When I moved to Germany, two decades ago, it happened in April, a month when the sun shines and trees display different shades of green leaves. I´ve spent all the time discovering Berlin and the rest of Germany in a bliss, and then boom! the November and December arrived, with their long dark days when darkness is taking over the city and our good moods.
But times goes fast and here I was, again in the spring happy mood and always ready for cross-country adventures. As my body and mind went better fit into the long winter months, I decided that gathering memories from the sunny times will also help me resist the unfortunate times. Thus, my tradition to try every year, at least once, to go to a completely new beautiful place in Germany.
Some years I had more time, some less, but the tradition is still alive. This year, I had the chance to spend four days in Mainz, a city close to Frankfurt I´ve heard so much but was unable to really represent it. Thus, the surprise as I couldn´t figure out what exactly will expect me there.
We arrived by train - generously using the Deutschland Ticket and some discounted fares with my Deutsche Bahn 25 - from Berlin, via Frankfurt, a city I wish I can spend more time to explore. It was a hot day, but the German kind of hotness, that rarely goes far from 33 Celsius. While finding our way to the hotel, took some time to explore the area near the main train station.
A bit unsure about my travel expectations, I got immediately convinced that something great is about to happen. How can one expect something bad in a place where you see the first cotton candy machine in your whole life?
During our first hours of our visit we were also welcomed by rain. A lot of it. But the local transportation network is very efficient allowing to move fast from one place to another. If you are not using the famous Deutschland Ticket, a countrywide card covering all kinds of regular local transportation - except ICE and IC - you can use the Mainz card plus, which in addition to transport fees, also covers discounted or free entrance to various attractions in the city.
The Schiller statue looked unimpressed though.
FIRST DAY - FRIDAY
INTENSIVE DISCOVERY
We arrived on a Friday, close to the afternoon, when all over Germany people are returning early from work. As it was the time of summer vacations too, there were more children and tourists are usual.
As usual during my first hours in a city, I prefer to wander relatively aimless, looking at people, having my first personal impression about the streets and their inhabitants.
The delicate balcony ironclad decorations corresponds to my first impression about the place: quiet, friendly, with people smiling at us and ready to help.
As we were just walking, we ended up in the front of a complex of buildings with a massive white stone structure. While just looking at the place trying to figure out what it is about, a very friendly lady, seeing that we tourists, invited us to follow her. She opened the door revealing an underground tunnel-like structure, with windows displaying bottles of champagne.
As we were walking, she explained to us about the local brand of champagne Krug, recommending us to try to book a tasting as soon as possible. I am not a big fan of champagne, but tasting may be a funny activity when abroad, so after we said our ´good bye´ to the super nice lady, we headed to something that looked as the offices of the company.
But it was late in the afternoon, on a Friday, and we couldn´t find anyone to give more information about where and when we can participate to such a tour. Early in the trip, we already found a reason to come back another time.
Although it was a failure for my travel planning skills, at least I got some interesting views, with a display of different historical buildings and architectural style.
The more we walked, the more unique corners, some of them looking completely out of time, we were about to discover.
I was pleased to see that in Mainz there are not only cotton candy dispensers, but also free books shared with anyone curious to try something out of his or her intellectual comfort zone.
For me though, food is always a challenge worth taking, especially when I can have a bit of this delicious Nussschnecke - Nut bun - as sold at a local bakery since 1954, Werner´s. I will have the luck to try more local bakery products, mostly sweet - like Nusszopf - and the prices are just fitting our crisis travel budget.
Full of energy, we just walk the narrow streets of the areas between Backhaushols and Dahlheimer Weg, bordered by stone houses. Mostly empty streets, feeling like we have this part of the city only for ourselves.
Like I will later discover while exploring more of Mainz in the next days, there is so much nature that appears even in the more surprising places, like covering completely the upper level of an old stone family house.
But not only nature is surprising here. Mainz is considered one of the most expensive places to rent in Germany, given also the vicinity with the beating financial heart of Germany, Frankfurt/Main. Hence, the diverse structure of the population that may bring a lot of diversity on the menu. Like a Pizzeria serving Indian specialties, for instance.
