First visit of Frankfurt in Autumn 2023
Last fall, I visited the German capital for the first time, and even though it was originally supposed to be for a different reason, I ended up having my camera with me and I would love to share my photos and experiences with you!
I looked at Frankfurt a few years ago, but I remember that it seemed too big and I was a little afraid to visit it. But don’t let the map fool you – the city center isn’t that big and you get to know it quickly. I experienced this for myself in mid-October 2023. Originally, my friends and I were supposed to go to the Fletcher concert, but the entire tour was moved to spring 2024.
I had already bought tickets and booked a hotel, so I decided to go. One of my friends, who was supposed to go to the concert with me, lives in Cologne and after several years we finally met again. Another friend, whom I last saw before Covid, lives in Stuttgart, so I had a reason to take a small trip and see Stuttgart as well.
I flew to Germany with Lufthansa. It was the first time and I wanted to try them. Moreover, Ryanair is not such a win again, I mean in terms of price. Lufthansa was very nice, and Swiss, which I tried during my vacation to Switzerland, are under the same company. Of course, the flight from Dublin was not without problems – we were delayed by an hour due to strong winds and the plane was unable to land. But then everything was fine.
As for Frankfurt – my hotel was the 4-star Hotel Luna in nearby Offenbach, because the concert was originally supposed to be a short distance from the hotel and I didn’t want to rely on public transport at night. I have to say that I could not have chosen a better hotel for several reasons:
– It is located on the direct s-bahn line to the airport and the journey takes around 30 minutes. The s-bahn station is right across from the hotel.
– For the fact that it has 4 stars, it cost me 70 euros per night for a double bed.
– It is modern and there is not so much noise around it, so you can sleep well.
– The room was big. It could easily fit another bed or two.
– The hotel is located in the center of Offenbach – opposite is the Rewe supermarket, which is open until midnight, and in the morning you will find a lot of cafes and bakeries around.
– When my flight was unscheduledly canceled on the day of departure in the spring and I couldn’t fly to Frankfurt, they didn’t charge me for the reservation (they literally canceled my flight when I was going through security at the airport).
Instead of the concert, I planned to spend Friday taking photos of Frankfurt. On Saturday, my friend I. came and on Sunday I went to see my friend S. in Stuttgart. I then flew home on Monday. There are no photos from Stuttgart, because between Friday and Sunday the temperature dropped by at least 10 degrees and it was terribly cold. My friend S. picked me up at the station and then we just chilled at her house.
I didn’t want to bring a tripod with me, and I discovered that in a German camera shop they also lend things – cameras, lenses, tripods,… The shop is called Calumet. I borrowed a tripod from them, I wanted to take pictures of Mainhattan at sunset and in the evening. The tripod was huge, and the whole Terez died carrying it around.
However, it was hot on Friday. I walked a lot that day, then after four in the afternoon I went to pick up the said tripod and returned to the river from where I wanted to take pictures. As I waited for it to start getting darker, it got cloudy and I was very close to Mainhattan. By the time I reached the bridge I wanted, it was already quite dark. Well, maybe next time.
On Saturday morning, I returned the tripod and enjoyed it along the way, because they have it very nicely done around the river Main (hence Main-hattan, it’s a play on words between the name of the river and Manhattan in New York) and the part of Ostend where Calumet is located. In the end, I had enough time, because my friend’s first train was of course almost 2 hours late. Classic Germany. But when she had finally made it, we walked around the city center and played Pokémon. I got a shiny Guzzlord, yay! In the evening we went to the restaurant L’Osteria. My friend explained to me that they have this restaurant all over Germany, it’s a chain. It’s an Italian restaurant btw. I had the funghi risotto – I had to try it. Otherwise, they have giant pizzas. Like the mega ones like in America. I didn’t understand at all when the table next to us ordered them, because it’s simply impossible to eat.
The only thing that was a little weird that day was that there were cops everywhere. It was because of the conflict between Israel and Palestine. But just about a hundred cops and they had guns and stuff. I had never seen that in my life and I actually didn’t feel safe at all.
