Tante und Nichte

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Brot und Freunde Bakery in Frankfurt, Germany

Part 1 of this entry will be published shortly, but for now: here we are on the other side of the same day. Everything began as usual with breakfast; though with Klaus and Stephanie out of town spending some days in Konstanz with a side trip to Zurich, we had to walk over to Brot & Freunde to fetch our morning meal. With this being my first visit to this nearby shop, I was astonished at the variety of Brötchen as in 19 choices not counting pretzel variations. This, from a small shop away from all major shopping areas, is a non-descript tiny place, and this doesn’t even take into account the more than a dozen sweet pastries on offer too! If that weren’t enough, they have an espresso machine to make us hot drinks too, which we need to take advantage of as we don’t know how to operate the coffee machine at home.

Caroline Wise in Frankfurt, Germany

While Caroline’s smile suggests a staged photo, she was editing my entry about the Popel eater (boogers) and was having a laugh at my description and, of course, the use of the word Popel, which is probably the first-ever use here on my blog. We are taking things slow this morning as we’re waiting for our niece (Nichte) to arrive around 11:30. This also turned out to be a good opportunity to do laundry as even we need to stop on occasion in service of the mundane.

Jutta Engelhardt of Frankfurt, Germany

Between things, Caroline spotted a photo album that she was curious about and grabbed it. It turned out to be old photos of Jutta and classmates from the late 1940s to the early 1950s. My mother-in-law, at age 14, can be seen in the top left photo, front row, far left. From that, you might be able to identify her in the other three images.

Jutta Engelhardt of Frankfurt, Germany

As is typical with people with dementia, Jutta was able to identify nearly everybody in these images, including first and last names, without thinking twice. As for me, days later, I have zero recollection of who she mentioned, but I suppose that’s not all that important.

Jutta Engelhardt of Frankfurt, Germany

Here’s Jutta at age 17 in 1952.

Jutta Engelhardt of Frankfurt, Germany

From the 60 or so photos in the album, these were the ones we felt were a good representation to set aside for digital posterity.

Caroline Wise and Katharina E. in Frankfurt, Germany

Almost perfectly punctual, Katharina arrives to find these two strangers in the place she grew up in. Our niece is living in Darmstadt, where she attends university. Katharina and I had some time together back in June, so I’m leaving the Tante und Nichte (aunt and niece) for a day with each other. You can follow what I did in the blog entry A Walk Around Frankfurt.

Venus Fly Trap in Frankfurt, Germany

Katharina took a quick look at the potted plants in the kitchen and living room and applied water where needed. She clearly inherited Klaus’ green thumbs. Caroline sent this photo of the Venus fly trap to Klaus to assure him that it had survived his absence. The girls watched a fly hovering around the plant and even landing on one of the traps in suspense, but the fly was able to escape, maybe because the plant was not in need of fresh nourishment.

Caroline Wise and Katharina E. in Frankfurt, Germany

Shortly thereafter, after looking up the local vegan lunch options, niece and aunt were on the way for their own fresh nourishment at Dominion Food Revolution on Gruneburgweg.

Frankfurt, Germany

Not realizing that the vegan shawarma with hummus would be such a gargantuan portion, Caroline was happy that Katharina’s burger was small enough to allow her to share the dish.

Katharina E. in Frankfurt, Germany

Both took photos of the dishes and enjoyed their conversation in the warm sun. Afterward, dessert was in order.

Frankfurt, Germany

Katharina picked a brownie and Caroline a Middle Eastern pudding with rosewater, coconut, and pistachio crumbles. Since Katharina still had some time before her return train to Darmstadt, they decided to swing by “Oma Jutta” at Lebenshaus for a short visit. Criminally, Caroline missed the opportunity for a selfie of all three, but since my middle name is “forgiveness” (among others), I won’t hold it against her for long. When it was time for Jutta to head over to the dining room for supper, Caroline walked over to Eiserner Steg to meet me and pursue our own dinner plans.

Familie und Freunde

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Rüdesheim am Rhein in Germany

After moving out of our wine barrel from last night, we ended up in a room at the main hotel that offered us this view of Drosselgasse. What is this place I refer to? Drosselgasse is a famous cobblestone-lined narrow street that slices through the old town, so if you find yourself chilling one day on the Rhein River and are wondering where to stay in Rüdesheim, you too might consider Hotel Lindenwirt. By the way, a very nice breakfast buffet is included with Champagne or wine.

Rüdesheim am Rhein in Germany

Not certain I had enough images to give a great impression of Rüdesheim, we stepped out to grab a few more, but time was short as we had a train to catch back to Frankfurt at 1:00 p.m.

Rüdesheim am Rhein in Germany

Not sure I’ve pointed this out before but it’s a convenience I’m in love with: menus posted outside restaurants that make it easy to see what is on offer. There’s always something embarrassing about entering an American restaurant, asking to see the menu, and then walking out as though they aren’t good enough just because you didn’t see something that resonated with you at that moment. It feels like we often compromise and figure it’s good enough rather than turn our backs on a friendly host or hostess. Maybe that’s what is intended?

Caroline Wise in Rüdesheim am Rhein in Germany

We ain’t leaving Germany without some cheesy gifts after staying in a town many Germans consider declasse and only fit for “Spiesser” or typical commoners below contempt. Well, we’ll own that title, as life isn’t all about snobbery without laughter. Tea towels with prints of German landmarks and mini bottles of Asbach Uralt (the local brandy wine) are coming with us.

Rüdesheim am Rhein in Germany

We needed to make quick work of the walk along the Rhein back to Geisenheim as every lost moment lingering in the scenery was minutes not spent with family.

