Frankfurt Buchmesse: A Very Short Guide

The world's largest bookfair is coming up soon in Frankfurt and will be celebrating Georgian language and literature. An apt time then to write about our visit a few years ago, now that I'm living in Georgia. If you're planning on going to the festival, or thinking about planning to go, then this very short guide is for you. Or if you're just thinking about visiting Frankfurt, scroll down a bit for the best things you can do there.

Huge hall after huge hall, packed with thousands upon thousands of people, shoulder to shoulder, a mess of bodies pushing and squeezing, trying to find something for sale, something for some sort of satisfying satiation. Some people in costume, playing out pittances of their favorite characters. Some people in suits. Others in sweats. Some seemingly on their way to fancy soirees, others like they’re off to work out. Such a conglomeration one might normally find in a mall in the US on Black Friday, but I found this in Frankfurt at the annual buchmesse, a gigantic hub for publishers, distributers, agents, and with a small touch of afterthought, writers. There were about three halls for German books, two for English language literature, two more for international works, one for children, one for education, one for religion. Pretty much any category you can imagine had its own massive trade hall. It’s hands down the largest affair of bound paper you can ever consider existing.

the central courtyard surrounded by conference buildings

It's also quite appropriate that the world’s largest book fair would be held in a city known for being the birthplace of Goethe, the father of German literature, who spent his early years there until carting off to Weimar when he was brought into the nobility by the Duke of Saxe-Weimar, thus forever becoming “von” Goethe for-von-eva.We went there for two days. Friday and Saturday. We didn’t quite know what to expect, so we went thinking it would be purely an exploratory mission, a kind of literary reconnaissance on the field of publishing. And to that extent, it was a success. We understand now a bit more the workings of the publishing industry, and some things to keep in mind so that next year can be more successful. So here is some information we gathered.

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Trade Days The Buchmesse, unlike Gaul, is divided into two parts, trade days and visitor days. The trade day entries are more expensive. This year it was 45 euros to get in. They’re meant for those in the trade: publishers, distributors, writers, agents, and so on. Each booth throughout the numerous halls contains three or four chairs and tables—the bigger publishing companies might have twenty or thirty. Interviews are going on at those tables. Publishers, agents, or whomever, are holding meetings there, discussing contracts of any sort. To get those meetings, a person should make appointments some three to six months ahead of time.

there's no small amount of people

This is especially important for any budding writer to know: one must have their interviews with agents and publishers scheduled far in advance. Of course, we didn’t know the first thing about finding an agent even. I even had it in the back of my head that pitching would be possible, but the festival is so massive that this would be pure chaos. If you want to make unsolicited pitches, it’s better to attend the small festivals. My wife boldly asked a host from a publishing house, “We’re new at this, how do we get an interview with an agent?” The above information was revealed. “And how do we find those agents to get appointments with them?” The answer? The Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook was apparently the best source. This is especially true in the European front. The Writers’ Market for the American side of the big old pond. It’s not really possible to set up an interview while you’re there. Everyone is already too busy with their own affairs and goings-on that maybe the greatest literary genius of their time could be walking around a bit lost and nobody would even know it.

Visitor Days The visitor days are held on the weekend. I’m not precisely sure what they’re for except cheaper entry. It seemed it was mostly for those who couldn’t afford the 45-euro ticket and still wanted to wander around those halls of thinly sliced wood. It’s entirely too packed and crammed to get anything done, and at least on Saturday, nothing was for sale. If you want to buy the latest books about to go on the market, perhaps the newest in the upcoming 40 something of Grey series, then go on Sunday, by all means necessary. Saturday only exists for presentation, and for dozens of girls to run around in Harley Quinn costumes. We spent some time at the Georgia booth, naturally. Most of the books on display were in Georgian language. Some were translated into English. I found one I was considering buying, but then discovered, “Sorry, the English language books aren’t for sale. Just the Georgian ones.” I hope they weren’t expecting large sales.

What to do at the Frankfurt Buchmesse?

