pianist from the sea

Chapter 324 Fragmented Frankfurt

Frankfurt, Frankfurt on the Rhine, Frankfurt am Main, the Frankfurt that people talk about most and is also the default.

The full name is Frankfurt am Main on the Rhine to distinguish it from another German city, Frankfurt an der Oder.

This is a city that people love to hate.

People who like this place love Frankfurt to death.

People who don't like this place will avoid it like a snake and a scorpion, wishing they would never see this place again in the rest of their lives.

Not only tourists, but also native Germans have extremely polarized opinions about Frankfurt.

The reason lies in her city skyline and the city's exterior and interior.

Frankfurt can be regarded as one of the few particularly modern cities in Germany.

You can see towering office buildings here, and there are more than one.

Many Germans feel that the city has tarnished their German heritage.

For example, the tradition that the highest peak in a city should be a church steeple.

It is also the only city in Germany that doesn't look like Germany.

As for those who like her, they naturally also like her modern sense.

After all, how many cities can be as completely un-German as Frankfurt?
As the financial center of Europe, everything she represents is as magnificent as Wall Street, the financial center of the beautiful country.

But the same...

The dirt hidden underground in this city is also outrageous.

Although Frankfurt's main train station can almost be called one of the largest train stations in Germany, the level of chaos here is more than double that of other train stations.

Many people who come to Frankfurt for the first time have psychological shadows around Frankfurt's main train station.

It's not because the building is ugly or unbearable.

One thing to say, the architectural feel of the Frankfurt Main Fire is actually pretty good. Under the steel mesh, the train locomotives piled up at the station can even make people feel the iron blood of the 40s.

but……

Surrounding Frankfurt's main railway station, shrouded by the Iron Curtain, are some of the most chaotic neighborhoods in Germany.

Trash and debris piled everywhere.

Drunkards and homeless people lying unconscious on the ground.

As well as those poisonous insects with scattered eyes and sluggish appearance.

Together they form the most notorious main fire area in Germany.

Even if the police station in Frankfurt dropped heavy police officers, it was still to no avail.

They can only keep those poisonous insects from going crazy.

And they don't have many methods to deal with thieves who are running around.

After all, many of them are not even native residents of Germany, but refugees.

People from the Middle East and Türkiye.

While being kept by the government, a man begged on the street. He was holding a toy dog ​​and saying that it was his pet, so as to increase the donation to the pet foundation, so that he could earn 1000 a month just lying still. Multi-euro subsidies.

As for women, they either get married and leave, or they directly settle in the red light district, paying a large amount of foreign exchange to Germany.

You rarely see them around the train station.

This group of people are like moths hiding in the corners of the city, sucking the blood of the city.

The only safe places around the train station are places with a lot of people.

You need to quickly follow the flow of people from around the train station and rush towards the red light district ahead. After passing the red light district, you will truly arrive at the center of Frankfurt, the financial center.

Only when you get here can you really feel the prosperity of this city.

As for the main train station, that’s where everyone gets off the train…

That place has become a complete quagmire, and no one can escape from it.

Fu Diao carried his luggage, watched the vehicle slowly stop at the platform, and stepped out of the vehicle.

He received a text message on his mobile phone from the Frankfurt Grand Theater.

The text message asked him not to leave through the main entrance of Frankfurt, but to go to Platform [-], walk in from Platform [-], walk to the small door on the side, and come out from there.

Fu Tiao followed the message on the text message and moved forward at will.

Inside Frankfurt's main train station, it can barely be considered a bright and clean place.

You can't even see many stains on the ground.

Only inside the track can you see a lot of bird poop accumulated on the blockers, which no one cleans.

As for the shops on both sides of the aisle, one is brighter than the other.

If you have seen the darkness outside the station, it will be more obvious if you compare the inside of the station with the outside.

Just like the light and darkness of the city.

But Fu Diao had no idea about this.

He just touched his stomach and felt slightly hungry. Since leaving Berlin in the morning, he had not eaten any food except coffee.

So he stopped and bought a quick meal as usual from the delicatessen nearby.

Just like the deli counter in the supermarket, the quick meals here are very cheap.

About a pound of mashed potatoes and half an arm-long piece of pork belly were sliced ​​and put in a box and handed to Fu Diao.

Spread a little ketchup and yellow mustard on top.

I can't say it tastes great, but it's definitely filling.

After all, the weight is here. With so many potatoes and pork, the heavy takeout box is just an appetizer for those big eaters.

The price of so much food has not increased because it is at the train station. It is almost the same as in the supermarket, only about 5 euros.

There is also a German classic roast pork knuckle and mashed potatoes set menu on the side. This is not expensive at only 9.9 euros.

But Fu Diao was just filling his stomach, so there was no need to buy such a set meal.

And just by looking at those roasted pork knuckles at the train station, I don’t have much appetite.

He went out and walked to the canteen in the glass house in front, and bought a simple large cappuccino for 1.5 euros. Then he took the coffee and the takeout box and followed the prompts in the text message to the side entrance of the station.

This is a small iron gate. There are not many people walking this way, mainly nearby residents.