After a bit of rest to our hotel, we are back on the Mainz roads, discovering various local attractions and most important buildings, such as the Römer Theatre - the reference to Rome is very common, from theatre to the shopping center, given that Mainz, once called Mogontiacum used to be a Roman castrum (visiting the Landesmuseum may reveal a lot of unheard of historical facts, by the way) -, an important local cultural institution. Here it is, the red brick so typical for the Berlin-Brandenburg area, only that the architectural structure looks more relaxed, Romanic style, with horizontal expansion instead of the sky-high, Baroque-cathedral like structures.
Real life is just about to happen on the streets of Mainz, and people start gathering near fountains or at a table outdoors at restaurants or cafés.
Gently decorated fassades bordering large public squares reminded me of Frankfurt/Main, but a more relaxed mood.
There is a certain geometry of the place that I like, although while turning my eyes 360 degrees around myself, I may also spot some brutalist buildings that do not fit the colourful narrative. Probably late additions after the war.
We ended up as far as near the Rhine, where we made a long admiration stop at the intersection between the Adenauer Ufer and Stresemann Ufer, joining many youngsters and lovers, welcoming the beginning of the weekend outdoors.
Alongside the esplanade, the area is decorated with works of sculpture that do add an intellectual touch to so much surrounding nature. This artistic project was inaugurated in 1969 and in the next days we will have the chance to pass by several times, discovering new works of art and artists.
The representations are mostly abstract but it was interesting to observe at what extent the artists tried or failed to establish a communication between their works and the landscape.
The surprises of all kinds accompanied our explorations.
After so much walking, we needed to find some cosy place to eat, being faced with too many choices. Could we try the Heiliggeist - Holy spirit - a former hospital - the oldest in Germany - turned into a hip restaurant? Or rather Cafe Portugal? Neubrunnenstraße near the Gutenberg Museum was not lacking in tasty offers. For those looking for just a fastfood, Chidoba, part of a network present in many places in Germany may be a tempting offer, especially if you love Mexican food.
The old Fischergasse, a natural presence in a city near the river where fish abunds and may have been a consistent source of revenue, may have lost it´s old glory, but maintained its typical architecture.
Already a bit tired after so much walking, we kept taking visual notes of many places that may want to visit or get more information about later.
Like this unexpected sculpture in the front of the Institut für digitale Gesundheitsdaten.
And as we are heading back to our hotel, tired of so many new experiences, we just discovered at Bockhaus Hole station, close to the Botanical Garten, a little flower field, with dahlias - in autumn - and sunflowers that were in full bloom. Everyone was able to pick up, and invited to leave some money in a box.
A very beautiful ending of our first day in Mainz.
Skaters are running around, and people on bikes, sometimes whole families, are touring the area looking maybe for a quiet place for an outdoor picknick.
I even have a look at the tempting Wollzeit, but haven´t practiced knitting in ages and I am sure that I don´t have too much time in the near future to do it either.
I will spend most of the remaining time in Kirschgarten area, sipping my coffee or trying new icecream flavors surrounded by half-timbered houses watching the change of light and shadows at different times of the day.
For some savory lunch, I am just moving some benches away to taste a beef hotdog at the Curry Worscht which tastes decent enough, despite being a bit too burned out for my taste. Worscht is a local version of sausage and at this fast food it is available in different versions.
With my camera, I am trying to catch as many new images as possible, to help the time stop. And definitly, Mainz has so many more treasures and histories yet to be revealed.
With the carnival time coming up - the city is considered alongside with Düsseldorf and Cologne a famous location for the Fassenacht, that in 2025 is taking place between 1st of Janunary and the 5th of March - I can only figure out how the city may get a radical transformation. Some rumors say that Mainzer Oktoberfest is an experience not to miss in this part of Germany.
A last look at the noble architecture bordering the Rhine, and then, back on the road, in the train heading back to Berlin. My trip to Mainz was once in a lifetime experience, first time in a long while visiting a city only for the sake of exploring. It brings up so many feeling that hopefully will be able to bring back to life again soon.