Atlantica - 01.06.2001, Side 36

This is the spot where drinks are
poured fast and strong. All the pubs
merge into one as the outdoor tables
and chairs link into a chain. From Irish
pubs to cantinas, pool halls to night-
clubs, it’s all here. After a few beers, the
night-noise crescendos thanks to some
obnoxious revellers who probably will
never drink tequila again. With a tomor-
row that includes a drive through the
Rhine Valley, it’s time for bed.
HAVE CAR, WILL TRAVEL
Hopefully I’ve dispelled the notion that
Frankfurt is a bore. The diverse resi-
dents making their home in the city
have manicured it with their own per-
sonal touch, seen in the variety of cafes,
galleries, museums, bars, jazz clubs and
restaurants. However, Frankfurt is still a
place where visitors arrive just to set off
in another direction.
Let’s go. Our destination: the historic
Rhine Valley for a passing glimpse of
castles and vineyards.
When autobahning through the bend
of the beautiful German countryside,
one gets from here to there quite quick-
ly. If the speedometer goes too far
above the 180 km/hour mark, though,
the landscape blurs. Thus, before I know
it, we’ve reached the town of Koblenz
where the Rhine, the Mosel and the
Lahn rivers merge.
We study a wrinkle of map, driving
south through the Rhine Valley, and
pass small towns like Boppard and St.
Goar, each one lipping the edge of the
river bank. We could stop at any of these
towns to walk the narrow streets and
watch the flow of river, but we speed on,
stopping every so often to suck in the
stretch of vineyards sloping down the
steep hillsides, or to look across the
Rhine for a glimpse of yet another cas-
tle.
Speaking of castles, after we loop
back on to the Autobahn and race for
close to two hours, we arrive in
Heidelberg for a quick run-through.
Wow, this town could host a fairy tale. I
begin lamenting that my ‘Heidelberg
experience’ will be limited – we have a
plane to catch.
I plan to make the most of my two
hours.
After a brief stroll through Marktplatz,
sidewinding the mass of tourists –
American mostly, due to the close prox-
imity of US military bases – we storm
the ruins of Heidelberg Castle. With over
500 years of history, the castle
fortressed on the hill attracts more than
three million visitors annually. I under-
stand why. Staring down on Heidelberg
from these ruins while the Neckar river
carves its way through this dream of a
town, a deep mist fogs the rooftops. I’m
returned to the height of the Romantic
movement. From my vantage point, it
becomes clear why people embraced
emotions rather than rationality; why
they turned away from science, instead
looking for answers in art and poetry.
Edward Weinman is a staff writer.
[ Icelandair travels between Frankfurt Airport
– Europe’s second largest – and Keflavík
International Airport nine times per week. ]
34 A T L A N T I C A
FRANKFURT
Clockwise: The busy Rhine river originates in Switzerland and spills out into the North Sea. The half-timbered houses of Hessenpark, an open-air muse-
um about an hour’s drive from Frankfurt. Travelling in Germany? Don’t leave without a stop in Heidelberg, and a visit to the castle on the hill.
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