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AFRICA 2008
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FRANKFURT

We were told that there was nothing much to do in Frankfurt. Not really true- -we found it a good walking city for the several days we've been here. The central City, along with the bridges, were all but leveled in WWII but have been rebuilt - sometimes replicating what was there before- -making for an interesting juxtaposition of old, pretend old, and angular/modern new. For example, the area around the City Hall also has the main cathedral of the City where several of the early kings and emperors were crowned. Interestingly, the church's property throughout the City seems to have been spared the worst of the bombings. The surrounding properties were reconstructed in the image of the early site with a broad square surrounded by old-style buildings.

The City is compact with lots of green space around it and pocket-parks in the core. As were many early cities, Frankfurt is a river town. Numerous bridges span the Main River. There is a river walk on both sides and even today in the wind and cold it was populated with bikers, joggers, and walkers. The weather is said to have gotten much more mild over the last decade (just not today, which was quite brisk). A landscaping surprise is that, along the river and in other city parks as well, there are many palm trees and bamboo plants! Because it's winter, the palm trees are tied up and shielded under a conical top (like a metal umbrella) to protect them from the snow.

Frankfurt has been a trade center in Germany for centuries, thanks to its geography and river location. It returned to its roots after the War and became a major banking center, which in turn helped create Frankfurt as a major airline hub. In the city center, almost all of the high-rises, old and new, are bank buildings. The downtown area is laid-out (or not laid out) in a fashion that is further reminiscent of Wall Street. One difference, and unique in all of the cities that I have seen, is the above ground water mains that could not be accommodated underground because of the river and subway system.

No shopping in Europe! Bargains were not apparent anywhere we were in Frankfurt and, with the exchange rate for the Euro (plus charges for using a credit card or travelers check), prices are ~50% higher than for the same item in the USA. Besides which, we cleverly don't have any room to spare in our suitcases.

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FRANKFURT  |  CASABLANCA  |  ROAD TO FEZ  |  FEZ  |  ROAD TO ERFOUD  |  ONWARD TO OUARZAZATE  |  ROAD TO MARRAKECH  |  MARRAKECH  |  TUNISIA  |  CARTHAGE  |  DOUGGA/BULLA REGIA  |  DUBAI  |  AL MAHA  |  OMAN  |  SALALAH  |  


HOME  |  AUSTRALIA 2003  |  ACROSS AMERICA  |  IMPRESSIONS OF CHINA  |  VIETNAM  |  AFRICA  |  AROUND THE WORLD 2009  |  SOUTH AMERICA 2009  |  LEGENDARY CULTURES 2011
  |  TURKEY AND GREECE  |  CIRCLE THE ARCTIC