Our arrival in Frankfurt-Hahn Airport was marked by an hour and a half bus ride to get us to the city. This trip offered us spectacular views of the forests and villages along the way. I was enchanted by these views, stunned by their beauty--it is absolutely indescribable, like something out of a postcard.
Once we got to our hostel and checked in, a desk worker recommended that we visit the Christmas Market. Oh, what a wonderful thing that was! Stall upon stall of beautiful lights and Christmas decorations, and delicious food. We fell in love with Germany on the spot simply for its ability to make our taste buds come alive again after the bland school caf food. There were also incredibly intricate ornaments for sale, made of carefully-tooled wood. We rode a two-story carousel to get a good view of the glittery place.
The next day, we took a walking tour of the city. It's amazing, how much of Frankfurt was rebuilt after World War II. I was impressed by all the layers of history to the city, from its first mention as a town by Charlemagne to the prosperous banking industry that thrives today. It's amazing how Europe's tallest skyscraper and Roman ruins can be within walking distance with each other.
The largest impact for me, though, was the wall dedicated to the Frankfurt Jews who died in the Holocaust, Anne Frank among them. Of the 6,000 or so Jews who were deported during the war, only three survived to the end of it. Throughout the city and the rest of Germany there are "stumbling stones" in front of houses of those who were executed by the Nazis. We saw one dedicated to a child whose only crime was having epilepsy. Sad.
We did see some more positive sights, though, like a place where Martin Luther had stayed the night, a monument to Gutenberg, and the front of Goethe's house. We finished off with some more good food, after which we went to see what was my first opera, Don Carlos. Wow, that was epic. . . the music, the singers with lungs of iron, the costumes. . . and the sheer intensity of the drama. It was absolutely thrilling, even from high up in the cheap seats.
Sunday morning, we went to Mass at St. Leonard's, entranced by the ringing of the many bells in the city. I don't think I've been to a Catholic church during Advent before, and it was nice. Later, we walked along the river, next to a billowing steam engine train to get to the first of our two Jewish museums for the day, which had all kinds of interesting things on the history of the Jews, from the Middle Ages to the formation of the country of Israel. The second one focused on the remains of the Judengasse, the Jewish ghetto which had been destroyed by the Nazis and later excavated. It was interesting to see all the different articles used in daily life from that period, and to read, in detail, how the Jews in the Middle Ages celebrated Sabbath. I like how special they made it, how beautiful.
Afterwards, I went to the Frankfurt Historical Museum, which was also fascinating. It covered parts of Frankfurt's history the other museums hadn't even touched on, like the rebuilding in the thirties and the protests in the sixties. I was amazed by some of the articles of clothing they had, not to mention a popular ergonomically correct kitchen the Frankfurters had developed. Having seen it, I walked to the opera house to meet my friend, who had gone to a movie, through the greenbelt that replaced the city wall a century or two ago. It was absolutely spectacular, and I enjoyed watching the children ice skating in the square in front of me while I waited for them.
We took it easy for our last night, playing cards and eating popcorn. The next day would take us to Luxembourg.
Thank you for your patience in reading all of this, and happy Three Kings Day. Here in Spain, it's the gift-giving holiday, and I give you all my love.
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