Hindenburg Bridge in Rüdesheim am Rhein in Germany

But I’m a photographer and this old Hindenburg bridge ruin is not failing to enchant me every time we pass it. This will certainly be the last image of it until the day we return to the area. The stairs on both sides of the part of the bridge that is still intact lead to a steel gate topped with barbed wire; a drone would have come in handy here.

Hanns Engelhardt in Geisenheim, Germany

We’ll only have a brief two hours here with Hanns and Vevie, but taking advantage of the opportunity to spend time over the course of three days with them lent a deeper quality than dipping in for a few hours and being gone again for a year or two.

Vevie Engelhardt and Caroline Wise in Geisenheim, Germany

And, of course, once more, a toast was raised to Our Lady of Geisenheim.

Geisenheim, Germany

How quickly two hours pass.

Hanns Engelhardt and Caroline Wise in Geisenheim, Germany

Father Hanns walked us back to the train station and expressed a superabundance of appreciation for our visit, as did Vevie before we left their apartment. There’s a sadness in leaving, knowing that we won’t be visiting again before the next year at the earliest. If the people we spent time with were less enthusiastic, it would be easy to recapture our time and spend it selfishly on ourselves, but with how warmly we are greeted, we can only wish to spend time with everyone weekly if it were possible.

Römer in Frankfurt, Germany

An hour later, we are back in Frankfurt, about to spend a brief hour with Jutta. Chasing through the day, I get sloppy with remembering to take photos, and somehow, I bungled snapping an image of my mother-in-law with Caroline, but I didn’t forget to take yet another shot of Römer.

Frankfurt, Germany

On to our next date, this one in the Bahnhofsviertel.

Sylvia S. and Caroline Wise in Frankfurt, Germany

Early in my previous stint of living in Germany, I met Olaf F. tonight; we are having dinner with him and his wife, Sylvia S. On previous visits, we caught Sylvia at inopportune times when we’d maybe have minutes with her, but that is not true this day. It turns out that Caroline and Sylvia have a load in common and hit it off, spending every second of the seven hours we’ll visit talking, talking, talking.

Olaf F. and Sylvia S. with family in Frankfurt, Germany

This is Olaf and Sylvia with their son and daughter, Johnny and Lucy, more than a dozen years ago. As I’d never seen it before, I asked to take a photo of it for our blog of scrapbook memories.

Olaf F. and John Wise in Frankfurt, Germany

Olaf F. and John Wise on the way to dinner in Sachsenhausen with our wives, who are quite effectively ignoring us as they are lost in gab.

Homeless in Sachsenhausen Frankfurt, Germany

This was our designated meeting place for the other two old friends we were supposed to meet up with, but they were drunk and passed out on the street. We tried rousing them, but they were nearly dead to the world. So the four of us had to eat alone.

On the Main River at night in Frankfurt, Germany

After dinner, the ladies wanted to walk back to Bahnhofsviertel while Olaf felt like the tram, so I accompanied Olaf and Sylvia and Caroline continued their conversation with a stroll along the Main River.

On the Main River at night in Frankfurt, Germany

Well, this was quite the surprise as neither Caroline nor I have ever seen a floating Döner Imbiss, but here it is satisfying the late-night munchies of those out on a walk. America may have created a food truck phenomenon, but maybe it’ll be Europe that creates the food boat wave.

On the Main River at night in Frankfurt, Germany

It’s almost impossible to fully appreciate how safe it is to walk through this city late at night, considering the conditioning that comes with living in the United States that there’s always an element of danger lurking in the back of one’s mind. America has fostered the conditions where people walk with trepidation in our big cities as there seems to be a constant threat to safety with every step. Untreated mental health issues, drugs, easy access to weapons, and a mostly broken, half-functional safety net make for a perfect breeding ground for those on the margin to act in desperate ways, thus putting everyone’s peace of mind into the toilet.

In The Rheingau

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

On the Rhein River in Rüdesheim, Germany

Our hotel is in the heart of all things in Rudesheim and just a minute or two walk from the Rhein River, yet it was an incredibly reasonable 109 Euros per night, and that included breakfast. We didn’t have even two minutes to walk around town as I had a lot of writing to catch up on, and the lighting from the overcast sky wasn’t as conducive as I might have hoped for to capture some images of this historic town. So, from shortly after 8:00 until nearly 10:00, we had a nice slow breakfast of various Brotchen and plenty of coffee. The only thing left to do was return the key for the wine barrel and check in to our other room.

On the Rhein River in Rüdesheim, Germany

I read Google Maps wrong, and instead of 3.2 kilometers to walk between Rudesheim and Geisenheim, it turns out that stupid Google gave me miles while I was here in Germany, so we had 5 kilometers or 3.2 miles.

Rüdesheim, Germany

We’re walking a slightly different route that took us by new photo opportunities, which only added to our travel time. The orchard on our right was full of pears, as far as we could tell.

Rüdesheim, Germany

But when we found an open gate, we took the opportunity to trespass so we could gain a closer look at things. Lo, and behold, apples; apples that said, pick me! Not that we stole anything, but there also were no signs that said it was verboten.

Rüdesheim, Germany

Oh, shall we help ourselves to a pear, too? We don’t mind if we do.

Rüdesheim, Germany

The walnuts we picked were still too green to enjoy, but as I picked one, we didn’t know yet what we were looking at until we peeled it open, exposing its brain.

