The D&O Diary is on assignment this week in Europe, with the first stop in the German city of Frankfurt. Frankfurt is the premier financial hub of continental Europe, serving as the seat of the European Central Bank and the heart of the German banking industry. I always enjoy visiting Frankfurt, but there was something about this visit in particular that made me reflect on how much my views about Germany have changed over the years — and how much I enjoy visiting Germany — as discussed below.

My primary reason for traveling to Frankfurt was to participate once again as a panelist in the DRRT law firm’s annual Global Loss Recovery Conference. I have participated in this event several times before; it is one of my favorite events, for this simple reason that no one learns more than I do. As has been the case in prior years, I participated in the event’s opening session, in which DRRT’s Managing Partner Alexander Reus and I discussed the current hot topics in the world of global corporate and securities litigation. I would like to thank Alexander and his colleagues for inviting me to participate in this event again, which I should add is first class in every way. I am both grateful and honored to be invited to participate in this event.

The annual DRRT event is held at the beautiful Sofitel in Frankfurt. The event is always well-attended, although this year, many registered attendees and even speakers were unable to make it to the event due to a strike involving workers at Lufthansa.
Here’s a picture with my good friend Alexander Reus of the DRRT law firm. I always enjoy our annual Hot Topics panel. The reason it is so successful is that we disagree about pretty much everything. Respect, Alexander. Respect.
One of the things I love about Frankfurt is that the city is totally transparent about fact that it is all about banking. Exhibit A is this statute, the Euro Skulptur, which is unabashedly a huge statute of a Euro sign, posted in the middle of the Frankfurter Bankenviertel (that is, the city’s banking district). The thing I really love about this sculpture is that almost as soon as it was erected, a huge fight broke out about who was going to pay for maintaining the thing. I mean, seriously, who wants to pay to maintain a gigantic euro sign?

The conference day turned out to be an absolutely gorgeous spring day. So, as soon as the day’s events were over, I went out to enjoy the day, the city, and the sunshine. I took the U-Bahn just a few stops to the south side of the River Main, to the Sachsenhausen district, where I knew, from prior experience, that there are places that would be pleasant to visit on a sunny April afternoon.

Spring sunshine in the Sachsenhausen district, on the south side of the Main River.
Flowering trees in bloom in the afternoon sunshine in Sachsenhausen.
At a sidewalk cafe in Alt-Sachsenhausen. Just about a perfect place to enjoy the spring sunshine. The area is sometimes referred to as the Apfelweinviertel, because of the availability in the district of the local specialty — Apple Wine. On prior visits, I have sampled the wine, but I confess it is a little too sweet for my tastes. On the other hand, the local beer works just fine for me.

This is the point at which I need to share how much my views about Germany have changed since I first began visiting the country several decades ago. Sitting at the sidewalk cafe in the April afternoon sunshine made me contemplative, I guess. I confess, with embarrassment, that before my first visit to the country, I had a negative impression of Germany. The whole Nazi thing kind of spoiled the brand, you know? However, from my very first visit, I learned that my impression was totally wrong.

On my first visit to Germany nearly forty years ago, I travelled to Frankfurt. I arrived on the overnight flight, and after checking into my hotel, I went to a café, bleary-eyed and jet-lagged. The waitress who greeted me and took my order was beautiful. Her face looked to me like a field of wildflowers in bright spring sunshine. Her face shone. It gave me joy. You know this is true because forty years later I am still testifying to how she looked to me.

But it isn’t just her beauty that stays with me. It was her voice. And, more to the point, it was her language. Yes. I am talking about the German language. I confess that I once laughed at the stupid “joke” that was current at the time: that a gentleman speaks English to his wife, French to his mistress, and German to his horse. Ha, ha, very funny. Only, when this beautiful women spoke in her language to me, it was the music of the angels. It was birds singing in the first light of dawn. It was a revelation. Everything I thought I knew about the language, and indeed, as it has turned out over the course of many years, about the country, was wrong. Just wrong.

Since that time I have been to Germany many times. I have been to many Germany cities, including Hamburg, Munich, Berlin, Cologne, Düsseldorf, even Freiburg (and many other German cities as well). Here’s the thing I suspect a lot of Americans don’t know — Germany is actually a really great place to visit. Starting with that first meeting with the beautiful women I encountered so many years ago, I have found the German people welcoming and friendly. The country is full of beautful places to visit and interesting things to see. Also, good beer.

For those who like artistic references, the experience of encountering the beautiful woman so many years ago was for me like hearing Franz Schubert’s wonderful song cycle, Die schöne Müllerin (the Miller’s Beautiful Daughter). (I know I am straying into dangerous territory here, because the male protaginist in the song cycle is basically an idiot. I feel compelled to point out that his experience ended in despair, which I am happy to report that I managed to avoid, basically because I left the cafe and that was it.)

Just an aside. It strikes me now in reflecting upon encountering the beautiful German woman so many years ago that she is now in her sixties. I am not getting any younger either. The days go slowly but the years go fast.

This is the Eschenheimer Turm. The tower, which was located across the street from my hotel, is the remnant of a 15th century gate in the city’s medieval walls. It is today one of the city’s most distinctive land marks, a symbol of its resilience and historical pride.

My visit to Frankfurt was short. I was soon off to visit other places. I am always glad to have an excuse to visit Frankfurt. It is just one of those places I enjoy visiting.