We arrived in Frankfurt at 1:30 PM after traveling from Addis at 1 AM on March 7th on Qatar Airlines. We changed planes in Doha which was a little tricky because of time and a change in terminals. Once in Frankfurt our transportation was nowhere to be found but we have gotten a full refund and the taxi driver knew exactly where we needed to go. It was half the price too. Our hotel, Miramar Golden Mile was in a fantastic location. It is very clean, very pink, with a very helpful staff and a very delicious breakfast complete with fresh salmon!
Miramar is right up the street from the historic area and the pedestrian mall. The historic old town has wonderful restaurants, shops, gelato, and little bars with great beer! We enjoyed this area so much. We did the usual Hop-on Hop off bus. It gives us an orientation and then we can go back and explore. What’s not to love about Frankfurt? Frankfurters, German potato salad, beer, schnitzel, sauerbraten (which my grandmother used to make). Yum! Okay, it’s not exactly Weight Watcher fare but the cabbage is zero points. ;-)
We took a half day tour of Heidelberg and we were the only two on the tour. Our driver was Millhoun which really surprised us. He wasn’t Ethiopian but Eritrean and we talked a bit about that. He came to Germany as a toddler. He was very knowledgeable and we enjoyed talking with him. Heidelberg is a beautiful town with a huge castle overlooking the village. We were able to explore the castle, see the huge wine barrel and visit the pharmacy in honor of our friend Jim. We also found an alligator, strung up for our grandson, Dan who was in the hospital with a terrible infection.
Arrived in Frankfurt, coming from a country that was 80 degrees during the day (Ethiopia) to a country that is 40 degrees. Quite a change. Stayed in a nice German hotel (small rooms but very clean with lots of hot water and a great breakfast. Eggs, sausage, ham, bacon, cheeses, lox, breads, rolls, sweets, juice, coffee, etc. Could have eaten enough the first morning to cover the next four days. Took a Hop on-Hop off bus tour of Frankfurt to get the lay of the city. Beautiful and clean with lots of places offering beer and wurst. Day 2 took us on a private tour of Heidelberg, just Cindy, me and our driver, Milloun. Took a little more than an hour in a mini van to get us there from Frankfurt. I think Heidelberg is the most beautiful city I’ve seen. Going into the castle was an unbelievable sight. Please see the pics. The river, castle, and landscape with the sun in the background was fantastic. We toured the castle and grounds and then descended into the town, a wealth of shops, restaurants, and pubs. Did I mention I found a shop (yes, me shopping) that sold their own distilled brandy type drink? We bought a bottle and enjoyed a nightcap, each night we were there and at least one in Hamburg. Our only regret was that we didn’t have more time to spend in Heidelberg. Next stop Hamburg!
Cindy’s notes:
The next day found us on a boat going up the Rhine admiring all of the castles. If you have always wanted to live or own a castle you can do that for $1.00. Unfortunately you then have to have millions to repair and renovate it. These costs are in the contract when you purchase your dream castle! The castles sit up on the hills and look down at the villages and the river. Quite spectacular!
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