Vevie, Caroline Wise, and Hanns Engelhardt in Geisenheim

We arrived relatively early to Haus Engelhardt, and as with yesterday’s festivities, things began with popping the cork on a fresh bottle of sparkling wine. We also took a moment to look at yesterday’s photos to ensure Vevie and Hanns were okay with the images of them that were going to appear here.

Vevie of Geisenheim, Germany

Vevie shared some old photos with us, with this one being from roughly 1948 around the time she would have been 13 years old.

Vevie of Geisenheim, Germany

This photo is from about a dozen years later, around the time she was an extra in the movie, “The Burning Court.”

Hanns Engelhardt of Karlsruhe, Germany

Reminiscing about old photos, Hanns brought out his driver’s license from 1958 when he was finishing his formal studies.

Vevie, Caroline Wise, and Hanns Engelhardt in Geisenheim

Of course, we talked our heads off until the point nothing immediately in town was open, including the pizza joints so it was off to Bootshaus (Boat House) restaurant that opens at 12:00 and closes at 10:00 p.m.

Vevie, Caroline Wise, and Hanns Engelhardt in Geisenheim

We were last here just a couple of years ago as Vevie invited us to this exact restaurant. This will be Hanns’ first visit.

Caroline Wise and Vevie in Geisenheim, Germany

And, of course, another bottle of sparkling wine was in order.

Rhein River in Geisenheim, Germany

With a heavy downpour, we just continued to sit riverside and enjoyed a coffee, waiting for a pause in the rain so we could hurry home before the next cloud burst.

Geisenheim, Germany

While the sky threatened us with thunder in the distance and heavy dark clouds, we continued forward.

Vevie, Caroline Wise, and Hanns Engelhardt in Geisenheim

While these few posts will be short on written details, the moments of the day were jam-packed. So much so that it’s been seriously difficult to find the time to write notes of the days; this here is being written on the train back to Frankfurt the next afternoon. The minutiae of things are not important; suffice to say, there were possibly hundreds if not thousands of smiles shared.

Rheingauer Dom Geisenheim, Germany

Sure, I shared a photo of the Rheingauer Dom yesterday, but it was in the sun while ominous heavy clouds loom overhead to offer a slightly different view of the same church.

Geisenheim, Germany

From the front door of the apartment, this is the view heading towards the Rhein River we’ve now walked on many times; well, at least more than a few.

Hanns Engelhardt in Geisenheim, Germany

While Father Hanns offers goodbyes from the Engelhardt balcony, we’ve moved downstairs to start our walk back to Rudesheim.

Caroline Wise and Vevie in Geisenheim, Germany

It’s been quite touching to see and feel how much Vevie is appreciating Caroline’s company. Sure, she enjoys my company, too, but those two have a bond that is so obviously special that it has become charming. I only wish we could visit with Hanns, Vevie, and Jutta weekly, while Helga would be too busy for such a frequency.

Caroline Wise in Geisenheim, Germany

We thought we’d be gone in a second until it occurred to us that we could have a Spaghetti Eis right here in Geisenheim before dinner and not spend a penny at one of the Eis Cafes in Rudesheim. So, a short dessert break was taken. I’d like to point out the tragic, awful even, thing about eating outdoors at cafes and restaurants in Germany: the ever-present cigarette smokers who give little concern to those around them who might be eating. We didn’t escape a couple of smokers here at Eiscafe Pillot.

Geisenheim, Germany

Now, with the biggest obligations of the day finished, we can resume our meandering.

Geisenheim, Germany

As we already noted the pears, apples, and walnuts on our way to town, we were now looking for other things, such as weeds.

Rüdesheim, Germany

Then there was this slug I might have stepped on had I not known better about watching where to walk.

Hindenburg Bridge in Rüdesheim, Germany

Another view of the Hindenburg Bridge with a bit of the old roadway visible.

Rüdesheim, Germany

How strange this is to us Americans where very little of the indigenous people’s history of North America still exists and of the religious fundamentalists who populated and erased the Native American’s presence, their mark only really starts to show up on the landscape after the Civil War. But here in Rudesheim, you have a people celebrating the founding of their town that was established back in 1074.

Rüdesheim, Germany

This is Drosselgasse, which slices through the old town and is the focal point where many visitors head for the famous local libations, including a popular coffee with a kick and the region’s wine. Our dinner was taken around the corner and up the street where Caroline was hoping to try a specialty of pig stomach stuffed with various ingredients that were supposed to be featured at the Stadt Frankfurt, but it wasn’t to be as it wasn’t on tonight’s menu. The best we can figure is that this is a seasonal item.

Caroline Wise and John Wise in Rüdesheim, Germany

Here we are in the Eispfad (Ice Lane), which is the narrowest street Caroline and I have been on. Walking shoulder to shoulder is not possible unless you are 5 or 6 years old. After getting to our room, nothing is possible aside from sleep; we are exhausted, although even in that state, I think our smiles betray the level of exhaustion we are operating at. Tomorrow, we have a stop to make before heading back to Geisenheim for a last short visit.

Father Hanns and Our Lady of Geisenheim

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Hauptbahnhof in Frankfurt, Germany

I can see it coming: after weeks of traveling by foot, bike, and train, we’ll be getting in a car after we arrive back in the U.S. in a couple of weeks, and in those first moments of speeding down a road, there will be a frightful sense of danger. If you think there’s also a similar sense of danger in riding bikes here in Europe, you’d be wrong. Europeans have rigorous guidelines for acquiring a driver’s license along with strict rules for how you operate a car, which create a [relatively – Caroline] non-threatening environment for bicyclists that must share the road with 2-ton cars.

