Walking Tour, Rain or Shine!
----------------------------------------------------------
It was a blistery morning with a prediction of rain, but I didn't see any. So, Edna and I headed down to the train station to take a walking tour of Frankfurt. What a fabulous way to get a sense of the city, hopefully get your bearings and see some wonderful sights. I am a great believer in positive thinking, so I am thinking "I don't need an umbrella"! Besides, I hate carrying a lot of things.
We were to meet our guide in the Romerplatz, the hill where the original town of Frankfurt stood. It is also the center where the Justice Fountain once flowed with wine, the Nazi gatherings, the book burnings, a visit from JFK,the finish line for the Frankfurt Marathon and the center for the Annual Christmas Market. We met Dave, our guide, and headed out to see "the Dom", St. Bartholemews Cathedral. The Cathedral is a must see! Strictly speaking it is not a cathedral at all, since it was never a bishop's church, but it became a cathedral because it served for 300 years as the site of coronation for the Holy Roman Emperors. The church has a relic of St. Bartholomew, his skullcap. It is elegant in its simplicity. I want to go back there to attend Mass and listen to the organ. It is supposed to be a powerful experience.
We also walked through the Archaeological Garden, I love that term and it is amazing and beautiful. This is where the roman baths were discovered after WWII. 
Here is another life lesson: Out of chaos comes beauty and discoveries of treasures unknown.
The "garden" is located just before going into St. Bartholomew's. The Romans were the first to have "hot tubs". They built stone "tiles" that were below the floor level and on the outside they built the fire that would heat the tiles and then the water.
In the second photo you will see a drain. That is post Roman (just in case you weren't sure)
This is the Holocaust Memorial Wall. We visited this unique Memorial that the city of Frankfurt has chosen to honor the memory of its' 11,133 Jewish citizens who were sacrificed during World War II. Anne, Margot, and Edith Frank are included on this wall of remembrance. On the wall are small memorials with the persons name and the dates they lived and died. I found this a very touching and potent reminder of our history. Inside the walls is the oldest Jewish cemetery garden dating back to 12th century. It is only open to visitors and you must leave your passport to get in.
Next we went through the Jewish ghetto area where a wall was first erected in 1180 as part of the city defenses, this became one of the walls that surrounded the ghetto built in 1462. It was covered up and forgotten until the bombs of 1944 destroyed the houses surrounding it, revealing the wall, still standing intact. The Germans surrounded the area with stone walls that are there to this day. The guards would walk along the top of the wall to make sure no one left. In many ways, it is a reminder of how easy it is to enslave people and to make intelligent, sophisticated people believe that you are doing what is best. Small changes can incur HUGE consequences even in today's society.
Then Dave took us to the most amazing market where you could purchase sausages and beer, stand among all of the fruit stands, coffee bars and wonderful spice shacks. It is indoors and the sights and colors are vibrant. A chance to get something good to eat (sausage sandwich was my choice) and get out of the rain. Yes, the last 1/2 hour of our tour..... IT POURED! Thank you to "Frankfurt on foot" by http://www.insidertour.com/tours.php/cat. There were many other stops on this 3 hour walk that were awe inspiring and rewarding. Take a moment, be there at 10:30AM and have an inexpensive but fun tour of the city; in English!
It was a blistery morning with a prediction of rain, but I didn't see any. So, Edna and I headed down to the train station to take a walking tour of Frankfurt. What a fabulous way to get a sense of the city, hopefully get your bearings and see some wonderful sights. I am a great believer in positive thinking, so I am thinking "I don't need an umbrella"! Besides, I hate carrying a lot of things.We were to meet our guide in the Romerplatz, the hill where the original town of Frankfurt stood. It is also the center where the Justice Fountain once flowed with wine, the Nazi gatherings, the book burnings, a visit from JFK,the finish line for the Frankfurt Marathon and the center for the Annual Christmas Market. We met Dave, our guide, and headed out to see "the Dom", St. Bartholemews Cathedral. The Cathedral is a must see! Strictly speaking it is not a cathedral at all, since it was never a bishop's church, but it became a cathedral because it served for 300 years as the site of coronation for the Holy Roman Emperors. The church has a relic of St. Bartholomew, his skullcap. It is elegant in its simplicity. I want to go back there to attend Mass and listen to the organ. It is supposed to be a powerful experience.
We also walked through the Archaeological Garden, I love that term and it is amazing and beautiful. This is where the roman baths were discovered after WWII. 
Here is another life lesson: Out of chaos comes beauty and discoveries of treasures unknown.The "garden" is located just before going into St. Bartholomew's. The Romans were the first to have "hot tubs". They built stone "tiles" that were below the floor level and on the outside they built the fire that would heat the tiles and then the water.
In the second photo you will see a drain. That is post Roman (just in case you weren't sure)
This is the Holocaust Memorial Wall. We visited this unique Memorial that the city of Frankfurt has chosen to honor the memory of its' 11,133 Jewish citizens who were sacrificed during World War II. Anne, Margot, and Edith Frank are included on this wall of remembrance. On the wall are small memorials with the persons name and the dates they lived and died. I found this a very touching and potent reminder of our history. Inside the walls is the oldest Jewish cemetery garden dating back to 12th century. It is only open to visitors and you must leave your passport to get in.
Next we went through the Jewish ghetto area where a wall was first erected in 1180 as part of the city defenses, this became one of the walls that surrounded the ghetto built in 1462. It was covered up and forgotten until the bombs of 1944 destroyed the houses surrounding it, revealing the wall, still standing intact. The Germans surrounded the area with stone walls that are there to this day. The guards would walk along the top of the wall to make sure no one left. In many ways, it is a reminder of how easy it is to enslave people and to make intelligent, sophisticated people believe that you are doing what is best. Small changes can incur HUGE consequences even in today's society.
Then Dave took us to the most amazing market where you could purchase sausages and beer, stand among all of the fruit stands, coffee bars and wonderful spice shacks. It is indoors and the sights and colors are vibrant. A chance to get something good to eat (sausage sandwich was my choice) and get out of the rain. Yes, the last 1/2 hour of our tour..... IT POURED! Thank you to "Frankfurt on foot" by http://www.insidertour.com/tours.php/cat. There were many other stops on this 3 hour walk that were awe inspiring and rewarding. Take a moment, be there at 10:30AM and have an inexpensive but fun tour of the city; in English!
Comments