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| From the top of the 7-8 story mall. |
My first venture into Frankfurt may be barely worth noting, except that after wandering for seven hours, I’ve still seen only a fraction of this international super city.
Frankfurt am Main is the economic district in Germany, although it doesn’t feel too German. Near the Hauptbahnhof (Central Train Station), there’s a myriad of high rises and glassy new buildings, nearly hiding their historical friends. We took Kaiserstraße as far as we could - from the main shopping street to the river. It is immediately across from the station. To its left there is a winding street bundled with red blinking lights and erotic shops and sex inns. To the right is a long line of halal shops of both Turkish and Arabic descent.
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| Museum of Modern Art besides the Cathedral of St. Bartholomew (14-15 century) |
Although I did hear primarily German, there was a swell of languages all along the Zeil shopping district. There were multiple story malls squished together on both sides of the road, a canyon of cobblestone in between, with bald trees, benches and restaurants dotting the middle of the walkway. This includes a Dunkin’ Donuts, where hardcore rap blasted over Easter-themed donuts, and where iced coffee was finally an option. The department store we visited into was seven stories tall, with a premium movie theater and open-air restaurant at the top.
Just walking made it easy to lose seven hours of time - there is so much to explore, even in one small corner of a city subdivided into 14 area districts. And when dinner time rolled around, there wasn’t a shortage of restaurants - although, being in the expensive intercity, the most affordable was preferred. We ended up in a western-reminiscent joint called The Meat Room. As unappetizing as that sounds, the burgers and french fries were amazing.
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| Pretty sure this is the old opera house. |
It was a breath of fresh air to explore outside the safe haven of Marburg. No matter how much I love the city, there’s still so much to see and do in the neighboring cities. And with the Semesterticket, the only cost for a day trip is food. I hope to go again o Frankfurt soon, maybe to visit the Opera House, but more likely to continue to explore.
