What a great visit, I wasn't expecting anything apart from a dry old hole in the ground and some…read morecrazy geologists! For just EUR7 we got a guided tour, it lasted about 90 minutes and was extremely informative and interesting with samples to see but not touch. How, by many lucky coincidences the site became what it is today is story worth telling, go there and be astounded.

A large clean comfortable airport with not too expensive refreshments available.read more

Grounded in 1899 as an artist's colony, here is a bit from the Darmstadt web site to whet your…read moreappetite:) Paris, Brussels, Vienna, Glasgow, Barcelona and Darmstadt! This Hessian city made a name for itself among the Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) metropolises of Europe. In 1899, Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig founded the first artists colony with seven artists, architects, painters and sculptors: J. M. Olbrich, P. Behrens, P. Huber, H. Christiansen, P. Bürck, L. Habich and R. Bosselt. Their first task was to design and build their own living and working quarters and present them to the public. So works of art surround you here as the houses, park and other buildings all belong to the total concept.

The Mathildenhohe is one of the highlights of Darmstadt. There's an interesting permanent…read moreexhibition of Art Nouveau in the museum with a nice little gift shop, and regular more contemporary art exhibitions are held in the main building (I had my first introduction to Hundertwasser here), but they don't always provide English translations. The romantic Russian chapel is in the grounds, and talking of romance many people get married in the Hochzeitsturm (the symbol of Darmstadt), as long as a wedding isn't on you can pay to go to the top of the tower and get a view of Darmstadt. In the summer you can even play petanque in the shade of the plane trees. If you're hungry or thirsty there's a small bistro, with an outside seating area in the summer (you don't have to pay to get into the bistro). It's also worth leaving the grounds and exploring the area a bit, as there are some stunning houses with unique architectural features. Basically if you're in Darmstadt, you must go here.

Museum and air park dedicated to the memory of the extraordinary Berlin Airlift (1948-1949) and to…read morethe crews that made it happen. Been years since I last visited but it was nice to see it so well preserved. Since this is now on Frankfurt Airport property, (used to be part of Rhein Main Airbase), you can visit during long layovers. We must never forget the scourge of ideology, Communism, Socialism, and Marxism that caused so much human suffering of the innocents. Thank God for the US Air Force and those men and women who refused to stand by and watch Communist Russia attempt to starve a city like Berlin and all the inhabitants. May we now do the same for our present generation wherever and whenever freedoms are threatened by political bullies. For further reading I highly recommend my friend and former colleague, Dr Daniel F. Harrington's book on the Airlift titled "Berlin on the Brink".