New year's evening at frankfurt. A different celebration in Germany

A different New year's evening on the banks of the Main

 

On 30.12.07 a Alghero airport at 9.20 in the company of Ryanair flight left for Frankfurt Am Main, as usual, the flight is on time and on arrival at the airport of Hahn and walk to Hertz to pick up the 'auto booked (and already paid) for some time, we are given a Ford Focus C-max and fitted, as required for satellite navigation, the car is brand new (only 10 KM) we are the first to ride it ....
Schedule your navigator assigned HOTEL VICTORIA (http://www.victoriahotel.de/)
And we enjoy the scenery along the road (about 120 km.) Villages consisting of small houses with gabled roofs and blacks in Gothic churches with steeples attract our attention ....
Soon the landscape gives way to the outskirts of Frankfurt, we recognize the Radisson because of its unusual form and soon we arrive at the destination.
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The hotel (booked by the very reliable website http://www.booking.com/) is small but nice, the triple room is very big with three large windows that overlook the crossing between the Emperor and Elbestrasse.
After resting the luggage, took umbrellas (because you never know) go to discover the city ... .. We expected a temperature significantly lower, in fact we feared the cold is not so much ... too much ... we stop for a sandwich in one of the many fast food sandwich is spicy hot but hunger got the better!
We head toward the center of the broad avenue ZEIL Frankfurt trade surrounded by skyscrapers and filled with shops and malls, too bad it's Sunday and everything is closed except for a few souvenir shop, after consulting a map of the city taken in the hotel we decide to go to visit the old town, along the way, however, very brief passing in the street and then we see the Fahrgasse RESTAURANT SARDINIA (http://ristorante-sardegna.de/) .... We feel at home ... .. the photo is a duty ... and write down the address !!!!!
We get to Römerberg, characteristic and beautiful of the old town square with the town hall (Römer) we do some photos and visit the Kaiserdom, just off the square you can see the remains of an ancient Roman bath, the other side we see the long river and the various bridges that cross it.
It's only 16:00 and already starting to get dark we decided to go always along the Zeil top floor of a shopping mall, complete with a multiplex, where in a bar with panoramic terrace we order a hot chocolate, a choice that turns out to be a bit 'disappointing because the chocolate is not as we expected but it's just hot water with a little 'cocoa on the modest sum of 2.60 €!!
We return to the hotel to take the car and take a ride across the river, to realize what it offers the rest of the city. There are many homes and buildings with large apartments, the city is orderly, clean ... .. for dinner we decided to pay a visit to Restaurant Sardinia, it is true that it would be better to taste the dishes but then we see that in all menus written in German, incomprehensible to us, the Italians are masters at it with pizza, carpaccio , prosciutto di Parma, Fiorentina, spaghetti, mozzarella, lasagne.ecc ... ..
After dinner, the cold became more intense and tired by now back at the hotel, we park 2 blocks away where parking is free (almost throughout the city the parking fee is € 2 per hour) goalkeeper very kind to us gives useful information in English for the next day, the last 31 days of the year, the shops close at 14.00 and the night there will be fireworks on the bridge close to the Römerberg.

The 31/12/07 we got up early, eat breakfast and go out for a ride on foot, let's look around the train station, and do some photos with the background of skyscrapers, the contrast between ancient and modern amazing!
The machine has been working for a little salt spreaders' at 9.30 am when the stores open, we are ready to browse on the Zeil, there's nothing that hits us in a particular way even if the shops are many, a jump from Kaufhof (large shopping center) is a must.
Soon arriving 14.00 and shops are closed we can do is go to lunch, finding local typical open draws us MAREDA, typical Spanish cuisine, excellent lunch!
After lunch, another walk between skyscrapers, but the temperature is lower (3 °) forces us to go into a bar for a coffee (espresso, which is not expressed but long) or chocolate (which still is hot water with cocoa ). Between one thing and one spends time passes and before going to dinner we go on MainTower, skyscraper of 200 meters of altitude, where the platform placed at the 55 th floor, a magnificent panorama of Frankfurt. Then we go back to the hotel to freshen up (or rather heated!) And to cover a bit 'more to address the freezing cold of the night.
Gia from 22.00 are beginning to hear the first shots of fireworks that greet the old year.
I am surprised to see a rocket speed past the window of our room seemed a little too big ... mah ...
We leave at 22.45 and the barrels are becoming more numerous, we head towards the Römerberg, but arrived near the square we see real locations from which some people throw real fireworks, looks like a war zone! ! All this arouses in us a certain surprise since we expected fireworks organized but as we go forward slowly through the crowd, with rockets whizzing over our heads, we realize that there is traditional for each face its fire fireworks "in an attempt to reach the bridge we see still see many children, men and women holding a bouquet of megarazzi fixed to a stick of wood ready to be launched.
We stopped behind a wall and as we approach midnight the shots are becoming more numerous, the fireworks are beautiful, but I do not deny that he had a little 'fear, people grew over the bridge where everyone crowded without forgetting to fire their rockets.
It was like being in Iraq, there was smoke all around and a very strong smell of sulfur as people continued to go down to the river rocket in hand ... ... we were not the only ones to be surprised and a little 'scared ...
Some also had a bottle of champagne to toast, but there was no countdown and no cries of congratulations firecrackers, rockets, fireworks and beautiful.
At midnight we doing good wishes, wait a while 'and after that around 00:45 we decide to go, the last survivors continue to shoot the latest ammunition, cross the square cautious and we wonder why all this without being allowed a minimal presence controls, but no matter ... ...
The night is still long before going to sleep HAPPY 2008!

On 01/01/2008 of course, we wake up a little 'later and after a good breakfast we go for a walk along the river, also visiting the district of Sachsenhausen, wherever there are "remnants" of the previous night, teams of street sweepers cleaned roads from the billions of firecrackers and rockets fired, the show is not the best but we are sure that soon everything will be neat and clean.
On this first day of 2008, the temperature is lowered again, despite the gloves your hands are icy, so we decided to take a hot tea in a cafe in typical Römerberg where we are asked if we want the green, white or black (!!!) ... .... the simple lemon eh no, one of us opted for the white, but be careful: the white reveals a relaxing "chamomile" .... Between one thing and another is lunchtime, there are not many places open and then back on so-called "Fressgass where we find another restaurant" MAREDA "very welcoming. In the early afternoon we leave Frankfurt to pay a visit to Wiesbaden, is a 30in of kilometers, the navigator takes us near the old town nothing short of spectacular, do a quick lap because all shops are closed, we can only take a few pictures to enjoy the beautiful facades of buildings in Gothic style and cross the beautiful square. Resume 's car and head towards the other Mainz beautiful town across the river Main, Wiesbaden compared, also with a beautiful historic center and a beautiful cathedral and a castle.
Although they are only just around the 17 it was dark and it is time to go to HAHN, where we booked a room in a hotel near the airport since our flight leaves at 7.10 am on 02/01/08.
During the trip we see the further lower temperature -2 °! Our trusty navigator brings us right in front of the Hotel Alexander (http://www.hotel-am-hahn.de/), the inn is pretty new family, a very nice gentleman greets us and shows us the room nice clean and spacious with all amenities, rest your bags and go out to go to dinner at a restaurant nearby, where we eat a pizza quickly, then back to the hotel for a shower and prepare for the luggage, the alarm is tomorrow at 5:30 .

02/01/08 We just have to return the car as instructed and embark to return to our warm island of Sardinia.
We bring with us a memory of a New Year of the ordinary really popping !!!!!!

Bianca