Just more than the Fair

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Walking around the streets can also be surprising, you should not miss the daily activity in this huge city. Once a girl in funny clothes approached me and said that she was getting married and she had to sell a small surprise package to save money for it. She was in a big group of girls and I paid the small change for the package she sold. Pictures made, laughed, I wished her luck with marriage. This is a typical bachelor night for girls in Germany where her friends making fool of the bride. What was in the package? A condom.

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A continental breakfast will set you back by €15 per person in Holiday Inn.

One last, but not the least, reason to stay here is for the great view if you are on the right side. When the evening fell, we watched the skyscrapers with our drinks from our own balcony.

They serve a huge glass of cider for €1.50, apple juice for the same price, and many kinds of German beer are available for different prices. A Frankfurter sausage is around €3, and if you are vegetarian, stick to good old handkas mit musik, around €3 euros. Handkas mit Musik has nothing to do with music, as it is hard cheese softened in vinegar with onions and served with German bread. I never thought that this combination could even be delicious, but it is exquisite. Service is efficient and food is fresh because the turnover is huge. Even the taste of cider is just different from normal restaurants; it is just more natural. There is green sauce on the menu too, Goethe's favourite when served with sauces or beef.

I also liked the way locals hanged out here: older Germans in very traditional clothing, families with children, and young people; all were enjoying the same atmosphere. It is something to see.

For more information look at
www.zumgemaltenhaus.de

Guten apetit!

The kitchen is always open until midnight from Sto Thursday and until 1am on Friday and Saturday. If you will arriving after 11pm, make sure you have a reservation as it is very popular among locals.

If you are around, this place is an excellent stop for a hip dinner.

You see the room where he was assumed to be born, the table where he wrote, and even his mother's porcelain set. The cake forms in the kitchen are also original and interesting, as well as the big clock on the third floor. The house is elegantly decorated with artwork and original material where possible.

In the exhibition part, you can see the works of German artists, mainly from 18th and 19th centuries.

Explanations in English, German, and French on a double sided A4 paper are given, audio phones are available for €4.5, and if you want a guided tour and you are not a student, it will set you back by €52 (only €16 if you are). There are only two guided tours per day at 10:30 and 2:00, by appointment only.

If you want to hang out on your own, the entrance is €5.
The Goethe Museum is open everyday. For more information check out:
www.goethehaus-frankfurt.de

Romerplatz is an excellent place to rest with a drink and watch the action. If you walk to the east behind the square, you will see some Roman ruins called the archeological gardens.

In 2004, participants were allowed to sell books. They liked this idea because the transport of the books to their home country costs a lot and the visitors also like buying a few books they can not get easily at home.

Every year the book fair has a theme. In 2004, it was Arabic world. Islamic poetry and the Arab language were the central points of discussion.

Also, many international and German writers participate in the action by setting up readings, and discussions.

In 2005, it will be held October 19 to the 23, and the theme will be Korea. Look at www.buchmesse.de for more information.

There is a big parking space dedicated to the fair, and once you park the car, the fair ground is reachable by a free shuttle. The fair area is also reachable on foot from the central station.

Entrance to the fair was €9 in 2004, but it may change every year. There are food and drink stalls in the fair area as well as countless coffee bars and restaurants, so you will not starve. It is forbidden to take any pictures in the fair area.

Walking around millions of books published in every language on earth and feeling their scent of paper hanging in the air; one does not have to be in the publishing industry to enjoy that.