Our Trip to Germany and Czech Republic
Part 1 of the Series
Red LIght District
We flew from D/FW to Frankfurt, Germany and arrived at 7:30 am. We took the train from the Frankfurt airport to the Frankfurt Hauptbahnhoff (main station). From there, we walked to our hotel. As is our custom when staying in hotels, we booked the first night online before we left the states. We had chosen the hotel because it was close to the train station. We soon found out the hotel was in the red light district, directly across the street from strip joints and brothels.
Our room was not yet available because it was so early, but we were able to drop our luggage off. Then we took the subway to the Alstadt (old town). This part of the city dates back to 794; however, the city was heavily bombed during WWII so very little remains of the original buildings. Römerberg Plaza is very charming and the buildings look old; however, they are reconstructions.
Romerberg Plaza, Frankfurt
Romerberg Plaza, Frankfurt
St. Bartholomaus Cathedral
We also saw the St. Bartholomäus Cathedral. The church burned in 1867 and was subsequently rebuilt. It was then damaged in WWII; the interior was completely destroyed. It was rebuilt again in the 1950’s. Luckily, everything that could be moved was put into safekeeping before the bombing started. The altarpiece and the stained glass survived. The Chapel of the Sleeping Mary was fortified with sandbags.
We ate lunch at a deli not far from the plaza; we picked it because it seemed to be where the locals were eating. The seating was on the sidewalk outside the deli. Yum…our first German meal; bratwurst for me, pork chops and onions for Curtis, both with sides of potatoes au gratin.
By now we had been awake for a very long time. We both worked all day Friday then took the overnight flight out of D/FW. So after lunch, we went back to the hotel, checked in, and took a short nap. Very short. Curtis is totally against napping when we travel, but I managed to convince him it would be ok.
Mainhattan
St. Bartholomaus Cathedral
After our nap, we crossed the Main River and wondered around for awhile. From there we had a some great views of the financial district and the cathedral. Frankfurt is the largest financial center in Europe, so has been dubbed “Mainhattan”.
We also stumbled upon a street festival, and walked around looking at the booths. I had a pretzel. Curtis had a foot-long brat on a little round bread (so cute!). And we shared potato pancakes with garlic sauce for “dessert”. Yum…more German food!
Finally, it’s late enough that we can go to sleep. We’ve got a long day ahead of us tomorrow! Our grand adventure is just beginning!
A Boy and His Dog