After
attending the hectic five-day Buchmesse 2022, we wound down in Frankfurt and
Hamburg. What do you do on day One after the event? Go to one of the
best Café’s in town, which happens to be Café Laumer, where the plum cake of
the day is just soo yummy, and the coffee is just as I like it.
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| waiting for well deserved my plum torte ... |
I am
always amazed at Germany’s and, in this case, Frankfurt’s surrounding history,
like the Eschenheimer Tor in the background of the Zeil shopping strip.
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| a tower from hundreds of years ago |
And, of course, old
blends with new. The distinct Paulskirche contrasts the business district. Built
between 1789 and 1833, Paulskirche is famed as the congregation of the first publicly
and freely-elected German legislative body after the 1848 Revolution.
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| historic Paulskirche |
Across the road from
Paulskirche, you find yourself back in the Middle Ages opposite the Rőmer, a characteristic
tourist attraction for all seasons. The Rőmer has been the seat of the
Frankfurt city hall since the 15th century.
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| timber-framed houses in front of the Dom |
Much of Frankfurt’s inner city is built on top of Roman ruins. During various visits over the last decade, we have witnessed numerous excavations in the vicinity of the Dom.
The Main offers many sightseeing
trips up and down the river.
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| The Dom dominating the background |
Still within easy
walking distance in the inner city district is the Goethe Haus, where the great
German poet and playwright Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was born in 1749. He lived there during
his childhood and wrote his famous works The Sorrows of Young Werther, Gőtz
von Berlichingen, and the first drafts of Urfaust. Today, the Goethe
Hause is a museum and drawcard for Goethe lovers from all over the world. Goethe died in Weimar
in 1832.
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| Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's doorstep |
One of Goethe's bon mots out of Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship: 'One ought to hear a little song every day, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and, if possible, speak a few reasonable words.'
Something to aspire.
Early Wednesday morning,
we caught the train to Hamburg to visit our friends Beate and Karl.
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| leaving Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof |
Dr Beate runs the
Heine Haus. Initially built in 1832 as the garden house of Heinrich’s rich
uncle Salomon Heine, today, the Heine Haus is a museum. It hosts events like readings,
exhibitions, and musical evenings associated with another great German poet,
writer and literary critic, Christian Johann Heinrich Heine. We were privileged to
attend a full-house Wednesday Soirée with Joseph A. Kruse reading about Heine’s
autobiographical narrative concerning his maternal and paternal families.
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| Dr Beate introducing the Reading |
Heine is
best known outside Germany for his early lyric poetry, which was set to music
in the form of Lieder by Franz Schubert and Robert Schumann. He was born in 1797
in Düsseldorf and died as an exile in 1856 in Paris. Satirical wit and
irony distinguish Heine's later verse and prose. Interestingly, Empress Elisabeth
of Austria, known as Sissi, liked his writing so much that she commissioned Louis
Hasselriis to sculpt him. Heine's statue was erected at her palace on the island
of Corfu.
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| Heinrich Heine |
One of Heinrich Heine's bon mots: 'Whenever they burn
books, they will also, in the end, burn human beings.'
The consequences of
the war in Ukraine were evident to us. Our friends don’t have the use of gas anymore,
having to buy alternative appliances. Lights seem to be constantly dimmed, and the
influx of Ukrainians necessitates many Germans accommodating refugees. Beate and Karl, too, are sheltering an evacuee. A little girl from her community visited
and made this delightful card from fallen autumn leaves. Small, thoughtful gestures
like this bring a lot of goodwill and happiness.
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| card with autumn leaves |
And talking about G
and H, I strolled with my friend through the local shopping strip and spotted a
pair of spectacles I had been searching for at home. Beate said, let’s go
inside and try them. We did. The optician paused and delicately suggested
another pair. He was correct; of course, they suited me much better. But what
would I do with the frame? In the past, when I had wanted to get new lenses for
my frames, I was told it couldn’t be done. Full stop. The expert suggested I take both models,
the one of my original lusting and the recommended one, to the boys at home for
their opinion. And if I chose a pair of spectacles, he could copy the
prescription and have the glasses ready within two hours. Well, they all agreed
the other was the one. I promptly returned to him, and one and three-quarters
of an hour later, picked up my new glasses just in time to catch the train
back to Frankfurt. I wish such a service existed at home. On top of this, the
good man said to take the bill to customs, and after receipt of a stamp, I
would only have to pay the less tax amount. Isn’t that amazing?
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| wearing my new super-duper glasses |
Back
in Frankfurt, I could never get enough historical facades touching the sky.
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| back in the Middle Ages |
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Liebighaus
|
The Liebighaus Museum houses an impressive collection of sculptures encompassing antiquity, the Middle Ages and Renaissance to Neoclassicism. The Café serves an equally special menu of snacks and irresistible Torten. I love the arches of cathedrals
and the Archaeological Museum. It always infuses me with awe. A special exhibition
of the celts in the state of Hessen was on display.
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| did anybody say 'what arches'? |
'I was enthralled by ‘Amlash’, a beak pitcher in the shape of a bird. This exhibit dates back to approx. 1000 BCE and was found in the region of Luristan near present-day Baghdad.
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| isn't 'Amlash' exquisite |
I adore the artistic illustrations
on the Luristan utensils.
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| vessels from the end of the 4th Century BCE |
Back on the Zeil,
shoppers and onlookers were treated to a musical contribution to raise funds
for the Ukrainians. Enthusiasm and spontaneity reigned amongst the performers
and the audience.
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| playing for Ukraine |
Both sides of the
river Main provide a parklike ambience. Frankfurters and tourists alike enjoy
the peaceful atmosphere. You can sit on benches, in deck chairs, on the grass, or
stroll along the banks. In particular, the afternoon and evenings beckon for
relaxation. But early morning is also enticing for some.
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| early morning with an almost purple haze |
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| flea market on the Main |
Autumn is so evident,
a sight entirely different to tropical Brisbane.
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| autumn leaves |
We are creatures of
habit. Geoff and I never leave Frankfurt without going to the Städel Museum,
especially when it is within 3 minutes distance from our accommodation. Here,
we got introduced to the music of Rodriguez and Sugarman many years ago. With
its extensive holdings, the Museum presents an overview of 700 years of
European art history.
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| Erich Heckel, Holsteinische Landschaft, 1913 |
I can feast on some
of my favourite expressionist artists.
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| Gabriele Münter, Street with Children, 1909
|
While purchasing
their paintings is out of my realm, I bought a calendar with Gabriele Münter
postcards. In my kitchen, it will have a prominent place.
Like all fairytales,
this, too, had to end. It was fantastic, short but packed with activities,
impressions, inspirations and everlasting memories. It took me a while to return
to earth and home again. And who knows, it may not have been my last visit
to Frankfurt.
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| the chaos of unpacking, or unloading? |
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| a few months later... |
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