Enough of that, we have arrived at the Hauptbahnhof as we are leaving town for a couple of days.

On the way to Geisenheim, Germany

This map found overhead on our train shows the stops we’ll be making on our way to Geisenheim in the Rheingau, translating to Rhein District. Wine grapes are this region’s claim to fame along the Rhein River, and we’re on our way to the 11th stop, Geisenheim.

On the way to Geisenheim, Germany

While wine and, specifically, Riesling is a great reason to visit, we are traveling west along the river to visit family.

Father Hanns Engelhardt, Caroline Wise, and Vievie in Geisenheim, Germany

His Honorable Bundesrichter A.D. Herr Dr. Father Hanns Engelhardt and his wife, Our Lady of Geisenheim Vevie, have an apartment here in the town center. It’s been two years since Caroline has been able to visit while I had just seen Hanns down in Karlsruhe back in June. To celebrate our arrival, a bottle of Sekt (German sparkling wine) was opened.

John Wise and Father Hanns Engelhardt in Geisenheim, Germany

If I’m not mistaken, this is the first photo ever of Hanns and me. Yes, you see that right; I had a glass of water because alcohol in any form and I are incompatible.

Caroline Wise and Vievie in Geisenheim, Germany

I’ll probably overshare the following, but I want to write this early in the post: Caroline and I could not have been welcomed with more enthusiasm and heartfelt gratitude from Hanns and Vevie than we were. Seeing these two together is turning out to be a special treat.

In Geisenheim, Germany

When I say “together,” I’m referring to the situation that we’ve most often seen Hanns down in Karlsruhe, where he was a judge and for many years, he also served the Lord as a priest in the Anglican church for a local parish. Vevie meanwhile maintained the apartment in Geisenheim.

Father Hanns Engelhardt, Caroline Wise, and Vievie in Geisenheim, Germany

Originally, we were scheduled to arrive at 10:00, but as is apt to happen, we can’t squeeze as much as we would like to into day after day without paying with some small level of exhaustion that requires course corrections during our vacations. And so it was today that we had to delay our departure with us arriving at noon. After the sparkling wine, we needed to beat feet over to a local restaurant (there are not many in Geisenheim) which closes at 2:00.

In Geisenheim, Germany

With some obvious reluctance, our server sat us at 1:4o, knowing there wasn’t a chance we’d be gone by the time they closed. Somewhere around 3:30, Hanns paid the woman who took over for the man who headed out, and with that, we started our walk back to their place.

In Geisenheim, Germany

On our way to lunch, we passed the Rheingauer Dom as we were already late, but as we had to walk right by on our way back, I made my way over for a quick photo inside. Everyone else followed.

Father Hanns Engelhardt, Caroline Wise, and Vievie in Geisenheim, Germany

At the front of the church, Hanns shared some of his knowledge of procedures as they happen when service is taking place while the ladies continued their chat. On our way out, we stopped to light a few candles and offer a donation to the church.

Caroline Wise and Vievie in Geisenheim, Germany

The conversation flowed faster than the wine, but only barely. Yes, the warmth in Caroline’s cheeks is from the sense of joy we shared with family today, though there’s a certain amount that arrived with the libations.

Father Hanns Engelhardt and Vievie in Geisenheim, Germany

After five hours of reminiscing and sharing, it was time for us to go check into our wine barrel, I mean hotel, while there was still daylight so I could capture some photos of our unique lodging arrangements.

On the Rhein River in Geisenheim, Germany

From previous experience, we knew that there was a river trail that would take us to Rüdesheim, and that was the path we opted for.

Campground in Rüdesheim, Germany

No, these are not the wine barrels we’ll be staying at tonight. This photo was taken as a note to our future selves, reminding us that we might want to stay here at Rheingau 524.

Hindenburg Bridge in Rüdesheim, Germany

Wow, was my exclamation as we approached this collapsed bridge. It is the Hindenburg Bridge in Rüdesheim and has been left as a relic of World War II when it was intentionally destroyed in the closing days of the war to slow the United States’ advancement. My photo does NO justice to the scale of elements; I’ll try to share another tomorrow if we walk by.

On the Rhein River in Rüdesheim, Germany

Weather is moving into the region with rain forecast to begin tonight, but in the case of this sunset photo, these clouds are a welcome addition adding drama to the sky.

On the Rhein River in Rüdesheim, Germany

Sorry, Mr. or Mrs. Swan, but we have no snacks that you’ve obviously been conditioned to expect when humans pass.

Lindenwirt Hotel in Rüdesheim, Germany

Time to check into Hotel Lindenwirt here in Rüdesheim.

Caroline Wise in a wine barrel at Lindenwirt Hotel in Rüdesheim, Germany

Did you think I was joking about staying in a wine barrel? In the list of unique lodgings, this is certainly one of our most interesting.

Caroline Wise in a wine barrel at Lindenwirt Hotel in Rüdesheim, Germany

How often do you walk into your hotel room and need to laugh out loud at your good fortune that you’ve snagged something that few people will find as enchanting as you do?

Into the old town, trying to spot something for dinner. Many establishments close at 8:00, which doesn’t leave many options.

I found the one corner that was scruffy enough to lend character to all the shiny new Disneyland-like points in this famous wine-drinking village by the Rhein River.

