99 Luftballons

Assuming you read all of my last entry, I'll pick up where I left off: the train from Munich to Frankfurt. With three days of navigating Munich and speaking German under my belt, I was feeling pretty confident about getting to my next destination. I managed to get to the station, order dinner (in German) and get on the right train on time. So far, so good, I thought. But still, it was getting late, so I put on my iPod and started to doze off. But about halfway through the four-hour journey, a cacophonous noise interrupted my nap and the ambiance of my music — the conductor had come over the PA system to make an announcement ... in German.

Trying to decipher his rapid-fire German over the muffled speaker while my neighbors talked loudly was quite a challenge. All I caught was that the train would be terminating in Nüremberg — two stops before my destination. In a state of semi-panic, I started eavesdropping on the people around me to see what they were going to do. Luckily, the two gentlemen sitting behind me seemed to be speaking a mix of German and English, so I casually jumped into their conversation. The one guy, who spoke fluent German and pretty decent English said there was going to be a train on the platform next to us when we arrived in Nüremberg that would take us to Frankfurt. I really lucked out he was on the train and willing to help me (and a few other tourists who seemed more confused than I was initially). Luckily, after transferring trains, the rest of my trip was uneventful and I arrived in Frankfurt just before midnight. After checking into my hostel, it was definitely time for lights out.

The next day, I grabbed a quick breakfast at the hostel before hopping on a train towards the Hauptwache area, home to St. Katherine's, St. Paul's and a large open street market known as the Zeil. The weather wasn't spectacular, so I took a tour of St. Paul's — indoors and in English, thank goodness. Then I wound my way through the aisles of clothes, crafts and food at the Zeil. By the time dusk fell, the view of the city's skyline really popped — so naturally I started taking loads of pictures (some included in this entry). Then, I stopped off at the restaurant on the square for dinner — sausage and German potato salad again, but I wasn't complaining. That's mostly because I had peeked at the desert menu beforehand and knew what it had in store. For all the flack I got from my friends, who were vacationing in culinary capitals like Paris and Venice, for going to a country whose diet consists mainly of beer, sausage and pretzels, I just have three words of revenge: Warm Apple Strudel. Top it off with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream and I think I win this battle.

Anyways, I'll move onto the next day: Römerberg, St. Bartholomeus’ Cathedral and another trip to the Zeil. The Römerberg is an old city plaza, which houses the now-defunct city hall building and a large national art museum. When I visited, it was also headquarters for a Free Tibet protest, which I stopped and listened to for a bit. It’s interesting how often we forget, (myself included), that there are political and social issues out there that transcend borders, languages and cultures. From Römerberg Platz, I walked over to St. Bartholomeus’ Cathedral. Though half the building was masked by construction cloths, the sight was still stunning. Carved with ornate, detailed patterns, the Cathedral literally towers over every other building in the city, making it distinguishable even from across the Main River. Mass wasn’t going on when I got there, so I walked around and literally gaped at the incredible statues, sculptures and stained glass. On my way back to the train station, I once again found myself transfixed by the odd crafts, clothing and food for sale at the Zeil. Case in point: one tent, which offered discounted socks, underwear and German puppets, sat between a tent that sold giant Gherkins by the jarful and another tent that sold twisted hunks of glass and metal the owner called 'art'. It was a bizarre and eclectic mix, but an interesting place to visit nonetheless.

My last day in Frankfurt started early with breakfast and check out. My flight wasn't until later that night, so I had plenty of time to wander along the Main (pronounced 'mine') River and visit the Alte Oper (Old Opera House), Tausanlange Park and the Financial District. The Alte Oper was stunning — so much so that I finally ran out of room on my first SD card on my camera. After switching to my second memory card, I meandered through the park, taking my time framing up artsy shots of everything: statues, trees, chess tables, etc. Eventually I found myself in the financial district. Men and women in suits rushed among the giant skyscrapers and around a giant statue of the Euro symbol. It was interesting to watch , but pretty soon it was time to pick up my bags, hop on the train and head to the airport. Unlike my trip to Frankfurt, my trip home was not eventful at all. I did manage to pick up 'Q&A', the book that inspired the recent hit indie film Slumdog Millionaire, for only €2 though. I haven't finished the book yet, but I love it so far and highly recommend it.

And there you have it, my spectacular Spring Break in Germany. It was an incredible 6 days and I'm thrilled I finally got to go there. By the way, brace yourselves for a few more blog entries (I've got a lot to catch up on!)

Photos included in this entry (from top to bottom):
St. Paul's church by night.
A view of St. Katherine's church from the Hauptwache.
My (tasty) Apple Strudel (yes, I took a picture).
Römerberg Platz and a Libra statue that sits in the center of it.
A view of Bartholomeus' Cathedral.
The Old Opera House (die Alte Oper)
A giant statue of the Euro symbol in the financial district.