Bye Bye Summer of 2011 (a mini-series).....discovering Frankfurt City part 2

Frankfurt from another exciting perspective.

Donna......

Frankfurt is the only German city with a significant number of skyscrapers. Most of the skyscrapers are located in the western part of the city centre known as the "Bankenviertel"(Bank quarters). The German Federal Bank and the European Central Bank, the Deutsche Börse and well over 300 international banks make Frankfurt am Main the most important financial center in the Federal Republic.

Today we are going up, up, ...up unto the roof of Frankfurt city :-) We are going to see the city from yet another exciting perspective. Our journey leads us to the Main Tower, the 4th tallest building in Frankfurt city. It wasn´t one of those sunny summer days, with crystal clear blue skies. It drizzled and it was gloomy and foggy too but that did not stop us from enjoying the spectacular view from the top.

The Main Tower.....(view from car)

The panorama from the 200 meter high viewing terrace of the MAIN TOWER is regarded as a highlight of any visit to Frankfurt. Since being completed in 2000, the MAIN TOWER has been one of the most outstanding sights in Frankfurt. And one of the most popular. From the viewing terrace you have a view of just about all historical and modern sights: the cathedral and the Paulskirche church, Goethe's House and the Römerberg Square, the Alte Oper (Old Opera House) and the Festhalle (Festival Hall), the Museumsufer with its riverside museums, and the Exhibition Center.

middle in the "Bankviertel" one street away from the Main Tower

With its cultural highlights and first-class cuisine, exciting insights and constantly fascinating panoramas, the MAIN TOWER is not just a special skyscraper, it has also become a true symbol of Frankfurt.

The Restaurant on the 53rd floor is one of Frankfurt's most popular address for discriminating gourmets:-))

going up, up, up, unto the Viewing Terrace(54th floor)

view of "Bankviertel"....(Bank Quarters)

view of just about all historical sights along the River Main

on top of Frankfurt City.. :-)))

After the exciting view from the top, we decided to go for a walk(do a little sight-seeing) since it had stopped drizzling. We headed down town walking past the "Alte Oper"(Old Opera House), and then a quick stop at the Stock Exchange and finally one last stop to see the The Goethe House.

Alte Oper (Old Opera House)

The "Alte Oper" is one of the classic opera houses in Europe and once known as the most beautiful ruin in Germany. Thanks to civic protests and generous donations the representative building from the Wilhelminian era, which had been bombed down to its foundation walls, was faithfully rebuilt to the original. On 28th August 1981, the inauguration of the Old Opera House was celebrated. Frankfurt Opera is well known by cultural connoisseurs because of its good international reputation

Grand Entrance to the Opera

As next was a quick stop at The Frankfurt Stock Exchange ((German: FWB Frankfurter Wertpapierbörse). This is the major German stock exchange.

down town walking to the Stock Exchange

The bear and the bull in front of the Exchange.

checking out the bear .....he seems harmless :-)

but the bull....looks kind of aggresive but I aint scared:-))))

africa in da house... :-)))

.........and our last stop for the day is one of the favorite sight-seeing spots in the city. It is the house where the master Johan Wolfgang von Goethe was born. He is considered the supreme genius of modern German literature.