 The week with Emily in Frankfurt was fantastic! In the evenings, Emily and I explored food: pork Donerkebab's, a German version of a middle-eastern dish; tabbouleh and hummus from Lebanon; Japanese unagi that was just as good as her friends Paul and Robert claimed; gnocchi stuffed with mozzarella in a tomato cream sauce from Der klienmarkthalle (a must-visit if you are ever in Frankfurt); Frankfurt's famous schnitzel with green sauce (it is traditionally eaten with boiled eggs, but on Emily's recommendation, I tried it with schnitzel instead); and of course, an assortment of apple-tarts and nut-tarts and pralines. It was glorious. On Wednesday, I went on a fantastic English-speaking tour of Frankfurt, Frankfurt on Foot . This tour is owned by a wife-husband team from the U.S. who have lived in Frankfurt for the last 9 years. Dave's tour was fun, insightful, had great historical perspective, and was chock-full of American sarcasm, just how I like it. It was fantastic to learn about Constantine, the Reformation, the Holy Roman Empire and it's influence on Ox cooking in Frankfurt's city square, and the reason behind the placement of 6 cat statues throughout the Frankfurt Rathaus: to catch the mice that were stealing all the government's money in 1500. Thursday, Emily gave me a tour of her office at the U.S. Consulate, otherwise known as "The American Fortress." The nickname is accurate, the U.S. Consulate in Frankfurt is the largest consulate in Europe, was a hospital during the war, is surrounded by fences at least 2-3 stories high, and has 4 entrances that require full identification. Later that day, while lost in Frankfurt, I somehow ran into Occupy Frankfurt, protesting in front of the euro statue. It had the same feel as Occupy Monterey. Friday was a glorious day of getting lost in Baden-Baden, a beautiful German village with a French accent. Baden, which means "bath-bath" in English, rests on a geothermal hot-spot, and has been a spa-resort-gambling village for the last 3,000 years. When in Baden, I did as the Roman's did, and spend a few hours at the Caracalla Therme, a student-budget friendly bathhouse, filled with thermo-pools, steam rooms, and dry sauna's. The place was gorgeous, with giant domes, Grecian statues, and cool lighting to illuminate the hot-springs. I recommend a visit, my skin has never been so clean. Saturday, Emily and I explored the sights of Frankfurt, ate some great food, drank gluhwiene, ate some more, and visited the Frankfurt Staedel Museum. The Staedel Museum contained contemporary art, religious art from the middle ages, and a fascinating exhibit filled with "degenerate" art rescued from World War II that had recently been donated to the museum. I'm now in Zurich, spending a few days with the Andres Family before I head off to Kenya. Expect tales of cheese and chocolate, cross-country skiing in Alpine powder, and the ins and outs of home construction in Switzerland in the next post! |  Frankfurt am Main  Frankfurt am Main  The only Steinbock Haus in Frankfurt am Main to survive WWII, it was used a a place to store fire-hoses  Serena on the Rhein in Frankfurt  Occupy Frankfurt  Occupy Frankfurt |
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