Out of order

This blog is so out of order in a variety of ways. I feel I have let you down this trip. For being so lax, I apologize. As I mentioned earlier, I've been preoccupied. With our "election" and its aftermath. And then Brexit, its lead up and then the vote which was happening when we were en route to Frankfurt and then we woke up the next day to the results. It's been strange to be ostensibly on vacation. It's like having one eye on the passing landscapes and the other glued to a news source. It's disconcerting yet unavoidable. You just cannot look away. But look away, I did, at times, mostly for you, and I thank you for that because you helped me to enjoy being here. 

I'm going to post some more pics of Frankfurt that won't do the city justice. And my running monologue will add to the muddle, but I hope the combination of images and my drivel will cancel out any banality and you will get a little glimpse of the secret side of this finance capital city.

Christian drove us maniacally through the streets of town to the botanical garden. This place is a wonder. It has plants representing all parts of the world and even recreates most of the environs in which they thrive. Here we are entering one of the traditional greenhouses. 

It was like a jungle in there. 

Those stepping stones were very hard to navigate because they gave the illusion of floating on the surface of the water and even sure footed N could not get over the effect.

A grotto with fish for some inexplicable reason. But it was nice and cool in there. Probably the coolest spot in the botanical garden. This was the hottest day of our trip, maybe 90 degrees F. 

Look closely. A heron can be seen fishing, just like on Putah Creek.

A little creek alongside a meadow was just under the shadow of a ridge highlighting sages and other drought tolerant stuff. They have micro climates in spades here.

And for the weary plant enthusiast the park thoughtfully provides the means to take a well earned rest. I didn't get them in the pic, but we were in good company that included several sun worshippers and even a badly disguised peeping tom. A and N slept through the drama while I kept vigilant watch. We had barely sat up when a group inquired as to whether our lounges were available. This spot is popular.

Oh, see those cubist things in the background? We headed there next.

They are huge and go on forever with every conceivable climate and flora you can imagine and then some more. It was so hot that day that sometimes the tropics inside were cooler than the air outside. 

We eventually left the park and headed to "Saxenhousen" across the river to meet up with Christian for dinner. This is just a random pic of a street on the way. 

And here are some architectural details.