Day 2
Frankfurt
Fortunately, immigration clearance is only needed upon the first entry of a Schengen Staaten. I was able to exit Frankfurt airport quickly. I went to the nearest currency exchange, got some Euros (learned US dollars are pretty much worthless), and followed the sign to S-Bahn.
I don't speak German that well so I just stood in front of the fare machine trying to figure out my destination code. It was a bit overwhelming and intimidating since people were waiting behind me. Just as I was about to give up, the lady behind me and her son helped me getting my ticket. With limited English skills, she said to me "I go mit." I understood her!
She'll go with me! I showed her a subway map and the station I needed to get off, and she took me to the S-Bahn and got on the same train. She tried to talk to me with her broken English, and I tried to respond with my broken German
I don't know where she was headed, but she told her son to get off at a station and she would take me to my station!! I was really surprised to find such a friendly lady who was willing to personally take me to where I was trying to go. If I were lost in NYC with limited English speaking skills, I'd get kicked off the platform
After a short 15-20 minute train ride, we got off at Konstablerwache, which was apparently a popular shopping destination: Zeil Straße. She pointed at the direction that I needed to go, wished me a good trip and went back to the S-Bahn ^
I was looking at my map and realized she had pointed me to the wrong direction
See, I'm not totally clueless afterall
I immediately turned around, walked back a couple of blocks and found my hotel, Westin Grand Frankfurt.
I entered the lobby and found the hotel to be very inviting. The hotel had recently been remodeled and it showed. Everything looked brand spanking new and was tastefully decorated. The entrance sitting area along with the back lobby were accented with Vintage automobiles.
Upon walking to the check in counter, I was greeted warmly by the staff. He went to retrieve my Platinum folder already set aside with Platinum amenity card and room keys in it. I was informed that I was upgraded to a junior suite. However, since I was at the hotel early, the room was not yet ready. So, he took my luggage and I walked around town for a bit. I decided to walk along Zeil Straße, only to find it a bit overwhelming as there were a lot of people shopping on a Saturday afternoon. I walked along Zeil, and decided to go to Romer/Romerberg. There, I saw a couple of historic German buildings:
I took some pictures, walked around, and just people watched. There were quite a few people hanging out despite it being a pretty chilly day. I walked along Romerberg and to the Rhein River and the bridge to get a pretty good view of Frankfurt.
I stood there taking in the view for a while. It was lovely. When the windchill finally got to me, I decided to head back to the hotel. I walked along the river and found the Museum für Moderne Kunst (Museum of Modern Art),
which just happened to be on my agenda. I really enjoy modern/contemporary art, so I had to visit. I entered a modern lobby (of course)
to find 4 levels of contemporary art pieces scattered around the museum. First, I entered a room filled with 3 colorful barrels and a light over them.
Don't ask me what that's supposed to mean.
I don't try to understand art, I just observe them. I continued to walk around, looking at difference pieces, until I came to a corner with floor and ceiling windows with a view of streets of Frankfurt.
I stood there for a while, tried to look out and enjoyed the view. I took a picture, and went on to explore the rest of the museum. The museum was pretty interesting and filled with many great pieces. I thoroughly enjoyed my tour until I saw this piece
Now I interpreted it as modern "Heil Hitler" since the arms were dressed with dress clothes. At first, I found it to be disturbing, but I realized I was in Germany and people no longer tried to hide the unfortunate past. Many people decide to express the emotions through modern art.
I left the museum, went to a grocery store to pick up some water and chocolate, and headed back to my hotel.
Upon returning, there was a long line of people checking in. One of the check in agents went to the back room to get the agent who helped me earlier. As soon as he came out, he recognized me and waved me over to give me my room keys and sent me to my suite.
As soon as I entered the suite, I was wow'd by the amenities. I love modern decor, but YMMV. There was a half bath right by the foyer.
A goodies bar was to the left that included a complimentary bottled water and an expresso machine.
The living room had a sofa and chair, plasma TV, Bose surround stereo system, and a dining area.
Even though the agent told me it's a jr suite, the suite was fully separated and looked more like a full one bedroom suite. I was pleasantly surprised to find fresh flowers/orchids on the coffee table decorated tastefully. There were also fresh orchids in the bathrooms.
The master bedroom had the infamous heavenly bed and a large working area with plasma TV. I really like the lighting in the room, there were various types of mood lighting and all the switches were either by the bed or the door.
There was a see through window separate the master bathroom and the bedroom The master bathroom had a large soaking tub, a shower pick for the tub (cool looking), modern sink area, separate heavenly shower, separate WC, BLVGARI bath amenities along with Heavenly Bath products, and most impressively, heated floors! It made the bathroom very warm and cozy and was much appreciated during the cold months in Frankfurt. The bathroom was also wired with speakers.
Just as I finished my initial exploration of the room, the bellman brought up my luggage. He showed me the room (and how to use some of the functions) and made a cup of espresso for me ^
When are we going to get this feature in the US Westins?
There were a few restaurants within the hotel and they all looked very nice. Unfortunately, I was way too tired to want to go to a restaurant. So, I decided to order room service. They actually had an impressive menu with plenty of healthy and delicious choices. I ordered some frankfurt sausages and applestrudel with a pot of herbal tea. It very delicious and the table setup was top notch.
Shortly after dinner, I unwound, watched some TV, and went to bed. I had to get up in just a few hours to catch for ICE train to Munich for the
Team DO in Munich.