If you're a writer coming in blind, then forget about meeting an agent or anything like that. As I said, mostly the agents are meeting with writer's whom they have already communicated with months or years previous. The best tactic then, is to bring some flyers, bookmarks, or some sort of marketing material.

lots of sessions to sit in on... but mostly in German

With your material ready, stand near the doors and hand it out to as many people as possible. I noticed quite a few people doing this tactic, and after sitting around drinking coffee, sneaking bookmarks into other people's for-sale books, and so on, I determined that this was probably the best approach. Everyone there is wanting to find new books, and if you've got a flyer or bookmark nice enough, they are potentially willing to plop down a few dollars on your ebook. So ready yourself for that.

How to get to the Buchmesse?

Though the Frankfurt downtown is full of miniature skyscrapers that seem big from far away but shrink as you get closer, like some sort of Ant Man trick, the convention center itself is gigantic. And with only one clear entry point, and lots of exits that seem to be pretty random throughout the city.

that tower, the Festhalle Turm, marks the entrance

The entry point for us common folk is near the Festhalle U-bahn station and tram stop, which are both only a short walk from the main train station and the old town (Innenstadt). There's a "big" tower there, and you'll enter into that and find the ticket checkpoint. Then you get to go down a hall that feels like it's about a kilometer long, that's where most people are handing out flyers. Finally you'll get to the array of what seems to be twenty massive halls. Hopefully you grabbed a map on the way in.

What to do in Frankfurt?

Though it's generally best to leave Frankfurt and go up the Rhine (tune in next week for that), Frankfurt is home to a few interesting things. It's the proud home of apfelwein, for one. Where most of Germany is enamored with beer, Frankfurt went its own way on this front. We first tried a taste of it at a café, just to consider it. It was something like an uncarbonated cider. When I say cider, I mean like the proper alcoholic drinks of Europe, not the hot apple tea of the United States.

Frankfurt at night

In Frankfurt, the apfelwein is also commonly served as “ebbelwoi” and the pubs brewing and serving it tend to be located in the beautiful and more picturesque neighborhood of Sachsenhausen, which still preserves many of its older half-timbered houses, served in brew houses called “apfelweinwirtschaft”. The drink also gives Frankfurt another New Yorker appeal, gaining it the name of “the Big Ebbel”.

waiting to be offered some apfelwein

We found the Kononesteppel restaurant to get the true tipple of ebbelwoi and to stock our stomachs up with some schnitzel. Kononesteppel was in the style of a classic German pub, with long tables filling the room, and stuffing in every person they could, even if it meant sharing a space with an elderly couple—as we did—or a group of partying bachelorettes. The ebbelwoi was cheap and seemingly endless, while the schnitzel also was priced around 10 euros—a real steal in Germany. It came served with the famous Frankfurt “grune sosse”, a slightly bitter green sauce containing as many herbs as Jägermeister and looks like something that's dripped out of my nose during one terrible winter. It tastes at least three times as delicious, albeit.

Old Town Frankfurt

Though there is local beer, it’s not abundant. We did make our way to naiv Bar, which is an attempt at an American style microbrew bar, complete with the faux industrial look so common in all the hip places in the hippest cities that maybe you haven’t heard of yet, and they even served their brews in American sized glasses charging American prices. Very cute. 6 dollars for a thimble. I drank something with “hops” in the name, like “Hopmeister”, but found it not really a master brew of hops, so then we headed on out in search for more of that apfelwein goodness.

The two main drinking areas at night seem to be around the Kaiserdom and in Sachsenhausen between the Affentorplatz and the river. Though Frankfurt is known for its conferences, outside of the at there aren't many tourists, so none of the city can really be called touristic by any means.

near the Affentorplatz

The Goethe House

Probably the most interesting thing to do in Frankfurt outside the conferences.

