Trains, Planes, and Automobiles ...and well, Trains

I know I should love the Frankfurt train system - but honestly we never could get the 'feel' for it. We tried the U and S a couple of times only to eventually return above ground and fend for ourselves walking the city. The train from the airport wasn't much easier to use for us and we missed our stop in the city. Who knew it had a different name than on the map? Not us. Oh well - we can master the system on our next trip to Germany (I promise to do better research before that trip!).

More Shopping

Frankfurt has tons of shops including two impressive Gallerias. Goetestr. is known for its shops including Gucci, Tiffany's, and other high-end retailers. We found a couple of local shops well worth visiting:

Erzgebirgische Volkskunst, Tongesgasse 27, sells German-made nutcrackers and other wooden goods. The small shop is wonderful. They carry original wooden music boxes with a base price of $150 Euros.

Affentor Frankfort, Fahrgasse 23, sells handmade cloth computer bags, purses, and totes. Their designs are original. Also all sales assist non-profit organizations. Computer Bags were about $89 Euros. This area is also home to some great contemporary art galleries.

We fell upon a progressive urban neighborhood South of the Main - at Bruckenstr. and Wallstr. - this area is full of pubs for drinking, custom designers for the trend setters, and plenty of off-the-wall tiny shops. Wertsachen, Bruckenstar. 58, is worth a visit.

Finally - the indoor market in Frankfurt is good fun. Here you can find almost anything you could desire to add to your pantry. On the weekends - this place is packed and spills outdoors to the nearby patios.

Food

NYC Bar & Restaurant - Hans Thoma-Stra. 1, right off of Schweizer Sta.; good service and food. This eatery is just South of the Main River and close to Museum mile (about the 1/2 way point).

Cafe Hauptwache - An der Hauptwache, Good for people watching especially on the weekend. Stop and have a drink or lunch. This eatery is located along the shopping area in Northern Frankfurt. $34 Euro for 2

Restaurant Zum Schwarzen Stern - located across from City Hall at Romer. This eatery is a good place for a break from touring the city. Outdoors is best if the weather permits. Food Portions are large and traditional. $41 Euro for 2.

7 Bello - Nidda Str. (next to Pure Hotel) located just North of the Frankfurt Main Train station. This is the real thing if you like Italian food - nothing special with the decor or service - just good food. It made for a real treat to stumble on this eatery.

Frankfurt Modern Museum

Stadel Museum

Art in Frankfurt

Most of the museums in Frankfurt are located on the Rhine River just South of downtown. Today - we went to the Stadel, Modern and Schirn museums. Frankfurt has some good works in their collections. We also stumbled across a series of sweet contemporary art galleries. Watch out - tomorrow we will visit them.

Frankness

Views

Remembering

It is always important to remember the past. I will say - for me personally - a vacation to Germany was never high on my list. And yes - their history probably did not help in making me want to visit even now. Of course, those times are long gone. Today's Germany is welcoming, friendly and wonderful. Still ... It can be a hard to see, feel and remember the past. For me ... the journey today was touching and yes at moments ... very sad.

Helpful Hand

Jo's Frankfurt on Foot tour from Insider Tours provides a welcome introduction to Frankfurt. We joined a surprising large group of 15 visitors at 10:30 am on a 3 hours walk around the major highlights. Jo - left the U.S. Buckeye state some 20 years ago and made Frankfurt home. In that time she has built a wealth of knowledge and friends in the city. Our tour today consisted mostly of Jo's friends bringing their family and friends to learn from Jo. A pretty good endorsement - and by the end - Jo worked her magic on us all. The tour was fun, a good remedy for 'jet lag', and well worth the 12 Euro fee. Jo and her husband started their Frankfurt Walks in June 2009. They clearly love Frankfurt and have a mission to show us all its best features.

Flying High

So we did not know where to stay in Frankfurt. Ultimately we decided to take a chance and not stay at one of the recognizable U.S. hotel chains and picked the Hotel Concorde. It is located nearly adjacent to the main train station - which I have to admit completely confusing me (not the hotel location, the transport system).

At first sight - neither the neighborhood or hotel showed much promise. But ... so far both have quickly out performed their first impression.

We arrived at 7 am on Saturday morning (today). The front desk clerk checked us in and sent us downstairs to enjoy coffee and breakfast. Within an hour - we were welcomed to our Frankfurt home away from home and washing away the travel dust. Our room is large, modern, and so far ... fulfilling our every desire. (Of course - I love free in-room wifi).

Lost in Translation

Honestly our first trip to Frankfurt has been fun and yes, a little more adventurous than planned. I think everyone knows that I normally do some serious planning for trips before leaving home. Frankfurt was one of those more adolescent experiences (yes, you can have those even in your late 40's) where you decide to 'go for it'. And - so far ... no complaints. We are having a blast.

P.S. I may never figure out Frankfurt's train and rail systems. This picture is of the train station Hauptbahnhof -our arrival point from the airport into the city.