Day 2: 24 Hours in Frankfurt

Clearing customs was a breeze – they looked, they stamped and then we were out! Amazing! Quick, cheap trip into Frankfurt on the local train and off to our boutique Hotel Concorde. A small room, but lovely with mode lighting and the bedhead against the window. Of course we were only there long enough to freshen up before hitting the streets of Frankfurt.

After we collected our travel documents for the ride down the Romantic Road, we caught the train and bus out to Rudesheim, across the Rhine from Bingen, the home of Hildegard.

Lunch was our first our first experience of Wiener Schnitzel mit pomme frites und saladt – yum.

We then strolled around town – had Walt Disney’s imagineers been here? Cobble stones, fretwork on buildings, quaint twisting laneways, small squares with fountains and churches dating back to the 13th century. Wow. Then a trip on the gondola cable lift to the top of the hill behind the town for scenic views up and down the Rhine, and a visit to the Niederwald Memorial, commemorating German unification. It is huge.

Finally time to go on our Rhine cruise down to St Goar. The ferry criss-crossed the river, stopping at many towns. We saw lots of castles in various states of disrepair. It was surprising how fast the river was flowing. We want past the famous Lorelei rock.

It will take a while we think to get used to people taking their dogs everywhere – trains, buses, into shops and cafes! Even the ferry captain had his dog with him.

To get back to Frankfurt we caught a double decker regional express train – fast and comfy, and quicker than the ferry getting back up stream.

The train goes through Mainz, and one the stations is called Römisches Theater – the station butts up against ruins of a 2000 year old Roman Theatre – OMG!

Back in Frankfurt, we caught a tram to the old town centre – the Marketplatz and the Rathaus. Although badly damaged by bombing in the 2nd World War, extensive rebuilding has occurred. We settled ourselves into some people watching whilst enjoying bratwurst and pretezels.

Not surprising, total exhaustion had set in so off to bed and a well deserved rest.