A Short Trip to Frankfurt

I've been travelling again. Popped over to Germany, Frankfurt to be precise, last week for a family matter. Germany has been getting hot weather with some thunderstorms thrown in. When I lived there I really enjoyed going out on the balcony and watching the lightning zig-zag down the sky. It felt like Nature was exploding after all that heat.
I spent only a few hours in Frankfurt but I thoroughly enjoyed wandering around the Zeil, the main shopping area. Being a country gal at heart, I find the big city still has its allures for me. I enjoy mixing with a cosmopolitan crowd, listening to people speaking in languages I don't understand. As Jane Austen would have say I wouldn't like it for a constancy but now and again it makes me feel good.
I loved the way flower displays spill over onto the street, contributing to that summery feeling. Here is a shot of one display which caught my eye:

If you'd asked me what are the things I miss about living in the Frankfurt area, I can tell you that as far as food goes, I miss their delicious Frankfurter Gruene Sosse.  I therefore indulged in this at An der Hauptwache restaurant.

It is a sauce made of sour cream, sour milk, yoghurt and a dash of mayonnaise together with seven herbs, some of which I have never heard of, namely borage, chervil, cress, parsley, burnet, sorrel and chives.  It is eaten from Holy Thursday until the first frosts and is served with hardboiled eggs and boiled potatoes.  Every family has its own recipe, as indeed does every restaurant. An der Hauptwache restaurant's version was absolutely delicious and just right for a very hot day.

One thing I do not miss is the amount of traffic on the roads. We were flying back from Stuttgart airport and the trip from Frankfurt took us over four hours. It is eye-opening, to say the least, to see just how many trucks and articulated lorries traverse the continent of Europe - we had the feeling they were all concentrated on the motorways leading to Stuttgart!  It was nice to get back to country roads here in Ireland where, once you are clear of the big cities, you won't meet much in the way of traffic.

I'll be back in Germany next month and again in November when I'll be attending an 80th birthday on the Romantic Road - but more of this when I return.
For now, I am enjoying our heatwave here in Ireland.