Following an overnight flight, we landed in Frankfurt shortly after 11AM. After a short train ride to Frankfurt Main Station and dropping our backpacks off at hotel, it was noon. Challenge for today was to keep moving…no resting and no checking into our hotel room until after dinner. Gotta stay awake until the local bedtime to nip jet lag in the bud! Jay didn’t sleep at all on the plane, so for him, that meant staying up for over 30 hours straight.

As we ventured out to explore the city, we had perfect weather…mid 60’s, sunny, and blue skies. We went for a walk on the pedestrian path that runs alongside the River Main. I decided this will be the perfect place for my run tomorrow morning.

Along the other side of the shore the Saturday Flea Market was taking place. There was quite the eclectic assortment of items for sale.

We decided to eat lunch at the market.

I guess it’s only fitting that the first thing I would eat in Germany would be a bratwurst.

Afterwards, we walked across the Iron Bridge toward old town.

The Old Town of Frankfurt was partially destroyed in World War II by six bombardments of the Allied Air Forces. The largest of which was on March 22, 1944, when more than a thousand buildings were destroyed by the Royal Air Force. The area has been nearly fully restored in the years since.

In Old Town, Römer Square is quintessential Europe –  cobbled stone walkways, historic buildings, lined with cafes and filled people sitting outdoors enjoying a cup of coffee or pint of beer.

When we walked the streets of old town, the feeling of being in Germany washed over me.

Next, we visited the historic St. Bartholomew Cathedral. For centuries, it was the site of the coronation of German kings and empires of the Holy Roman Empire.

We climbed the 328 steps up the cathedral’s tower for panoramic views of Frankfurt. In Colorado, climbing this many stairs would leave me panting for air. Being at sea level, it wasn’t so bad.

Once we got to the top, the views were outstanding.

We spent the afternoon roaming the streets of Frankfurt. We sat outside one of the cafes and enjoyed some espresso, which gave us a second wind. After roaming for a while, next thing we knew, it was time for dinner, and after dinner, we headed back to our hotel. We had successfully stayed awake all day!

This morning, I went for a short run along the River Main. It was a crisp, cool Sunday morning. I thought about how in exactly one week, I’ll be running the marathon through the streets of Berlin! Eeek!!!

Today we headed to Prague by train.

Our first train out of Frankfurt was delayed by 15 minutes, which caused us to miss our connecting train. As a result, we ended up unexpectedly having two hours in Nuremberg. This place held great significance during the Nazi German era and it was here, in 1945 and 1946, that German officials involved in war crimes and crimes against humanity were brought before an international tribunal in the Nuremberg trials.

After the stop in Nuremberg we were back on our way to Prague. Looking forward to our time there!