Like many people, we’ve passed through Frankfurt Airport a few times, on the way to somewhere else. We’ve never taken the opportunity to have a look at one of Germany’s largest cities, as it is less on the tourism radar than Munich, Berlin or Hamburg.  Seeing we were staying 20 minutes down the railway line, and we had a day to fill in before our evening Sprint race, we bought ourselves a train ticket and set off to check it out.

Today’s journey involved a tram, a regional train, a metro train (U-Bahn), a Hop On Hop Off bus, another U-Bahn, another regional train, and another tram.  This was followed by a third tram, and a bus, to get to the orienteering. If it wasn’t for the offer of a lift back from Philly and Steven, we would have notched up yet another bus and tram. But I digress …

After quickly getting the hang of the local public transport systems, we alighted at Romer, which is Frankfurt’s Old Town. A row of six timbered houses lines one side of the square, with the Town Hall opposite, and a church at the far end. It is all very charming.

Romer

Part of the town hall

Church door detail

Sign of the city

We strolled through a couple of passageways past the Concert Hall, pausing to look at some excavated Roman ruins.  We soon found ourselves on the north bank of the Main River, at the Iron Bridge. This is Frankfurt’s “love lock” bridge, and there are thousands upon thousands of locks.

Concert Hall atrium

Beside the Main River

The new Europe Bank building

Lots and lots and lots of locks

Moose statue. No reason. Just ‘cos.

At the Cathedral, Ian decided to make the climb up to the belltower. Unfortunately I decided that narrow, dark winding stairs are not something I can cope with at the moment, so I waited below.  The views were expansive, and demonstrated nicely the contrast between Old and New.

Cathedral

Girl on a bench, as seen by boy up a belltower

View from aloft

Upriver

Downriver

Old and new

Just make a hole in the roof – instant sun deck

Next stop was the modern Zeil shopping centre, for the Lego shop of course. It was a nice break from the heat of the afternoon. Ian spent a happy half hour choosing bricks to add to his collection, while I wandered around the other shops (nothing remarkable).

Statue at Zeil

Zeil shopping centre

Horsey drumming busker

Deciding to have a look at things further afield, we negotiated a ride on the HoHo bus.  The first section was the most interesting, taking us past some of the impressive modern skyscrapers that Frankfurt is known for (though they are quite small by current standards, as Frankfurt’s subsoil is not all that stable).  The middle section was a bit of a traffic crawl with not a lot to see – we crossed the river twice and drove through some pretty residential streets. The last part went past the zoo and some nice green spaces. Frankfurt reminded us of Melbourne in some respects.  It is certainly an attractive city with an interesting history, and we were glad we made the trip.

Skyscrapers

Guess what they sell here?

What else?

Next – off to the first of four Sprint races for the weekend. More on that tomorrow. An early night is called for.