On Sunday, we said goodbye at the station and I took the train to Stuttgart. I hate traveling by train in Germany. They are always overcrowded, and most importantly, I learned that Germans reserve seats and this almost started a national uprising along the way. I managed to find a seat next to a girl and luckily she got off in Mannheim, where the guy who had reserved the seat next to me got on. But before he got to the seat, a woman with a child almost shouted at me that I had my reserved seat and so I should release the other empty one, even though I repeated to her that I was sitting on the unreserved one. And I don’t know how she imagined that she would travel with a child on the same seat and make life difficult for both of us? My friend S. then confirmed to me that it was normal and that the woman would prefer me to get out completely so that she could take both seats and not allow the guy with reserved seat to claim his. I don’t know how, but the bluntness is crazy. The journey back was better, I found a seat next to a soldier and no one bothered me after that. And please, the trip only took an hour or two. Well, I don’t recommend it.
We only went through Stuttgart quickly, but from what I saw, I can say that it is very nice and I would definitely like to return there someday. You know me. Seeing my friend S. after about 4 years was also very cool and I hope that we will see each other sooner than in another 4 years.
I didn’t fly until the afternoon on Monday, and when I looked out of the hotel window, it looked like Mainhattan (aka the part with the skyscrapers in the center of Frankfurt) should be covered in fog, but it cleared by the time I got there. It was my last day in Frankfurt, but of course the trip still had some surprises for me. First, a random German stopped me on the bridge and for about half an hour he told me things from his life (like why) and nobody helped me. Germans suck. Finally I said I had to go and he let me go and I went to take more pictures.
I arrived at the airport at one o’clock. It’s a bit idk, they send people to the terminals instead of security haha in Dublin the signs are huge and in Frankfurt it’s a national secret haha anyway, I went through quickly – I didn’t have to take my camera out of my backpack! But what got me was water for 5 euros, like??? But at least the window seat on the plane made up for it, but I could only see the city of Frankfurt from afar.
Frankfurt is nice around the river, they have done it very nicely there – you can walk on both sides and a hill separates them from the road. And when you’ve had enough of walking, you can go out to one of the many bridges and cross to the other side and so on (very Prague like). And if it happens to be the Eiserner Steg, you will definitely notice the Greek inscription above the bridge. It comes from Homer’s Odyssey and means “I sail to the blue sea with people who speak foreign languages.” (I got the info from a Greek friend – thanks, K.).
They also have train tracks on the side by the skyscrapers, but I don’t think anyone uses them anymore and lots of space, benches to sit on and stuff. Of course, I was lucky that there was a construction site in the middle of Mainhattan during my visit, but Mainhattan is going to be epic when it’s done. The rest of Frankfurt is pretty meh. The old fake town is alright (yes, those houses weren’t there in the past, they were added a few years ago), but a lot of tourists.
The part around Calumet and the Zoo is nice (we didn’t go to the zoo, but there was a Pokemon raid nearby lol). Calumet is located on Hanauer Landstrasse and in addition to the classic German architecture, there are also modern buildings and it was an absolute photographer’s paradise. But simply Main wins. The greenery, the peace. That one can walk a few kilometers around the river and enjoy nature, simply look at the planes in the sky or perhaps watch the sunset. I was immediately shocked that we don’t have that in Ireland. Here, almost all cities are built around rivers, e.g. Dublin – the river Liffey flows through the center, but around it you will only find busy streets. The same in Waterford or Cork. It’s a shame.
Finally, I would like to add that if you are wondering if it is possible to climb a skyscraper to have a view of the entire city, then yes, it is possible. The building is called the Main Tower and has an accessible public viewing platform. I had planned it, but when I saw the number of people on Friday and Saturday, I changed my mind. It’s a great idea, but unfortunately very popular. If you decide to do this activity, be patient and make sure you have enough time.
Frankfurt is great for me! I was sorry that the Fletcher concert with my friends didn’t work out at all, but I’m glad that I finally had the opportunity to visit this city and really enjoy it.
