Hipster Coffee with Friends

On Thursday, Fritz and I hung out on campus at Goethe Universität, the school with which Fritz is affiliated.  We met up with Johanna and Frederic for lunch at the Mensa.  It's similar to a dining hall in an American University, but German universities are different because the vast majority of students do not live on campus.  

Being at Goethe and among students made me appreciate the unique energy of a college campus.  There is something very special about the hustle and bustle of an academic environment populated by 20-somethings as they scurry off to class, gossip with their friends over coffee, or sit with their notebooks cramming for an afternoon exam.  It's exciting to be surrounded by so many people who are more or less my age (sadly they are getting to be less my age... 30 is right around the corner!), who are hungrily soaking up as much knowledge as they possibly can.  What a luxury it is to spend your days doing nothing but learning and mingling with your friends.  I'm sure I didn't see it this way when I was in college, but I remember the energy well, and I can see that it is the same regardless of what country you are in. 

Johanna and Frederic brought us to the "hipster cafe."  The dude who owns it won a national barista competition and is serious about his coffee.  We were warned not to put any milk in our coffee.  This kind of behavior is frowned upon here.  We were allowed to get latte macchiatos, on which the barista left loving foam designs. 

We had to squish around the end of a long table.  The place was packed!!! 

The coffee shop was kind of a bare-bones establishment with only a few pieces of art, which reinforced the owners commitment to his craft as you can see. (Sorry about the f-bomb Mom.)  

That's the owner behind the counter.  He's the guy on the right.  I was scared of him so I asked Fritz to order while I saved our seats.  He sure did make a very nice latte macchiato! 

A Visit To The ECB

Our friend Mikko is kind of a fancy-pants and works at the European Central Bank.  The ECB is basically what puts Frankfurt on the map making it the largest financial center in the Eurozone.  Their main objective is to maintain price stability in Europe.  It is the central bank for the euro (that's the currency), it consists of 19 EU member states and is one of the largest currency areas in the world.  The building, which is the ECB headquarters for all of Europe, is 591 feet tall and over 40 floors.  It is well fortified, surrounded by a substantial fence and other barricades to prevent any unwanted intruders and their vehicles from getting too close.  You have to go through a security building to get in, so don't forget your passport.  They don't care if you made a copy of it, they want to see the real thing.  And a driver's license doesn't count as a valid form of ID at the ECB.  I know this from experience.  We saw the outside of the ECB on Monday and Wednesday for this reason.  Oops. 

The ECB is a snazzy place, to say the least, with new-age art inside and outside the building, such as the peculiar tree pictured above. 

The entrance way is really impressive with windows everywhere.  The tower was built in 2013 and is attached to what used to be Frankfurt's Großmarkthalle (wholesale market), a hot spot to buy all your fruits and veggies.

Mikko kindly invited us to join him for lunch.  We felt a little underdressed walking around with him in his crisp and classy suit.  Oh well, I guess we can't all look as good as Mikko. 

After lunch, he took us up to the 27th floor for coffee and a fantastic view of the city.  

Mikko told us that there have been several protest in the streets surrounding the ECB since he started working here, usually in response to the financial crisis.  One time it was bad enough that he was told not to come to work for a few days.  Then when it was safe enough to return, he had to dress in casual clothing so as not to look like an employee.  

Frankfurt was quite pretty from the 27th floor!  It was neat to look out on the city we'd been living in for the past 2 months.  

Thanks for a really cool visit Mikko!  We are going to miss you when we move to Berlin next month!

Koblenz

Settled between two rivers, the Rhine and the Moselle, rests a little German town called Koblenz.  A train headed northwest out of Frankfurt's main station will take you here in less than an hour.  Fritz and I spent last week in Koblenz as it is home to the Bundesarchiv (Federal archive), an important spot for Fritz's research.  

The town was established way back in 8 BC when it was used as a military post.  Koblenz still has a few historical landmarks, but more than anything, I'd say it's an awesome shopping town.  It's basically a big outdoor mall with cobbled pedestrian streets interspersed with an occasional church.  

It was full of little squares that have the traditional Christmas Market huts set up to sell sausage, Glühwein, and holiday knick-knacks. 

One of my favorite Christmas Market set-ups is the hovering sausage grill.  A grate is suspended from the ceiling with a bed of hot coals below it.  The grate can then be spun and swung over the coals until the sausages are nicely roasted. 

The first two days were pretty cold and rainy, so while Fritz was at work, I sought out a bit of coziness to read and write for a while.  

I found a cafe in the middle of town that ended up being my home-base for the week.  I ate that bright pink beet soup 3 out of the 4 days we were in Koblenz.  I'm not usually one to get stuck in a rut when there is so much culinary potential to explore, but it was just so good!!!  I couldn't help myself!  

