Frankfurt

Some favourites from Frankfurt
 

Maincafé, Schaumainkai, Frankfurt, Deutschland – great for sitting by the river and drinking Apple Wine

http://goo.gl/maps/CjPOf

Schwedler See Bar, Frankfurt – out in east Frankfurt there is a outdoor swimming club which opens up at night for live music and chilled atmosphere bar

http://goo.gl/maps/D4fOa

Hoppers, Schneckenhofstraße, Frankfurt – suburban cocktails

http://goo.gl/maps/o0Guo

Cafe Karin / Walden- Great brunch spots

http://goo.gl/maps/JNXOq

Maintower Restaurant & Bar, Neue Mainzer Straße, Frankfurt am Main – great view and good for high-end food

http://goo.gl/maps/cvh4R

Flemings Terrace Bar, Frankfurt – cool lifts and nice view for good cocktaisl

http://goo.gl/maps/tT1bO

22nd Lounge & Bar Eurotheum Residence, Neue Mainzer Straße, Frankfurt – piano bar (not hipster really!)

http://goo.gl/maps/KX1Xm

Vai Vai, Grüneburgweg, Frankfurt – a favourite modern Italian restaurant

http://goo.gl/maps/IEqum

Shirn Kunsthalle – great modern art gallery

http://goo.gl/maps/Hj8zu

Day trips:

Heidelberg - wander the old town, the Neckar River and go up to the castle

Rheingau wine region - take a car out to the numerous wineries within an hour of Frankfurt

Lorelei - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorelei

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Lisbon - some favourites...

ROOFTOP BARS:

• Barrio Alto Hotel: take the lift to the top floor and then walk the last floor. Small and often busy (you can't book) but a great view
• Park: Walk up through the carpark (Calcada do Combro) to the top floor and it opens out to a wonderful rooftop garden with a cracking view
• Insolito: also a restaurant - lovely view overlooking the city, towards the Castello
• Not actually a rooftop: Miradouro Sao Pedro Alcantara. - but a park with a fantastic view over the city. Grab some beers / wine and sit out here

BARS:

• Best area is Cais do Sodré for bars. I like Pensao Amor. Also there are a couple of discos there which you can then go to. People generally stay outside having drinks.
• Just walk around Barrio Alto and Alfama - no shortage of bars
• Panorama Bar: Top of the Sheraton - smashing view. Actually the food is quite good - quite expensive

FAVOURITE RESTAURANTS:

• Cervejaria Ramiro    Best seafood in the world, great price, take a cab to get there
• Belcanto    Michelin star, Chiado
• O Talho            Modern Alentejo, Avenida Liberdade
• Cantinho do Avillez    Informal place from a Michelin-star chef, Chiado
• MiniBar            Modern take on an american bistro with a Michelin Star-esque heritage / Portuguese spin
• Café Lisboa         From the Belcanto guy. Typical Lisbon food in a semi-laid-back-semi-formal setting in the Sao Luis opera house café, Chiado
• Sea Me            Very good fish place, on the expensive side, Chiado
• Restaurante Cabaça    Hot stone steak - cheap and cheerful and a great way to start a night in Barrio Alto
• Café Buenos Aires      Excellent steak in a relaxed family style quaint restaurant
• Chafariz do vinhoChafariz do Vinho    Wine and tapas in an aquaduct
• Zebras do Combro restaurante    Simple, fast and good Portuguese food

THINGS TO EAT

• Pastel de Nata - eat like them like there will be none tomorrow
• Bacalhau (cod fish): Pataniscas de bacalhau, bolinhos de bacalhau, bacalhau a gomes de sá, bacalhau a braz, bacalhau a ze do pipo
• Seafood, seafood, seafood
• Cabrito (Lamb)
• Cozido á Portuguesa (heavy)
• Whenever it says Alentejo and Black Pig in the same sentence, eat it (best if the sentence also includes the word "pig cheek"
• Tripas á moda do Porto (heavy - tripes)
• Ameijoas a Bolhao Pato (clams) and Carne de Porco a Alentejana (pork with clams)
• Percebes: Gooseneck barnacles - just like sucking from the ocean
• Cheese: Queijo da Serra and Queijo de Azeitão

And don't forget to drink ginjinha at all the little bars dotted around the city.

THINGS TO DO

• In Lisbon: there are few 'sights' per se to see. Best to wander down Avenide Liberdade, the long boulevard, down the hill into the city. There are plenty of downtown streets to wander down. Praça do Comércio is the main square at the foreshore that is quite nice and a good spot to sit in the sun to eat and drink. The other areas for exploring are Barrio Alto and Alfama - plenty of restaurants, bars and old stuff to look at
• Belem is a tram ride from Lisbon centre. Its the home of the famous portuguese tarts that the masses line up for. There is the big monastery and a museam of contemporary art. A walk along the harbour at Belem up to the Torre de Belem is quite nice.
• Sintra is worth a visit for a touristy day trip - the castles are quite quaint amongst the rolling hills. Although the traffic gets jammed up in Sintra it is a very beautiful part of Portugal.
• http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/27/travel/how-i-fell-for-lisbon.html?_r=0 gives a good feel for the city.

The best english speaking website for clubs / food etc:
http://www.golisbon.com/