Day #201 - Frankfurt, Germany

One of the "Old Timer" spots with a look into the city

Emporer's Cathedral

Tree-lined streets in many areas

St. Catherine's Church

Old Opera House

Friday, October 1st

Today starts my favorite month of the year. I love October. It started with sunshine here in Frankfurt. I can't tell you how much a little sunshine does to the spirits. I've been wallering around in rain gear jumping puddles for days.

It's 2am right now on Friday night (Saturday morning). I was on a roll with my finances. I was going to do a 'state of the union' for the 2nd third of my journey - but I think I'll just keep it until the end. I still have alot of countries to go. One interesting thing I discovered - I've stayed in 100 different locations in the past 200 days. These overnights have ranged from buses, to planes, to trains, to ships, to hostals, to bed & breakfasts, to people's homes, to tents, to the average everyday hotel. Keeping it going.

Today I got a chance to really see Frankfurt. It's not too big of a city - so I took a leisurely stroll around the streets and the many areas. I think the neatest place in the city is the main central square. The Romer (city hall) is a really impressive building. This sits on one side of the square - while many half-timbered homes line another side.

Frankfurt also has some interesting churches. The Emperor's Cathedral sits close to the waterfront with a towering peak. Consecrated in the name of St. Bartholomew in 1239, the cathedral was chosen as official site for the elections of emperors of the Holy Roman Empire in 1356. St. Nicholas Church sits in the main city center. From the 14th century onwards, the gallery was used to seat city councillors during festivites. St. Catherine's Church has origins tracing to the 14th century - it was consecrated as a protestant church in 1681.

I also enjoyed walking along the River Main. They have a great running/walking path along the river. I got some incredible pictures looking back into the city skyline. I discovered there is some kind of 'old-timer' festival going on this weekend. There were small bands playing in different locations. The beer was flowing. My favorite time of the day was hearing the song: "Sweet Caroline" in German - watching the people dance and get into it.

Tomorrow, I'm either going on a Rhine River tour or heading to the city of Cologne -- pending weather. This whole area around Frankfurt is filled with sites - I look forward to branching out and seeing more.