Frankfurt, Germany

Following our stay in Belgium we made a quick 2 night stop in Frankfurt.  Part of my strategy in planning this trip was to try and take advantage of every discount I had available to me through my many credit cards.  One such benefit is a bi-annual Hilton resort credit that I receive from my Hilton Aspire American Express.  This “perk” isn’t my favorite since it only works on specific Hiltons deemed to be resorts for the purposes of this credit.  In all of continental Europe there are only 2 hotels that are valid for the credit (excluding the Mediterranean which we are avoiding due to required vaccines for Maverick that he doesn’t have).  One is way up on the Polish coast, the other is just outside Frankfurt.  The Frankfurt hotel fit much better into our planned area of travel so I chose that one.  

The hotel was actually very nice.  It’s called the Hilton Frankfurt Gravenbruch.  It sits in a nice tranquil wooded property just outside the city.  We were upgraded to a suite once again at check-in, I guess we are on a roll!  There is an executive lounge that actually allowed Maverick but we never ended up having the time to visit it.  Breakfast was once again free to us and allowed dogs which was surprising!  We didn’t end up bringing Maverick because that just did not seem relaxing first thing in the morning.  We always bring him back a little bacon afterward though.

After a 4 hour drive from Belgium we thought about being lazy and getting a quick overpriced dinner at the hotel but thankfully decided to drive to a German restaurant 10 minutes away.  This is where our stay in Frankfurt took an unexpected turn.  Dinner was at Apfelwein-Föhl and they were very nice getting us in without a reservation.  We had a really nice dinner.  We tried the local Apfelwein for the first time.  This is the drink of choice in Frankfurt.  It is a type of hard cider, and unlike a lot of Germany Frankfurt is not primarily a beer town.  For dinner I tried the local flavor of schnitzel, Frankfurt Schnitzel with Grie Soß (Green Sauce).  It was really good, I highly recommend giving it a try if you are in this area.

As we were finishing up and getting ready to depart Amy took an interest in these ceramic jugs that a lot of the tables seemed to have.  So she did something I would never do and leaned over to the two guys at the table next to us and asked what was in the jug.  They were happy to answer, it was a mixture of apfelwein and sparkling water and they insisted on pouring us a glass so we could taste it.  Next thing we know they have moved over to our table and are sharing multiple jugs of apfelwein with us.  Soon after they were buying us these Mispelchen drinks.  It is basically Calvados apple brandy with a fruit called the Japanese medlar that I had never heard of.  It was kind of like a canned apricot.  I think we had 4 rounds of these!  Meanwhile they are telling us all about Frankfurt and offer to take us on a personal tour of the city the next day.  They are actually brothers and grew up in this area.  This was an offer we could not turn down so we agreed.  We ended up being the last people in the restaurant.  It was just us and the restaurant staff and some guy who lived upstairs who were drinking at another table.  We arrived at 5:15 and left at midnight.  They picked up the entire tab including our dinner, made sure we got in an uber and insisted our car was fine where we left it.  What an amazing gesture!

The local Mispelchen drink we had a few too many of (left) and an example of the ceramic apfelwein pitcher that started it all (right)

The next morning our two new friends Michael and Dirk picked all three of us up from our hotel and drove us to our car.  We then all drove over to a nearby train station that offered free parking.  From there we began a leisurely walk through the woods towards the city.  Much of the southern part of the city is forest and green space that is criss-crossed with countless walking and bike paths.  Our first stop was a restaurant called Oberschweinstiege nestled right in the middle of the forest.  We only grabbed a coffee here but it looked amazing.  Whether you wanted a full meal or just to enjoy some drinks in the woods this looked like a great stop when out for a walk in this area.

Cozy fire inside Oberschweinstiege (left) and the grill/smokehouse area outside (right)

After our coffee stop we continued walking through the woods all the way into the city.  As we got closer to the Main river that runs through the center of the city they took us through some of the older neighborhoods that survived the war.  Much of the downtown area was destroyed by allied bombing during the second world war and unlike some cities in Germany, Frankfurt decided to rebuild modern instead of recreating the past.  For this reason I’ve had several people tell me that the city is skipable.  I do appreciate advice from other travelers but I always like to make up my own mind.  I think this is all about expectations when it comes to cities in Europe that were rebuilt as a modern city.  Tourists come looking for the famous history and architecture you come to expect in Europe and when they are greeted with modern skyscrapers it elicits a negative perception of that place.  Meanwhile cities like New York or Tokyo are favorites despite being quite modern.  For me, modern doesn’t automatically mean a place is not worth visiting.  You must also consider that places change over time.  A city that may have not have offered much in the past could have gone through a renewal since you or the person you are talking to had last visited.  In this vein our new local friends pointed out all the new buildings from the last 10 years that had been rebuilt in the classic style of the older architecture.

