This past weekend was the annual Museumsuferfest in Frankfurt. From Friday to Sunday you pay 7 Euros to receive a button that allows you to get into all the museums. So if you're smart and really spend time planning you could potentially go into around 20 museums for only 7 Euros. Apparently 2 million people attend this event.
This is the second time I've been to this festival. The last time was a very hot day in August as well. From my past experience I knew it can get really crowded. However, I didn't apply this logic to this situation. Instead of going early Friday, when it was in the 60s and most people are at work, I decided to on Saturday afternoon. When it was close to, if not in the 90s. Remember that Germany, like many European countries, does't have air conditioning, so it was very hot.
But the time I got to the Historisches Museum Frankfurt I was already hot and tired. Luckily since this museum was in part of the old city wall/tower it was pretty cool inside. I got a great view from the tower windows of the Main river outside. And all the people.
I also was able to go through the museum pretty quickly because everything was in English and German. Not only did I get to learn about the city life and how it's changed over the years, there was very interesting special exhibit on the top floor. It was one of those exhibits where I always think "this person gets paid for this and is famous for this?" Karsten Bott has collected and categorized different boxes, wrappers, and everyday items for many years and has created an exhibit out of these artifacts. To me, it looks as if he's gone into someone's basement and taken junk out and called it art.
There was also an Indonesian event going on the first floor of the museum. You could hear the drums being played from all over the museum. I only watched part of the dance from the doorway. Partly because I didn't pay the entrance fees but also because there were so many people in the room I figured it must be really hot in there. They were also selling Indonesian food and drinks in the foyer of one of the halls when you came in. 
After visiting the Historisches Museum Frankfurt I went to the Archaelogisches Museum. This museum had a really great interactive center for those who had little kids with them. The rest of the museum contained artifacts from all different time periods. By this point I didn't read all the signs throughout the museum only ones periodically because it was all in German. It's incredible to see how heavily the Greeks and Romans influenced other cultures. While this museum also was lacking air conditioning it was in a church so it wasn't hot. The whole day reminded me of when I was in Salzburg a few years ago and ended up going into 10 churches the weekend I was there because it was so freaking hot out yet very cool in the churches.
After the two museums it was 8ish and I decided to get food. Since this event is built around the museums which line the Main, all different types of stands are set-up along the riverbank. You can get any type of food you'd like, beers to wash down the food, and enjoy music as you eat. There is traditional German foods such as brats, and my favorite Flammkuchen, or you can get Chinese, African, or even cupcakes. Basically whatever strikes your fancy. Sometimes you can also buy a beverage at the same stand you get your food at, and if not, not to worry about every 30 yards is another beer stand. Of course, the beer at the event is about 2 Euros more than a typical beer from the grocery store, so many will just bring their own beverages.Germany doesn't have any open container policies so it's very typical to see people walking around drinking their beer. There were many people walking around with 6 packs and full bottles of wine which they were enjoying.
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