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I left Murg in the morning and, after changing trains in Ziegelbrücke and Zurich, I arrived in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. To reach the hostel I took the metro, which in this case was included in my Interrail pass, and I walked a bit more to Sachsenhausen, the neighborhood south of the old town across the river Main. I started exploring the city by walking along the riverside road enjoying a great view of the beautiful skyline of Frankfurt, which features some of the tallest skyscrapers in Europe. After crossing the historic Eiserner Steg, an iron footbridge, I was in Altstadt, the old town. This part of the city, with all the traditional half-timbered buildings, was mostly destroyed during World War II and rebuilt later, but it doesn’t fail to get across a truly medieval feeling.
Some of the most famous landmarks of Frankfurt are there, such as the Old Saint Nicholas Church and Römer, the beautifully decorated medieval city hall, both facing the central Römerberg square. Saint Paul’s Church and the Langer Franz tower are located nearby and, after seeing them, I went to visit the cathedral. There, in a small chapel known as Wahlkapelle (Electoral Chapel), the Holy Roman Emperors were elected and crowned for centuries. At that point it was raining a lot. I walked through the Neue Altstadt (New Old Town), the part of the city that was rebuilt after World War II, and I went to have dinner in a place facing Römerberg. I ate the traditional local sausage called Frankfurter Rindswurst while drinking Apfelwein, a kind of German cider very popular in the Frankfurt area. Then, the day I was anticipating the most in my entire trip, no, my entire life, finally came. On September 11, 2022, I went to see a Loona concert live. This of course needs some explaining, so now we are going to open this Pandora’s box.
Loona is a K-Pop girl group, with twelve members and a truly unique story and concept. Instead of debuting as a whole group, they were first introduced one by one with a single album for each member and more releases while divided in three sub-units, before finally being united as twelve for their official debut in 2018. Their songs and music videos are connected by a single story, and filled with references to each other. Also, each member is represented by its own color, animal, and more, and there are so many more hidden meanings than what I can explain shortly here. They are also amazingly talented both in singing and dancing, they are hard-working and some of the funniest people I have ever seen. Their discography is among the best there are and literally every song is amazing. I have almost all their albums (I’m only missing some rare old limited versions) and I even once won a signed polaroid of my favorite member of Loona, ViVi, that I now keep like a relic in my room.
Saying they are my favorite group is an understatement, so I think now you understand why I was excited for this concert. How did I fit it in the trip? This is the funniest part, I didn’t have to. I had already mostly planned the route I wanted to follow when the dates for the European leg of the world tour came out and, unbelievably, their concert in Frankfurt was exactly when I was already planning to be there. It must be a sign of destiny. I got a ticket for the standing area near the stage and another one to meet the group at the end of the concert.
The venue was a bit outside the city so I got up early to take the train. The concert was at 7:30 p.m. so of course I was there at 8:45 a.m., hoping to get a good spot, and about sixty people were already there. We got numbers and wristbands so nobody would lose their spot in line. It was a long wait for sure, but not a boring one. I talked a bit with the people around me, and the two German girls that were just behind me in line were kind enough to translate in English for me everything the staff was saying in German. There were also people giving out gifts, so I got a bracelet, a few photocards, and some postcards, all for free.
It was strange being surrounded by all this people that love the same group as me, since at home it’s the complete opposite, there is no one who shares this passion with me, and I sometimes feel a bit awkward and isolated, as there is so much that I would like to talk about but nobody that would truly understand. Anyway, time was passing fast and the excitement was growing, then finally the doors opened. It was not a wild rush but a pretty organized queue. I somehow found myself almost in the middle and, since the only person in front of me was a girl that was much shorter than I am, I was basically in the front row, with a perfect and close view of the stage.
Finally, the concert started. When the group entered the stage I couldn’t believe my eyes, they were there, just in front of me, I thought it would never happen. The atmosphere was amazing, with everyone screaming and singing at the top of their lungs, me included. Loona performed many of their amazing hits and they were awesome as always. Being right in front, I was also able to interact a bit with the members. The concert lasted about two and a half hours and was incredible from start to finish, but that was not the end, I was about to meet the members of the group.
While most people were leaving the arena, I stayed with the holders of a VIP pass. We were put in a queue and escorted into another room where the Loona members were sitting on one side of a table. First, we just had to walk near them and exchange a quick high five while wearing masks and gloves. At that point my brain was completely frozen and shocked by the mere fact of being close to them and I was blinded by their beauty, but I still managed to say some quick phrases to some members, including ViVi.
The second part of the event was even better. We went back into the room a bit later to take a picture with the group. The managers were telling every person where they should sit and they put me right in front of ViVi. Crazy. While all the other people were sitting down, I was able to exchange a few more words not only with her, but with some of the other members sitting nearby too, it was truly a surreal experience. The picture was sent to us only about two months later, and still to this day when I look at it I can’t believe that it actually happened. I have a picture with the group I love the most, and in it I’m close to my favorite member. It’s incredible.
I got the merchandising kit that was included in the VIP ticket, and then I talked a bit with the other people leaving the arena. After taking the train to get back to the hostel, a notification on my phone told me that Loona posted some pictures on their social networks. These were photos of the concert showing the members and the crowd behind and, since I was in front, I ended up being visible in that picture too, again just close to ViVi. What else can I say? It was a truly magical and lucky night, the best day of my life.
After getting back to the hostel, it was hard to fall asleep as I kept thinking about everything that just happened, but the tiredness eventually got the best of me and I actually woke up very refreshed. I had breakfast and then I went to Konstablerwache, a large pedestrian square, and I walked along the Zeil, a wide street famous for being one of the busiest shopping areas in Germany, ending at another plaza called Hauptwache. Going straight following the main road, I reached the Alte Oper, a historic decorated opera house, before heading toward Bankenviertel, the central business district with many skyscrapers. I went to the top of the Main Tower, which has an observation platform with an amazing view of the city and the surrounding area. Nearby, I saw the famous Euro Sculpture located in front of the Eurotower, the former seat of the European Central Bank that has now moved to another part of Frankfurt.
I went back to the Zeil to have lunch and I got a Currywurst, a sausage with a spicy sauce and curry powder. I love spicy meals and, even if it was just a fast food dish, it was among my favorite ones of the entire trip. Since it was Monday, all the museums were closed, so I just kept walking around the city center a bit more and then along the river, before exploring the Sachsenhausen district near my hostel. There weren’t really many important landmarks to see but just enjoying the city was nice.
Later, I went out for dinner with a Korean friend that was studying in Frankfurt. I met her when I was writing for a Korean website and we only saw each other in online calls, so we were meeting in person for the first time. We went to a Korean restaurant, and this was also a first for me, where we had a delicious dinner with kimchi-jjigae, a stew with meat and vegetables, bulgogi, a dish with grilled slices of beef, and more. We exchanged presents as I gave her a necklace and she gave me a pack of japchae, a popular Korean dish with glass noodles and vegetables, and five different tea bags of different flavors, also from Korea. She was really nice and kind and, after having such a great time together, it was a bit difficult to say goodbye, but I bet that we will meet again.
