Mainz and Frankfurt: Rhein to the Main
May 29th, 2013, 12:16 PM
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Mainz and Frankfurt: Rhein to the Main
After nine days in Paris (see my "Paris in the Springtime: Brrr!" report) my wife and I took the train to Mainz, Germany, having managed to reserve two of the few seats with a blocked window view. Not good. When the train started rolling we moved to better seats facing each other across a table shared by a middle-aged French couple. Beyond mutual "bonjours" nothing was said for the entire four-hour trip. That's not unusual for Europe. Two American couples would have known each other's life stories in an hour and exchanged mutual invitations to visit by the end of the trip. Different customs.
Arriving first in Frankfurt we immediately took a local train (S-Bahn) for the 40-minute trip to Mainz. Note: We like Frankfurt. With its skyscrapers, it's the most American-looking city in Europe and a much more relaxed and interesting one than it used to be. But we know Frankfurt well and decided on Mainz this trip for a change of scenery.
We knew we had made a good decision when we were shown to our Hyatt Regency room with its view of the sun setting on the Rhine just yards away (meters, rather). As we hoped, Mainz proved to be a relaxing change of pace, with a population just a tenth that of bustling Paris. Mainz's mostly sunny weather also was a plus, along with its people and the maze of streets and shops in its "old town" -- in quotes because that district was largely destroyed in World War II and has been rebuilt in the image of what had existed before.
We found Mainz a pleasant and friendly city, although there are few attractions in the traditional tourist sense. Its twin-towered Dom is imposing even partially covered in scaffolding (per usual in Europe) but severe inside. The Gutenberg Museum is worth a visit for its bibles and history of printing. We watched a demonstration from a reproduction of Gutenberg's original press. One reviewer said he was bored there, but each to his own. Perhaps our favorite stop was St. Stephan's Church atop a steep hill, with its remarkable stained-glass windows by Marc Chagall. We also enjoyed walking along the Rhine promenade, watching the busy barge and tourist boats on the river.
Dining was good in Mainz. Different of course, but our dinners were as good as in Paris. Meals were in many cases lighter than you might think, and were accompanied by our favorite German rieslings. White asparagus was in season, usually accompanied by Hollandaise sauce. To our palates white asparagus is a lighter-tasting, more tender version of the green variety most familiar to Americans. We especially liked our plates of it in the garden at Zum Goldstein. The last night we ate at Wenke, a traditional Gaststube hometown cafe filled with locals happily downing beer and Wiener Schnitzel (OK, not light). We sat at a Stammtisch, a large table reserved for a group of regulars, who had canceled that night. We ate and chatted first with three older German ladies, then with a small group of younger German business people, one of whom worked for an American firm. It was a warm end to our time in Mainz.
We switched to the Steigenberger Airport hotel for our last two nights. The airport is about halfway between Mainz and Frankfurt. We wanted to be closer to our departure point and to spend a day in Frankfurt beforehand. While dining at the Unterschweinstiege restaurant that first night we mentioned our Frankfurt plans to the waitress. "Oh," she said, "but it's a national holiday and everything is closed!" My wife's face fell: She had planned a shopping finale. But we went into Frankfurt the next day anyway. Big crowds!
Were the shops not closed? They were. But the streets were filled with happy, not to say boisterous, Germans enjoying a wine festival supplemented by huge drafts of beer and wurst. Going further, in the pretty Roemerberg plaza we heard a big brass band and drinking songs, with steins being lifted by a mass of German fraternity men, many with white hair, wearing their traditional caps. We even posed for a photo at the altar of our St. Nicholas church on the Roemerberg, by the River Main, where we were married 46 years earlier. We had a great time. "Everything is closed?" Well, not everything. Check it out for yourself.
Frankfurt Rhein-Main airport is an amazing city in itself, and we wished we had had time to take the offered tour before taking off. Maybe next time.
Arriving first in Frankfurt we immediately took a local train (S-Bahn) for the 40-minute trip to Mainz. Note: We like Frankfurt. With its skyscrapers, it's the most American-looking city in Europe and a much more relaxed and interesting one than it used to be. But we know Frankfurt well and decided on Mainz this trip for a change of scenery.
We knew we had made a good decision when we were shown to our Hyatt Regency room with its view of the sun setting on the Rhine just yards away (meters, rather). As we hoped, Mainz proved to be a relaxing change of pace, with a population just a tenth that of bustling Paris. Mainz's mostly sunny weather also was a plus, along with its people and the maze of streets and shops in its "old town" -- in quotes because that district was largely destroyed in World War II and has been rebuilt in the image of what had existed before.
