The Financial Capital of Germany
For the first and only time on the route, I find myself in a big city that is Frankfurt am Main. I swap the alleys between pastel-coloured houses for the large avenues between rigid and grey skyscrapers. However, it is not so shocking to me, given that I started my day in Frankfurt surrounded by picturesque houses in the main square of the city: Römerberg. Here you will find the town hall, a church, and a set of six traditional half-timbered buildings, called Oszteile.
Although it is a beautiful square, it has a rather artificial atmosphere, you can tell that the buildings are not as ancient as they claim to be and through the rest of the old town this feeling becomes more evident. Very close to the Römerberg is located Frankfurt’s Cathedral, where there is a small exhibition on the history of the city. The photo down below perfectly sums up why the city feels so artificial and the historic centre or Altstadt is so small. Frankfurt was completely razed to the ground after World War II, that’s why almost all the buildings are reconstructions of the originals.
It doesn't take me long to walk around the whole Altstadt and then I head to the city's best-known bridge: the iron walkway or Eisener Steg in German. It is a pedestrian bridge, where couples go to leave their locks and from which there are amazing views of the financial district’s skyline. Like the rest of Frankfurt, the walkway is also a reconstruction, but as you can see from the images, they added an inscription in Greek with a fragment of Homer's famous Odyssey that reads: "I sail to the winey sea, to other men". Because of what happens in the actual book, this phrase has often ended up being used to represent the idea of exploration, adventure, and the encounter with the unknown.
Then, I go to what will be my favourite place in Frankfurt: the Kleinmarkthalle, a city market where food, flowers and groceries can be found. I had never seen so many types of cheeses and sausages together, it was very nice to see, and I was very excited to try an authentic Frankfurt sausage, as I have eaten them all my life and I have called them that. Unlike in Catalonia where we usually put the sausage in a hot sandwich, in Germany it is eaten on its own and with a little mustard. I buy them at a small stall that has the same name as the saleswoman who serves me and who has been working behind it since 1958: Ilse Schreiber. It has become very famous for having been working for more than 65 years in a row. Buying her sausages has become another tourist attraction in the city thanks to its authenticity. I was also especially excited to be able to ask her personally in German and I have to say that her Würste were indeed delicious.
Near the market’s entrance there is also a small shop that in English we could translate as "sausage shop", Wurstbraterei in German. I love this German obsession with sausages, but I don't know exactly what kind of sauce I've tasted at all times, since what we would call a simple sausage without further specification in Catalonia, in Germany becomes a whole world of different varieties and flavours.
After having lunch at 12 o'clock following the German timing, I walk through Zeil Street, full of shops and huge malls where I take shelter from the rain. When it finally stops raining, I go to see the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, where there is a statue of a bear and a bull, imitating the famous one in Wall Street. Then I head to the city's Opera House along Goethe Street or Goethestraße, a famous shopping street with luxury shops. On the Opera Square or Opernplatz, there are many children playing with some kind of little cars, and it seems that the square is home to fairs.
Along the way there are many very beautiful historical buildings that remind me of Parisian architecture, but there is also a very great contrast with the modern skyscrapers of the financial district. As I continue my stroll, it reminds me of New York, even though I've never been there. Frankfurt is the financial capital of Germany, and I can clearly confirm this by its tall buildings throughout my short stay. For this reason, the headquarters of the European Central Bank is located here. Specifically, I visit the well-known square with the symbol of the euro that always appears on the news, and which is called Willy Brandt Square, in honour to a German chancellor recognized for his role in the fall of the Iron Curtain in Europe. Right in front the Eurotower is located, where the euro headquarters used to be, however nowadays the headquarters has been transferred to a new building that I could see before from the iron walkway.
On the other hand, in the middle of the enormous skyscrapers, there is the house where Goethe, the famous and well-known German writer, was born and lived. For this reason, Frankfurt is full of statues, squares and streets named after him, although it is also true that in any German town there is some reference to him given his importance in German culture.
After seeing the main attractions of the city, I go back to the hotel in Heidelberg, thus finishing my ascent up the Rhine and start the descent again, I am at the halfway point of the route. I think Frankfurt is certainly the most different destination on my Rhine tour, due to its much colder atmosphere that contrasts sharply with the more picturesque atmosphere of the other destinations. Nonetheless that is precisely why this great city enriches and brings up more diversity to this wonderful route, that I will be continuing through France leaving Germany behind.
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