European vacations

Frankfurt has everything, both good and bad - but, in my opinion, more good than bad!! If you want a place to party - Frankfurt is the city for you!! If you want to see some historical buildings - Frankfurt is the city for you!! Day or night, winter or summer, there is something for everyone. Everything is either a short walk or a quick ride away using the "U-Bahn" (tube). The area of Sachsenhausen is full of English, Irish, Mexican and German pubs and bars. People of all nationalities can be found there, making it a great place to mingle with the "world". Everyone is friendly and if you ask, they can all suggest places to see and be seen. The "old" part of Frankfurt, the "Romerplatz" is right by the River Main. They have great cafe’s and restaurants where you can sit either inside or outside and enjoy watching the world go by. The buildings are all old timber-fronted buildings, churches and cathedrals are there to be seen, as well as museums. If you don’t want to sit outside a cafe, then take a ride on one of the boat trips up and down the Main River, the tours all include the usual "touristy" information you would ever need to know about the city. There is a main shopping street with plenty of different stores, from clothing to souvenirs. Right next to the shopping area is the "new" part of Frankfurt with the multi-national banks and businesses. The only bad things I have to say about this city is that you really need a lot of time to be able to explore and find everything, just when you think you’ve seen it all, you see something else.

A friend of mine who flies extensively on business says that “Frankfurt is the place everybody travels through but nobody stops in.” Well, I just travelled through Frankfurt Airport a couple of times, and I’d like to tell you about the experience.

Flying from anyplace in Eastern Europe to anyplace in Western Europe or the other way around, you are probably going to have to change planes. Chances are pretty good that the place you will be meeting your connecting flight is Frankfurt Airport. As big as some towns I’ve visited in Poland, the airport is quite impressive. It is impressive in another way, too. This place is incredibly unfriendly for the tourist traveler.

When you fly to your European destination, chances are you’ll fly through one of three major rerouting cities–London, Amsterdam, or Frankfurt. If you do, your layover may range from 1/2 hour to a few hours. What do you do while you wait for your connecting flight? If you are in London or Frankfurt, you should probably hang out in the airport and just wait (read a book or a magazine while you’re at it), but if you are flying through Amsterdam you have another alternative. If you have 2 1/2 hours or more between your flights…GO FOR IT–go to the city. I’m serious.

Frankfurt, where I used to live on Plattenstrasse, is a teeming metropolis with great history and plenty to do. However, since the wall came down, many large cities in Germany have experienced substantial social decay due to high unemployment caused by former West Germany having to absorb the untrained and undisciplined workers of East Germany. Evidence of this exists everywhere, with the proliferation of graffiti being an example. When I returned to Frankfurt after a 16 year absence in 1999, I was shocked to see every building downtown covered with graffiti as far up as an arm can reach. In the early 80s that kind of thing didn’t happen. What a shame.

I write this review about the city where I was born and grew up for potential visitors. It’s about Enger and surrounding cities.

Is it worth to visit? See for yourself or jump to the last paragraph.

* History at a quick glance

* Where is it?

* What to see when there

* Worth to stop?

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* History at a quick glance

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775-785: Freedomfighter Widukind fights against Carl the Great and baptism

948: Enger was mentioned in a document for the first time by King Otto I

<I have added a clarification to the end of this piece in response to some online and offline comments I have received. The article itself remains unchanged.>

Only in Germany…

…can you travel without a speed limit on the highway (autobahn). What does this feel like? Typically traffic is relatively heavy - as you enter the highway from the slip road, you will have to nudge in between heavy tankers and trailers travelling at about 100 km/h (63 mph). Since this is a little slow and you don”t feel comfortable stuck between two huge trailers that could flatten your little car, you try to venture one lane to the left. But it may take you a couple of minutes to find a large enough gap between the cars zooming past at 130-140 km/h (81-87 mph). You”d better have some good midrange acceleration on your car!

Sometimes it feels like I have spent half of my life at the Frankfurt Airport. I have been going back and forth between Frankfurt and New York for 10 years now, sometimes twice in a month. I have spent a 4th of July there (business, the Germans don’t give a rat’s azz about our independence), a Christmas eve, 9/11/01 and so on. I feel I know the place like the back of my hand, although each time I manage to discover something new.

Chances are if you are flying to Germany or many other parts of Europe, you will be faced with a change of planes in Frankfurt. This airport amazes me, because how such a developed country could have such a disorganized airport is beyond my understanding.

If you are changing planes in Frankfurt, BE SURE you allow LOTS of time. Some airlines will push the times for a close connection, perhaps an hour, and it does not work. I would recommend that you have at least two hours minimum to make sure you make your plane. There are multiple terminals and although connected by a train, it still is confusing and very time consuming if you are changing from one terminal to another.

I have been captivated, my heart has been captured. Circumstances dictated a change of vacation this summer. So, instead of going to Florida (as usual) we chose a week’s break in Vienna, capital of Austria. This city is a beautiful, fascinating, historic, cultural masterpiece of a place. I can expect a return visit before too long.

I visited Frankfurt in 1998 while returning from a military deployment in Saudi Arabia.We stayed at the Rhein Main air base near Frankfurt for 3 days,enabling us to visit the city.Frankfurt is a bustling modern city with beautiful architecture in both new and old buildings.The people are friendly and helpful.The city offers historic museums and splendid views of historic buildings near the river.Outdoor cafes offer traditional German food and beer that is unequaled anywhere in the western world.The Autobahn passes nearby enabling quick access to other German cities.Travel within the city can be taken on a relatively cheap train ride(i.e 5 Marks from the airport to downtown Frankfurt).I would highly recommend this as a wonderful part of a German Vacation destination.