12 Hours in Frankfurt: A Stroll Around Altstadt


It’s 10am and gloom gathered above Alstadt, the historic district of Frankfurt. I stand in front of Frankfurter Dom, officially known as the Imperial Cathedral of Saint Bartholomew (German: Kaiserdom Sankt Bartholomäus). For over a millenium, Holy Roman Emperors were crowned in this Gothic structure with its tower overlooking an impressive view.  Frankfurter Dom also served as the meeting place of some of the most powerful German princes long before Germany was born as a nation.



Up until 1792, so-called electors head to this cathedral to elect the emperor of an empire that exists in name only. In fact, from the 16th century until dissolution, the Holy Roman Empire founded by the Charlemagne in the middle ages, was, but a mere collection of innumerable German states and kingdoms, each having its own sovereign ruler.  

The elector-Archbishop of Mainz, who presides among the electors summons a delegation of kings, princes, dukes, counts and church officials to cast their vote.  The election itself is merely a ceremonial one, for since 1438 until 1792, the heads of the House of Austrian House of Hapsburg were understood to be automatically elected as leaders of an empire that exists in name only. Only once, from 1740-1745 was a member of the House of Hapbsburg not elected.










My eight-hour tour of Altstadt and Sachenhausen was possible because of my long layover. I started my walk from the Hauptwacht station to Altstadt until my heart melted with joy at the sight of Romerberg Frankfurt’s oldest, busiest, and most picturesque square. You get that unexplainable feeling of utter joy when you've finally seen a place you only used to see on books and then, all of a sudden, you're right there in front of it? Chances like this seldom happen, at least to an ordinary person like me and it's stupefying. 

Now, back to Romerberg - it's the first destination that tourists usually take when doing a tour of the Old Town. Here you'll also find some of the oldest, prettiest buildings in the whole of Frankfurt.




Nearby is the St. Paul Church, the ancient Lutheran church with its 51 bells, 4 of which are used for peals, the rest for carillons. A catholic church originally stood here until the the mid-15th century when the present structure was build. It is the only structure in Romerberg that has survived intact after the the bombing of Frankfurt during the War.



The Ostzeile is a series of half-timbered houses you thought was plucked from the Alpine countryside. The original houses, which were originally built during the medieval period, were destroyed during the bombings in 1944. What you see today were just replicas built in the 1980s. Six prominent houses stand, each bearing a name: Kleiner Laubenberg (Little Laubenberg), Großer Laubenberg (Large Laubenberg) , Wilder Mann (Wild Man), Kleiner Dachsberg-Schlüssel (Little Dachsberg), Goldener Greif (Golden Griffin) and Zum Engel (At the Angel).  They make a perfect backdrop when taking pictures!



Deeper into the heart of Romerberg the statue of Justitia (Gerechtigkeitsbrunnen) should stand. It is the eight-cornered fountain first inaugurated in 1543. She is the city’s self-image. However, it is nowhere to be seen. Romerberg was undergoing a restoration work that time, so perhaps, the conservators plucked here and brought her somewhere else where they could set her back to her glorious looks.



Opposite Old St. Nicholas church is the Romer, the town hall (Rathaus) of Frankfurt for over 600 years.  Named after the merchant family who built it, the building was sold to the city council, which converted it into the town hall.




A walk further from Romerberg, along Fahrtor, is the Historical Museum (Historisches Museum). It occupies the Saalhof since 1955 with an extension added in 1972. The museum features  cultural and historical objects relating to the history of Frankfurt and Germany, from the medieval period to the contemporary times.







The Iron Footbridge (Eiserner Steg ) just outside the museum offers lazy strollers the chance to enjoy the beautiful Main River. It connects Altstadt to Sachsenhausen. The original wrought iron bridge was built in 1868 and was replaced in 1911 by a slightly larger cantilever bridge. The bombings damaged it until it was rebuilt after the war.


Lover's locks on the wrought iron rails

A walk down history lane does not end when you reach the Iron Footbridge. Sachsenhaus has museums, churches, and charming houses that are worth appreciating, too! And that means, my walking tour around Frankfurt isn't ending yet. 

12 Hours in Frankfurt: Finding My Way Out the Flughafen

Morning scene from Hauptwacht Station to Altstadt in Frankfurt. 

My first ever travel abroad lasted for 33 hours from the Philippines to Poland! The plane trip from Manila to Frankfurt was approximately 12 hours with a 15-hour layover until my plane flies to Wroclaw.

With more than enough time to myself it would be unwise to waste it inside the airport. So, I told myself, "Frankfurt, here I come!" Who could resist the lure of one of Germany’s biggest cities, the former seat of the Holy Roman Empire, the city with futuristic skyscrapers? Not me. I had to find my way around the Flughafen (Airport) and I thought it was adventure time.

The thought of being a lone stranger in a strange land excited me more than I had to worry about finding myway back. Good thing the Filipinos working at the airport were most helpful with the directions and in locating the ticketing station. I paid 9 euros* for a day trip of the S-Bahn, enough to let me take as many train rides as I can to go around the city. This had me thinking, why pay hundreds of euros for a tour package when you can take a day pass? With a map or an app at hand traveling can be fun and affordable! 