The Goethe House Museum exists, though not in the original condition. A bomb fell on it during the war, but they were able to salvage a surprising amount of furniture. Even more surprising is that the beds must have been the main pieces that were completely destroyed. The other furniture, armchairs, tables, and the like, were found and restored, and the house replicated to look as it was, and it all generally resembles what most upper-class families of the 1800s of Germany must have looked like. Goethe didn’t live there long though. It was only during his childhood. As most things German, even literature comes with a name resembling a heaving force of nature, and Goethe was soon at the front of the movement called Storm and Stress, which related to the violent upheavals against the authoritarian monarchic regimes of Europe in a drive towards freedom and democracy, the American Revolution inspiring the continent to take up arms against their own slave masters.

selfie at the Goethe house

Just like in America, the rich folk are always trying to appropriate urban culture and it was the same in the Germany of the 1800s. Most of Germany—even the nobility—were inspired by these young Storm and Stress artists. In Bavaria, for instance, King Ludwig II was throwing flowers at Wagner’s feet. The same courtship endured with Goethe when Karl August, Duke of Saxe-Weimar, brought him to Weimar and slowly wheedled down his Romantic nature, eventually leading him to a noble investiture. It was at this point that Goethe went the way of Kanye West and Jay Z, going from street player to boring rich guy. His literature got soft and he shared the pansification that Schiller also went through.

The biggest hit though for the European Romantic was the rise of Napoleon and the spread of his empire, when every educated man then began to understand the fate of democracy. A radical democracy, exposed to the whims of a stupid and ignorant common folk, will devour itself and offer itself prey to an infernal regime, ready to renew the authority of a monarchy, though without the chains of tradition. The serpent can renew itself.

Where to stay in Frankfurt?

Frankfurt, much like the miniature towers, seems a lot bigger than it is. We were tempted to book close to the conference center, but we decided against it because the prices are outrageous. The next best option then is in Sachsenhausen, which is a super cozy little neighborhood just across the river, full of bars and cafes and possibly more interesting than the "old town". It would probably take about twenty minutes to walk to the Festhalle from there. We stayed a bit furhter out, at the Leonardo Royal Hotel Frankfurt, which isn't as prestigious as it sounds, but as the only highrise in the area has some truly immense views. That was about 10 minutes walk through a quiet neighborhood from Sachsenhausen.

view from the hotel

The Frankfurt Buchmesse happens every year in October, this year on the 10 to the 14th. They highlight a different country every year, and this year it will highlight Georgian literature. Ticket prices can range from 15 euro to thousands (if you're renting a booth, for instance), and tend to go on sale in the summer. Check out their sight and sign up for updates about tickets.

#Frankfurt #festivals #book

Ananuri Fortress

Ananuri Fortress is one of the more scenic and captivating castles in the country, and it’s only one hour away from Tbilisi! It’s got a known 700 year history, but I imagine there have been fortifications there much longer than any of the current rock stacks date to.

Ananuri fortress

The fortress belonged to an eristavi, or duke, and controlled the key access road that wound from Tbilisi and Mtskheta, to Stepanitsminda, and finally up the Terek River to modern day Russia. The fortress had once stood on a cliffside looking down on a much smaller Aragvi River, but the Soviets dammed it up at the confluence of the Aragvi and the Pshavis Aragvi Rivers, creating the lake now known as Zhinvali Reservoir, which provides Tbilisi with much of its freshwater supply.

The valley and history

The lake is captivating. Huge foothills rumble out of the ground, rising like spears towards the heavens, leaving little room for settlements, villages, or even roads. There were villages that were flooded during the damming, and now rumor has it that when the water is low enough, you can even see a spire of a church that still sits somewhere underneath the surface.

