The Year of the City Break continued with a weekend in Germany to visit Boyfriend.
Frankfurt gets a bad press sometimes, as being largely just a financial centre which empties at the weekends. But that couldn't be further from the truth. It's a young, vibrant city that lives its life outdoors, with plenty of hidden gems. Hipster shopping, a terrace cafe culture and, above all, fantastic food.
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| The Bull and the Bear, outside the Deutsche Börse |
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| http://www.bikeboutique-ffm.de/ |
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| Alte Oper, the old opera house |
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| Sculpture in Rothschildpark |
No trip to Germany would be complete without a schnitzel lunch. On Saturday lunchtime Boyfriend ushered me into Apfelwein Wagner, a traditional German dining room packed with tourists and locals alike, feasting on enormous fried schnitzels and apfelwein, a sour cider.
At first sip, apfelwein tastes like something you might use to sterilise medical equipment, but paired with the rich, greasy schnitzel, it got better with every gulp. After polishing off a schnitzel between us, along with the obligatory frankfurter (when in Frankfurt...), we were full to bursting.
A favourite spot for coffee or a light lunch is Brot und seine Freunde (literally 'Bread and its friends', awww), a tiny cafe with mismatched garden furniture sprawling out into the street.
My weekend visit was timed beautifully with one of the first hot days of the spring. Frankfurt is a city built for the outdoors, with endless cycle lanes, paths along the river and sonnenterrasse (sun terrace cafes and bars).
At the first sign of sunshine, everyone flocks to Walden for weekend brunch on the sun terrace. We kicked off Sunday morning with elderflower, mint and white wine cocktails, settling in for the day with a crispy pizza to people-watch and soak up the sun.
http://www.apfelwein-wagner.com/htdocs/english/essen.htm
http://www.brotfreunde.de/
http://www.walden-frankfurt.com/website/walden.php?lang=deu&site=about