 The history buff in me wanted to go to Alstadt, (Old Town), Frankfurt's historic district. It is famous for the few old buildings that survived the bombings of World War II, but the government painstakingly worked to restore these structures. And look at them now - travelers from all over the world converge in Frankfurt to see them.

Public transport in Germany is very efficient. The train is comfortable and arrives and leaves as scheduled. Signages of directions are everywhere, it's easy to find your way. A little search on Google and I learned I should take S8 or S9 and get off at the Hauptwacht Station.

My short trip from the airport to Hauptwacht gave me the time and inspiration to write down my thoughts. With the gentle sunlight, pine trees, and beautiful landscape right in front of you, it's a shame to be uninspired! 

The train eases through the rails smoothly, cutting across expansive pine forests, making its way through dimly-lit tunnels, and passing by cottages and then houses and tall and taller buildings. This is unfamiliar. But the feeling isn’t strange. I am where I wanted to be. Guten morgen, Deutschland! 


The marker outside Liebfrauenkirche, a Gothic Roman Catholic Church in the heart of Frankfurt. 

The construction of Liebfrauenkirche was an ongoing activity from the 14th until the 16th century. It is now a monastery church. 


The Maine River

* as of August 2017

Tales from the Airport: from Manila to Frankfurt

Inside the Frankfurt Airport, one of the world's largest and busiest airports. 

It was 8pm already. My flight to Hong Kong (my first ever international flight) was almost an hour late and I needed to catch my plane bound to Frankfurt! At the back of my mind I was wondering: “Will Lufthansa wait for me?” But I was quick to brush aside the need to worry. No, I had to enjoy my trip. That was my first trip abroad and I resolved to savour every bit of it.

The flight attendant led me to my seat. Next to me is a slender lady in her late 30s. I smiled at her and decided to exchange small talks. “You going to Hong Kong?” I asked. “No, I’m heading to Frankfurt,” I beamed with what I hear. I knew that Hong Kong Airport is an extremely huge one and you could get lost there! Knowing I would have someone with me to look for the terminal was a source of relief. I asked her name but I couldn’t remember it anymore, so in this article, let’s call her Teri.

We talked while the plane progressed from the Manila to Hong Kong and it was then that I found out that Teri was heading to Berlin to see her German fiancee. The plane landed exactly one hour before our flight to Germany. “Let’s get up when we’re told to unbuckle!” she determinedly said. We raced to the exit door but a team of Chinese attendants were already waiting for us at the end of the jet bridge. “Hurry up, hurry up!” they screamed in thick English. They seemed more anxious than we were. When all Filipino passengers were gathered, the attendants urged us to run. They were slim and in their early 20s so we had to keep pace with them or else we’d lose track.




A pregnant Filipina (let’s call her Lily), a domestic helper off to Malta (aka Momsy), a (haughty) Filipino couple living in Sweden, Teri and I. Then we had seafarers with us but I can’t remember them. We gasped and struggled to make it to our flight. We turned to the left and right and then left again and so on. Then we took a train, an elevator, an escalator. We walked briskly…And ran again. It was tough, but all ended well. We passed through the boarding gate (finally!) and, hallelujah(!)… we reached our plane 15 minutes before departure. We made it.

At the flight to Frankfurt I was seated next to a Filipina also. She took a different flight from the Philippines and was lucky enough she did not have to endure what we had to go through. She was shy, unlike Teri. Let’s call her Ningning. Ningning was soft spoken and also friendly. I learned from our chat that she was a salesclerk at a hardware chain in southern Philippines. She was headed to Austria to meet her fiancée (also?).

When the plane landed in Frankfurt, I met Teri, Lily and Momshy inside the airport. I introduced them to Ningning. Teri and Lily’s eyes widened upon hearing Ningning was also off to Europe to improve her prospects in life. I noticed Lily’s feet were swelling. It water retention due to long hours of sitting. Lilly was 7 months pregnant and she had to go to Dusseldorf where she would deliver her baby.  Momshy, meanwhile, was a domestic helper in Hong Kong but a better chance came for her when she was offered to work in Malta. 



Scenes like this in the airport reminded me how distraught life gets when you have very limited opportunities back at home. Who would want to leave home, anyway? Teri, Lily, Momshy and Ningning are just four of the millions of Filipino women who wanted to escape poverty and improve their lives. They are among the many cases of Filipinas who had to work abroad or marry foreigners first, for money, and then, perhaps, for love. You may agree or disagree with me but this is the reality and it’s been going on like this for decades. I believe in love and there are Filipinas who really fall in love with foreigners. What I'm telling here is another side of the story though. 

It’s been five months now since my flight to Frankfurt. Lily had given birth for sure! I forgot to ask if it was a girl or a boy on her womb. I hope she and her German fiancée are now happily doting the child. Teri had definitely returned to the Philippines for sure—or did she resign to marry her Berliner beau? Momshy may be busy with her domestic chores in Malta. She may be tending to her master's baby or cooking meals. This Christmas, she must have sent a box load of chocolates and toys to her family. And Ningning. The boyfriend she knew only through the internet finally came face to face with her at the airport in Linz. He brought her to dinner in a restaurant inside a former baroque palace. Then, that evening they lied beneath the sheets. She may have found a job now. She may be better off now than she used to. I hope they’re all better off now that they used to. 

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