Back to the roots… back to Mainz and Frankfurt.

Really enjoy the Rhein-Main area due to the friendly, open minded people, the great, warm weather in summer, the parks and third spaces, the gardens and parks and river fronts along the Rhine and Main rivers. Add to that a good public transport system that you can use for 49 Euros per month and it is overall still a relatively safe area, even though it has become slightly less safe in the last years.

Ok, enough of me positively ranting about this area in Germany!

Here is a couple of shoutouts for everybody who is in the area:

1. Check out the Isis Temple in Mainz. It is free (donations welcome!) and a lovely little museum that I recommend to everybody! Just mind-blowing that there is a 2000 year old temple dedicated to an Egyptian Goddess – and not only that!
2. Salsa Thursday on Mainzstrand. Absolutely fantastic to dance from about 8 pm to 11 pm in sand alongside the Rhine river. Overall, there is such a great social dancing community in Mainz, Wiesbaden and Frankfurt! Many dance schools but also many many small not-for-profit communities like Sientala! Lately, there is a lot of dancing on the Mainz-Kastel side of the Rhine on Friday, Saturday and Sunday night with DJs Lobo and many others. Open Air! Free! Great atmosphere and everybody is welcome! Shoutout also to salsa open air near the ECB in Frankfurt!
3. Music and here again it is for me about Latin vibes. Check out 4 del son that are based in the area but with roots in Cuba and also check out Playa Canela (rumor has it that they once in a while play a Colombian song). In this sense, check out this song that is super super super famous and a terrible Ohrwurm: To My Love.
4. Language Exchange: There is Language Exchange on Tuesday nights in Frankfurt and Mainz. Check out on Meetup.com. Besides, there are so many subgroups where you can chat a little bit. I.e. Cafezinho in Mainz for Portuguese with the beautiful Brazilian accent.
5. Cycling and public transport! Mainz is connected to Frankfurt via cycling routes that are getting better. In the last years a bridge was build specifically for cyclists so that they can continue alongside the Main towards Frankfurt. There are major cycling road works ongoing to connect Mainz to Koblenz on both sides of the Rhine with pure cycling routes. Currently, the cycling path on the right side of the Rhine is undergoing major construction. Perfect also for trike touring as the area is flat and the cycling infrastructure well built out. To create even more awareness for cyclists as normal participants in traffic, Critical Mass had its 10-year anniversary in Mainz in summer 2023 and 360 cyclists took to the streets!