After dinner, we took a walk looking for a Spaghetti Eis (spaghetti-shaped ice cream I’ve described on many other occasions), and while all four shops we stopped in proclaimed to offer this frozen treat, all of them had already started their closing procedures at 8:30, and the first thing cleaned is apparently the whipped cream dispenser. First of all, good German ice cream shops do not spray fake whipped cream from a can with bright red words on it; they make real whipped cream that tastes like the real thing. Second, Spaghetti Eis without a bed of whipped cream is ice cream with strawberry sauce. Third, I was angry, not because I wasn’t willing to compromise but because these shops close at 9:00, and people visiting from other countries or are on Rhein cruises might forego dessert on their cruise ship or at a local restaurant in order to sit in a cafe and enjoy a parfait are going to be limited in their options to a scoop of ice cream or two.

When I came to Germany earlier this year, I talked with many a restaurant worker or owner who lamented their industry being closed for seven months due to the pandemic. Now here, with the tourism industry open again, the business owners who should be enthusiastic to welcome visitors back appear to only be concerned with their convenience, not my luxury.

Hey Rüdesheim ice cream shops, just shut your operations and leave dessert to the restaurants as you’ve left a blemish on this town. True that many come for the wine, but in such a small town as yours that supports nearly a dozen ice cream shops, it seems that tourism is integral to your economy. Either operate your business honorably for those of us visiting or go away.

And with that lament out of the way, we head into our Winkeler Hasensprung (rabbit jump) wine barrel. The name originates from a local vineyard’s hillside near the town of Winkel. As for the experience of sleeping in a barrel? The bed was inches too short for me, but that didn’t matter one bit as I made it work. Sure, sleep was a bit restless as I had to adjust my contorting position, but who cares? I slept in a wine barrel.

Gott und Wählen

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Can’t forget that we’re in a pandemic, though we are thousands of miles from home on vacation as occasionally the explosive numbers and widespread movement of a new variant in America take hold. While trying to avoid current events, people want to talk, and headlines pop up in the subways on animated billboards. So, we’re going home later this month to the breakout of the COVID variant called Mu. Germany will vote on a new chancellor a few days after we leave, and a note or two about Afghanistan made it to our eyes. Enough of that stuff; I only mention it because today I’m opening with this photo of us on the subway that has us in masks. In previous days, I’ve tried to keep masks out of the picture to offer a semblance of normal as it existed before the age of the Pandemic.

Yesterday, I visited St. Leonhard church and learned of the oldest building in the area, St. Justinus church in Frankfurt-Höchst. Ironically, we had just cycled past it the other day on our family bike tour, and I had no idea. As I brought this up with Caroline, she pointed out casually that this had been one of her many “Fun Facts of the Day” at work but hadn’t thought of it until I mentioned it. With some time available this morning, we took the train out to cross this important historical building off our list of places to visit.

Well, that was the plan. Little could we have guessed that a Catholic church would be closed Monday through Thursday due to the pandemic. Maybe we can come out to Höchst on a subsequent visit to see the Saint Justinus church that’s been standing here and in continuous use since 830, and I do mean the year and not 8:30. I posted a photo of the church from the river the other day during our bike ride and I can’t find a better view from where we are now so I snapped this image of Jesus on the Cross at the side of the church where two gentlemen informed us about the closure much to our disappointment.

Nothing left to do but make the best of a poor situation and return to the square where we had lunch the other day (under the blue umbrellas) and grab a bite to eat before going to see Jutta.

Our very German meal at Gasthaus Zum Schwan of pork variations with bratkartoffeln and cabbage was on order. Caroline opted to supplement the food with a hefeweizen.

Though we couldn’t commune with Gott (God) in his house here in Höchst, we could take some time to appreciate the old town.

There’s so much being said here with stickers that go beyond personal brands and veer into politics and social commentary, but with me falling behind in my blogging, I don’t really have time to decipher the sticker about Bolsanaro, Fuck Peter Booth, or FKTN which is not Fukutin a.k.a., a protein-coding gene.

While this distant suburb of Frankfurt has some quaint and historical qualities, there’s something provincial I sense here, making the place unappealing. I should blame this squarely on my own bias as there’s something about the inflection of the working-class Germans and their chain-smoking that gives them the appearance of blunt dullards on the verge of losing their humanity as they slide down the evolutionary ladder.

Caroline most certainly let out a loud groan reading this last sentence, but to ignore Germany’s class awareness is to simply stick one’s head in the sand, just as Germans are apt to do. I’ve written before about how Germans do not vacation in their own country unless they are skiing in the Alps or visiting Sylt up on the Wattenmeer. This, in my summation, is because, in those two locations, Germans will encounter other wealthy Germans, while in nearly all other locations they risk running into those fellow citizens that embarrass them.

Enough of picking at scabs; time to get on the train and return to the big city.

I walked with Caroline over to Lebenshaus, where Jutta lives; they have a nice clean toilet that’s free. From there, the plan was for me to catch up on writing.

As I headed away from the ladies, I ended up going to the coffee shop I knew they’d be visiting so I could surprise my mother-in-law.

And here they come.

We are at Einstein Kaffee on Römer, where mother and daughter are having a slice of Johannisbeeren cake and coffee while I try to focus on the writing. Once the cake was devoured and the last drop of coffee gone, the ladies headed back to Lebenshaus.

A little later, Klaus joined me for a short time, and when Caroline returned from Lebenshaus, they walked off to meet with Stephanie for a rice bowl dinner at a nearby favorite joint while stayed on to finish my writing for the day. A crowd had been developing in the center of the square outside Einstein; it was a political rally held by the Green Party.

People in the cafe were complaining about the size of the crowd and how last year’s Christmas market had been canceled due to expected crowding, and yet, for politics, the authorities are afraid to impose restrictions as they find that their own voices being heard face to face with the electorate is too important. Whatever serves power is allowed; whatever serves the individual is tertiary after power and money. I do not mean this ironically, as with Germany being in the driver’s seat of the Europan economic engine, they better keep the balance of governance in top form if the EU is to survive.

