Travels in the 2nd half

Most people think of Washington DC as the home of the United States Government. There is more to the city than that. For many decades it was one of the centers of African American culture. U Street was the heart of that community in the capital.   U Street row houses The U Street neighborhood was the largest African American community from the 1860’s through the 1920’s. Its mostly Victorian-era row houses were home to many of the people who filled the service jobs that made sure that government functioned smoothly. It was also home to hundreds of black-owned businesses, including The Industrial Bank, the cities largest African-American owned bank, whose building, designed by Isaish T. Hatton , still stands today. Pearl Baily christened the area “The Black Broadway,” due to its numerous theaters and clubs. All of the big names in jazz, from Cab Calloway to Louis Armstrong to Miles Davis, performed on U Street. At the east end of the strip is the Howard Theate...

What does one do in Frankfurt on a Monday? The museums are closed and the city is focused on banking and other financial industries. For me, the answer was easy, go to Heidelberg. Heidelberg sits in the valley of the Neckar River, a tributary of the Rhine, about 80 km (48 mi) south of Frankfurt. While the area has been inhabited for thousands of years, the roots of modern Heidelberg start in the 12 th century, with the formation of the nearby Schönau Abbey . This led to the development of several towns along the Neckar. The Count Palatine of the Rhine built a castle in Heidelberg near the end of the 12 th century, and a second castle was built about 100 years later. Heidelberg is also home to its eponymous university, founded in 1356. So, there is a lot to see there.     This was my last full day in Germany, and, after two weeks, I was close to exhausted. So, I opted to pay for a bus tour from Frankfurt. Going along with a group is not my favorite way to visi...