I started the morning with a much too long jog around the city, and had to sprint back to my hostel when a downpour started. The rain was a good excuse to finally do the laundry I had been avoiding, and I found one of Frankfurt's few self-service laundry mats. The place was not far from my hostel, which meant that it was also right next to the red light district and the less favorable part of town.
The laundry mat was packed full of a cast of characters (including three women that I believe most likely somewhere nearby). Overall though, getting laundry done was largely uneventful, except for the brief visit by a pair of Roma women (somewhat more derogatorily known as gypsies), who left in a huff after unsuccessfully collecting any change or selling any gold rings to the laundry mat patrons.
After finishing laundry and checking into my new hostel (much better), I started on a self-guided tour of Frankfurt. I found the city surprisingly calm and pleasant, with many wonderful parks and a fascinating mix of modern development and historical sights. Once beyond the interestingly large red light district, the city is very clean, although there are still many beggars throughout the city. Frankfurt is swarming with well-dressed businessmen, but the city feels less hectic than the banking districts in NYC or Shanghai. Overall, the city is quite orderly feeling and the spacious green-spaces create a very pleasant vibe.
I started my wanderings with a tour of the modern banking areas, followed by a quick drop by the very small historic center. Frankfurt's medieval district was completely decimated during WWII, and the city chose to start anew rather than rebuild its older districts. One small square was rebuilt, and it's quite charming but very Disney-esque.
The modern areas:
Old district:
Other spots:
Frankfurt has wonderful bridges over the Main river, and my next stop was across the river to the Sauchen district, home of the apple wine pubs. The drink is called Apfelwein in German, and Frankfurters are very, very proud of their apple wine. They drink it regularly, and it appears to be more popular than either beer or wine locally. I stopped in one of the most famous and historical apple wine houses in Germany to try the famous beverage. I was a little nervous that the wine would taste like alcoholic apple juice, but I was pleasantly surprised. The drink was only a touch sweet, and quite refreshingly light. I still much prefer a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon over an Apfelwein, but the drink is quite inexpensive and has a proof similar to beer, making it an enjoyable choice for lazy and warm summer afternoons.
Sadly, however, it was not a warm afternoon but a freezing early evening in Frankfurt - I would guess the temperature was in the high fifties. I know 57 degrees isn't really freezing, but it was a bit of a shock to the system after traveling through much warmer climates. I couldn't have been the only one that was cold though, because I noticed that all the apple wine outdoor gardens were nearly empty.
I made the cold walk back to my hotel and decided to park there for the night. I ended up meeting an FSU medical student who was celebrating (or mourning) the end of his 2-month Europe trip, as he was heading back to Florida the next morning and starting classes on Monday. I spent some time comparing European cities with him and an Italian traveler before calling it a night.
One more day in Frankfurt, and then this trip is so very close to being over. I have many mixed feelings about the end of this trip, but I am determined to enjoy myself as much as possible before I have to say goodbye to this ridiculously fun adventure.
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