pictures

Frankfurt. July, 2005. Scroll over each picture for some detail and, if you're lucky, historical analysis.

This was the fantastic view from my office window. The best thing about it! Quite prominent in the centre of the picture is the Frankfurt Bahnhof (railway station), beyond which is the River Main. In the distance and to the right of the picture is the Stadtwald (forest) in the southern suburbs of Frankfurt, and to the right are the main industrial districts of the city. To the bottom left and out of picture is much of the rest of the business-end of Frankfurt. This was directly outside my window on the 38th floor. The road is Mainzer-Landstrasse. The seedy parts of Frankfurt are unsurprisingly found directly adjacent to the business quarters (about a five minute walk to the west as this picture is taken). "Unsurprisingly", because it is no surprise to find such proximate, exploitative inequality within the tertiary sector of a modern European city-economy. The view towards the north-west. There's not much going on here except development and redevelopment, I think.

I scaled the Goethe Turm, and I survived. I'm not sure why I climbed the rickety thing. It's the highest *wooden* tower in Europe @ ~150 metres high. I repeat, it's made out of wood. With tiny steps all the way up. And excited children trying to sway the whole structure by furiously jumping up and down. The view over the Stadtwald (forest) and into the Frankfurt city skyline is amazing. Needless to say, this mobile 'phone picture is a bit pants compared to what the view actually looks like. Three cheers for 3G anyway, and it's not even my 'phone. The River Main. Smaller than the River Thames but no less murkier. The European Central Bank on Kaiserstrasse. Nothing much to see here except very tall buildings, I just liked the Euro sign.

A friendly American student informed me of this "facility". Apparently, the small building to which this sign is attached was used by the American forces as a temporary barracks during World War Two. I'm not sure of the link with radioactivity, but this American student seemed to be telling the truth, so they you go. The sign certainlt appears to be genuine. I thought it was funny that is still exists, in a somewhat secluded part to the north of the city in the University grounds. I did not venture inside. The Ironman Triathlon along the northern banks of the River Main. I almost didn't find the Judengasse (Jewish ghetto) museum (detailing the history of Jewish settlement in Frankurt) and the Rothschilds' (European bankers') house, having been diverted this way and that to make way for the triathletes. Behind this was the museum of the Carmelite nuns which had some fantastic wall paintings and a beautiful, tranquil, cloistered garden. Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt. I did manage to have a look around inside but there were not too many people around, it being summer and the students most probably being stoned. This building used to be that of IG Farben. That company, in this very building, manufactured the Zyklon-B gas that was used to kill so many innocent men, women, and children in the concentration camps of World War Two.

A Chinese garden (called Bethmannpark in Bornheim) in the north-eastern residential parts of Frankfurt. The Frankfurt Zoo. I have been lucky enough to visit quite a few zoos. This is one of the world's oldest. Unfortunately, apart from this wandering peacock and the flamingoes, not a lot was going on at Frankfurt Zoo. In my humble opinion, they need some elephants. Life-size chess in the Bethmannpark, Bornheim. Cigarettes and street cred were at stake here, and unfortunately things got a little heated when the guy on the right made a bit of a blunder and lost. I was happy to see that the chess game was better attended than the card games going on out of picture to the right.

Train station somewhere on the Frankfurt underground. It's not always this clean, but it is always this pretty...... Hauptwache, in the centre of the city. Quaint. Unfortunately, it is surrounded by shops. Art exhibition. I got in for free, nice one.

I got lost, but at least I stumbled across this Corrado VR6. I only saw one of these in Germany, which was about 827 fewer than I should have seen. Then again, I didn't go near any of the Autobahn, where these creatures tend to hang out. The Frankfurt Stock Exchange, apparently during the busiest time of the day. Note the abundance of *empty* chairs. Note also, although you will have to take my word for this, the trader in the bottom centre of the picture. He was watching the Tour de France on Eurosport, the slacker. And to think his hourly salary could feed 000s. This was my first solitary 'plane journey. I was well scared.

Here are some further pictures that were added in the summer of 2004. I have lots more pictures but too little time to add more just yet. I don't actually take too many pictures any more - I prefer to remember things how I remembered them rather than how they happened (thanks to David Lynch for that)):

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The following pictures are from elsewhere around the Internet (i.e., they are not taken by myself). As you can tell if you didn't know already, I support Arsenal Football Club :-)

  Edu    Cyganator  Reyes vs Chelski  Titi  Titi

Keowser     Titi    Eileen   Charlie  Fed

  Come on!   Freaks  Mikey  JPA  Rabbit

    Monkey  Marxs  Queenie

  Fed  Brent  Winnie Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. There, there.

 

 

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