What's not to like about Germany? A relative recent destination for my travels, Germany offers great sausage and beer combos, lakes, forests, mountains, and a notorious history shaped by a Bavarian corporal with a funny little moustache.

The old centre of Frankfurt may look authentically medieval but its pristine state gives away that its actually a rather good modern reconstruction. Three Hansel and Gretel style towers do remain from the now demolished medieval defences, but the 'old' town starts in Romerberg square; the Romer city hall which was built behind the old facade which was still standing at the end of the war, and from here a small section was reconstructed between 2012 to 2018. None of the buildings could be exactly reconstructed but an imagined reconstruction roughly following the historical city plan was possible. Outside of here, much of Frankfurt is brutally modern.

The trip was spent wandering, soaking up the atmosphere, and in the cold evenings, drinking the warm apfelweine in the Samstagsberg opposite the Romer.

If pounding the modern streets in search of the odd architectural gem giving a glimpse into the past isn't your thing, try the nearby Roman fort called the The Saalburg. From the centre of Frankfurt it is about 25km north. It was formerly part of the fortified edge of the Roman Empire and is the most completely reconstructed Roman fort in Germany, and for that matter, Europe. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage site and definitely worth a visit. If you have seen the impressive remains of the forts along Hadrian's Wall, The Saalburg brings to life what these forts actually looked like.