Therefore, this side is much cleaner than other doorways.

Especially since there is a hotel opposite, the street view you see when you go out will not be too full of garbage.

Fu Diao stood at the door and glanced at his phone.

There was no reply on the phone. It seems that because long-term parking is prohibited here and there is a bus behind me, the driver has not arrived yet.

Fu Diao held the takeout box in his hand, put the coffee and his luggage aside, and slowly chewed the pork and potatoes in his mouth to satisfy his hunger.

Although this thing is a bit cheap and the taste is not that good, the texture is actually pretty good.

The mashed potatoes were like clouds, with a slight thickness and seemed to be particularly firm, but they melted away with just a sip of your tongue.

As for the pork...

It has no taste, and basically relies solely on ketchup and yellow mustard to enhance the flavor.

It can fill the stomach, but if you really live on this thing every day, except for the Germans, other people should not be able to bear it.

At the very least, he couldn't stand Fu Tiao.

Fu Diao inserted another piece of mashed potato into his mouth, thought of something, and couldn't help but laugh.

But then again, I have almost earned 300 million euros, and eating is still so simple...

Are you too simple?

300 million. If you eat this 5-yuan pork set meal every time, you won’t be able to finish it until you die, right?

I can’t finish it, I can’t finish it in my whole life~
Fu Diao couldn't help but click his tongue twice when he thought of this. After inserting another piece of potato and stuffing it into his mouth, he thoroughly mixed the remaining potatoes and pork with the sauce, and stuffed it into his mouth with a few slurps.

Then he picked up the coffee and drank it in one gulp.

The coffee bought from the convenience store nearby relieved the heavy taste in my mouth, and a feeling of peace of mind suddenly emerged.

"Tsk, tsk, although this thing is cheap, it is really filling."

Fu Tiao picked up the napkin he had brought when buying takeout, wiped his mouth and said cheerfully.

He casually packed up all the garbage and threw it into the trash can, then stood there and continued waiting.

He didn't wait long before a luxurious vehicle with an MM mark parked in front of him.

The dark paint on the car seemed to have stepped out of the dark night, making it look particularly abrupt in this dirty and chaotic city.

Such an unexpected vehicle completely attracts the attention of passers-by.

Almost all of them were stunned, looking at this extremely luxurious car with puzzled minds.

Under everyone's gaze, a man in a black suit walked out of the cab, ran quickly to Fu Diao, reached out to take the bag next to Fu Diao, and apologized in a low voice.

"Sorry, Mr. Fu, it's really difficult to park here. If you park here for a long time, it may block traffic, so I just drove around and kept you waiting. I'm really sorry. ""fine."

Fu Diao smiled and comforted: "Deutsche Bahn actually arrived a long time late, so we didn't have to wait here for a particularly long time."

"what?"

The driver was a little stunned, and then smiled slightly awkwardly: "Although Deutsche Bahn is indeed like this... But Mr. Fu, you don't need to comfort me. We have a notice from Deutsche Bahn here, and we can actually see the specific arrival time. of."

After he finished speaking, he glanced at the surrounding vehicles, immediately led Fu Diao into the car, opened the door and said.

"Mr. Fu, please hurry up and get in the car. We can't stop here for too long. I'm really sorry."

"it is good."

Fu Tiao followed the driver's guidance and walked into the luxurious car.

He didn't know the specific name of the car, but he saw two MM marks.

It seems to be a very luxurious brand in Germany.

And judging by the looks of the people around me, this car shouldn't be cheap.

As for the interior of the car...

Fu Diao couldn't tell, but he felt it was quite comfortable, and at least his buttocks were warm.

It seems that the seat cushion has an automatic heating function?
It blows away a lot of the winter chill.

The driver quickly returned to the car, drove the car out of the station door, walked to the surrounding lanes, and after several circles, finally drove into the city of Frankfurt.

He did not drive the vehicle towards the dirty places around the station, but followed the traffic across the Rhine River and walked to the other side of the Rhine River.

Fu Tiao looked at the scenery outside the window with curiosity.

He gained a bad reputation from many people through Frankfurt.

Especially my classmates in Berlin, when they talk about Frankfurt, they all feel a lingering fear.

But when he looked at the surrounding scenery, it didn't seem that ugly?
When we were just driving along the river, both sides of the Rhine were dotted with cruise ships and children's playgrounds.

The long green road has no end in sight.

There are also trees on both sides of the driving road.

But the only thing that made him uncomfortable was that the city always gave people a gray feeling.

Seeing this, Fu Diao couldn't help but ask.

"Well... I heard many people say that the environment in Frankfurt is very bad. Is this true?"

The driver didn't expect that Fu Diao would actually question him, and the question was about Frankfurt, so he hesitated for a moment and then spoke slowly.

"Well, it's true, but the most important thing is that it's in the very center of the city, that is, the area coming out of Frankfurt's main train station. That area is a bit messy. If it's not necessary, it's best not to go from there. Let’s go, but…”

He hesitated for a moment, then thought about it before speaking.

