Exploring Frankfurt

August 7, 2005
*Back in Starbucks:
*Friday night was my first night out for drinks with co-workers. Four of them took me to an authentic-seeming German pub, where I tried two of the special beers of the house, with a name I now can’t remember.
*Saturday I met up with Sabine, a Burns alumna who works at Reuters and offered to help show me around. She took me to a castle about 30-40 minutes outside Frankfurt, the Mespelbrunn Castle in Spessart. It was built in the 1560s and we could tour about half of it and see its antique furniture, weapons and artwork. The other half is still occupied by descendants of the original family. It’s surrounded by a picturesque swan-filled moat. I had a slice of a delicious raspberry cake at a café in the former stable on the grounds. I liked it because not only was it not overly touristy, but it was the kind of thing that would be considered interesting by average Germans.
*She invited me afterward to a barbecue being held by one of her Reuters co-workers, Rajiv. Originally from India, with nine years in America, he has a great apartment that can fit mine in his living room. He grilled tandoori chicken over charcoal and it was just about the best thing I’ve ever eaten. His sister and nephew were visiting from England, and the nephew Sanjay was the most brilliant 11-year-old I’ve ever met. It was a great time and I can’t thank Sabine enough for inviting me.
*Today I got out to explore Frankfurt a bit. It’s another chilly, somewhat blustery day, but the rain has held off. There’s a festival going on by the river, the Mainfest, but it was a bit disappointing – a blend of Speed Street, Festival in the Park and a county fair. I crossed the Main to the museum district in Sachsenhausen and went into the German Film Museum. None of the exhibits had information in English, but they were so visual that I could follow most of it. The bulk of it was a history of the development of film technology, and there was a special exhibit on stop-motion filmmaking that had exhibits from Harryhausen films and some trippy German children’s shows. I spent a little time in a theater showing Laurel & Hardy short films. I’ll have to read my guidebook to see which other museums I should visit – there are so many the choices are a little overwhelming.
*This evening I’m invited to dinner at the apartment of Amy’s friend Matt from AP and his wife, parents of a 7-week-old. I was thrilled to learn they live extremely close – just around the block from my Woolworth’s.