September 17-20, 2026

Kathy and I have traveled through Frankfurt, Germany, via air and land many times, but we have never been to Frankfurt until this adventure. We were surprised with the many hidden gems we discovered in the city and surrounding area.

Frankfurt is an important center of commerce and banking and a major transportation hub for Europe. After it was destroyed by allied bombing in World War II, the city leaders decided to not recreate the old but instead build the new. As a result, the city has a skyline defined by skyscrapers, earning it the nickname, “Mainhattan,” since the River Main runs through the city. Several years ago, the population, nostalgic for the beauty of the past,  pressured the city leaders to recreate a several block area as it would have looked before the war. Called the Römerberg, this cobblestoned space, filled with half-timbered buildings, quaint and/or majestic churches and restaurants, is now a major gathering place for locals and tourists. Our wonderful hotel was situated nearby and I enjoyed walking the area in the crisp and sunny weather. 

We took day trips to nearby Wiesbaden and Idstein. Wiesbaden is one of Germany’s famous spa cities. Its casino is well known and its thermal baths refreshing. We enjoyed ambling around the attractive buildings and enjoying the beautiful weather. The five-spired (some 300 feet) Lutheran Cathedral was imposing. We were on a mission, however, to find a necklace for Kathy. Her father, long decreased, had traveled to Germany 74 years ago and thought Wiesbaden his favorite city. While there, he bought Kathy’s mother a necklace. Kathy remembered it from childhood and had an image of it in her mind. It was a stone mined in the area. Alas, although we found the long established family store that once mined the stone, the mine had closed a decade ago, and the stone was no longer available. At least we tried.  

Idstein has not yet been discovered by tourists. Its altstadt (old town) is more than quaint. Beautiful hand carved and ornamented wood buildings, colorfully painted and half-timbered, lined the area. It had an upper and a lower village with stone-arched walking bridges.The highlight of the village is the amazing Unionskirche (Lutheran Church). A nondescript exterior hid the overwhelming interior, known locally as the German Sistine Chapel. Large frescoes of Biblical scenes covered the ceilings and walls. One’s eyes didn’t know where to focus. Breath-taking is apropos.

Germany is in a major overhaul of its train system and it bit us on our way back to Frankfurt from Idstein. The village is down hill from the train station that is now closed for renovation. I reminded Kathy if we go down, we’ll have to go back up! We left the village early to make the trek back up. I was so winded that I was walking like a “drunken sailor” on the steep upward trudge! Finally, we made it with 20 minutes to spare. Yea—Not YEA! We inquired of an attendant how to get to platform 2 from where the train was to arrive. He smiled and said, “If you walk very fast, you can make it???” We could see the platform, and we had 20 minutes. He said there was only one way to reach platform 2 since the simple and easy way was closed during the remodeling. He pointed, “Walk that way until you see a bridge, cross it, and on the other side come back toward the station and then over to platform 2.” I kid you not—the bridge was over a quarter of a mile away and when we approached it, we saw no way to ascend to the bridge until a young man ran past us and climbed a hidden stair case. Yes, cut into the earth and reaching up to the bridge was a rough hewn three-tiered stone stairway. I was now deliriously tired! Across the bridge I stumbled as Kathy, spry as ever, urged me onward. On the other side, we had to walk quite a distance to a pedestrian street that ran parallel to the tracks. Younger folks scooted past us. Figuring correctly they were rushing to the platform, we followed. Finally, all the way back, Kathy pointed to the walkway leading to the platform. I knew the train had to be close, so I told Kathy to go ahead. People were now running past me! Oh, no. There was a descending walkway towards a tunnel. As I headed down, the train was pulling up. Once inside the tunnel, I encountered a multitude of people descending a long staircase as they scurried from the train. Gasping for air, I pulled myself up the final 32 steps as I heard the conductor’s whistle blow, signifying the train was pulling out. NO!!!!!!!! On my final step, I looked up to see two angelic passengers forcing the train doors to remain open as Kathy bid me on. Once onboard, the doors slammed behind me and the train pulled out. I collapsed into a seat, thankful to God that I had made it…indeed, thankful that even after two knee replacements and a multiple myeloma cancer diagnosis and treatment, I could still experience these hidden gems of travel.

The next morning, we met our friends, Tom and Nancy, at the Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof (main train station) after their flight into the Frankfurt airport. Together, we departed Frankfurt by train to meet our friends, Randy and Melisa, who had arrived earlier in Schwerin, Germany. We rejoiced as our autumn adventures together in northern Germany begin. WEG