If I had to think of one major perk of my job, it’s not the fancy office, the free food, or our baristas preparing gourmet coffee from our own blend. What truly motivates me to put up 5 days a week with a list of people things I won’t get into here is the sheer amount of travel that comes with the job. While some trips are too short and rather boring—visiting places like factories and listening to salespeople for a day or two—most are long enough to allow some free time in the evenings or on weekends for exploring and, of course, snapping photos with Captain Click.
One of these longer trips was to Frankfurt. Whist it’s true that the city isn’t famous for it’s beauty, and I can definitely understand why, the beauty of the region lays in the small villages surrounding the area.
A stroll through Mainhattan
Traditionally, only the city center’s skyline, along with its skyscrapers, is referred to as Mainhattan, referring to the Manhattan-like city on the Main River. But I make my own rules on my own blog, so I’m referring to Frankfurt as a whole as Mainhattan.
As mentioned earlier, it’s not the most beautiful city. Neither the second nor the third. Quite the opposite—it’s probably somewhere towards the end of the list, at least according to my tastes. This is because the city was heavily bombed during WWII and then reconstructed in a less visually appealing style. But again, this is my opinion. Some people I talked to about Frankfurt just find it nice because “it has something.”
Disappointing drive to Burg Eltz
On Saturday morning, I set off toward Burg Eltz, a medieval castle from the 12th century that has long been marked on my Google Maps “want to see” list. The drive, with a stop to charge the car, took about 2.5 hours, but I thought it would be worth it, especially as it had been highly recommended by someone I know who lived in the area.
Unfortunately, the visit didn’t go at all as planned. Upon arriving at the castle, I was greeted by a line of cars so long you could probably see it from space—that was just the queue to get into the parking area. But after driving so far, I decided to wait it out. Over an hour later, I finally managed to park and started the 15-minute hike toward the castle, only to be greeted again by a long line of people at the ticket office. After another 20-30 minutes of waiting, I thought I was done with queues for the day and headed toward the entrance around the corner—to find yet another endless line of people waiting to enter. Due to the number of visitors, only a limited number are allowed inside at a time. After waiting a few minutes without any movement in line, I didn’t think twice and turned around, giving up on the whole Burg Eltz experience. Perhaps not the most interesting castle story the readers of this blog have come across, but I share it as a warning for my friends about my limited patience!
At least I didn’t leave completely empty-handed—I did get to snap one photo of the castle before leaving. And the rest of the day really made up for the bad experience here, but more about that later.
Eltville and Rüdesheim am Rhein
After a disappointing first half of the day, I stopped for lunch at a rather odd restaurant that’s so proud of its potato that they even patented their potato schnitzel. I’m glad they did—hopefully, nobody else will ever be able to reproduce a dish dripping with oil like a fries basket at a deep-fryer appreciation convention. Feeling like a well-oiled machine, I headed toward the next destinations that saved the day: two picturesque villages on the banks of the Rhine River.
Eltville and Rüdesheim am Rhein are in the heart of the Rheingau wine region, one of the most famous in Germany, renowned for its high-quality Riesling. Beyond the wine, the villages are charming and scenic, with narrow cobblestone alleys packed with wine taverns, live music, and cozy restaurants. Altogether, it’s just a pleasant place to wander and enjoy a tranquil afternoon, snapping a few photos here and there.
