"My Trip... Frankfurt, Germany"

Frankfurt Am Main

I teach at a small university in the Mississippi Delta...Back in January, a colleague passed by my office... stuck her head in the door and asked... 'Shoes, how about going to Europe this summer...,' to which I replied, 'sure, why not...'


A few weeks later, the scenario kind of repeated itself, and I asked if she was serious about the offer... she said she was... I asked for details, and it seems that there is an organization that promotes international studies, from both the standpoint of the students as well as professors...  I assured her I was interested, and the event just kind of took a life of its own.  Granted, I think she did a great deal of the work behind the scenes... setting up schools and basic itineraries...


When everything fell into place, I was going to fly into Frankfurt, Germany from Detroit, spend a few days there, and then head to the next destination.  I've never traveled outside  of the country before, and that was one long-assed flight.


I left Detroit at 5.30 PM, and arrived in Frankfurt at 8.30 AM (Frankfurt time- FT), which was 1.30 AM my body time. I was in serious sleep deprivation already.  I found the airport there to be very confusing, but that could easily have been  due to lack  of sleep and not being able to find many English speaking people to help me.

Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof

(not my photo)

I was able to take a train from  the airport to the Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof (train station)... according to an article I read, the station was built around 1895, survived the bombing that the city suffered during WWII, and serves 350,000 people a day.  If you saw how efficiently the trains enter and leave the station, that number becomes very plausible.


I arrived at my hotel at 10.45 AM FT... they took my luggage and stowed it for me... and I just went off and sat in the corner somewhere to rest... I was so tired. They must have felt sorry for me... I was given a room and I crashed.   I don't recall how long I slept.

(my photo)

Frankfurt is the financial center of Germany, and is home to the European Central Bank.  The European Union and the Euro Zone have been under great economic pressure... and there are questions about whether or not it will survive.  At the time I was there, an 'Occupy' movement had set up camps on a large mall area around the sign (above).  Seeing this kind of activity helped me to formulate my lectures that I would give, and use it as a means of learning what the students thought of the economic chaos that exists in Europe and the rest of the world today.  For the record, Germany and The Netherlands have the lowest unemployment rates in Europe, and possibly in the world... hovering around 5.4%.  These people are hard working, and do seem to spend their money in their respective economies.


Having witnessed an 'occupy movement' first hand, I am not impressed.

Frankfurt Am Main

(my photo)

There is a mix of new and old in the city.  That is the Frankfurt Cathedral in the left hand side of the photo above... I took the photo from one of several pedestrian bridges that cross the Main.  The story goes that allied bomber pilots were told to NOT damage that cathedral... not due to religious significance, but strategic reasons.  The cathedral was used as a landmark and a means to guide bombers to their targets.


Frankfurt was bombed five times during WWII.  The woman that I married was born in this city... her Mom was a young woman in Germany during the war... and in one of the bombing raids, quite a few members of her mother's family were killed, and my former MIL became the matriarch of the family.  I try to stress to my children that there aren't many American citizens that have great grandparents and  other family members that died as a result of the bombings in Germany.


In addition to the connection that I  have to Frankfurt through my former marriage, my great great grandfather was born and raised there.  My mother was of German heritage  and both sides of her family were from this area of Germany.

The Church Of The Three Kings

(my photo)

Another important cathedral in Frankfurt is 'The Church of the Three Kings,' with much reference to the honor of The Magi... this structure dates back to the mid 1300's... and it is still used today.  I sat inside this beautiful place and wondered if my great great grandfather, Balthazar Ohl, visited here... or if members of my in-laws' family ever visited here.  

(my photo)

I liked this photo because of the juxtaposition of the new and the old (Church Of The Three Kings)... Frankfurt is the only city in Germany with skyscrapers... Even though there is much construction occurring in Frankfurt rough one-third of the tall buildings are vacant.


 Frankfurt has a 'red light' district which  serves as home for both the legalized prostitution trade as well as legalized drug use.  The 'red light' district butts up (no pun intended) to the financial district... and the women are very aggressive.  I think what I wasn't prepared for was the extent of the legalized drug use, and how the users just gathered on the streets and rode out their highs.  If drugs are going to be legalized, I am not sure this is the manner in which it needs to be depicted.


I started feeling sick in  Frankfurt... I was thinking that it was all due to jet lag and sleep deprivation.  I spent two days in Frankfurt before heading to Aachen  for my first teaching  assignment...

Next Stop:  Aachen, Germany

~shoes~