Out and About in Frankfurt

Today we got to meet Marylyn, Zach's best friend. The first thing she said when she met us was that she wanted to make it clear that she and Zach are just friends. Apparently, they have a mutual friend who is a bit of a matchmaker and she has tried to put them together as a couple, but they have been very resistant. 

Marylyn was delightful and she was a great tour guide as she took us on a walking tour of downtown, through the financial district, inside some beautiful churches, and along and across the Rhine river. She kept us entertained with fun facts, historical stories, and glimpses of beautiful architecture. We even stopped in a Faber-Castell art store where we went into a secret room and tried out the different markers and pencils. We each drew a picture and explored our inner artist.

Marylyn only had a few hours and it was lunch time, so she took us to the rooftop of a building where during the summer they have an outside bar and restaurant called City Beach. It was decorated with boats, wading pools, and even a sandy area where you could take off your shoes and be served your drinks on lounge chairs. During the winter, the rooftop is transformed into an alpine chalet called City Alm. For lunch we had burgers and fries except Zach who had a salad with goat cheese. We said our goodbyes to Marylyn and started back to Zach's flat so I could rest my foot. Last night on the walk from the train station to Zach's place, I twisted my foot and my pain meds were wearing off. 

On the walk home, we took a quick restroom break at the North Gate which is one of the few original buildings. It is the oldest building in the city, constructed during the 1400s. It was, at the time, a part of the city gate. There is restaurant now on the bottom floor and we had to climb 42 spiraling steps up the tower to get to the restroom. Once home, I iced my foot and rested for an hour while the boys took Suki (Zach's dog) for a walk. We then headed back out into the city, rode the train and walked to see the house where Anne Frank was born. It is still a residence so we just read the plaque and then headed back to walk the Park Ring which is a series of parks that surround the city center.

Dinner was at a Thai restaurant and then it was another quick train ride back toward the river to watch the sunset. Zach lives in the city so he is close to several train stops which makes it pretty easy to get around. 

During one of our many walks through his and other neighborhoods today, Zach pointed out these metal markers in the cobblestone. Each one has the name of a Jewish person who had lived in that neighborhood before they were taken to a concentration camp during the Holocaust. The marker also has their date of birth, date of imprisonment and date of death. I love how the German people have memorialized those who were murdered during such a horrific time of their history. They do not want to forget or minimize the horrific acts of their country.