Another Day Another Bike Ride

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Because 40 miles yesterday wasn’t enough, we are out on bikes again today for a quick 25-mile trek from Frankfurt to Höchst. Okay, that’s not exactly the truth. It’s more like Klaus, and I had so much fun, and the girls had so much ice cream we felt we needed to take them out for some exercise to work some of those calories off. Oh wait, that’s not the truth of it either; we really wanted to share the e-bike experience with Caroline and Stephanie and let them see the city of Frankfurt in a way that is different from any other exploration any of us have done prior.

We picked up the extra e-bikes near Lokalbahnhof in the south of Frankfurt and not far from the Main River. The place is called Frankfurt Bike Tours should anyone else be interested or I need to remember in the future.

I already know I have a fat head, but when taking selfies where I’m on the far edge of the camera, I feel like my head grows twice as large. No lens correction can repair this illusion unless the truth is that my head really is this inflated watermelon of a thing. From left to right, Stephanie, Caroline, Klaus, and Mr. Melonhead.

You’ll never see a fraction of the city you live in if you don’t get out of the subway or out of your car. Seeing things by foot, scooter, or bicycle opens up a few of the world you might not have been aware of. Crossing a small side canal of the Main River on a footbridge, we spotted this overgrown old houseboat.

Our ride is taking us west of Frankfurt, though our destination is essentially a part of the city. For the better part of our trail, we are never very far from the Main River on yet another beautiful late summer day.

Good thing I’m wearing a helmet as I turn my attention away from riding and focus on taking photos cruising along at about 20 kilometers an hour or 13 mph.

Frankfurt is nothing if not a city of a lot of graffiti street art…

…and good advice.

Like the Valkyries, we ride and ride.

You are now looking at Höchst, which is effectively our destination, except we do have a little further away from Frankfurt to travel, and before we continue with that we’ll head into town for lunch, but first…

…we have to cross the Main River on a tiny ferry that only takes pedestrians and bicyclists across the way. Back in June of 2018, we made a similar crossing, except on that visit, we came into town via the train and crossed from the other side.

With nearly 12 miles of the ride finished and after dozens of stops, it’s nearly four hours after we left home in Heddernheim and more than that since breakfast: we are ready for this lazy stop in the old town square.

We are taking a detour from our route as a sign directs us to the Schwanheimer Dünen (dunes), but before we arrive at the beginning of the trail, I spot a bunch of fruit on the ground from a nearly empty tree. While no one else was interested, I had to turn around to investigate. Caroline joined me and was able to identify the ripe fruit as Mirabellen, which is a sweet and slightly tart type of plum. The few fruits in the tree were far too high to pick, so I had to find the best specimens I could on the ground that hadn’t been stepped on or ridden on and dust them off. We bit into them, and I swear they were the best I’d ever had. The hunt was on to identify more relatively undamaged Mirabellen and eat my fill before we continued into the dunes.

A boardwalk led us in and over the dunes area that was formed during the last ice age about 10,000 years ago.

A portable sheep enclosure fence was set up with maybe 70 animals happily grazing on the variety of grasses that commanded their full attention.

Part of our ride today follows the steps of the “Spaetlesereiter.” Back in the 1700s, a courier from the abbey in Fulda would carry the bishop’s permission to start the harvest on horseback to the abbey’s Johannisberg wine estate near Geisenheim in Rheingau. In 1775, the rider was delayed for two weeks, and the grapes had started to rot. They were harvested and processed anyway, and the resulting wine was surprisingly good and sweet – the “Spaetlese” or “late harvest wine” was born. The 230km-long Hessian cycle route R3 loosely tracks the rider’s path from the Fulda area to Rheingau, and we’re on it for just a few of them.

We are in the forest of named paths, and this one is Agendawaldschneise after the Agenda 21 initiative from the United Nations aimed at “combating deforestation, protecting fragile environments, and conservation of biological diversity.” The forest here was planted in accordance with Agenda 21 and is therefore also named Agendawald or “Agenda Forest.” An old friend of ours in the US thought Agenda 21 was something evil, well, I’m finding these forest paths and preservation of open lands simply charming.

This is not the Germany of old; people didn’t stop and talk with strangers, but that’s what’s happening today. The fluffy white Great Pyrenees caught the girls’ attention, and the owner was happy to tell them about the breed’s history and temperament.

Remember that reference to the Valkyries earlier? Well, we’re still playing that.

We ride and we ride into the green and into infinity or maybe just to the end of the trail.

Does it look like Caroline just worked incredibly hard at getting to this part of the ride? Well, it turns out that her e-bike computer malfunctioned and that she only had sporadic electric assistance, as in about 5 minutes in total so she had to put some serious effort into her pedaling while the rest of us just cruised along.

We dropped off the bikes, got a small refund for Caroline’s broken bike, and started walking towards a specialty ice cream shop in the Sachsenhausen area. Not that I know what marijuana looks like, but what the heck is the devil’s weed doing growing here streetside in Germany? Isn’t this still illegal? Now, if this were hash, well, I probably have more than a little experience with that.

A gaggle of paddle boarders on a sunset float on the Main River reminds me of, well, nothing as I’ve never seen this before here in Frankfurt, and at the time of this writing, I have nothing to compare it to.

