July 12 (Thursday)

Well, I've only had four days in the Frankfurt and Mainz area, but my friends Vanasati and Ara have definitely seen to it that I've been busy the whole time.

Vanasati lives in Ober-Ramstadt, while Ara is in Mainz. Frankfurt is a modern business capital complete with shiny skyscrapers (most of the city was rebuilt after the war), with not a whole lot of attractions for the traveler if you're not interested in shopping, which I'm not, so we only spent an afternoon there.

The first evening we had dinner at a winery in Bodenheim (lovely white wines) and then walked through the vineyards after dinner and watched the sun set. The countryside is definitely different from the nearly flat plains of Munich. There are rolling hills, large stands of forest, and of course the Rhine River; although there aren't the mountains which one can get to easily from Munich.

Other highlights of my time with Vanasati and Ara included:

• Seeing the sights of Mainz, including the old town and the Cathedral (a beautiful example of gothic architecture in brick)
• Scrambling up and down the huge boulders at Felsenmeer (literally, sea of rocks)
• Seeing the town of Darmstadt, including the palace with the Russian chapel and the lovely gardens at Rosenhöhe (Rose Heights)
• Finding out that there really is a place called Frankenstein, which was a medieval fortress high on a hill above Frankfurt (now in ruins)
• Dancing to the classic rock of the 70's and 80's at a local disco, plus having a delicious Polish dinner at the Polonia in Ober-Ramstadt

All in all, an incredibly delightful time, and I'd love to come back and see more of the area!