INTEGRATED HUMANITIES TRIP 2010 TO GERMANY AND POLAND
PART 2: KONICHIWA KIAK KIAK KIAK!
Where:
02 JUNE 2010, FRANKFURT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
TOUR OF FRANKFURT
FRANKFURT STOCK EXCHANGE
GLEDMUSEUM – MONEY MUSEUM OF THE DEUTSCHE BUNDESBANK
WHAT HAPPENED:
Oh, and the weather there is really good. Cooling with sudden breezes.
FIRST TIME IN GERMANY WARRANTS ME TO BE EXCITED OVER EVERYTHING.
YOU CAN SEE ALL THE DIFFERENT HOUSES IN THE STREET AT GERMANY.
ALL WERE SOMEWHAT VICTORIAN-INFLUENCED.
QUIANT AND EXQUISITE WITH AN EYE FOR MINUTE DETAILS.
WE TOOK A QUICK BUS RIDE TO REACH THE OLD TOWN OF FRANKFURT (OR Römerplatz/ romberberg square proper), WHERE WE MET OUR GUIDE.
Being completely destroyed in wwii, only one building remained standing and the entire town was reconstructed.
FOLLOWING THAT, SHE SHOWED US A CHURCH [sorry i am not sure of the name. Too many churches there!] WHICH WAS HISTORICAL IN NATURE, AND WITH A STATUE OF A NAKED MAN OUTSIDE.
The exterior of the church was kinda reddish-brown in colour.
WE CONTINUED OUR WALK DOWN TO THE CENTRE OF THE SQUARE, WHERE WE WERE GREETED BY A STATUE OF THE LADY OF JUSTICE WITH SCALES ON HER HANDS [Fountain of Justitia]
IN FRONT OF HER WAS THE MAYOR OF FRANKFURT'S OFFICE.
We walked down the alley to Leonhardskirche. This old church was constucted in front of an area where olden days foundations of a flat could be found.
The interior was breath-taking.
It was really exquisite, all the walls, the designs, the murals, the chandeliers and the huge organ.
Perfect place for a respite and solace in this world of mess and chaos.
We walked to this alley where our hungry stomachs rumbled at the sight of bread.
All kinds of bread was available. [mostly sweet, but hey! They were affordable!]
of course, we couldn't leave out the german sausage at the market nearby.
Strangely, there was an abattoir next to the sausage stall.
But it was delicious!
The texture of the sausage. Soft, meaty, and full of flavour.
Climbing up this ginormous shopping plaza was a roof which overlooked the whole of the city landscape.
Awestruck, but a tad boring, since we didn't really know what the city really had to offer then.
We then left for the frankfurt stock exchange, where there was immediate trading of stocks [duh!] with real-time data transmitting, and huge loads of investments and money changing hands there.
And we saw a business new show being filmed there.
Kinda slackish there, surprisingly, the people weren't really doing a lot of typing and talking and stuff like that. [maybe i was wrong, but that's how it seemed like!]
however, sad to say, with the absence of a guide, we were a little lost, and spent more time outside the stock exchange waiting to enter, rather than spending time within the exchange centre.
We strolled to a nearby cafe for our own-paid lunch.
En route, we walked past this starbucks shop that was offering some samples.
Being singaporeans, the front of the pack [including me] retracted our steps and took one sample each!
Which tasted awesome by the way.
And we went to the cafe, where we ordered food.
Authentic German food.
Pork chops with gypsy sauCe.
Interesting flavour!
And the portion was huge.
Then we were given some time to shop on the streets, before embarking on our trip to the gledmuseum.
BEFORE The money museum of the deutsche bundesbank, AS WE WERE WALKING ON THE STREETS, THIS HOT CHICK SUDDENLY CAME UP TO ME, LOOKED AT MY DSLR, AND SAID "KONICHIWA KIAK KIAK KIAK!"
WHICH SHOCKED ME. HAHA.
PROBABLY SOME WEIRD ASIAN TO HER, AND GUO XIN WAS TELLING ME AFTER THAT THAY I SHOULD HAVE TAKEN A PHOTO WITH HER. HAHA.
Not much to say, besides we were given the chance to see the different notes from around the world!
Even singapore's.
But mainly the german notes were the centre of attraction, with notes during the great depression period, hyperinflation period, and before the switch to euro.
We learnt how to look for counterfeit notes as well.
And well, interactive learning.
WE WENT BACK TO THE STREETS TO SHOP AGAIN.
AND YOU MUST BE SURPRISED AT WHAT WE SAW ON THE STREETS.
STRONG GUYS CARRYING THEIR WARES AROUND ON WOODEN PLATFORMS BY THEIR NECKS.
LADIES HOLDING BALLOONS.
LIKE THOUSANDS OF THEM.
AND OF COURSE STREET ARTISTES.
IT'S DAMN COOL TO SEE THEM ASK FOR MONEY BY STAYING STATIONARY AT THE SPOT TILL YOU DROP IN A COIN.
WE WALKED TOWARDS THE BRIDGE NEAR THE RIVER, AND BOY WAS THE SCENE GOOD OVER THERE!
THE RIVER WAS CALM.
THE SURROUNDINGS WERE SERENE.
IT WAS LIKE TIME HAS SLOWED DOWN THEN.
WE SAUNTERED ON THE BRIDGE AND LOOKED AT THE SWANS, THE DUCKS, THE CATS, AND THE GRAFFITI ON THE WALL.
IT WAS NICE TO WALK AT THAT PARK, WHERE DOGS RAN AROUND AMOCK, DUCKS QUACK AND SWANS SWAM GRACEFULLY IN THE WATER. [PS THEY LOOK FIERCE]
DINNER: ONION SOUP, PORK CHOP AND ICE CREAM.
NICE!
THEN WE WENT TO COURTYARD AT MARIOTT.
NICE HOTEL, WITH GOOD AMENITIES, BUT AT SOME GODFORSAKEN PLACE. [AKA FAR FROM TOWN]
END OF A FRUITFUL DAY TWO.
the slow, peaceful and interesting life of the germans juxtaposed to the fast, unsettling and mudane life of asians.