On the third day, the sun came out so I put on my sneakers and hit the road.  I walked through the main shopping area, but due to limited suitcase real-estate, I wasn't in a place to acquire extra things on this trip.  Window shopping is entertaining for a finite period.  Fritz and I will be heading back to the US soon and we need to be able to carry all of our belongings without hiring a donkey to take a bonus load.  I hear donkeys don't do well on airplanes anyway.  

I left the shops and headed to the river.  

At the northern tip of town, there is a giant monument where the Rhine River meets the Moselle.  

The original monument to Emperor William I of Germany was built in 1897.  It was destroyed in World War II, but was rebuilt in 1953 and re-dedicated to German unity.  

You can climb to the top of the monument and enjoy a lovely view of the two rivers at their point of convergence.  

Of course, it is always fun to take double exposures. 

The Basilica of St. Castor is the oldest church in the German state of Rhineland Palatinate.  It was built between 817 and 836.  The church was named a basilica minor by Pope John Paul II in 1991.  A rich history has unfolded around the church since it was built.  Through the years, it served as an important meeting place for emperors and kings and their descendants and was a place where disputes between these powerful people were negotiated and settled.  

The church had a pretty door knob. 

I was surprised to find it completely empty, although I suppose not many people go to church on a Wednesday afternoon.  

Koblenz had several very beautiful churches spread throughout the town.  This is another rather pretty one set right on the main road leading to the shopping area.  

Thursday provided more sun and good weather.  After a lunch of beet soup, I thought it would be nice to get a glimpse of Fritz's world at the Bundesarchiv (again, that is Federal archive).  I knew the archive was kind of on the outskirts of town and that Fritz usually takes a bus to get there, but since it was a nice day I figured a walk would be better.  

I had to hike up a substantial hill that divides the town.  At the top of the hill sat an antiquated fort that looked ripe for exploring- a nice detour on my way to the archive.

 

Fort Grand Duke Constantine was part of the Prussian fortress that belonged to Feste Kaiser Alexander in the 1820s.  Upon reaching the main gates at the top of the hill, I found the Fort to be closed for the season.  I snapped a few photos of the outside and continued my walk to the Bundesarchiv.  

I learned that the walk to the archive is almost entirely uphill.  Now I understand why Fritz takes the bus every day.  

To give myself a breather every now and again, I stopped to take pictures of dead flowers and winter berries. 

Along with a self-portrait or two... because why not?  

I finally made it to the massive structure that is the Bundesarchiv.  Looking at the map, the archive takes up several blocks.  It isn't really very pretty.  It's probably good they kept it out of the middle of town.  It's a bit of an eye-sore for tourists I imagine. 

Fritz came out to say hello.  It was a nice reward to see his handsome face after my long up-hill hike.  I wasn't allowed to go in the archive since I'm not a researcher or a student so I basically said "hi" and "bye", turned around and started my walk back down the hill.  

Back in town, I wandered the street for a bit, then bought some yarn from a lady who knits faster than my Aunt Carol (which is really saying something- Aunt Carol is a machine!), and then I watched this guy perform his one-man show.  He had an elaborate percussion section rigged up to his back.  His puppet friends were dangling from the neck of his guitar by fishing line.  When he bounced up and down they danced, and he blew into the wooden pipes around his neck to provide some lovely treble overtones.  I can only assume the llama was actually quite vicious and was therefore standing guard of his money collection.

The Christmas Market And A Friendly Visit

The day after Thanksgiving, an amazing thing happens in Germany: Christmas Markets spontaneously appear as if by magic!  Overnight, an elaborate seasonal village is born in the middle of the city with quaint wooden huts, merry-go-rounds, and Christmas trees while the delightful smells of roasted nuts waft over the scene.  People warm their hands and insides by sipping a traditional spiced wine (Glühwein) from ceramic mugs, while vendors of wooden trinkets and handmade Christmas ornaments greet paying customers with a smile. 

Biggest chocolate covered pretzel EVER!

Fritz and I were thrilled to explore the Christmas Market with our friend Evan who came to visit us from London for the weekend.  

Evan and Fritz drinking their Glühwein 

Evan is from Holland originally, but he currently lives in London so he was able to hop over to Frankfurt and hang out with us!  

Evan's buddy, BJ owns a wine bar in a pretty classy Frankfurt neighborhood, so we headed down to spend the evening with him.  Following a lovely Happy Hour in BJ's wine bar, we found ourselves in a traditional German restaurant.  

Evan wanted to eat dinner at a long wooden table where the people are served pitchers of Apfelwein and the menu options include Schnitzel, Schnitzel and Schnitzel. 

We obviously got the Schnitzel and shared a few orders of Handkäse mit Musik as an appetizer.  

Pictured above is the Handkäse which literally translates to hand cheese.  It is a culinary specialty in Frankfurt- cheese balls are squished into form by hand; hence the name.  It is often served with onions, vinegar and a side of brot.  They call it "mit Musik" because the vinegar and onions can sometimes result in a little "music" a few hours later, if you know what I mean. 

Fritz, BJ and Evan with a pitcher of Apfelwein to share