Tuesday 17 June 2014 Frankfurt

Partly Cloudy 22C

Slept well after our big walk yesterday. Shook hands with the European breakfast buffet this morning – very tasty although eating a selection of cold meats and cheeses might seem unusual at first, I think I could get used to it…

Hit the streets around 9.30 a.m and took a brisk constitutional climbing the Dom (Frankfurt Cathedral) Tower. 328 steps up and down for 3 Euros each – you can't get that sort of value in a gym in Sydney? We made it to the top. A cool breeze helped keep the climb comfortable and we were rewarded with a fantastic view in all directions. It certainly was impressive and helped put together all the places we visited on our tour yesterday.

Next stop was to the KleinMarktHalle once again to have a closer look at what at first glance yesterday looked to be a very interesting market. There were tastings of pesto, elderberry cordial and a sweeter cider, all very nice. We also discovered a great cup of coffee hidden amongst the sausage, pasta, chocolate and vegetable stalls.

Our morning went quickly with a stroll through some of the shops and we met up with Hans at 3pm. The pater noster lift at the Flemings Hotel is an open lift that never stops, it is unique to Germany with only a few left in existence. We had fun jumping on and off and I hope our photos do it justice. Not sure occupational health and safety regulations would ever let one be built in Australia.

Hans then took us to the Hauptbahnhof (main railway station) – via the red light district – lots of construction and renovation of the streetscape. This is where we take the train to Mainz tomorrow. We caught a train east along the river to have a closer look at the new European Central Bank building in its final stages of construction. It is unique in style but controversial due to its size and position (and cost – reportedly E500,000 per desk). Stopping in at a café on the river bank we enjoyed a quiet beer/water in the afternoon sunshine, rowers on the river and planes taking off in the distance,

Then a long walk back to the old city walls, then north back through the wall park to Bergerstrasse and the walled garden that includes a Chinese garden and pagoda inside. Walked further along Bergerstrasse to Marianplatz then caught a train back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.

Dinner was at a restaurant on Bergerstrasse – schnitzel and cider and a very enjoyable evening with Sabine, Bernadette, Peter, Hans and Han’s son Jan. We certainly covered some ground today and with aching feet we arrived back at the hotel just before midnight for a quiet night’s sleep.