Trip from Frankfurt to Darmstadt

"Since I’m already here, might as explore a bit!" 😄 Originally, I thought Frankfurt would take a full day to explore, but I ended up covering most of it in just one afternoon (without visiting museums). 📸 P1 is the Old Opera House (Alte Oper). My hotel was just a 5-minute walk away (apparently, the area is relatively safe at night). Downstairs was a Bank of China, and next door was a pizza place called Napoils PaPa—pretty tasty! 🍕 📸 P2 is Frankfurt Cathedral (Dom). I walked there from the Old Opera House, passing by Goethe’s House, Café Hauptwache, and the Old Town Hall (Römer). 📸 P3 is a view of Dreikönigskirche (Three Kings’ Church) from the north bank of the Main River (it was closed). 📸 P4 is the Eiserner Steg (Iron Bridge), and P5 shows the cathedral’s spire from the south bank. The whole afternoon was gloomy with light rain, but during the concert intermission, the sky cleared up, and I managed to snap P6! ☀️ Fun observation: In Belgium, people stay inside drinking during concert intermissions. 🍷 In Germany, they go outside to smoke. 🚬 Overall Thoughts on Frankfurt The new city center feels a bit like China, while the old town, rebuilt post-war, has a "weirdly shiny but ugly" vibe. Definitely not a touristy city. ⚠️ Heads-up: Walking from Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof (Main Station) to the Old Opera House means crossing a red-light district. Even at noon, people were high and stumbling around like zombies. 😨 I had to speed-walk through. The next day, I took a detour to avoid it—better safe than sorry! Day Trip to Darmstadt 🚆 A non-touristy small city near Frankfurt. 📸 P7 is an Orthodox church, and nearby is P8, the Wedding Palace (Hochzeitsturm). Germany has quite a few Russian immigrants, so Orthodox churches aren’t rare. Food Adventures 🍽️ In Frankfurt: Gaststätte Atschel – tried the crispy pork knuckle. In Darmstadt: Braustüb'l – had a schnitzel (fried pork cutlet). Both were recommended by hotel staff as "authentic German cuisine." Tasty, but not something I’d crave again. 📷 P.S. Not using a gloomy filter on purpose—the weather was just that dreary! ☁️ #Frankfurt #Darmstadt #TravelDiaries