Jake’s family flew home on the 7th. We spent the day packing our bags and revisiting our favorite local spots.
The zipline… of course.
Even Daddy got in on the action… barely skimming over the woodchips.
That evening we walked around the giant cemetery across the street and then we walked down the street to see the home where Anne Frank was born.
The next morning we headed to the airport and traveled home.
Sunday, January 5, we walked next door to attend church with the international (English speaking) ward. The church is near embassy row, where there is a large American embassy compound among those from other countries, so there were a lot of foreigners attending that ward.
We spent the morning, before church, at the zipline.
You can hear the church bells ringing in this video of Raine on the zipline.
Monday, January 6, we went to downtown Frankfurt again. Raine and I rode the ubahn down earlier than everyone else so that Raine could get in some thrift-store shopping before we left. After that, we walked over to the Städel Museum, where we met everyone else, to see the Van Gogh exhibit.
Self portrait 1887
There were so many beautiful paintings, ones you see in all of the art books, it was hard to decide which ones to take photos of.
Not everyone appreciated seeing some of the most famous paintings in the world.
We hurried through parts of the other exhibits because the kids were hungry, and bored. It would have taken a week to see all of it; every time you turned a corner there was another famous painting, like this Renoir.
We walked across the Main River to the Zeil where we had lunch and did a little more shopping.
On January 4, we stayed local and visited Römerkastell Saalburg und Archäologischer Park, a reconstructed Roman fort that was initially built in the first century AD, also part of a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The archaeological park out front had extensively-excavated ruins from the original village outside the fort. The system for heating the floors in the bath was fascinating and far more advanced technologically than what I think of during that time period. I was also surprised by all the glass windowpanes and tools in the museum.
I didn’t take many photos inside because there were simply too many really fascinating, ancient artifacts to decide which to photograph. This was a chest of ancient coins in the basement of one of the buildings.
Raine wanted me to take photos of her on the grounds.
After leaving the fort, we drove to the Frankfurt Temple.
The visitor’s center was just about to close when we arrived, so we didn’t stay long.
January 3 we drove out to Eisenach and visited the Bachhaus, the childhood home of Johann Sebastian Bach. We arrived just in time to hear the museum curator play some of Bach’s harpsichords and organs. It was really interesting even though most of his presentation was in German, he also spoke some English along the way. After the performance, we quickly worked our way through the museum.
Raine with Bach’s viola.
After grabbing lunch at a bakery on the square, we drove up to the Wartburg castle. This UNESCO World Heritage Site was originally built in the Middle Ages but has been added to throughout the years. It is the place where Martin Luther translated the New Testament into German.
Overlooking Eisenach
The only way in or out was through the drawbridge.
The doves had their own little built-in nesting boxes.
Mom and Raine waiting for the tour to start.
The tour started in the oldest part of the castle, built in the Romanesque style between 1157 and 1170.
The Elisabethkemenate (St. Elisabeth’s fireplace chamber) received its Byzantine-style mosaic in 1902 to 1906. This room was incredible. The entire thing was covered in colorful mosaics.
A short video of the amazing mosaics.
Daddy, Uncle Jake, Rose, Grandma, Raine, and Grandpa listening to our tour guide.
The castle was full of fine craftsmanship.
Schwind’s Sängerkrieg fresco in the Sängersaal (1854).
The Festsaal (Festival Hall) on the top floor of the Romanesque Palas, it runs the entire length and width of the building. The room was the site of the Wartburg Festival of 1817, when members of university fraternities organized what has been called the first democratic meeting on German ground.
Lutherstube – Martin Luther stayed in this room (and the sleeping room behind it) for 300 days in 1521-1522.
Luther Bible
Carter found a suit of armor that was just his size
Carter and Daddy in the halway leading to Lutherstube
We stopped in Eisenach for dinner. Raine LOVES schnitzel!
The streets were still Christmasy.
January 2, we took a Rhine River cruise with Jake’s family and Grandma and Grandpa from Rüdesheim to St. Goars-Hausen. Then we rode the train back. It was COLD and foggy, which made the castles look very medieval.
The grandkids down below, where it was warm — Carter, Max, Rose, Seth, Grant, Raine
Ruine Ehrenfels
Mäuseturm
Mom and Carter up on the deck.
Burg Rheinstein
Max and Carter
Trechtingshausen
Burg Reichenstein
Berg Sooneck
Dad and Mom
Heimburg
Ruine Fürstenberg
Lorch
Bacharach
Pfalz
Burg Gutenfels
Schönburg
Oberwesel
Raine
Burg Katz
Burg Rheinfels
On shore in St Goarshausen
We waited for the train eating pastries in a little bakery across the street.
Back in Rüdesheim, we ate a schnitzel lunch at a hotel overlooking the river. The town still had their Christmas up in the streets.
December 31 was our first day in Frankfurt. We stayed in a mission-owned apartment in Grandma and Grandpa’s apartment building. It was a fully-stocked, 2-bedroom apartment with a view of downtown Frankfurt (in the distance). We paid $25 per day for use of it, it was a deal!
First thing we did was head out to the playground with the zip line that Grandpa had told us about. We find a playground zip line in every country we visit, it’s become a tradition! (Wales, Brazil, Iceland)
After the playground, we found a local bakery to get some pastries — Carter LOVED the German pretzels.
After a lunch of bratwursts, we rode the ubahn downtown and visited Altstadt (old town). First stop was Römerberg (Roman Mountain) the main square.
Then we walked down to the Main river and the Eiserner Steg (Iron Bridge).
The bridge is COVERED in locks, many with names or initials engraved in them.
We wandered around the streets of old town and passed the Haus zur Goldenen Waage (House of the Golden Scales).
Our last stop in old town was Kaiserdom St. Bartholomäus (Frankfurt Cathedral Saint Bartholomew). It was full of art, artifacts, and incredible architecture, but photos were not allowed inside.
This placard in Kaiserdom described the destruction of World War II.
After wandering down the Zeil, through the shopping district, we took the ubahn back home.
The fireworks on New Year’s Eve lasted for hours. This was the view of downtown from our balcony.
By about 30 minutes after midnight, the smoke from fireworks was so thick that we couldn’t see downtown any more.
A video was the only way to capture the insanity of the fireworks in Frankfurt. The nearly-continuous line of fireworks in the distance is on the Main river. At the end of this video you can see a firework fly right at us on the balcony; that’s when we decided to watch from behind the glass door!
On New Year’s Day, we slept late and played at the playground while waiting for Jake’s family to arrive and get settled.