Sculling on the calm waters of Frankfurt’s riverway is a popular repast, at least during seasonably appropriate weather. Caroline has voiced her interest in giving this a go someday, but it’s not going to happen this trip as though we can afford a good deal of spontaneity such as this day, we have a fairly heavy schedule for the next couple of weeks, or so I think.

What a conundrum this is, as I can’t be certain there’s ever really a sustainable and cruelty-free way to bring animals to our tables. It’s troublesome as I’m well aware of the violence committed on my behalf, so I can eat various types of meat at my convenience, and if I think about it too long, I’d be forced to reconsider my willful ignoring of animals’ grotesque suffering. If you can read the URL at the top of this photo and you haven’t seen the worst of animal harvesting practices, you might want to watch it, but be forewarned, it’s harsh.

The geese that call these riverbanks home are some seriously chill birds as I’ve never seen one of them charge a person, ever. The downside of so many geese is the voluminous amounts of squishy green finger-sized poops that dot the path and stairs along the way.

And so, this was another day, another bike ride as we celebrated the 6th day of a vacation that was shaping up as perfect.

The Tale Of Two Quests

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

This is the tale of two quests. In one, brothers-in-law John and Klaus head out on their own adventure, and from the looks of our heads, you would rightly surmise that we are off for a bike ride. Meanwhile, the sisters will putz around at home for a good long time, in part fixing my leather computer bag, before venturing into their own quest for Frankfurt’s best ice cream.

With me riding a rented e-bike and Klaus pedaling for real, we are heading to the Westend of Frankfurt, and on the way, we pass Fernmeldeturm. This is the closest I’ve ever been to this tower. One used to be able to take an elevator to a restaurant and a viewing platform (the two rings of windows), but unfortunately, they have been closed for a while now.

Klaus figured out our trail using the Komoot app, which I’ve now downloaded, too. He told me where we were going, but I couldn’t figure out what or where that might be; it’s just nice to be out for a long ride.

I snapped this photo from Holbeinsteg, which is a footbridge over the Main River. Interestingly, the bridge was designed by Albert Speer Jr., son of the former Reich Minister for Armaments and Ammunition, Albert Speer. Well, I had no idea the role Albert Speer Jr., played in many architectural and design elements found around Frankfurt.

Before reaching this point in the city, we had to pass through a particular corner of the Bahnhofsviertel that might be a shade darker than Skid Row in Los Angeles, though that is uncertain. It’s likely equal, but coming out of the perfect sterility of the surrounding area, the abrupt encounter with depravity in this concentration is jarring, and things are feeling worse somehow. Two women sharing an open-air urinal, taking a squat in public, and the man who looked awfully dead lying behind a car on the street added to the sense of squalor.

Out of the city and into the countryside, we are entering the place of big green.

I was told beforehand that our ride south would take us about 30 kilometers (nearly 19 miles) from the city, but with Klaus and I both carrying our cameras and making frequent stops, this could take all day, not that I’m complaining.

Other than the occasional sound of birds, there’s little observable wildlife out here. Riding up on this small pond was one of the rare opportunities to see a bird up close.

There are so many bike- and footpaths sliced throughout Germany that I think I could spend the rest of my life traveling them and still never see but a fraction. Here, we are crossing over the A3 Autobahn using a bridge that is only for pedestrians and bike riders.

It didn’t feel like we’d left all that long ago, but here we are, entering farmland and way off in the distance is a glimpse of the Frankfurt skyline.

Leading like a champ across Hill and Dale, we ride and ride.

Out in the middle of nowhere, we rode up on this sealed mine that at one time was a source of heavy spar. This mineral was used at one time as a counterweight in elevators, which made me wonder why lead wasn’t used instead, so I checked the weight of heavy spar. This mineral weighs in at 4.5 grams per cubic centimeter compared to lead at 11.3 grams per cubic centimeter. I can guess that the mineral only needed to be mined while lead required processing, thus making it more expensive.

A nearby honor box invited people to pick sunflowers and pay 50 cents per flower or €5 per dozen. There was nothing posted about taking photos, so I grabbed a few.

There is no passing of horses anymore without thinking about Katharina (our niece), who loves horses, a lot!

Caroline Wise and Stephanie Engelhardt in Frankfurt, Germany

Meanwhile, in a parallel universe, the unfolding of the second quest has been underway. Stephanie and her sister, a.k.a. my wife Caroline, got a late start and have finally sent us a photo to assure the husbands that they actually left the house instead of gabbing all day over tea and yarn in Stephanie’s attic/yarn warehouse. 

City, farm, forest, it’s all so charming.

And if all of that wasn’t enough, we started passing blackberry bushes. I couldn’t resist sampling the wares and got a few sour berries for each sweet one I found.

Stephanie Engelhardt in Frankfurt, Germany

Returning to Quest #2, the ladies have stopped for what they claim are salads, but considering the infamous ice cream prepared to look like spaghetti, I have my doubts that what we are looking at is indeed lettuce, onion, and tomatoes, instead of some wickedly accurate-looking carved ice cream.

Caroline Wise in Frankfurt, Germany

I have to admit surprise that they were eating healthy when we’d discussed them going out on an ice cream binge.

We’ve arrived at our furthest southerly point, the Kulturhistorische Erlebnisstätte Auf der Bulau, also known as the Cultural-historical experience site on the Bulau, for my fellow English speakers.

At one time, there were 25 burial mounds (tumuli) here; today only two reconstructions remain. Like the Celtic area we visited yesterday, this one too, is from the Middle Hallstatt period (700 – 450 BC). Next to the mounds is a reconstructed Roman road that once ran through the area from Dieburg south of here to Dietzenbach, where we are going next.

