Frankfurt

Frankfurt is home of all the major banks and also has the biggest airport of Germany. It is known to most travellers as most of the airlines fly into Frankfurt Airport.

Besides the big banker and industry city there is a different Frankfurt with lots of green, parks and not to forget the Main river. Most times when I come to Frankfurt I visit the Palmengarten (Palm Garden). This is a large botanical garden with thousands of rare plant species on display. Occasionally there will be temporary exhibitions of all sorts.

Here, close to the main greenhauses there is a huge stand of lotus. This plant fascinates me as it is fast growing, beautiful and the leafs are not touched by water. This is the so called lotus effect. Due to the structure of the surface of the lotus leafs, water does not touch the furface but forms a sphere (well, as gravity takes its tall it flattens a little). With the leaf tilted a little the water will roll right off the leaf and leave no trace. The silvery shine of the water drops indicates the presence of a very thin layer of air in between the leaf and the water.


	In one of the other shallow ponds I found this water lilly. Isn’t it beautiful?


	This Terracotta Army of an ancient Chinese emperor was one of the temporary exhibitions in the Palmengarten. The figures are amazingly realistic and are meant to be the royal houshold of the deceased emperor in the afterlife.


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