Zhinvali Reservoir

The Aragvi clan ruled the valley from the fortress until 1739, when the nearby duchy led by Shanshe of Ksani attacked it and murdered the entire family. The peasants of Ananuri soon revolted and killed Shanshe, after which they pledged their fealty to the king ruling in Tbilisi, Teimuraz. Though the villagers of Ananuri would cause much later trouble for the kings of Georgia, they would also provide some of the fiercest fighters, and in 1795 provided warriors in defense of Tbilisi against the incoming Qajar army under Agha Muhammad Khan. Like the Spartans in the battle of Thermopylae, there were just 300 Aragvelians—not just from Ananuri, but from across the region—who lost their lives defending Tbilisi from a much larger horde of Persian invaders, but in doing so provided the king and people to evacuate the city. This allowed many to be saved, but still saw the razing of the city by Agha Muhammad's command.

looking up to the Church of the Assumption

The Fortress and Churches

What’s left standing now is but a pale reflection of the grandeur that must have been standing before. It features a rectangular curtain wall, with a square tower at its peak, called “Sheupovari”.

Sheupovari Tower

Sheupovari is still in excellent condition, and its many levels can be explored. Though there’s nothing in it, it does provide for some excellent views from the windows. The other circular towers are mostly in ruin. There is also a central tower that cannot be entered, and the architecture of that tower is much closer to the mountain settlements further north, resembling more of what you might see in Tusheti, Chechnya, or Ingushetia.

note the architecture of the central spire

climbing up to Sheupovari Tower

The two large churches that fill the interior of the complex were built in the later life of the complex. Both churches date from the 17th century, though the upper church is a bit older. The interior of the older church is largely barren, but has an interesting shrine inside. Last we visited it was closed off to the public though. The other church, the Church of the Assumption, was built in 1689 and is much more decorated, with stone carvings across the exterior and some murals leftover in the interior, though much of it was destroyed by fire.

Church of the Assumption, Ananuri

Church of the Assumption, Ananuri

Church of the Assumption, Ananuri

Where to eat

If you’re looking for food, there are a range of restaurants along the highway, but very little that’s walking distance. You can purchase some pastries on site, or walk along the highway for twenty minutes to Restaurant Mtiuleti. We ate khinkali there, and though khinkali is supposedly native to the region, I wasn’t impressed. The place seemed to mostly just bank on the fact that the Georgian Military Highway has been flooded by Russian tourists, and they slop out second grade dumplings knowing that Russians won’t know the difference. I’ve had better in Stepanitsminda and in Tbilisi.

There is also the Restaurant Veranda, a bit closer and with a much better view of the valley on its rooftop terrace. We had “Mexican potatoes” (a delicious style of Georgian potatoes that are curiously not remotely Mexican) there, and the quality of that definitely beat the Mtiuleti, though was still far from anything impressive. The place definitely has more of a “local feel” than “touristic feel” to it, though. If you have a car though, I’d advise venturing further up or down the highway.

Where to stay

If for some bizarre reason you are like us and decide to stay in Ananuri, you’re basically left with two options. One run-down looking homestay and one upper class palatial looking homestay, but both homestays. We stayed in the nicer one, the Villa Ananuri which had a great view of the scenery, a beautiful garden and a nice pool. Given that there’s not much else to do, having a pool was a great thing.

What to do

Outside of the fortress, there is very little to do in Ananuri, which is a huge shame. The Aragvi valley is amazingly beautiful, as I’ve stated before. And whereas the not-so-scenic Bazaleti Lake nearby has somehow been lucky enough to get a large deal of investment, Ananuri remains mostly untouched. I imagine it’s in large part to sewage concerns, given that it does provide the drinking water to Tbilisi.

a dog hanging out near the beach

There are some beach fronts with good small pebbles, and a couple of places for decent camping. Be warned though, that large, wild shepherd dogs do roam about in small packs. On the one hand, this probably keeps the wolves away, on the other, instead of wolves you’ve got gigantic wolf-killing canines. They did seem unusually friendly though, and they just come up and hang out for a bit until they realize you’re not going to feed them. Which is slightly amusing given that the beasts could easily take down any number of humans to feature in their own banquet.

Is it a lion or a dog?

With a little bit of investment, I can imagine Ananuri booming. They could build a small boardwalk and “old town” just below the fortress, along the water front, and provide for kayaking and fishing docks. They could develop a biking trail going some distance around the lake. They could do a lot, but as it is, it exists only as a stopover to Kazbegi and not as a destination in itself, mainly for the next reason.