We found Mainz a pleasant and friendly city, although there are few attractions in the traditional tourist sense. Its twin-towered Dom is imposing even partially covered in scaffolding (per usual in Europe) but severe inside. The Gutenberg Museum is worth a visit for its bibles and history of printing. We watched a demonstration from a reproduction of Gutenberg's original press. One reviewer said he was bored there, but each to his own. Perhaps our favorite stop was St. Stephan's Church atop a steep hill, with its remarkable stained-glass windows by Marc Chagall. We also enjoyed walking along the Rhine promenade, watching the busy barge and tourist boats on the river.
Dining was good in Mainz. Different of course, but our dinners were as good as in Paris. Meals were in many cases lighter than you might think, and were accompanied by our favorite German rieslings. White asparagus was in season, usually accompanied by Hollandaise sauce. To our palates white asparagus is a lighter-tasting, more tender version of the green variety most familiar to Americans. We especially liked our plates of it in the garden at Zum Goldstein. The last night we ate at Wenke, a traditional Gaststube hometown cafe filled with locals happily downing beer and Wiener Schnitzel (OK, not light). We sat at a Stammtisch, a large table reserved for a group of regulars, who had canceled that night. We ate and chatted first with three older German ladies, then with a small group of younger German business people, one of whom worked for an American firm. It was a warm end to our time in Mainz.
We switched to the Steigenberger Airport hotel for our last two nights. The airport is about halfway between Mainz and Frankfurt. We wanted to be closer to our departure point and to spend a day in Frankfurt beforehand. While dining at the Unterschweinstiege restaurant that first night we mentioned our Frankfurt plans to the waitress. "Oh," she said, "but it's a national holiday and everything is closed!" My wife's face fell: She had planned a shopping finale. But we went into Frankfurt the next day anyway. Big crowds!
Were the shops not closed? They were. But the streets were filled with happy, not to say boisterous, Germans enjoying a wine festival supplemented by huge drafts of beer and wurst. Going further, in the pretty Roemerberg plaza we heard a big brass band and drinking songs, with steins being lifted by a mass of German fraternity men, many with white hair, wearing their traditional caps. We even posed for a photo at the altar of our St. Nicholas church on the Roemerberg, by the River Main, where we were married 46 years earlier. We had a great time. "Everything is closed?" Well, not everything. Check it out for yourself.
Frankfurt Rhein-Main airport is an amazing city in itself, and we wished we had had time to take the offered tour before taking off. Maybe next time.
May 29th, 2013, 02:22 PM
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Mainz' old town isn't large but it is exceptionally nice, especially along pedestrians-only Augustinerstrasse. Some of the old town including the buildings in the Kirschgarten square, date from the early 1500's:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...rschgarten.jpg
For blocks and blocks around Market Square, autos are banned and pedestrians rule.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...rschgarten.jpg
For blocks and blocks around Market Square, autos are banned and pedestrians rule.
May 29th, 2013, 02:30 PM
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(Oops - hit submit too soon.)
Anyway, Mainz is a great place for strolling around.
And there are actually quite a few museums in Mainz that may interest visitors:
http://www.mainz.de/WGAPublisher/onl...5tacuu.en.html
For those wishing to overnight away from the airport, Mainz is great - direct trains run all day long starting at 4 am from Mainz to FRA and take about 20-25 minutes.
Anyway, Mainz is a great place for strolling around.
And there are actually quite a few museums in Mainz that may interest visitors:
http://www.mainz.de/WGAPublisher/onl...5tacuu.en.html
For those wishing to overnight away from the airport, Mainz is great - direct trains run all day long starting at 4 am from Mainz to FRA and take about 20-25 minutes.
May 29th, 2013, 03:39 PM
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Wonderful report--and what an amazing treat to be able to return to the site of your wedding! Congrats!
I grew to love Frankfurt too last summer and agree that it's a bit underappreciated. And Mainz was also great, as you detailed. I had much of the same impressions from the 3 main things I also saw--the Dom, Gutenberg Museum, and Chagall windows.
Going to Paris for the first time in about 3 weeks so I will read your other TR now--thanks!
I grew to love Frankfurt too last summer and agree that it's a bit underappreciated. And Mainz was also great, as you detailed. I had much of the same impressions from the 3 main things I also saw--the Dom, Gutenberg Museum, and Chagall windows.
Going to Paris for the first time in about 3 weeks so I will read your other TR now--thanks!
May 29th, 2013, 09:13 PM
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The Alte Nikolai church is one of my favorite medieval churches in Frankfurt. How wonderful that you were married there! I bet that area looked a lot different 46 years ago then it does now.
Congratulations on your anniversary!
Congratulations on your anniversary!
May 30th, 2013, 05:19 AM
#6
Thanks for the report. Last time in Mainz we were fortunate enough to have one of the top floor rooms at the Hyatt with a balcony of sorts overlooking the river. Thought it was great place to stay and glad you enjoyed your own visit.
