FRANKFURT | Euro Trip Part 1
Stop 1: Frankfurt
10th August 2018
We flew Egypt Air from Dubai to Frankfurt (via Egypt) and it was quite an easy going ride (with decent airline food). After approximately 3 hours on each side we landed at Frankfurt airport, bought a sim for 50 Euros and took a metro to the hotel (quite possibly the first time I’ve taken a train from an airport). Luckily our hotel was located in the center of the city and about 5 minutes from the station so it was perfect.
Our hotel in Frankfurt: easyHotel Frankfurt City Center http://www.booking.com/Share-I9gBV9
With extremely compact but comfortable rooms, this one is the most “budgety” a hotel can get. Even the Wi-Fi, towels and hair dryer here come at an extra cost of 6 Euros a day, and they don’t offer room service. The bathroom is small and open, so if you choose to stay here, make sure you stay only with someone you’re extremely comfortable with.
We quickly showered and headed out to discover the area by foot. This calm albeit lively city flaunts wide roads lined with trees, and is dotted with both modern high rises as well as colorful traditional German buildings. While you will find a lot of people driving top notch convertibles here, most people also cycle their way around the town. And the weather! It was brilliant. So much like Dubai winters, the evenings here were sunny, at the same time with a cool breeze that made it perfect to walk around.
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We were in the northern hemisphere, which meant sunsets happen really late this time of the year. These late evenings really messed up with my equatorial brain and it took some time getting used to them. We walked along the wide and breezy lanes of Frankfurt and watched the pretty sky as bright at 630 pm what my Dubai brain looks at as 2 pm.
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We walked on a long street lined with buildings and cafes on both sides that looked extremely calming. After walking for a bit we stopped by at the famous Sky Plaza Frankfurt where we had our first German meal – the famous Doner. The first thing that comes to my mind when I think about German food is DONER. Yes, I know there are lot of other German favorites, but doner is something my Shawarma obsessed brain can easily identify with. So, obviously my first meal in Germany had to be this.
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This doner pide and doner mix were from a food court spot called @alicepremiumdoener located in one of famous malls in Frankfurt City Center @skylineplazafrankfurt Both the sandwiches cost 4.5 Euros each, were exceptionally filling, and really delicious. The bread of the pide was really fresh and the grilled chicken pieces were just right!
Good to know: Doner & Kebap shops are plenty in the city centre, and almost all of them are Halal too which makes it quite popular with Arab and Muslim tourists
To end the day, we sat by a local pub located right under our hotel and sipped on some classic German beer. The beer, I was told, was quite bitter, but if you’re a fan of hops, this one’s probably good for you.
11th August 2018
For me, being touristy is really important. I don’t and won’t ever get onboard with the idea of chilling by at the hotel on a holiday. (Unless I am at a secluded resort on an island of course!) If I really wanted to relax, I would have stayed back in Dubai, but traveling all this way means there’s no time to waste.
We read up a lot on the different places to visit in Frankfurt the previous night, and also found out about the Frankfurt Card for one day which costs 10.5 Euros per person and offers unlimited access to the metro, trams and bus for the day in addition to discounts at various attractions.
We bought these from the Frankfurt Hauptbanhopf Central Station and headed to our first stop – Palmengarten Botanical Gardens. A great stop for nature lovers, this was a beautiful sight for sore eyes. The greenery, the calm and the lovely weather, all added up to make it such a memorable day at the park. Moreover, I simply fell in love with the sky and clouds there – they were just so picturesque!
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After the gardens we walked over to the nearby Natural History Museum that offered detailed insights on the different types of dinosaurs and the pre-historic period. Next on our list was the Frankfurt Zoo. This one really got our legs aching. With so many species of animals, birds, fish and reptiles, this one is a must visit for animal lovers. I even found a cat there! For lunch we headed back to the central and tried the local McDonalds sandwiches there. Not too bad, but nothing great either, I was just happy with the free Wi-Fi I could post with during my long lunch.
Next up was Römerberg. Lined with colorful German buildings, brick streets and everything picturesque you imagine about Europe, the Römer district in Frankfurt is a popular tourist spot. Right from souvenir shops to restaurants, it has everything you’d need to get your checklist ticked off.
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After clicking a few pictures with cathedrals and buildings in the backdrop, we, along with scores of tourists, flocked to the banks of Main River to the Eiserner Steg bridge which is quite famous for its love locks. The river is bordered with small cafes on the road side and sightseeing cruise liners on the water side. There’s also a tourist train that takes you around the area chug chug style. With late sunsets, this made a good spot for a dinner by the river where we devoured another German classic. Possibly the best thing about German cuisine (along with Doner of course) are Schnitzels. Who doesn’t like fried chicken, right? These breaded chicken fillets were fried to such tender perfection, one would have certainly not been enough. Imagine me, a person with the smallest appetite, ended up having both of these fillets!
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I had this at the Liman Da restaurant which is one of the many eateries located on the boardwalk along Main River in Frankfurt. They had a choice of three schnitzels that all come with pommes frites (fries) and a side salad. I chose the one with champignon cream sauce and the mushroomy goodness combined with the juicy chicken was simply delicious. That sauce alone deserves an applause. Don’t miss out on trying the schnitzel when you’re in Germany. While their signature German beer makes a great accompaniment, I had mine with a grapefruit infused brew.
That’s all from Frankfurt. Click here to read about City 2 LUXEMBOURG
