Germany (briefly!): Frankfurt and Berlin

My toothbrush is packed, my liquids are in a regulation 1L plastic bag, and I've triple checked that my passport and plane-ticket are in my backpack. I'm ready for my European adventure, and the only thing standing between me and my red-eye flight to Frankfurt is... wait for it... yep! You guessed it! Traffic jam on the Deerfoot. I'm sure the Calgarians reading this blog can appreciate my angst when it's 10 pm and the construction crews have got the only road to the airport down to one lane.

I landed safely in Frankfurt the next day at 5pm local time, and hopped on a train to the city centre. There's a night train to Berlin, where I can connect on  to Warsaw, my first destination.  I have a few hours to kill, so I set out to explore the city, one of the main economic centres of Europe.  

Frankfurt was founded on the banks of the Main, and is one of the few European cities to have a skyline.  There were lots of boats on the river - I read somewhere that more goods are transported by boat in Germany than by truck!  Lots of beautiful old museums and cathedrals.

 Bridge over the Main.

Frankfurt skyline at sunset.

Watchtower.

I wasn't really following a map, so I was very delighted to stumble upon the charming Römerberg, or the Old Town Square.  It's a charming collection of houses built between the 15th and 18th centuries.  Some of them are built in the traditional half-timbered style, known as the Ostzeile. The square was lined with outdoor cafes and people enjoying the summer evening, under the shadow of the Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus), rebuilt after WWII.

Ostzeile on the Römerberg (Old Town Square).

My train to Berlin was a "couchette" - a night train but without sleeper cars (with fold-down bunk beds).  A couchette is a reclining seat with a kind of plastic canopy over you, more comfortable than a normal seat but still quite awkward for sleeping.  I had about 2 hours in Berlin before my train to Warsaw departed, so I figured it would be a good idea to stretch my legs and see a bit (a very small bit!) of the city.  The Hauptbahnhof (train station) was right near the Reichstag and the Brandenburg Gate, so I went to have a look.  My first thought of Berlin is usually of the Brandenburg Gate - it's such a symbol of the history of the city - from the first unification of Germany to it's role in the division of the city into East and West Germany, and now as a symbol of German economic and political power. Two hours are definitely not enough to see this city! I hope I will have a chance to visit is properly later this year.

The sun rising behind the Reichstag (German Parliament building)

The Brandenburg Gate.