Pat & Claudia's Blog

Not knowing the German Language, we were a little intimidated by German restaurants. We therefore ate at what we were acquainted with... sigh. This is just off the Zeil in Frankfurt.

In the States, if you see the sign of the fish, it more than likely means the establishment is Christian. In Germany it means it is a fish market. This was just off the Zeil in Frankfurt.

Pat and his son, Patrick Jr. This was during a festival in Romerberg Square, Frankfurt. How about those BIG glasses.

We walked and walked and walked around Frankfurt. This is right next to the Main River with Cathedral in the background. When we got back to the States, we found out Dad had Prostate Cancer, yet he didn't slow down at all while in Europe.

This was so typical. Patrick Jr was always clowning for the camera, and I always had a camera up to my eye, both movie and still. This is the south side of the Main River in Frankfurt. Our Hotel was just across the bridge in the background, just north of the river.

A gentle rain in the park behind our hotel. This was the first week of June and the temps were very cool and rainy. We carried jackets and umbrellas everywhere. We were at the end of our walk, and deserved a good rest.

This was in Darmstadt, Germany. Remember, we were on a child kidnap case. This was the street where the grandmother of the child lived, and it was suspected the mother and child lived with the grandmother. We were purposely making our presence known, so the mother and grandmother would know they were caught, and we would not go away. Eyes were peering at us from many windows, as few foreigners were seen in this part of town.

This is the house on the previous street where the grandmother, mother and child lived. Yep, we were bold about letting them know we had caught them. We met with their attorney and arranged for correspondence with the father. It was fun watching Dad work. HE was the master at this kind of investigation.

More of making our presence known on the street. You could almost FEEL the eyes peering at us, and hear the phones dialing and ringing. It worked. Mother and child were caught.

This is in the hills above Heidelberg. This is in a German War Cemetery. Graves were from WWI and WWII. The cemetery was beautifully kept. Interesting, I had always thought of the U.S. war dead, but never thought about the German war dead. It was a real awakening. It was a very reverent place.

German War Cemetery above Heidelberg. Inscriptions of the names of the war dead. It was a Beautiful cemetery. Just a ways to the right was an area where you could overlook Heidelberg. As I understand it, the Allies spared Heidelberg in the bombing of Germany.

Tripod and camera falling before pic is snapped. We are on the west end of the Zeil in Frankfurt. Pirate is an advertisement for Eurofest. The Church is Katherinekirche (Church of St. Katherine). The original church was bombed in raids during WWII, and rebuilt on the same spot. It was here in 1522 that the first Protestant sermon was preached in Frankfurt.

Patrick Jr clowning for camera, as always. We were on the way to Romerberg Square, just north of the Main River. In the background is Nikolaikirche (Church of St. Nicholas). It was built during the late 13th century as the court chapel for the Holy Roman Emperors.

The Romer (City Hall) is in the background. It is comprised of three buildings dating back to 1562. It was here banquets were held to celebrate the coronations of the Holy Roman Emperor.

Entrance to Romerberg Square, which had been the center of civic life for centuries there in Frankfurt. Pictured are Patrick Jr and Pat Sr (Pat's Dad). Nikolaikirche (Church of St Nicholas is in the background.

Dad and Patrick Jr standing in Romerberg Square. Kaiserdom (Church of St Bartholomew) is in the background.

Patrick Jr and Pat along the Main River. The Main River is a main thoroughfare for Germany. It flows west to the Rhine River. One of many beautiful cathedrals rises in the background.

This picture taken just to the west of St. Bartholomew Church. Patrick Jr is standing amidst the ruins of an ancient Roman settlement, and the foundations of a Carolingian Imperial Palace.

This is Kaiserdom, St. Bartholomew Cathedral Tower. It was built over 100 years, from 1415 - 1514. It rises 300 feet and is made of Red Sandstone. The church dates from 1290, and was used primarily for Imperial Coronations. During WWII during the bombing raids of Germany, Allied Troops spared this church because of its rich history.

Knock Knock. No one home. This is one of the side entrances to St Bartholomew Church. Notice intricate inlay on doors, dating back to 1290.

Dad standing in front of our hotel in Frankfurt, The Luxor, just north of the Main River on the East Side of Frankfurt. We would walk down the street in the background to get to the Zeil and Romerberg Square.

If you love breakfast, but don't like fish, you had a hard time at the continental breakfast at the Luxor. Here, Patrick Jr is testing the "snake" as he called it. It was actually rolled fish. Since we are not fish eaters, we ate a lot of rolls with honey, and an occasional bowl of cornflakes.