Frankfurt I – June 3, 2006
Soon Gine will write her Toefl English Exam in Frankfurt… so to make sure we know where to go, we decided to check Frankfurt out: where to go and also check out Frankfurt.

What's to know about Frankfurt?

• Besides having one of the most busiest and largest airports – it’s also Germany’s 5^th largest city
• It once was a free city
• It is today one of the richest cities of Europe
• It’s the city of the banks
• Main River: with 525 km – is the longest side river of the Rhine, and the longest river running in full length through Germany

 Der eiserne Steg
The iron foot bridge "Der eiserne Steg" – private built in 1869 and it cost 1 Kreutzer for a one time use, since 1886 it belongs to the city. And if gave us a nice view on the Main River.


  Roemer: 

• The patrician houses are from the 14^th century
• The Roemer and its look is the emblem of the city
• Roemerberg: center of the old city
• It was in the 16^th century the most gorgeous place in the Roman and Germanic empire
• Here was the coronation of the German kings

One thing is sure – this is one amazing marking place. We liked it a whole lot.

 
 Paulskirche:

• Was the nation symbol for freedom and democracy in Germany
• May 18, 1848: first free elected meeting from the national socialists
• Today a museum dedicated to democracy

 Zeil:
Is the oldest main street in Frankfurt – today a pedestrian area and shopping street with the highest sales in Germany, and one of the most important shopping streets in Europe

This was one beautiful street to walk down even if we are not the main shoppers, but all the benches, trees and fountains a beautiful. Especially the kind of funky looking Mall from where we had the most amazing view on the Frankfurt skyscrapers

 Zeilgalerie: 
with a viewing platform to look down onto the city – a modern shopping center cramped in between the old buildings
So after looking across to them, we also decided to walk through the area where the skyscrapers are, so that we can stand and look up to glassy shiny buildings.

 
 Hauptwache:
 1729 built as a military station, was for a long time a prison

 
 Frankfurter Boerse = stock market:

•  Built in the 15^th century, with the 2 symbol animals: the bull and the bear for the main stocking companies
• the stock market started with the emperor Ludwig in the 9^th century
• In the 16^th century Frankfurt was the center for banking
• In 1585 the dukes and kings made here the official rules for the stock market
• Today Frankfurt is the 3^rd largest stock market in the world, after New York and Nasdaq

The old opera house
built (1880) – destroyed in WWII and reopened in 1981
You wouldn’t think that this building is not that old, but that happens often here in Germany, you think you look at an old historic building and it is actually re-built. But it is a super place with some nice fountains.

 
 Skyscrapers of Frankfurt: 

• Main tower 200 m high, only the 4^th highest building
• The Mess tower at the exhibition center – which is one of the oldest in the world, from 1200

 
 Jun 16, 2006 - Frankfurt II
A nice and sunny day and again we are on the way to Frankfurt. For Gine today it was examination day: 5 hours English Exam and for Paul was enjoying the sunshine and the world soccer game… since Paul’s has soccer fever, like the rest of Germany.

 The Soccer game
So during Gine was sweating, Paul was with thousands of others along the Main River banks watching he game on the big screen set up in the middle of the River.

 The German Police
Also he came across a lot of German police officers, saw lots of different style of police vehicles and let’s not forget the all the crazy English people – since England plays today in Frankfurt… so everyone is English and crazy.

So when Paul came to pick me up he knew all the spots where the English celebrate like crazy, are nuts and drunk… we saw the Roemer place today in a different style

  and last but not least we had a wonderful Frankfurt and Main River by night view…