Greenhouses

First priority today was to visit the botanical gardens in the NW part of town. The walk through the quiet neighborhood on a Sunday morning was delightful. Parents walked with their kids in strollers or on bikes. Everything had a relaxed, sleepy feel to it. What a treat the gardens were! Throughout most of southern Europe the flowers have been in short supply. It's not just the season or weather either. These countries simply don't plant flowers in public places whether from lack of funding, laziness or interest. Apparently all the flowers are in Germany. Spread out before me was a vast array of greens, whites, pinks, reds, oranges--all the rainbow was present as I wound my way through the park. One of the best parts was the greenhouse area filled with pod shaped rooms of plants from various climates and parts of the world. Cacti filled the hot and dry room with types of succulents I've never seen before. By far my favorite rooms were the tropical, humid ones. Vines, orchids, pitcher plants and palm trees filled the room from floor to ceiling. Everything was so lush and green. Vibrantly colored blooms dotted the scenery. Fabulous!

After such a lovely morning I wasn't much in the mood for museums so I wandered through the town taking a long route toward the NE and winding down through to Romberg and the river. Packed into one sentence makes it seem short and sweet. In reality I probably walked a good 3 or 4km. I couldn't come up with much else to do so I sat by the river for a while and read I and II Peter (being Sunday and all). My guidebook suggested a restaurant a ways down from the river and I thought I'd give it a try. Near the hostel most places are Indian, Asian or doner kebab (looks to be gyro like food) restaurants. It was quite a bit further than it looked on the map, but it was well worth the trip. The neighborhood was nice to view and the food was excellent. I sampled the schnitzel (thin breaded pork), fried potatoes and side salad with a yummy mustard viniagrette dressing. Naturally I had the apfelwein to go with it since I wouldn't be able to enjoy it outside of Frankfurt. All in all, a relatively relaxed day.