NOTE: While originally my intention was to log my daily trip updates here, it had proven way too difficult and exhausting. So I will be posting our daily Germany trip summary backdated now that the trip is over.
While I'm not normally a breakfast person, when traveling, I try to get a good breakfast meal to keep me going throughout the day, until we grab early dinner. Luckily Hilton Mainz Hotel offers a delicious breakfast that meets my taste.
After breakfast, I had a personal errand to check on some real estate that my parents are buying near Mainz. That was the main purpose of our stay in Mainz. After that, we took our bags, and hired a cab to Frankfurt Central Station to store our luggage for the afternoon, while we visit the experimental science museum Experiminta.
One thing to note here is that Uber is not available in Mainz and Frankfurt. Only in Munich and some other parts of Germany it seems. So instead, you can use MyTaxi app. It's quite similar to Uber, except it's not frictionless. Meaning upon destination arrival, the driver will confirm completion of the job, and you must approve the payment with a swipe. It does have good car filter options though, which is quite handy when I need certain car types.
In terms of pricing, it is exactly like a regular taxi, and in fact it is just a taxi using the app to connect with riders. So the price will be the same. So is the case with Uber in other parts of Germany I hear. So you won't be saving any money on this one. It's still a huge convenience though.
Experiminta Museum Review
Experiminta Entrance
Experiminta is the kind of practical science museum aimed for kids to explore and learn by playing with interactive experiments. A real favorite of mine these types of museums, and of the kids as well. I always make sure to visit such museums when they're around.
Entry to the museum for 2 adults and 2 children cost around 21 Euros. So pretty affordable. The museum is spread across five floors, but one thing that will jump at you from the start is, while they do have good and fun experiments, the museum feels more like a kindergarten or a house with multiple interactive rooms, rather than a building that was designed from the ground up to be a museum.
You walk the corridor and visit one room after another. There is no decoration that gives the place the science/tech museum feel as well. Objects are just placed in the empty space. In terms of looks, this was the least interesting, as there is no theme whatsoever to look at.
In terms of experiments, it did deliver on two hours of fun for my two kids (12 and 7), and us as well. Some experiments like the weighing balance did seem to repeat in different shapes over several rooms. But others were unique, and some I haven't experienced in other museums before. But the use of some old computers running Windows XP to run certain experiments gave it an even more aging look.
The biggest drawback of the place however is the almost complete absence of English translation. This isn't uncommon in Germany, but it still plays as major negative to me. Especially when it's about learning science in a museum. It didn't stop us from enjoying our time however, while explaining to kids the stuff they encountered as best we could.
What you can see at Experiminta Museum
First, there is an entire section dedicated to mirrors, and reflections that kept kids marveling at all the possible outcomes and trying new tricks.
There is also a neat trick to explain basic color mixing changes the resulting color.
You can also take a look through the eye lens
Let's take a moment to reflect on things
If you take notice, the place does feel like a normal house or building, not designed to be a museum. But that doesn't stop the kids from having fun. My kids have just been to a shadow show in Kuwait, so it was thrilling for them to see themselves as the stars for a moment.
Next there is a section to experiment with the different kinds of pressure and its effects.
And this creepy display lets you see your skeleton movement as you row the boat. I quite liked it! But careful if you have young kids with fear of suck displays. It turns on when you start interacting.
You can also experiment with the forces of aerodynamics, and how the airplane maneuvers.
For the nerds...
I bet you know at least one of these sign language gestures...
BUBBLES!!!
I'm not sure what that next experiment is supposed to do, but it makes cool shapes!
This giant spring is a lot of fun to shake and see it wiggle back and forth.
Experiminta Museum Summary
Decent place, fair family price, 2-3 hours of fun for the family. Don't expect to be mind blown, especially if you've been to similar science museums. It's good to visit if you're near, but don't make long trip just for it.
Now off to Cologne!
From what I found, we had short time to reach the station, book our tickets (I didn't wanna pre-book and risk missing the train), and catch the train. So we took another MyTaxi back to central station and collected our luggage. When I went to book the tickets from the ATM, I couldn't find my destination, and was running out of time. A gentleman offered to help us, and it turns out even though I selected English as language, I still have to key in city names in German. Which is silly if you ask me. So I had to enter Köln instead of Cologne! Keep that in mind if you need to book ticket.
Pro Tip 1: Make sure to enter destination names in Germany when searching for train tickets.
So anyways. By the time we had the ticket, there was very little time, and to make matters worse, the ticket was printed in German! We rushed to the wrong platform, and by time we realized, it was too late. We had to take the next train.
Another odd thing is, when I used the official Deutsche Bahn site, I filtered for fastest trains, and it showed the train we missed as last fast train to Cologne today. But when I went to the counter, the lady told me there is another train in like 20 minutes. When I checked their app without the filter, there was that same train indeed, and even more, and as fast, and some even a little faster than the one we missed. So what was that about? My guess is it was filtering for the most modern trains, which is not the same.
Pro Tip 2: Check train options without Fast Connections filter if you don't see the option you need.
So with that, we were onboard the train and enjoying the scenery on the way to our next destination... Cologne.!
The first step you take out of Cologne Central Station, you will be in awe at the magnificent look of the gigantic Cologne Cathedral.
