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.

This is one of those places that I really wish I had more time in Frankfurt. We were only able to…read moremake a quick stop, see a few things and then I had to move on and I simply didn't have enough time to circle back. Seriously, this is bookmarked for my next visit to Frankfurt. The Carmelite Monastery was built from 1246 onwards and has been expanded and extended significantly since then. This place has seen some stuff. As they say, "If the walls could talk." From being a church, a customs warehouse (especially coffee and tobacco), fire station, stage house and even some nearby brothels. Largely destroyed by Allied bombing (yeah, that comes up a lot for Frankfurt), it's been rebuilt much. Today, it is the city's archaeological museum with collections of prehistoric finds of Frankfurt, antiques from 1400 BC up to the 5th century AD and even an exhibit on the Middle Ages. Dang, so much to see.

Nur ein sehr kranke Persone konnte schreiben es.read more