May 2019 - Frankfurt am Main - City of Contrasts

This article is written retrospectively for once. Four weeks later to be exact. The reason for that: We actually had to cut our vacation short and go back home. And it was my fault.

First, I had to deal with a nasty case of lumbago. But thanks to Thermacare and a bunch of painkillers, I managed to get it under control. Plus, all the walking around during sightseeing helped as well. So, everything seemed fine. But then came the punch in the face in the form of a nasty stomach flu. That completely knocked me out. I was literally knocked out while standing. Annett just dragged me around and then pulled the emergency brake. That meant aborting the trip and heading home. Somehow, we made it home and I was nursed back to health in the comfort of our own home.
Nevertheless, I will keep good memories of Frankfurt. Until now, I had only been there for business trips, but this was our first sightseeing trip. And of course, we visited Mainhattan, both from the ground and from above. For the bird's-eye view, the Maintower with its observation deck is very suitable. The 200-meter high building is the fourth tallest skyscraper in Frankfurt. And of course, it has fast elevators. The express elevator goes at a speed of 7 meters per second and takes 45 seconds to go from the lobby to the restaurant. That's on the 53rd floor. To get to the observation deck, you have to walk up to the 56th floor. With good weather, you have a great view from here.
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Down below, between the skyscrapers, you'll find surprisingly much greenery. Our tour guide from eat-the-world even said that Frankfurt is the second-greenest city in Germany (after Essen). However, my subsequent research did not confirm this. The city marketing of many cities often claims that this or that city has many parks or green areas. And surely, each of these cities has a certain advantage somewhere. In fact, there are many different rankings for the greenest cities in Germany. Some analyze satellite photos, others count the lakes around the city as well. But no matter which green list you look at, Frankfurt always ends up in the middle.
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Anyway, in the parks, both the many investment bankers and the still plentiful homeless people feel at home during their breaks.
Speaking of homeless people: Although Frankfurt has done a lot to upgrade especially the train station district, the drug addicts are still very present here. Interestingly, you can find both super expensive condominiums and a drug consumption room in the same street.
Furthermore, there are many hotels in the train station district. A few years ago, no sensible person would have stayed here, as these were mostly hourly hotels back then. Now there are many 4-star hotels that offer their rooms at a very affordable price due to the fierce competition. We stayed here and had a great room with breakfast for a price we would have paid twice elsewhere.
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So, you can definitely call Frankfurt a city of contrasts. Old stands next to new as a matter of course, skyscrapers next to small houses, and rich people next to poor people.
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But of course, we didn't just look at buildings. I also booked a tour of the Hessischer Rundfunk and a tour of the airport. And I'm proud to say that I made it to both! However, by that time, I was already showing various signs of exhaustion. My mind was clear, but my body constantly wanted to lie down. So, I spent more time hanging than walking. It must have been a sad sight.
Unfortunately, I don't have any great photos from these tours for you.
And I can't report anything about Bonn this time either. Because that was supposed to be our destination after Frankfurt.
But postponed is not canceled....