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Day 2,788 of Traveling the World | Frankfurt am Main, Germany | September 20, 2025

Jan and Mike

Our first venture out traveling the world after a short respite turned dramatic in the middle of the night. Just as our plane was about to fly over Greenland, about half way to our destination, we heard a passenger screaming and yelling, “Help me!” over and over. A while later we were informed that our 11-hour nonstop flight from Los Angeles to Frankfurt would be diverted to Gander International Airport in Newfoundland. The captain informed us that the passenger had attacked the flight crew and was being taken off the plane to be arrested. She not only attacked the crew, but she resisted arrest when we landed at 2:00 am and attacked the police. Promised that we would be on the ground for about an hour, it turned into 3+ hours. We had diverted an hour south of where we were, so in all – 16 hours in tiny, cramped airline seats. Many people missed their connecting flights, but everyone was ready to disembark once we landed.

Gander airport has an unusually long runway and is often the diversion airport for emergencies in that part of the world. It is famous as the location where 38 passenger planes carrying almost 6,700 passengers and crew were diverted to on September 11, 2001. That is quite a number of people to deal with for a town with a population of only 10,000, since “the plane people” had to be housed for several days. That story inspired the Broadway musical, “Come From Away,” which we saw in New York several years ago. We had no idea we would be making an unscheduled stop there, too.

So now…..Frankfurt am Main! Frankfurt is a very pretty and historic city. Much of it was destroyed in WWII by Royal Air Forced bombardments in March 1944. Nevertheless, it looks great. Walking along the Main River is rejuvenating, as lots of pedestrians and bicyclists used the walkways.

The Old Town was the busiest place we encountered, filled with tourists during this autumn shoulder season. In anticipation of the beginning of Oktoberfest, lots of people dining outside were enjoying the large one-liter steins of beer.

We only spent a couple of nights in Frankfurt and were still trying to recover from our extra long flight to get there, so we don’t have too much to share from there. On to Munich for Oktoberfest!

Frankfurt lies along the Main River, hence the city’s official name. There were lots of people walking the river path, and this section is toward Alstadt, or Old Town. The cathedral is quite striking from a distance.
Actually, the Cathedral of St. Bartholomew, to be precise. The tower is 312 feet tall.
The interior of the church was destroyed in Allied bombings, specifically by the Royal Air Force in March 1944. It was rebuilt in the 1950s.
In a small coffee plaza behind the cathedral, two accordion players provided some pretty energetic music.
No, this isn’t a photo of a tree, but of a boat on river cruise on the Main. Cruising the river is a major tourist activity in Frankfurt.
This beautiful pedestrian path along the river almost looks painted rather than like a photo.
Romerberg Square is the heart of Old Town. The building in the middle with all the flags is the Romer (City Hall).
…and exiting City Hall was this newly married couple, with everyone blowing bubbles in lieu of throwing rice.
The Fountain of Justice (Gerechtigkeitsbrunnen) in Romerberg Square. It was once used to dispense wine during imperial coronations.
Old St. Nicholas Church in the square is a Lutheran church dating to the mid-15th century.
One of the half-timbered buildings (the row is called the Ostzeile) enhancing the beauty of Romerberg.
The Rapunzel Passage.
An updated interpretation of the eagle (the Reichsadler), originating from a proto-heraldic emblem first used by Charlemagne.
The interior of Paulskirche, called the Plenary Hall, which was rebuilt after being demolished in WWII. It is now an exhibition, memorial, and assembly site. Lack of funds kept the interior ornamentation very austere.
A circular mural on the floor beneath the Plenary Hall is titled “The Path of the Representatives to St. Paul’s Church,” by Johannes Grutzke, and symbolizes the birth of German democracy.
This was the scene at Gander Airport in Newfoundland at 2:00 am, when we landed to discharge the unruly passenger. Our promised one hour on the ground turned into 3+ hours.
A scarecrow is guarding a cart of characters, all animals except for a gnome and an angel in the middle.
Schmuck! It sounds like a funny name to English speakers, but means “jewelry” in German.
These geese give a whole new meaning to “I’ll stick my neck out for you.”
Goldie’s served smash burgers, but with this sign, we did not partake.

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