Frankfurt

After breakfast at my hotel, I headed out to explore Frankfurt. To be honest, there isn’t much to Frankfurt compared to other cities as it’s mostly known for being a massive business hub. However, the flight here was cheaper than to Cologne and I thought it would be worth a day.

As my hotel is in the train station area, it’s really gritty and the hotel clerk advised to get to the old city along the picturesque river walk. Before going to the old city, I crossed the Holbein bridge to get to the Städel Museum. I hadn’t really planned on a museum, but decided to check it out. Here are some photos of my walk across the bridge to get to the museum:





I’m so glad that I did, as it was a small museum, but highly representative of all the famous masters and artists of the past few centuries. I got a discount due to my Frankfurt Card which also includes free transportation. However, I walked all day and it really covered my train ride from the airport to central city. The ticket lady thought for some reason I could speak German. Not sure what about me says that I can, and I was embarrassed to tell her I didn’t, but she seemed excited nonetheless. Here’s the entrance:



A few highlights from the collection...A Renoir:



Max Liebermann’s “Samson and Delilah”:



Gustave Moreau’s “Pièta”:



Max Beckmann’s “The Synagogue in Frankfurt Am Main”:



One of many Kirchner’s:



Jan Van Eyck’s “Lucca Madonna”:



A Botticelli:



A Canaletto:



Agnolo Bronzino’s “Portrait of a Red Lady”:

A Holbein altar piece which is missing the Entombment scene which was apparently lost:



Warhol’s “Goethe”:



After exiting the museum, I walked along the river walk where there was a street fair / flea market:



Then I crossed back over the river on the famous Eiserner iron bridge:



A view of the cathedral from the bridge and some love locks:



And a selfie on the bridge:



The bridge crossing brings you straight into Romerburg, the famous square with the many half-timbered houses:







I then headed to the Cathedral which apparently isn’t technically a cathedral as a bishop isn’t seated there. However, it is an honorary cathedral due to its historical importance and the place where many kings have been crowned. A look inside:



After meandering and following some tourist groups a little bit, I sat down in Paulsplatz where I enjoyed a cheeseburger and bitter lemon Schweppes for lunch. I then headed to Goethehaus, the birthplace and home of the famous German literary writer, Goethe. Here they reconstructed the home and made an adjoining museum of artwork contemporary with his time. Here’s the facade:

And “The Evening Star” by Caspar David Friedrich in the museum:



There were many Asian tourists here. Not sure if Goethe is that popular, but I did see the most Asians in one place since I’ve been in Germany! As I was whizzing through my day, I decided to rest in the auditorium space since my feet were tired, but also because there was proper air conditioning!

John and I lamented throughout our Berlin museum hopping that there was no air conditioning. As in many places in Europe, they are very energy and environmentally conscious and it’s not that hot most of the year. Although it’s been warm and sunny, my gripe has been with the stale air with so many bodies in the museum galleries - circulation is clutch!

I wandered the city, walked through many street fairs, an Indian festival, and made my way to the famous stock exchange which had the appropriate bull and bear statues:



I walked through the famous snack alley on Grosse Brockenheimer Street which is famous for food and drinks. I wasn’t particularly hungry, so I just people watched as I navigated the many benches and stalls. I ended up by the Alte Opera house, pictured below:



They were having some activities for the Fransport Skyliners basketball team, which included wheelchair basketball, music, dancing, and lots of tall people. I got a sparkling honey dew soda which was recommended by the food truck guy and watched a few drumming performances by a German drum line squad.

I then walked downtown and back to my hotel where I rested and washed up. I felt like middle eastern for some reason and the area had lots of ethnic food. So the hotel clerk recommended, Nefis Kebab House - definitely a local joint. Here’s my dinner plate with peach iced tea:



Then after dinner, I returned to my hotel, picked up my luggage, and headed early to the train station which was 2 blocks away. Here’s a photo:



Headed to Cologne for an overnight like in Frankfurt, my train took about 90 minutes. The Hilton that I reserved was again just across the street from the train station for easy in and out access. Tomorrow I explore Cologne before making my way up to Bremen!

