The Frankfurt Airport is huge!
Just so you have an idea of its size, in 2015, it serviced over 50 million passengers. It employs over 70,000 and is the second largest airport in Europe (#1 is Heathrow).
Once you leave the plane, you are moved around by bus and the ride to the terminal can take around 10 minutes.
Attached to the airport is a train station for subways and regular local and regional trains. There is also a mall and supermarket.
As you walk through the crowds you notice the immense diversity of people in Germany. You can hear at least 4 different languages being spoken at once and observe people of all shapes, sizes and colors.
Getting a ticket to leave the airport by train is a trip. There are several machines that sell tickets that are just as, if not worse than, having to deal with a human. They are temperamental and work only when they want to. The biggest challenge is getting them to take your money. You can see people's frustration dealing with them. From Germans to foreigners, they all suffer the same!
Once you get your ticket, the next step is getting to the train. There are many platforms and many trains and your ticket is generic for any train going to the station you choose.
Once you board the train, the funniest thing happens... they don't even check your ticket!
The main train station in downtown Frankfurt is Hauptbahnhof. It is one of the busiest in Germany. It is filled with people running to and from trains, saying tearful goodbyes and pouring out into the city streets.
Hauptbahnhof is located in an interesting part of Frankfurt. The mixture of people on its streets ranges from men and women in thousand dollar business suits, beggars, backpackers, vagrants, families of all sorts and tourists.
There are all sorts of businesses lining the streets. They cater to folks of all ethnicities too. There are Asian restaurants next to Muslim shops followed by African eateries. There is every type of food imaginable and most people eat outside under canopies.
The architecture is amazing! A mixture of old and modern. The contrast can be seen throughout the city.
Getting around is easy. There are buses, subways, trains, trolleys and lots of people walking and riding their bikes. It isn't uncommon to see women and men in business attire riding along the streets.
The nights are lively, everywhere. There are many bars and eateries so there are always people on the street. As night falls you can hear music playing as street performers gather to make a little money. They play until the wee hours of the morning.
I fell asleep to the sound of an old man playing his accordion. It was an awesome lullaby!
There are many things to see in Frankfurt, especially if you are into shopping. The Zeil is an 8 floor mall with hundreds of shops! The place is always packed and you feel like people are doing their Christmas shopping every day.
Outside the Zeil, hubdreds of people walk the streets. It feels like a huge festival. There are people selling balloons, playing music and enjoying themselves.
Outside the Zeil, hubdreds of people walk the streets. It feels like a huge festival. There are people selling balloons, playing music and enjoying themselves.
Fressgass is right next to the Zeil. This pedestrian area is full of activity as people gather to enjoy the drink of choice in Frankfurt: apple wine. There are yellow canopies everywhere which offer great German food and apple wine, along with beer and other drinks.
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| Contrast between the old and new |
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| Hauptbahnhof |
