not heard a lot of Frankfurt bashing . . . but you’re fortunate to be outside the ‘big city’ proper. somewhere in the 1980’s all the big (German) cities morphed into the ‘usual and customary big city everywhere in the world’
other than ‘things of specific interest’ - for color and going native, much better to be outside the city. the local Stube and restos don’t make all-to-many-famous lists, but are almost always pretty stellar.
Frankfurt is however centrally located - with (used to be…) excellent rail connections - an excellent spot for day+ trips to all so many places.
They are less on time on average than a few decades ago but they are still quite reliable and an easy way to get fast (with some additional bus rides) pretty much everywhere (Germans (newspapers) tend to focus n negative things in general and often overlook how good things are and function in Germany - typical German mindset)
yeah. ‘the trains’ have become much less than in ‘my day.’
early 80’s started with a international. I would take the trains and U/S-bahns in my trips. no multi-taxis per day, no rental car . . .
it was a delight when DB installed ‘basement’ connections at FRA vs. going to the HBF
eventually the CFO called me in . . . seems my ‘daily cost’ was way below average and he wanted to assure me, , , the company paid ‘travel expenses.’
sigh. that worked until it became obvious I had no hotel/meal expenses on weekends . . and I got called in comma again . . . to explain I was staying with classmates/colleagues/acquaintances . . .
bean counters have such limited scope . . .
I was recently on a direct train between two cities and they decided without warning to make one of the intermediate stops the terminus. Probably an equipment issue, but it was not a city where onward connection was straightforward or timely.
Of course there are from time to time specific issues on a train ride but overall the system is working still very well. (It reminds me on the discussion on the safety of commercial flights after each rare crash - it is obviously horrible for those effected but doesn’t change the overall outlook)
I used the train system about a month ago and it worked fine (and friends and parents still live in Germany and use it on a very regular basis and even with some complaints still describe it as totally fine)
A group dinner near the Riedberg Campus was my first chance to try apfelwein and Frankfurter schnitzel. Apfelwein: once is enough. Frankfurter schnitzel: big thumbs up.
Our waitress was very sympathetic - and/or amused - by my interest in trying apfelwein for the first time. She had me try it straight before deciding if I wanted it “spritzed”…and I did. Even diluted a bit with sparkling water, it struck me as a little too adjacent to drinking cider vinegar. My mistake may have been having it alone as an aperitif. Probably would be better with food.
The schnitzel, on the other hand, is something I could warm to immediately. The Grüne Soße was fantastic. I’m looking forward to trying other renditions.
My SO arrived today and after retrieving her from the airport we walked in to Louisenstraße for a light bite (dinner plans in central Frankfurt this evening). We both ordered petite flammkuchen, my first time. The crust is thin, cracker-like, or a lavash. Topped with cheese onion and bits of speck I believe this was the classic version. A delightful light lunch with a small side salad.
On the stroll back to our apartment we purchased cheese and fresh ginger from some of the market vendors (Tuesday and Friday in Bad Homberg), and couldn’t resist popping into the delicatessen Lautenschlager. We stocked up on 3 types of ham, bite-sized cocktail sausages, pickles, and more cheese. They have an abundance of prepared meal options. I sense we are going to be regulars here.
n negative things in general and often overlook how good things are and function in Germany - typical German mindset)
