about 40 minutes on the bus we decided to skip out on this tour.

One lesson that I definitely learned in Frankfurt is never to say bitte (thank you) after paying for a meal. One afternoon we were caught in the rain. As it was fairly heavy we decided to pop into a local bar for lunch. After we had ordered drinks we realised that this bar was quite a pricey one and we just decided to opt for a small schnitzel. The waitress looked slightly disappointed at our order and offered us salad. I assumed that she meant a side salad and agreed. When the food arrived, the side salad turned out to be an enormous bowl of 5 euro salad that would have been enough on its own. The small schnitzel also turned out to be enormous. I can only imagine what that large would have looked like! After a long wait of not managing to catch the waitress's eye, we decided to just go up and settle the bill at the bar. The waitress handed me the receipt and I stupidly said 'bitte' whilst handing her the cash. This resulted in no change and a 7 euro tip! Oops.

Going to the toilet in Germany can be quite a nightmare at times. Every toilet you visit, many restaurant toilets included, charge a fee. This is not a small fee either. These range from EUR1.00 plus. This could be a bit of a pain at times. One day I decided to pop into McDonalds thinking the toilet would be free if I ordered a coffee. As I walked into the toilet however a woman was sitting at the one small sink with a plate. I grudgingly placed down my coin. What was a little uncomfortable about the situation was the fact that as you were leaving there was only the one sink. As the woman was sitting right in front of this you had to psychically lean over her to wash your hands. You then had to lean right over her to find the bin which was in a tight corner behind her. Not the most comfortable of situations.

Two of Frankfurt's attractions that I would definitely recommend are the Zoo and the Main Tower. The Main Tower offers a panoramic view over the city and is well worth the 5 euros admission. You have an extremely clear view over the whole city and no windows blocking the view. A really great way to spend a sunny afternoon although the railings are a little lower than in most tower viewing areas, so the faint hearted may need to take a few steps back.

All in all Frankfurt is a fantastic city. There is not a huge amount to see, but it is well worth a few days visit as the people are friendly, the food is delicious and it is worth a trek, if you have the time. The only down side I would probably mention is that in relation to other cities in Germany, Frankfurt is a little pricey.

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Photos

Mysterious balancing man
Altstadt