Frankfurt [Jul 24, 05]

Frankfurt Am Main is a small town, which can be explored on foot with very little transporation required. But, still its famous and thats due to its Airport and Banks.

This is the European Central Bank, the seat of the unified currency EURO!

and ofcourse, Frankfurt was home to Goethe ...

Like the above, public art is a common thing here at most of the squares & gardens ...

The city is rich in architecture with more of a roman touch ...


and this is just magnificent ...

That's the city centre and Catherine's Church..

Churches are a common sight. Quite obviously ...

But, the main cathedral stands out ...

and thats the inside ...

Another popular attraction here is the river Main which distinguishes "Frankfurt Am Main" from the other Frankfurt in Germany!

And then, there are the skyscrapers which coexist with the historic monuments of the city ...

The skyscrapers, mostly banks, are confined to a very small area of the town on one side of the river Main ...

In contrast, the skyline on the other side of Main is ...

Finally, the magnificent skyline of Frankfurt Am Main which gets it the name Main-hattan.

Munich [Jul 31, 2005]

Munich of Germany (Munchen of Deutscheland) is one of the most interesting of all places in Europe and when you are so closeby, the temptation to visit the city becomes irresistible!

Henry The Lion founded Munich in 1157/58 and sometime back 500 plastic lions were placed all around the city to probably add a tourist attraction to the city. Here is a pair ...

and here is another ...


This is Alter Peter (Church of St. Peter) - the oldest parish church in Munich.

Its ornate interiors have been decorated with old masters from 6 centuries. Here's one...

The Olympic Tower as seen from the Twin Tower ... both of them are landmarks for Munich - the historic & the modern!

and that's the city from the Twin Tower with the New town hall (Neues Rathaus)

The Neues Rathaus: Built from 1867 - 1909 in Flanders Gothic style; its facade is over 300 feet in length and its 260-foot tower has a beautiful carillon.

And this beautiful public art in front ...


Below is the Bavarian State Opera - the Classical opera house with an impressive exterior and a magnificent interior. The State Opera seats 2,100 people.

Check out the stone entrance ...

A bride walks on ...

The Englischer Gardens ... a 900-acre park with shaded paths, brooks, ponds and swans...

The Eisbach is the small river which runs through the English Gardens and makes the place much more pleasant ...


Munich skyline as seen from the Englischer Gardens, more specifically the dome above ...

The Nymphenberg Palace ...

Next, we head for the Olympic Park ...

Over the bridge leading to the Olympic Park ...

and then ofcourse there is the Olympic Tower ( 951 feet) ...

BMW Museum is the first thing from the top that catches one's eyes, with its distinctive architecture in the shape of a four-cylinder engine and the futuristic silver bowl ...

Another landmark building in making ...

The indoor sports complex of Olympic Park ...

and the football stadium ...

Also, there is a ROCK Museum on the top of the Tower and here is the most popular exhibit there ... Elvis Presley for you!

and these are some panoramic views of the Munich city from the highest point ...


Time to get back to Frankfurt, we rest in a lounge as my ICE readies for departure at the Munich Hauptbahnhof ...

On board ICE 270, in an empty cabin, my tired self waits for the Frankfurt Hbf, while Jagjit Singh gives me company ...

Stuttgart [Aug 7, 05]

Another Saturday, another City ... the saga continues! And yesterday it happened to be STUTTGART!

Soon this city will be famous all over the world for this reason ...

However, that's not all. Stuttgart is famous enough being home to the Mercedes Legacy, and it shows everywhere, right from the central railway station - the HauptBahnhof ...

The best part of the city is just outside the Hauptbahnhof, complete with historic monuments, modern plazas, picnic spots as well as the parliament !!!

But, to get there, first we take the Konigstrasse - Germany's longest pedestrian precinct with 1,100 metres is Stuttgart' s experience mile, which invites to shopping, coffee drinking and meet street artists from all over the world.

Here's one such artist; this "man with the parrot" is almost a tourist attraction in Stuttgart!

The Neues Schloss or New Palace is a U form building, that was built during the period 1746 to 1807. Today the Palace house the council for Baden-Würtemberg...

The Schlossplatz or Palace Square ...

This lake adds charm to the entire vicinity ...

And isn't this place a perfect picnic spot as well ...

Closeby, the Great House is one of the few buildings in Stuttgart that were not damaged during the air raids of the Second World War. Now, serves as the Stuttgart State Theatre.

After all those buildings with imposing facades, here is a simple one nearby. Only, in appearance though, as this happens to be the state parliament!

We move on to the Rosenstein Park -

which houses this wonderful public art, which is otherwise a rarity in Stuttgart ...

A trip to Stuttgart is not complete without a trip to the Mercedes-Benz Museum ...

August 29, 1885. Gottlieb Daimler registered his Reitwagen ("Riding Carriage") with a "Gas or Petroleum Engine" as patent DRP No. 36423. The "Reitwagen" is the world's first motor cycle.

The daughter of Mr. Daimler, who became immortal once her father decided to brand his cars with her name - MERCEDES!

The first Mercedes with the now famous MERCEDES INSIGNIA and "electric lights" ...

The majestic Merc for the japanese Emperor ...

and the contrasting modern Merc ... choice of colours changes too!

Then, we headed for the Messe...a beautiful lush green place, which has a tower that allows us to capture the city in its entirety and from where we can see the expanse of the city ...
zooming in on a seemingly interesting site ...

on our way to the next destination - the TV Tower.

As my hosts prepare the delicious dinner for me ... :-)

Back to the Hauptbahnhof ...

Time to get back to Frankfurt, thankfully in the comfortable ICE 180 ...