As it stands right now, there is a makeshift souvenir bazaar in the parking lot outside the fortress and little else.

a souvenir bazaar outside the fortress

As there seemed to be no less than 300 tourists for the two hours we spent at the fortress, I can’t imagine how much damage is being down to the structure. As it’s free to visit, there are no funds to repair any damage or to maintain it, let alone improve the area. Why they don’t charge a nominal 3 to 5 lari for foreign visitors is beyond me. Think, that would be an easy 2000 lari a day to make improvements and maintenance to the site, and that could easily help cover any future developments in the village.

How to Get to Ananuri

If you have a car, it’s very easy to get to, and it seems like the tourism strategy (and the greater transit strategy) of the country is just for people have their own cars to get around.

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Though Ananuri is close to Tbilisi, if you don’t have your own car, expect to spend the greater portion of your day visiting it (and this is almost to an extent that you might just skip it).

Getting there isn’t hard. From the Didube metro station, turn right in the tunnel and walk straight out. Walk past all the taxi drivers (though maybe if you’ve got some money you should take one, max to pay would be 60 lari there and back). Walk straight until you hit the fruit bazaar, then turn right and you’ll see marshrutkas for Kazbegi and Pasanauri (though mostly written in Georgian). Ask people for Pasanauri, and then someone will direct you to the right marshrutka. The fee to Ananuri is 3 lari. Tell the driver you’re going there and he’ll stop for you.

thru that tunnel and to the right

To get back is a bit more complicated. The problem being is that marshrutkas don’t generally leave from Kazbegi until they’re full, and nobody seems to know the schedule of the Pasanauri marshrutkas. We waited for two hours, until finally a random taxi pulled up, saying, “I just drove some people to Kazbegi and going home. I’ll take y’all for 10 lari each.” Looking at our luck, we went ahead and took it.

This problem is also true for those going to Kazbegi. Marshrutkas to Kazbegi from Didube don’t usually leave until they’re full. So if you have jumped off at Ananuri, it’s not likely you’ll find an easy ride to continue up north.

Hitchhiking is another mode, and if I were alone or with another guy, I wouldn’t have a problem jumping in a random car. However, with my wife, and concerning a recent incident in the area, we were a bit weary doing the ole autostop.

The best way then, is to just go with a tour group that’s already arranged the ride, or to find a driver who will drive you there. Or if you’ve got a private driver taking you to Kazbegi, it’s an easy stop. This is, in fact, the method I’ve done to see the place on my other two visits.

Long story short, it’s definitely an incredible place to see. But if you can’t get a private taxi, then you might just have to skip it.

#ruins #history #castles #churches #traveltips #touristicsites #Tbilisi

Mtatsminda: Theme Park on Holy Mountain

Mtatsminda, or Holy Mountain, is now still a revered place, being the home of the Georgian pantheon, but its also got a huge theme park on the top of it. From Tbilisi, you can only see the funicular and a large building that looks something like the Greek parthenon, but what you can’t see is the series of motley amusement park rides that are loosely to the theme of Georgian buildings and cartoons. I say only loosely because it seems to be clear that they tend to get distracted from the theme and things get random, from bumblebees to Roman esplanades.

A theme of sorts

The entrance to Mtatsminda has a nice avenue of Georgian oriented buildings, with the one exception of a giant Avatar figure guarding the entrance, but everything else has the faux traditional quality that has made Six Flags in the US famous.

Not sure of the theme, but it looks fun!

Some fun Georgian balconies

That’s where most of the theme detail is though, as the rest of the park spins out across the hillside in a seemingly random array, much in the same way Georgians seem to approach city planning. No big deal, sometimes theme parks can be a bit too much theme, and this is far from one that takes itself seriously.

There’s a reason for that too. It was started in the 1930s by the Soviet government as just some bland Commie amusement park, and soon became the third most popular park in the USSR (probably because of the cheap wine and great views).

the rides are a splash!

