We landed, deplaned, zipped through customs, and headed downstairs to the train platforms to buy a monthly pass for public transport before getting on the train to the main station (Hauptbahnhof) in the center of Frankfurt. Once in the city, momentum got us to the U-Bahn for the short ride out to Heddernheim, where my in-laws Klaus and Stephanie live and where we’ll be staying. After dropping our bags, we were nearly just as soon gone and on our way back to Frankfurt.
Not far from the old town center is Lebenshaus on the Main River, where Jutta Engelhardt, my mother-in-law, is now a resident in an assisted living situation. This is the first time Caroline and Jutta have seen each other face to face, other than on Skype or WhatsApp, since the summer of 2019.
After catching up on a few things and sharing our experience flying business class, we got Jutta up and out of her room so we could make our way to lunch.
Repeating my lunch experience with Jutta back in June, we headed over to Römer. On our approach, the telltale signs of a wedding were seen and heard. Towards the center of the photo is the Standesamt, where people enter their civil marriage, and if you look closely, you can see a small wedding party over there. The “heard” part of the ceremony comes from the carillon of the Alte Nikolai church, which is used to play songs requested by the bride and groom. Strangely enough, a song from the anime film Spirited Away and a traditional Japanese folk melody called Cherry Blossoms were being played on the bells.
Like me, prior to my last visit, Caroline hadn’t ever eaten at Römer Berg either. Let me clarify that we’d not eaten at the restaurants here, but we enjoyed a thing or two during the annual Christmas Market when we lived in Frankfurt. So, today’s lunch is brought to us by Zum Standesämtchen. As per my usual, I had green sauce and schnitzel while Caroline opted for Leberkäse (fried mystery meat) with Spiegelei and Brafkartoffeln.
After five hours with Jutta (including a 30-minute impromptu post-lunch nap, better referred to as passed-out, in chairs), Caroline and I needed to get moving as jet lag was threatening us with demands for proper sleep. A lemon ice cream cone and a walk along the Main River on a beautiful day were just the kind of wakeful therapy we needed.
One thing led to another, and after Caroline had her picture taken with the Frankfurt police mascot, we were invited past the barrier to learn about crime prevention in the Frankfurt area. This was certainly not the first thing that would show up on many people’s list of things to do when visiting a European capital city, but then again, we were tired and were seriously familiar enough here that we could afford to get outside our scope of desired experiences. It turned out to be quite interesting to learn about the history of the Stadtpolizei (city police) and that Caroline’s open purse was an invitation to grab something, which I’m always warning her about. The furry creature serving as the mascot is actually supposed to be a lion, in line with the Hessian crest, but we fail to see much of a resemblance.
With the day starting to cool off, we headed back to Heddernheim so I could grab a wool undershirt I rely on when it gets cold, but it turns out I forgot to pack it, just like my fleece. Accepting that I’ll likely freeze to death here at the end of summer if I were to remain outside, we were only at Klaus and Stephanie’s long enough to have a coffee and then got right back out on the train for a trip back into the city center.
Maybe you were expecting Shaquille O’Neal? Well, we can’t deliver him, but the next best thing is the Grüne Soße Festival in Frankfurt. We couldn’t be happier to be here, though we could be better rested. That lack of sleep doesn’t matter as we consider ourselves incredibly fortunate to be able to attend the festival. During previous events, we only heard about it from Klaus and Stephanie, who have attended every year, only having missed out on the inaugural first year.
The Grüne Soße Festival, for those who don’t read German, is a Green Sauce Festival. How does one celebrate green sauce, you might wonder? Well, Grüne Soße is a regional comfort food unique to the Frankfurt area that at one time was mostly available in spring and early summer, but with greater demand and popularity, the dish is available with slight modifications due to the availability of particular herbs that the dish requires. Starting with seven different fresh herbs and a yogurt base or something similar, this sauce is popular with boiled potatoes and hardboiled eggs and is also great on schnitzel.
The pitcher above doesn’t really have anything to do with Grüne Soße other than Apfelwein goes well with the dish we’ll be enjoying tonight. How would my reader know that this “Bembel” or jug is used for holding “Apfelwein,” a popular hard apple cider here in Frankfurt? Well, because I’m sharing that with you right now. So, if you ever find yourself in Frankfurt, just know that these things are unique to this area, and you’d sorely miss out on this tradition if you fail to go out and find it.
Much of the nuance of the evening’s entertainment was lost on me as the speed of German was not aimed at those for whom German is a second language. No matter, the general idea of things was understood as “All Thing Green Sauce” was the underlying thread.
During an intermission in the festivities, plates with seven different samples of green sauce (I hope you see what they did there, considering that Grüne Soße is made up of seven different herbs) were delivered to every guest. Green eggs were delivered, followed by boiled new potatoes. Oh, as soon as we arrived earlier, bread and drinks were served, and it should be pointed out that food and drinks were included in the price of the seating reservation.
During the first part of the entertainment, clues were offered regarding the various green sauces, and then after we tried them all, we played a kind of Grüne Soße Lotto trying to match the sauces to which local restaurant made it. I didn’t win, but someone else at our table for eight did!
The second half of the evening’s entertainment was more my flavor, with a great Abba parody put to the idea of green sauce, and a local theater company supplied some stilt-walking fairies that moved between the tables.
I estimated that there were nearly 500 of us here in the audience tonight, and this was just one of seven evenings that this sampling and entertainment will be occurring during the three weeks that the festival is happening this year.
The day has been a whirlwind, with two days of experience shoved into one. The idea that we landed 16 hours earlier and are just now crawling back to Heddernheim in the middle of the night is crazy. Exhausted is our final destination, but this extraordinary first day in Germany will keep it as one of the most memorable. Big, big thanks to Klaus and Stephanie for picking up the extra tickets for us to join them at this annual Green Sauce Festival and once again welcoming us into their home.