Belle Skinner Journal Friday, September 23, 1887

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Friday, Sept. 23.

This morning early we took a guide and carriage and started out to “do” Frankfurt.  We went first to see the church which first embraced Protestantism in Europe.  The inside is very gaudy, and it seemed strange that John [Jan] Huss who preached here at one time, did not at least have some of the crucifixes removed.  We found out that there are two men in Frankfurt richer than Rothchild.  One of these has a magnificent piece of sculpture by Dannecher “Ariadne on the Pantheon”—which is shown to the public.  It is wonderfully beautiful and is exhibited in two lights, a white and rose colored.  Next we drove to the house where Rothchild was born, a most unpretentious little building.  Next to it is a Jewish Synagogue lately built by the bankers.  It is quite a handsome one.  From Rothhild’s birthplace we drove to his present residence, a magnificent villa, making a great contrast between the two houses.  We saw the house were Luther was born and the window from which he preached to the populace.  We also saw a larger, finer house, Goete’s birthplace.  We drove

LXXXV

and walked through the Palace gardens—a beautiful part and very, very large.  Altogether Frankfurt is one of the cleanest, handsomest cities we have seen, and we are all pleased with it.  At half past four this afternoon we left for Heidleburg and arrived here at the Neckar Hotel early this evening.