Main-hattan Transfer by Five - Commerce & Art

I spent a couple of lovely golden autumn days in Frankfurt where my two daughters are living. The European banking capital surprises me every time I am visiting. I love to stroll along the river, to get immersed in the busy streets of downtown Main-hattan or to watch the mostly Asian tourists taking pictures of the medieval town centre. Hardly any other European town of this size can boast of such a concentration of high rises, while preserving the heritage of an old market place. Smart young bankers rub shoulders with newly arrived Eastern Euopean immigrants and tourists from China and Japan.

© Oper Frankfurt
On my first evening my daughter had invited me to Antonin Dvorak's opera Rusalka. I put on a smart dress from Promod and my daughter's golden scarf. Happily, I indulged in the longing call of the French horn and the silvery drops of the harp evoking the romantic scenery of the water nymph's tragic love for her prince. Her aria to the moon was captivating.

Frankfurt's modern opera house is right in front of the huge Euro sign symbolizing Frankfurt's special mix of commerce & art.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Finis Terrae

Image
I didn't discover the end of the world, yet. I only came to Tierra del Fuego , the Land of Fire, which is indeed a sort of Finis Terrae. The Argentinians call it Fin del Mundo . There, I had the privilege to talk with the American lady scientist Natalie Prosser Goodall, who discovered and assembled the most intriguing collection of Arctic sea mammals further to be read about in my travel book Woanders / Somewhere else (for details see www.edithwerner.com ). Some 40 years ago Natalie came to this wild country on a short stint as a student, met a local sheep farmer and stayed. In the town Ushuia the last forepost of civilisation, I met a lady artist who is a descendant of the first inhabitants, the. Yaghan . They were living on their boats and the fires they entertained on their swimming homes inspired the name Tierra del Fuego. For one year I shared with you, dear reader, the endless variety of womens' adornements I discovered  on my travels. Thank you for having...
Read more

Braving the Cold

Image
Normally I am not a fan of Northern climes. Much too cold for my liking, but what can you do if you have a Norwegian lady friend and she happens to get married in her home country in early spring. Put on as much wool as you can was her advice. I checked my collection of cuddly sweaters and packed a huge suitcase. In went woollens from Norway proper, from Lithuania where I had been freezing to death on a business trip until I got hold of a wonderful woollen jacket with felt lining and from Ireland where the seller had assured me that an old grandma had been knitting my sweater for a whole month. In went two pairs of slipper socks another dear Norwegian friend had knitted for me. I was ready for the ice age. At least, I didn’t have to put on my reindeer fur from Hardanger Fjord. It can get nearly as cold in Northern Germany at the Baltic Sea. Then I am visiting my daughter in Kiel where she is working I can feel that I am close to Scandinav...
Read more

South African-French Christmas

Image
For Christmas dinner I am filling up my supply on red wine from the Cape at my favoured wine estate Groot Phesantekraal . Once the owner asked me about purchasing sources for a gobelin from France. Meanwhile, she has acquired the beautiful wall carpet you can see behind me at their wine tasting room. I can only admire the masterful embroidery in the traditional French style. © John Penny The carpet is forming a bridge to my other home in the South West of France. There, in a tiny neighbouring village our friends have just to look out of their kitchen window to enjoy this artwork in stained glass at the village church. In winter deer is sometimes to be seen in some solitary garden just as in the gobelin. The elegant European buck seems to me close to the South African antelopes.  © theodysseyonline.com I admit to fancy English Christmas canes like a child. That's why the jumpsuit with the candy stripes was an obvious choice for wine shopping on a hot pre-Christ...
Read more