Atlantica - 01.06.2001, Page 33

Applewine is an acquired taste. I real-
ly want to switch to beer, but I join in
with everyone else for a few more
rounds of the tart, yet sweet local
favourite.
For dinner my choices include such
dishes as boiled ham, boiled leg of
pork; there’s even a chunk of pork
shoulder on offer, as well as numerous
beef options. Nervous, I scan the menu
for anything chicken.
After the meal – and a few more
glasses of applewine – our companions
walk us to Frühlingsfest, a spring festi-
val taking place a block off the
Hauptwache metro stop. When we
arrive the festival is raging: music is
pumped overhead, beer is consumed
and a mass of people, full of spring
fever, are dancing in the streets.
Strange, none of these revellers frolick-
ing beneath the stars seem dulled by
Frankfurt. Quite the opposite. Tonight,
Frankfurt’s the place to be.
A MAN NAMED GOETHE
Nearly the entire city of Frankfurt was
reduced to rocks and rubble during
WWII. While great care was taken to
restore certain areas (like Römerberg),
architects went wild creating a post-
modern look for the rest of the city.
Frankfurt’s charm stems from this
contrast between the modern and
ancient. Stand in front of Paulskirche
and be wowed by this symbol of divini-
ty and order; look off to the side and
stare up at the moneyed skyline to see
the glass towers touching the clouds,
monuments to high finance.
But this morning I’m not interested in
the business district or the churches.
No, after I shake off the effects of too
much applewine, I’m off to encounter a
writer named Goethe. You see, as a poet
I dog-eared page 18 of my Lonely Planet
guide to Frankfurt as soon as I arrived,
making sure to set aside some solo time
for a visit to the Goethe Haus.
Located in Willy-Brandt-Platz, the
museum is centred around Goethe’s
parental home where the writer-cum-
philosopher spent his youth. It’s a bit
disappointing that no manuscripts are
entombed under glass, and these pesky
curators pacing through the house like
some sort of museum police are rub-
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