It was around 2:00 in the afternoon when we found a place for lunch in the charming village of Dietzenbach. I can’t really say it’s charming, as I’ve only seen a tiny corner of it this afternoon, but what I saw wasn’t bad. When I lived in nearby Frankfurt during the end of the last century, Dietzenbach had a terrible reputation, though I think that was primarily based on the probably mistaken idea that only welfare recipients and immigrants lived out here. Anyway, as you can see, I opted for an American-style burger and fries. While it was okay, the Germans don’t really know how to do this right.

If this looks like the direction back to Frankfurt to you too, you’d be correct in your assumption.

These free green apples yelled, “Pick me!” as I passed; well, that was until Klaus read the sign, “Do not pick the apples and do not leave your trash.” Had I then tossed back the apples I had just picked, I would have been leaving trash, so I figured one instance of breaking the rules was enough for one day. Then again, I think I crossed at least one street while the light was red and might have ridden on a sidewalk when I shouldn’t have. How I got away without any tickets today is beyond me.

Caroline Wise and Stephanie Engelhardt in Frankfurt, Germany

While the guys are out stealing apples, the women have dipped (pun intended) into an ice cream shop called Antipodean, which Stephanie recently learned was a highly-rated stop on the map of Frankfurt. The pink scoop was “Red Dragon,” a raspberry sorbet spiced up with chili, and the white scoop was “Miscake,” a mix of carrot cake, vanilla, and caramel. Miscake was definitely the winner here, and with that, the sisters were off to the next stop.

I’m in love with traveling over Germany by forest trail. A couple of years ago, while I was in Berlin, I’d cross the Spree River in the morning and walk through the woods to the location of the event I was attending. In the evening, I’d walk the same path back to my Airbnb. Initially, I felt trepidation because of the anxiety that had traveled from America to Germany with me, but I quickly adapted to the idea that there was nobody waiting in the forest to attack me, such as the evil Giftzwerg I’d been warned about.

We are now nearly 50 kilometers (about 31 miles) into this adventure, with 14 kilometers (9 miles) to go before returning to Heddernheim.

Caroline Wise and Stephanie Engelhardt in Frankfurt, Germany

Oh, they were apparently serious about making this an ice cream social, as here we are at stop number two, Lolli Eis, just down the street. Just as with Antipodean, a long line of patiently waiting mask wearers is lined up before the store. Since there was no free table, the sisters shared table space with two regulars. The flavors sampled included passionfruit, pomegranate yogurt, dark chocolate on the left, cassis (blackcurrant), blood orange, and stracciatella on the right.

After a false start where Komoot wanted us to cross the Main River next to an Autobahn for us to circle around Frankfurt via Bornheim, we decided we still had some autonomy left and diverted our path to travel along the riverbank. The river is to our right, and pictures of it are up next, but it was the tree-lined path with these beautiful shadows I had to share first.

Caroline Wise and Stephanie Engelhardt in Frankfurt, Germany

Life, even in parallel universes, is not all about the sweets. There seems to be a need for the occasional tea/coffee break. I’m pretty sure that tea runs in Stephanie’s veins while Caroline’s flows with a slurry of coffee and rye bread dough. Coffee and tea were enjoyed at Harvey on Friedberger Platz.

While I just posted an image of this two months ago, I’m finding it difficult to find new things to photograph.

Caroline Wise and Stephanie Engelhardt in Frankfurt, Germany

Oh my god, seriously? A third stop for ice cream in half a day? They have no shame. While Klaus and I pedal our asses off, riding our bikes through mud, rain, snow, sleet, wild dogs, desert, thistles, angry crowds, the horde, barbarians, minefields, and a pit of mustard gas, they dare send us smiling faces with cheeks full of ice cream giving them the appearance of chipmunks stuffed on acorns. The last sampling included flavors such as Frankfurter Kranz, tonka bean, lime, and quince.

Since it was Sunday, the path along the river was packed, and getting through with bikes was too uncomfortable, so we left and headed over to the Untermainbrücke (Lower Main Bridge) to begin the last leg of our ride.

Frankfurt, Germany

This was the ship that transported Caroline and Stephanie between our world and the Universe of Gelato. Obviously, the rules of Earth don’t apply where they went today, as how does anyone eat that much ice cream?

My brother-in-law Klaus has been a terrific trip planner and leader today. I believe he commanded the weather to act cooperatively in order that nothing should blemish our amazing experience. He and I agreed that this was the textbook definition of a perfect day.

Frankfurt, Germany

This wasn’t apparent to me either so let me enlighten you why Caroline found this photo cute. Look at the license plate on this small car; it reads RIESE, and in German, that means giant. So, do you get it? Giant on a tiny car, maybe this is a German thing for those experiencing a sugar overdose from eating 40 or 50 scoops of ice cream? Shortly after this, the two quests merged, and the ice cream fest was over…for now!

Somehow, Klaus still had the energy to barbecue dinner for the four of us. He prepared a mixed grill of lamb, pork, chicken, and beef with grilled sweet potato, mixed olives, and a tomato salad. Plus, I forgot to mention that he arranged and presented our breakfast of Brötchen, various jams (I’m eating his entire supply of homemade apricot-vanilla jam), and coffee. He should win the award for being the perfect host, as I feel indebted to him for contributing to a seriously uber-wonderful vacation day here in Germany.

Bike Route to Bulau

When we finished our ride, we logged about 64 kilometers or 40 miles, which had us in the saddle for nearly 4.5 hours of the 8 hours we were out riding. This is the map of today’s route.