Some of the older styled buildings in Frankfurt

Our next stop during our day in Frankfurt was just outside the Kleinmarkthalle. This entire area was buzzing with activity on a sunny early fall day.  On the pedestrian streets there were food and drink stalls set up along with all the restaurants and bars in the area.  Inside the market there is a huge array of different vendors selling everything from fresh produce to full meals.  We grabbed a standing table outside and ordered a round of Aperol spritz.  Micheal took me into the market to get an antipasto plate for us to share while enjoying our drinks.  It was delish!  We grabbed one more round of drinks before continuing our walk.  Definitely check out this area if you are in Frankfurt.  It’s also the location for the Christmas markets in December.

Mav eyeing some prosciutto from our antipasto platter (left) and the scene outside the Kleinmarkthalle (right)

After leaving the market area it was apparently time for another caffeine boost.  For this we stopped at a local coffee roaster called Wacker’s coffee shop.  This place was packed and the coffee did not disappoint.  Dirk also bought us a bag of their coffee to take home so we could experience a little Frankfurt back in New Hampshire.  We then walked down the street to Gewürz- und Teehaus Schnorr & Co. GmbH, a little tea and spice shop where Dirk bought us a special spice mix he loves to use at home.  The shop owner was really nice and kept giving us different samples.  We asked her advice on a good seasoning mix for potatoes since at our last AirBnB they had zero spices (not even black pepper).  We ended up purchasing her recommendation but haven’t had a chance to try it yet.  Hopefully soon!

At this point we started heading back in the general direction of the cars but not before we made a few apfelwein stops!  The first place I’ll mention is Adolf Wagner.  In the past Micheal was a regular here every Sunday for 20 years!  The inside is really nice, full of long wooden tables and benches.  We of course got a pitcher of apfelwein, but we also needed a snack.  This is when we were introduced to Handkäs mit Musik.  It is a type of regional cheese topped with onions and a kind of vinaigrette dressing.  It is served with bread and butter as well.  So you top the bread with butter and the cheese and onions and eat it that way.  We both thought it was really good and look forward to ordering it again sometime in the future.

My Handkäs mit Musik at Adolf Wagner

Our last stop was at Zur Buchscheer Apfelweinwirtschaft on the outskirts of the city. This is an apfelwein restaurant where they literally had the press setup in the courtyard to press the fresh apples.  We sat out on the enclosed patio and got to try some of the fresh pressed juice.  We had a good laugh because the juice they gave us was almost undrinkable.  For apfelwein they use apple varieties that have very high tannin levels.  This basically dries your mouth out completely with one sip.  It isn’t exactly pleasant.  You have probably experienced low levels of this when drinking fresh cider juice, grape juice, cider or wine.  A little is ok, this was next level!  I think they gave us the wrong juice.  The entire table next to us sent theirs back.  This was the juice meant for fermentation.  I think they were supposed to give us a different blend that was closer to the fresh cider you might get in the United States.  We tried this later and it was much more agreeable to the pallet.

To go along with our apfelwein and juice we ordered some more food.  Dirk talked me into trying the local beef tartare (raw minced beef) which was one of his favorites.  I got daring and gave it a try.  It was served with onions, capers, raw egg yolk and some spices. He showed me how to eat it by mixing it all together and then spreading it on a piece of bread.  It was pretty good, I’m glad I tried it but I’m not sure I would order it again. 

The apple press at Zur Buchscheer Apfelweinwirtschaft (left) and my tartare (right)

From there we strolled back to the cars, we had spent the entire day together!  We said our goodbyes and headed back to the hotel to get ready for our next stop, Munich and Oktoberfest!  Our new friends Michael and Dirk were amazing ambassadors for their city and country.  They were so generous and it was amazing to see some of the city of Frankfurt with them.  They are always welcome in New Hampshire and I do hope that our paths cross again in the future!  This is the type of experience we always hope for when traveling.  It is 24 hours of our trip that we will treasure for years to come.  Thank you Michael and Dirk if you are reading this!

Our new friends! From left to right Dirk, Amy, myself and Micheal