Berlin Buds

For my last day in Berlin, we decided to do some light touring and planned to meet at the Gemäldegalerie which is known for Old Master paintings. It’s in the middle of the Kulturforum in Berlin. Here’s the ceiling at the entrance and some photos of the paintings:



Vermeer’s “Young Woman with a Pearl Necklace”:



A Rembrandt self-portrait:



Canaletto’s “Santa Maria della Salute in Venice”:



Botticelli’s “Tondo Racynzski”:



And here, the new face of the Kulturforum - John! We had fun with some videos in the lobby!



We then roamed the grounds which included the Berlin Philharmonic. I had viewed it peripherally on Wednesday. Here’s a selfie in front of the concert hall:



We had some fun with a Richard Serra that was on site:





And a Keith Haring:





Finally, a Mark di Suvero:





According to some signs, there was supposed to be a Nam June Paik, Frank Stella, and Rauschenberg, but we couldn’t find them. We think they were taken down or moved and the signs were old. We did stumble, however, upon this Korean unity temple:



The Kulturforum is near Potsdamer Plaza and there was a street fair and some food trucks. We got very excited for this Korean taco truck called Fraulein Kimchi! We decided we had to try and the server was very German, but his boss was Korean and Mrs. Kimchi! The kimchi was solid and the bulgogi beef tasted like sloppy joes. Way better than expected and the disappointing part was really the quality of the taco which I suspect is hard to come by here.





We then headed into the Sony Center which has lots of outdoor restaurants. We found one that served curry wurst which we split with some grilled sausage. John had unfiltered beer and I had a radler beer - yum!



Then we hopped on the bus to the Jewish Museum, so we could see a James Turrell exhibit. You couldn’t take photos of the awesome lighting where we had to cover our shoes and walked around in this ambient room. So here are some photos of the building designed by world famous architect, Daniel Libeskind.





We explored the outdoor gardens:





The main museum was closed for renovations, so we explored the underground and a temporary exhibition. The underground explored the different trajectories of the Jewish people - whether it be the Holocaust, Exile, or Continuity. Each axis had a special room and the exhibits explored the sad history and journey of the strong people and culture. The museum also had many empty spaces where you’re supposed to reflect on those that were taken before their time and was very overwhelming. Below is the Garden of Exile - the columns are on a slanted hill, showing how hard it is to go somewhere new and the uphill climb it takes to stand tall....





With sadness and reflection, we were ready to leave the museum. Here’s a photo John took of inside a lampshade hanging from the ceiling. Not only did we think it was cool, but hopefully we will see the light of the future as we reflect on historical atrocities.



After going through Checkpoint Charlie for like the 5th time, we headed to my hotel which was nearby, picked up my luggage, and went to the Waldorf Astoria which is on the way to the airport. John and I sat on the top floor, shared a bottle of rosé and lobster club sandwich while chatting with Maximilian, our world traveler server. The views and conversation were very enjoyable! Here’s a photo of the Victory Column in the middle of the park:



Here’s a photo of Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church which was bombed during the war - left untouched to remind folks about the toll of war. It’s nicknamed “the hollow tooth”. The hexagonal structure in front is the new church:



Our delicious snack which included two types of fries!



Then John dropped me off across the street at the bus depot, where the X9 express brings you straight to the airport. What a wonderful few days running around Berlin with my new friend! As we spoke Korenglish and enjoyed art, it was a fun-filled few days! I hope the rest of your birthday trip in Berlin continues to be just as much fun and see you back in NY!

At the airport, where the check-in, security, and passport control are right in front of every gate, I got on my Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt. The flight was about an hour and I hopped on the train into the city which took less than 20 minutes. After a two block walk out of Frankfurt Main Station, I was at Ibis Styles Frankfurt to enjoy my one night and day here!