"But you are Chinese, right? As for Chinese, there are many Chinese restaurants over there. It is difficult for us to get used to it, but for you, it seems to be a very authentic feeling? Especially hot pot. I heard that there is a restaurant over there. There are very famous hot pot restaurants and Chinese restaurants in your Chinese circles, but I haven’t tried them.”

"Are all the Chinese restaurants over there?"

"No, I can't say that. I can only say that there are many over there."

The driver shook his head, pointed at the scenery beside him, and said.

"The central area is very messy. You didn't see it because after I took you out of the main train station, I turned directly across the Rhine River and came to the other half of Frankfurt. Although this side is not as prosperous as the north bank, there is nothing here either. It’s extremely dirty and messy. After we pass a few more traffic lights here, which is when we are almost in the center of Frankfurt, we can turn and cross the river directly.”

Fu Tiao looked in the direction of his finger.

As the vehicle moves forward, the blocked scenery gradually emerges.

The huge office building stands at the end of the line of sight like a giant sword, making it impossible to take your eyes away from it.

After the vehicle turned and crossed the bridge, Fu Diao now saw what prosperity was.

A completely different scenery from the traditional German region appeared in front of Fu Diao.

The traditional wooden houses with tile roofs have completely disappeared.

Instead, there is a towering steel forest and floor-to-ceiling glass covering the walls.

The light falls from the sky, refracts between the lenses, and scatters colorful rays of light.

It's hard to believe that the gravel road Fu Diao saw just now when he walked out from the side is actually in the same city as the current asphalt road.

The driver seemed to want to show Fu Diao the place they had just passed, so he took Fu Diao to the edge of the old city.

The houses here are of uniform height and extremely traditional European architecture.

The road over there is full of potholes.

Even from a distance, you can see garbage all over the streets.

Sewage remained on the ground, and the sewers seemed to be blocked by something.

There were densely packed poisonous insects on the street. They squatted on the ground and stared helplessly at the sky. They seemed to have lost their minds.

You can see a few policemen on every corner of the street, looking around nervously.

The dense crowds of tourists and passers-by looked at the dark places of the city with curiosity and walked through it.

There are no homeless people here, only poisonous insects who are almost equivalent to useless people.

Scantily clad dancers smoke and curse on the street. When they see a man who is alone, he will use a teasing tone to ask him to come up and have fun.

The pink sign hanging in mid-air had been there for who knows how long, and there seemed to be indelible dirt on it.

It's like the dark side of the city.

Display it openly and openly in front of everyone.

You can visit everything here very safely during the day.

This place is like Dog Town in Night City. It is obviously the most central location, but it is so difficult to describe in words.

Fu Diao looked at everything in front of him in silence.

He finally understood what the driver meant just now.

He sighed and spoke to the driver.

"Is there any water? I'm a little thirsty."

"Yes, there is a small refrigerator in front. There are three types of still water, sparkling water, and purified water. You can use it as you like."

Following the driver's instructions, Fu Diao took out a bottle of sparkling water from the cabinet beside him. He drank half of it and sighed.

The wheels were rolling, and the quality of the road surface seemed to have no effect on the driving of the luxury car under Fu Diao's ass.

In silence, the driver slowly drove the car away from the area and walked towards the nearby Frankfurt Grand Theater.

As the vehicle gets further and further away from the central area, the surrounding environment becomes cleaner and tidier.

It seems to have left the source of pollution.

Finally, the vehicle stopped at a square near the main street in the city center.

Old Theater Square.

This is the place where Fu Tiao will perform tonight, the location of the Frankfurt Grand Theatre.

The simple stone building lies quietly in the center of the square, staring at the huge fountain in front of it.

The surrounding children were playing around the fountain, and some even walked into the fountain, laughing and having a water fight.

The smiles on their faces were in sharp contrast to the confusion of the group of people near the main fire just now.

For some reason, Fu Tiao was filled with emotion.

The city of Frankfurt is no different from other cities. It shows its most glorious side and its dark side in front of you.

How to face her specifically depends on your own personal thoughts in the end.

After all, it is still the same sentence.

Whether it is Germans or tourists, the evaluation of this city is always highly polarized.

Those who love her are like a life-and-death person.

Those who hate her, hate her so much that they hate her to the core.

You cannot evaluate this city from the most appropriate perspective because it is too fragmented.

Even if you live in different areas, the Frankfurt you feel is different.

After all, this place is a financial center and the most capital-intensive city in Germany.

Fu Diao rubbed his eyebrows and sighed.

do not know what to say.

After the driver got off the car, he opened the door for him. After he got out of the car, he looked around at everything around him and didn't know what emotion he was feeling now.

In the end, he just shook his head, turned around and walked towards the Grand Theater in the center of the square, stepping into the door of the Grand Theater step by step.

Inside the door, there were already many people in neat suits waiting there. When they saw Fu Diao coming over, a smile appeared on their faces, and they hurried forward to meet Fu Diao, holding Fu Diao's hands and saying excitedly.

"Mr. Fu Tiao, you are finally here! We have been waiting for you for a long time!"

(End of this chapter)