I had been on the road for nearly two weeks. Skipped around Ireland for a bit, made my home in North Hampton, England for a few days, and was utterly aghast by the size and beauty of Paris. I was out on a Western European adventure and had already visited five countries when I arrived in Germany. For those of you who aren’t aware, my family genes trace primarily all back to German decent… so I tell people with little hesitation that I am 100% German. Not many in the United States can claim such pure heritage and I take it as an honor and something most of my family is very proud of.

So I arrived in Frankfurt after a magnificent train ride from Paris through the rolling countryside and little spotted villages. After World War 2, Frankfurt was nearly completely leveled by bombing raids from the allies. The city that it once was before the war is almost all but gone except for a few relics and historic buildings. Due to this destruction the age of the city really does feel like an American big city. After seeing cathedral after cathedral and old building after old building in other cities, it was a welcome site to be in a clean and very modern place like Frankfurt, Germany.

One building that was spared during World War 2 was the cathedral in the middle of the city. Nearly everything was leveled except for this uniquely red building (see the photo below):

This morning I felt nostalgic and was thinking back on my European travels and where I was nearly four years ago. I hope to document more of these experiences in my blog with hopes that they drive me to save money so I can pursue more global adventures!