Spending a week in Chilled Germany (Frankfurt) Part – 1

We were leaving for Wiesbaden – Germany to attend an official meeting. Wiesbaden is approx. 40 km from Frankfurt . It was early morning 08.03.10 (6.30AM) , when we landed at Frankfurt. As per the information given by the pilot , the outside temp was -6 degree C. As soon as we were out of the airport we faced the blowing cold breeze. I never came across with such a cold breeze although I belong to hills.

FRANKFURT



Frankfurt Airport which is located 12 km from the city center. The airport has three runways and serves 265 non-stop destinations. It ranks among the world’s top ten airports and is the biggest cargo airport in Europe. The airport also serves as a hub for German flag carrier Lufthansa. It ranks as the second or third busiest in Europe alongside London Heathrow Airport and Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.

Intercity Express

We took a local train for Frankfurt main station, On the way we came across the freeze snow besides the railway track & roads. Our hotel was at the walking distance from railway station. We reached hotel around 8.30 AM.

Local Train

Snow fall

Meeting was supposed to be started from next day, so we were in Frankfurt for one day, in spite of intolerable cold breeze we did not miss the opportunity to explore Frankfurt.

Enjoying cold drink with ice :-)

We left our hotel after going through some of the travelling broachers available in the hotel. This time we decided to use Hop -on Hop- off bus to visit Frankfurt.

Hop on - Hop off Bus

Frankfurt is one of the largest city in German , situated on the side of river MAIN. Frankfurt is the financial and transportation centre of Germany and the largest financial centre in continental Europe. It is seat of the European Central Bank, the German Federal Bank, the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the Frankfurt Trade Fair, as well as several large commercial banks. The three pillars of Frankfurt’s economy are finance, transport, and trade fairs

Frankfurt

Frankfurt

Frankfurt

Old Town

We walked down to the Place called Paulsplatz , from where Hop-on Hop-off bus starts for sight seeing. Bus started at 11.00 AM. One can enjoy an informative commentary in 10 different languages – German, English, French , Spanish , Italian , Japanese , Russian , Turkish, Arabic & Korean while travelling in the bus.

Hop-on Hop-off Bus

Rest of the Frankfurt’s write-up will be released very shortly , may be tomorrow.

22 Comments

  • Ram Dhall says:

    Thanks for taking us on a pictorial tour of Frankfurt.

    Shall look forward to the rest of the write up.

  • Mahesh Semwal says:

    Ram Sir.

    Thanks for your appreciation.
    You don’t have to wait for a long for the rest of the Frankfurt.

  • nandanjha says:

    Its so hot in Delhi that its a good feeling to look at these white photographs :-)

    And this is Ghumakkar’s first story on Germany. Looking fwd to part 2.

    • Mahesh Semwal says:

      Dear Nandan,

      Today these photographs sooth our eyes but we found the climate intolerable there in Germany. The People with whom we interacted while our meeting were saying that they were fade up with a long winters.

      I don’t know whether I could justify with my write-up because of lack of time as Sales closing is going on.

      I am Happy to know that this is the first write-up on Germany in Ghumakkar. May be helpful for the fellow Ghumakkar.

  • Jerry Jaleel says:

    Your post reminds me of my two trips to Frankfurt (April and July) when the weather was a little better: mid teens in April. During my last visit in July the temperature there was almost the same as anywhere in a Canadian city – in the mid 20s, and a little cooler as you travel north to Sweden, especially in the evening. Having spent 42 winters in Canada, I have experienced extreme rigid temperatures up to -40 degrees. A train journey from Frankfurt to Stockholm is very enjoyable.

    Have you had a chance to visit the famous zoo (Zoo Frankfurt as they call it) created by Bernhard Grzimek?

    With best wishes and Looking forward to see more!

    Jerry Jaleel
    Northern Alberta
    Canada

    • Mahesh Semwal says:

      Dear Jerry,

      Thanks for your kind words.

      No , I was not able to see Zoo in Frankfurt, it is close to the botanical garden. Try to see next time.

  • Hello Mahesh,

    I liked the picture of the boy with a hammer in his hand, what is it depicting BTW ?
    Given an option, I was always averse to fly by Lufthansa as it takes you to Frankfurt,and I felt that there is nothing much to see. I thought that its a modern city with lots of industrialization. I am eagerly looking forward to your next post to see what Frankfurt has in offering.

    I know that these days its lots of work for you, take your time for the next in series :-)

  • Mahesh Semwal says:

    Dear Manish,

    The Hammering Man is a symbol for the worker in all of us.It was made by Jonathan Borofsky, his Hammering Man sculptures have been installed in various cities around the world. The largest Hammering Man is in Seoul, Korea and the second largest is in Frankfurt, Germany. Other Hammering Men are in Basel, Dallas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.

    Hammering Man’s arm “hammers” silently and smoothly four times per minute from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day. It runs on a 3-hp electric motor set on an automatic timer. Hammering Man rests his arm each evening and every year on Labor Day.

    In Germany , I had been to three cities & in all the three Place I following things to visit:-

    1. Historical Buildings
    2. Museums
    3. Churches

    Frankfurt Part – II will be ready by today only. For MAINZ & WIESBADEN , you have to wait for some time.

    Hope not too long :-)

  • sskagra says:

    Rearly This is a very good travel guide book for Germany very well descrived also useful photograph
    Thanking you manish

  • If you are going on holiday to Frankfurt, I suggest visiting the Ghoethe house. This is the house where Goethe was born on 28th August 1749. It is a typical example of how people lived in the late baroque period. The house was completely destroyed in the Second World War but it was restored to its original condition between 1946-51. Most of the objects that are on display didn’t belong to the Goethe family, but they are from the same period. It’s also worth taking a trip to the adjoining Goethe Museum, which was recently renovated and contains both a library and a bookshop.

    • Mahesh Semwal says:

      Thanks for your suggestions. I know there are so many museums in Frankfurt but due to the shortage of time we were not able to visit the museums.

      May be some thing for the next visit :-).

  • Nandan Jha says:

    Thank you Mahesh for helping us re-publish this old gem.

  • Hi Mahesh Ji,

    I read all in the series and liked them as well. Short but comprehensive and supported by very beautiful pics.

    Thanks for republishing.

  • silentsoul says:

    thanks Mahesh for sharing this wonderful story about Germany.. Photo’s size should be increased to enjoy the beauty.. :) I have been to Frankfurt many times and everytime i hated it. Germany’s villages are more beautiful than cities..

    And a big thank for meeting me at Lodhi Garden… it was great meeting you face to face :)

  • Pamela says:

    Hi,
    Very nice blog with great shots of photographs. :)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *