Passing Through Frankfurt on the way Home

Train from Munich to Frankfurt

We’re heading to Frankfurt today for our last few days in Germany. After breakfast at our hotel, we pop over to Munich’s train station and get on our train headed to Frankfurt. The ride is pleasant and passes through some more amazing German countryside. We also pass the time watching videos on our various devices and before long we find ourselves navigating the Frankfurt train station and finding our way to our hotel for the next two nights. 

Westin Grand Frankfurt

Our stay for our time in Frankfurt is the Westin Grand Frankfurt. It’s a really comfortable hotel with a quaint lounge will come in handy for the various breaks we take over the next few days. It offers great snacks, drinks and even a light meal at dinner and breakfast. I spend some time relaxing in the lounge with Mama Minion and doing a bit of recounting of the entire trip so far!

Frankfurt Zeil

After taking a bit of time to settle in we head out to explore our surroundings. We spend most of our time exploring the Frankfurt Zeil, which is a large pedestrian only shopping street. Maybe because it’s a Saturday, but it’s very busy and the street is buzzing! There are full restaurant patios, people in and out of the malls, and tons of pedestrian traffic. We spend some time walking down the main street and popping in and out of a few store fronts for an hour or two.

L’Osteria Frankfurt

Eventually our thoughts turn to dinner and there seems to be a general craving for Italian amongst the family. So we stop in at L’Osteria which has a great rooftop Patio that overlooks parts of Frankfurt. We order two pizzas, a plate of pasta and some drinks for the table. When the Pizzas come out they are HUGE and take up a majority of our table space. We spend the time munching on our food, enjoying our surroundings and spending time as a family.

Grand Westin Lounge

After dinner, we walk around a little more before heading back to the hotel. The Parental Minions decide to head to their room and call it a night. Meanwhile the Sister and I freshen up in our room and head back down to the lounge for a small night cap and some small desserts. I think the past two weeks of moving around from city to city and not getting a chance to settle in any one place for too long is slowly catching up to us. We both really enjoy the the time in the lounge to decompress a little. Eventually we head back to our room and call it a night. 

Romerberg

The next morning we head back out towards the shopping street and the contrast between Saturday evening and Sunday morning is immense. The big square near our hotel is completely empty and the shopping street is lightly populated. We continue to stroll towards the river and arrive in the Romerberg area of Frankfurt. This is a beautiful square that is surrounded on all sides with old style houses. It’s a beautiful old town square nestled into what is otherwise a very modern Frankfurt skyline. 

Main River

Right next to Romerberg is the Main River. The Main river is a tributary of the famous Rhine river and it runs through Frankfurt. Frankfurt has some great public spaces along the water and we stroll along it. We even cross it a few times over the various pedestrian bridges that are available. What makes this a better experience is the beautiful weather we are blessed with.

Pallina Gelato

Nearby to the river is a small gelato shop called Pallina Gelato. As the sun gets higher in the sky it starts to get quite warm and we seek some relief in the form of Ice Cream! We all order different flavours and I order a scoop of black sesame and pistachio. I’m not a Gelato connoisseur, but I can safely say that my flavours are delicious!

Dim Sum House

On our way back to our hotel the night before, we passed by Dim Sum House near our hotel. Ever since then Papa Minion has mentioned it a few times, so for lunch we decide to drop in and satisfy the curiosity. We order a few different bites and it’s pretty good! We’re spoiled with the Chinese food available to us in Vancouver but this does satisfy the comfort food cravings well and so we are happy with our lunch choice!

Lazy Afternoon and Evening

After lunch we return the hotel to rest a little. We also head back into the lounge to engage in one of our favourite family past times: Playing card games together. We spend of the afternoon playing card games together and enjoying each other’s company. It’s our last full day of this trip and so spending it together even if it’s not out sightseeing is a great way to close it out. As dinner time nears the lounge swaps the food offerings. The light dinner option tonight is a noodle in soup. For our family this is a big comfort food option so its al most like its a sign to stay in! 

Frankfurt Evening

After dinner Papa Minion, The Sister and I decide to take one last stroll through Frankfurt. Again the contrast between a Saturday evening and Sunday evening in the area is pretty stark. It’s peaceful, its calm and a very enjoyable walk through the neighbourhood! Even though we ate dinner at the hotel we did stop by a McDonalds and a Donair shop to pick up a few small items to snack on. We do some packing and get ourselves ready to head home tomorrow. 

Flying Home

The next morning after breakfast we head to Frankfurt International Airport. One of the cool things about the return flight is the ability for our entire family to fly in Business Class. Originally the hope was to fly together on the same flight. However, we weren’t able to find reward availability to do so and so the Parental Minions end up flying home in Lufthansa Business Class while The Sister and I are flying home via Calgary on Discover Airlines. It would have been nice if we were all together so that I could witness them experiencing it. But beggars can’t be choosers and I’m still happy they get to try it. After security we do need to split up as Lufthansa is located in a different terminal to us, so the Sister and I head to one lounge while The Parents head to another. 

Discover Business Class on the way Home

Unfortunately I only have one photo from The Parents experience. However, I did try to document The Sister and My’s experience on Discover! The seats are similar to an older Lufthansa product, and the great thing about our flight is that the cabin is half empty. So after take off I’m allowed to move into my own bank of seats for even more space! While the seats themselves are a bit dated, everything about our experience was pretty positive. The staff were friendly and helpful and the food is actually pretty good. Both the lunch and dinner options were very tasty and there’s nothing really to complain about! After landing in Calgary, we have a short layover before boarding the short Air Canada flight home to Vancouver.

And thus ends our Minion Family vacation to Europe! I’m very grateful to have such a close knit family that is able to travel so harmoniously together. Valuing time with family has been an increasing priority for me and I’m very glad we were able to take this trip! I’ll have a wrap up post from the Sister next before I do mine.