What to do there

As there is no entrance fee, the park is open to just wander around in and enjoy the sights. Cafes are dispersed all throughout, and some of the cafes have pristine gardens that offer tremendous views of the city or hills, depending on which side you’re facing.

fun fact: that Ferris wheel takes 12 minutes to go around

Most people seem to be just wandering around and enjoying the benches, often with their own bottles of wine.

The rides are a bit pricey for the local population. When we were there, the rollercoaster, for example, which was sitting on top of what appeared to be an unfinished construction site, was on sale for 15 lari a 30 second ride. The average salary of a Georgian is about 700 lari, so do the math on how many people are going to be lining up. That said, for the average Westerner, 15 laris is 7 dollars which… actually still sounds expensive for a rollercoaster ride. But then again, at a festival rather than a theme park, I guess it’s normal to drop that much on a ride. So imagine Mtatsminda as a permanent festival.

7 bucks and one loop? I can't even lose my lunch on that!

If you’ve got kids, it’s definitely one of the best spots to go to in Tbilisi. If you don’t have kids, it’s worth a visit for the view. Bring your own bottle of wine or sit back for an overpriced beer to get the most of your visit.

kids love giant bees

did I mention the views?

How to get to Mtatsminda

The best way up is via the funicular, but our lazy bums didn’t want to walk up the steep hill to Kakabadze St. to get there. At Freedom Square there’s a tourist desk, so we asked if there was an easier way to the funicular. “Bus 124 over at Leonidze Street” was the answer. So we crossed the square and waited on Leonidze street. At last our bus came: a decrepit old yellow bus packed full of people. It was a local route bus, meaning that most of the people on it probably couldn’t have cared less about going to the theme park, but rather were just trying to get to their homes and, as the truth is on that mountainous route, their dachas. Short story: the 124 does not go to the funicular, but to the entry of the park itself.

imagine the cliff you've got to scale for this view, now imagine a Tbilisi bus

Route 124 winds up and down, back and forth, ever-so-slowly snaking up its way on the mountainside. If you didn’t get the feeling that the bus would topple over the cliff at any moment, it would have been quite a pleasant ride, but as it was, it was far more thrilling than any of the rides offered at the park. And this for less than 50 cents! It’s certainly full of gorgeous views, but concerning the comfort and fear factor, and that the route takes nearly 45 minutes, it’s probably best to take the funicular, which has all the view and fear and only takes 5 minutes.

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The bus lets you out at the entrance, where there doesn't seem to be a parking lot. Most of the parking snakes down the side of the road, which itself is hanging off the cliff. The parking goes for about a mile and there's no sidewalk, so that must be a fun walk.

There are apparently no buses that go to the funicular. There are little suicide shuttles, called “marshrutkas”, that race up and down. From Freedom Square, you can flag down the 67, the 4, or the 131. Watch yourself on the GPS, and when you’re nearing the funicular, shout out, “Puniculartan gaucheret!”

what it looks like from the outside

Lastly, there are taxis. If you’re coming from Rustaveli, you’ll have to keep rejecting taxi offers until you find a guy willing to do 3 lari. You should pay no more than that. As you're a foreigner, they'll probably keep trying to charge you anywhere from 5 to 10 lari. Don't do it.

When you’re coming off the funicular, there are a queue of taxis that all want anywhere from 5 to 10 lari to get back down to Rustaveli street. Don’t do it! It takes about five minutes to walk down the hill.

The Funicular

Once you’re at the funicular, you’re going to have to pay for it. Find the “salaro”, or cash booth, and fork over 2 lari for a dedicated Mtatsminda card, and then another 3 lari for the ride itself. You can use the same card for the whole group, and the card is good for all the rides on Mtatsminda. I’m not sure if the money you charge on there is refundable, so if you’re planning on spending the day up there, you’d best ask at the cash desk before loading it up.

"funicular" is European for "cable car", by the way

#Tbilisi #family #touristicsites #parks