First stop.....Frankfurt

Frankfurt skyline along the Main River

A lot of travelers know Frankfurt for its airport.  It is a gateway to all of Europe and a frequent place to change planes on to ultimate destinations.  Frankfurt is a modern city and a European banking hub.  Much of the city was destroyed during the Allied bombing in World War II, so it doesn't retain as much of the historic charm of other places in Europe.  There as a small section of the "Old Town" that was rebuilt in the historic architectural style.  Even though buildings look the part, they are of modern construction.

The Old Town

Given this history, Frankfurt is not usually on the list of places to visit.  However, we broke that mold and spent the day exploring and seeing its Christmas market.  We walked through the business district of skyscrapers to see the Opera House.  The original one was destroyed in the war, but the current one was rebuilt in its style in the 1980s.  The Christmas market stretched for many blocks winding through "Old Town." We detoured from the market to see the cathedral and city hall and to walk along the Main River.

Most Christmas Markets are an all-day affair, starting around 10am and going until 8:00 or 9:00pm.  If the Frankfurt market is any indication, the early hours aren't too crowded, but by 4:00pm things are hopping and lines are longer.  Frankfurt's market did not have many craftspeople, but there was plenty of food and drink.  There's really no need to eat before going to the market as all of the major food groups were covered -- meat, bread, potatoes, and sweets.  There were also some vegetables and salad available, but why bother with all of the other goodness to sample?

Our initial strategy in choosing what to eat was 1) typical German food 2) food we don't get at home and 3) where the lines were longest.  That led us to bratwurst for Bryan and a large chicken skewer for Mona.  We shared Kartoffelpuffer which are fried potato pancakes and served with applesauce for dipping. We finished with a trdelnik, which we first discovered in Prague and is frequently translated to English as a chimney cake.  It's dough wrapped in a spiral, baked, and then covered in cinnamon and sugar. Super delish.  And of course, multiple mugs of glühwein, which is mulled German wine that can be either red or white.

Enjoying our glühwein

We finished our time at the Christmas market by listening to an organ concert at St. Katherine's Church (1681) and advent singing with a choir and audience participation at the Liebfrauenkirche, a catholic church with adjoining monastery originally constructed in the 1300s.  This was a festive beginning to our German adventure and is quickly getting us into the Christmas sprit.