It's ok - really (Frankfurt)

Member Name: Heksen

Product:	Frankfurt
Date:	02/02/01 (203 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: It's nice if you know where

Disadvantages: The station is the worst way of welcoming a visitor - it's abysmal

So, this is my first ever opinion on Dooyoo.uk - I hope you'll forgive me any mistakes, my English is just a tad rusty...

Seeing as I live in Frankfurt an was born close by, I thinks it's only fair that I write something nice about it ;-)

When you arrive at Frankfurt, you'll most probably hit the Main Train Station at one point or another. And --- this, I admit, is not the best place to detect the city's charme.

Around the train station (Hauptbahnhof) is the red-light-district, so watch out for pick-pockets and don't get put out by any drug-addicts you might see. They are there, but mostly harmless.

The station itsself is in an abysmal state at the moment, the renovation planned could not be financed by Deutsche Bahn AG and the nets you see up on the ceiling are not there to keep the pidgeons out - they are there to protec unsuspecting travellers from falling bits of the roof - no joke.

But onwards to nicer parts of the town.

Frankfurt, which has a population of about 700,000, was very much destroyed during the war and many of the older houses in the city center are there no longer.

The main shopping-street is called Zeil (S-Bahn and U-Bahn station Hauptwache and Konstablerwache). Here, the homesick traveller even finds a Marks & Spencers (with sandwiches!!! *g*) and an HMV store.

If you want to go shopping for clothes, this is the place to do it, apart from the large German High-Street stores, there are also some local ones. Designer stores are found in the "Fressgass" towards the Alte Oper.

If you fancy watching a movie and fear your German is not quite up to it, the cinema at Eschenheimer Turm (10 Mins walk from Hauptwache) always shows movies in the original language (mostly English - without subtitles).

The "touristy" bits are found in Sachsenhausen on the other side of the river Main. You can walk there from Hauptwache, and on
your way across the "Iron Bridge" don't forget to turn back to get a really nice view of "Mainhattan's" skyline.

Alt Sachsenhausen is the place to go if you are looking for something to drink. Our local speciality here is "Apfelwein", or "Äppelwoi" in the local dialect. It's basically cider but far less sweet and far less chemical. However, if you fancy a Kilkenny's or a Guinness, there are about 3 Irish Pubs in Alt Sachsenhausen.

The "Museumsufer" (Museum-Riverside) is interesting to visit, too, there are plenty of museums along the Main, some of them very interesting. A good place to visit is also the Städl and the Schirn Gallery, both picture galleries.

The Römerplatz looks very picturesque with its old houses and the impressive town hall - all of which were re-erected after the war.
In the weeks before Christmas, this is where the Christmas Market (Weihnachtsmarkt) can be found.

Also nice to see is the Frankfurter Dom, a very nice, big and old gothic cathedral - its highest tower is, however, currently wrapped in scaffolding.

So, where do "Frankfurters" go when they go out?

Well, there is the Berger Strasse north of Konstabler Wache, a nice street with lots of cafés, restaurants and bars. There is also the Leipziger Strasse near University - my favourits Thai, Bhan Thai, is on this street.

Basically, there are so many things to see and so many places to go (the Rheingau, Wiesbaden, Bad Homburg), and LOTS of nice Germans to meet, that I am sure you will like this place just as much as I do. It grows on you, believe me.

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