Friday, August 19, 2011

Frankfurt, Germany

{Part 1 of an 8 part Summer Road Trip 2011 series. Check out my route here.}

After visiting Munich in July last year, this time I chose Frankfurt, another popular German city.

Frankfurt is known to be the financial hub of Germany and it often plays host to international trade fairs and events. Some nicknames the city had acquired include ‘Bankfurt’, thanks to the existence of a large number of financial institutions here, as well as ‘Mainhattan’, due to its location by the Main River and that it has a skyline almost resembling Manhattan’s.



Above: The Börse / Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the pair of bear and bull outside it.


Above from left to right: Some of the gleaming skyscrapers of Frankfurt -The Nextower & Jumeirah Hotel, The Westhafen Tower (resembling an apple wine glass), and the Westend Tower.

Despite being a thriving metropolis with many modern skyscrapers, Frankfurt does have an attractive historical city centre. The areas that I fancied most include Römerberg (for the traditional buildings), Saalgasse Lane (for the modern townhouses), Freßgass’ (for the food street), Zeil (for shopping) and Old Sachsenhausen (for its cozy, rustic restaurants and apple wine pubs).


Above: Römerberg, the historical center of Frankfurt with a row of traditional half timbered houses, St. Nicholas Church with the tower on the extreme right and the Fountain of Justice in the middle of the plaza.



Above: On the opposite side of the plaza stands the Rathaus / City Hall housed in a former villa with a 3 gabled roof.


Above: My favourite local food - Pork Knuckles, Pretzels, Sausages!


Above: The Old Opera House



Above: Freßgass’, also referred to as the pedestranised glutton's street filled with shops, cafes and restaurants.


Above: A futuristic looking MyZeil mall on Zeil Street, the main shopping stretch of the city.


Above: A nutcraker figure in the foreground, St. Paul's Church in the background.


Above: A traditional building housing a restaurant, and the Kaiserdom / St. Bartholomew Cathedral.


Above: Saalgasse Lane, with a row of modern townhouses on the left, each designed with a unique façade and built by different architects.


Above: The Eiserner Steg (Iron Footbridge) connecting Frankfurt's old town to the Sachsenhausen district.


Above: A stroll by the River Main.


Above: The Sachsenhausen district, across from the old town.

After spending one day and night in Frankfurt covering most of the city center, it was time to pick up our rental car the next day from Hauptbahnhof, the main train station. Thus the roadtrip begins!

Next stop, Cochem!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts with Thumbnails