It's a Frankfurt Thing

I am not a good flyer, which is strange because I seem to fly a lot, but the sudden drop from 30,000 feet to start the decent sends shivers up my spine. But as the plane inched closer to Frankfurt Airport I have never been more excited. I loved Asia, but I was ready for the cold air, familiar means of public transportation, and no more noodles.

I practically skipped to the café just outside of customs to grab my croissant and coffee—it had been far too long since my last chocolate croissant. Taking the train from the airport was a set 2 Euro 50, no bargaining, no checking to make sure a meter is on, and it arrived right on time.

The first step outside was filled with sighs of relief. For the first time in over a month we were not dripping with sweat from just looking out a window. Unloading our stuff and picking up our packages of warm clothes from home at the Best Western Domicil was better than Christmas morning.

Bundled up in sweaters, jackets, scarves, and boots we set out to find some lunch. Frankfurt is a very commercial city. There are modern office buildings with sculptures out front of shirt collars or abstract women—or what I thought were women—construction around every corner renovating a different building, painting, or cleaning.

After walking about 10 minutes towards the city center we realized that people in Frankfurt do not eat and when they do it is Asian food. We passed six Asian restaurants: Thai, Vietnamese, Sushi, and Chinese all within a two block radius, and everything was closed. The streets were deserted, with exception to a few businessmen heading to work at noon.

Ebert's Suppenstube on Grosse Bockenhrmstasse

It took a while but we finally found some schnitzel and currywurst. Wandering the city we found a few hidden squares filled with beer gardens with the typical German architecture. But they closed at 5 in the afternoon. It was back to the quest of finding some kind of non-Asian food for dinner. The only option was an Italian restaurant owned by an Indian family who had immigrated to Germany ten years ago. It was delicious spaghetti, a bottle of wine, and complimentary garlic bread.  

Saturday is the day to be in Frankfurt. Everyone emerges from their houses and there are three different street markets in the center of town serving beer and Apfelwein, a Frankfurt specialty. Do not forget, it is all over at 5pm. Since we are not used to eating the Early Bird Special our hotel directed us to the hub of food after 5: the train station. There are a good 25 places in the central station where you can get a bratwurst sandwich, butter pretzel, and a beer that rivals some of the traditional German restaurants we ate at, and they are open until midnight.

Frankfurt was a great transition into German culture from the Orient. There are a few secrets wedged between office buildings and skyscrapers perfect for exploring. Keep in mind when planning your next trip: book an AirBnb to cook your own food or you’ll be eating Thai food after one month in Asia.