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Like many parts of Europe, Germany is a photographer's playground. Fairy tale
castles, festive beer halls, engaging and sophisticated cities, all presented and
maintained by an open and friendly people. You'll have no trouble finding things
to point your camera at.
In September of 2002 I spent a few weeks traveling through the southwestern
and Bavarian regions of Germany. My trip started with a non-stop flight from Los
Angeles to Frankfurt via Lufthansa Airlines. Traveling with my wife and a few
others, our plan was to explore and photograph the Rhine Valley, the Romantic
Road, and then spend a few days in Munich before moving on to Austria.
Planning Your Time
As with any travel destination, you can zip through trying to cram as much as
possible into the shortest amount of time, or you can meander your way along,
stopping at whatever looks interesting to you. We did a little bit of both. For
example, we spent two days exploring the Rhine Valley, most of it by boat, and we
felt this gave us a good overview of the area. But we could have stayed much
longer and visited many of the cliff-top castles that tower above the Rhine.
Driving the Romantic Road, we took more time and made several stops at the
touristy, but scenic towns along the way. In Munich, our three-day stay was a bit
too short, and parts of it seemed rushed.
With that in mind, a good itinerary would be:
2 nights in the Rhine Valley.
3-4 nights traveling along the Romantic Road.
4 nights in Munich.
If you personally find one area more interesting than the other, you can
pretty easily add or subtract nights and still get most of the sites in. Driving
distances are fairly short, so lingering longer than expected in any town won't
put you far behind.
The Rhine Valley
If you're coming
from the USA, most flights will arrive in Frankfurt. You'll want to rent a car.
This will provide you with the most flexibility as much of Germany's charm lies
in the smaller towns and villages a bit off the autobahn. Driving to the
northwest from Frankfurt, it's about a 60 minute trip to the Rhine Valley. Our
destination was the small town of Rudesheim, situated on the banks of the Rhine
River. Rudesheim makes a good base for exploring the valley, and the river
itself. You'll have a choice to make; either drive the valley at your leisure, or
take a Rhine River cruise. We opted for the cruise.
Floating leisurely along the Rhine is indeed relaxing, but it's not really the
best way to photograph the area. You're just too far away to capture any of the
detail of the castles that tower above the river, or hike around the vineyards in
the rolling hills. So it's best to pick one or two towns and stop for a few
hours. The boats run continuously up and down the river, so with some planning
you can choose your stops. The Rhine itself is a very busy shipping route, and
you'll pass quite an assortment of vessels as you cruise.
How far should you go? According to the guide books, the most scenic leg of
the Rhine is between Rudesheim and St. Goar, traveling north. This takes about
two hours for each direction. A good plan is to start from Rudesheim and cruise
all the way to St. Goar, disembark for some lunch an exploration, re-board the
boat and either go back to Rudesheim, or get off at Bacharach and take the train
back to Rudesheim.
If the boat doesn't interest you, hourly trains make the run between all of
the towns along the river. Or, if you've got more time, bicycles looked like a
great way to explore the area as it's mostly flat terrain. In general, the Rhine
Valley is set up for tourism. Boat and train schedules are posted in most shops
and hotels.
In Rudesheim, I suggest taking the 2-person cable car up to the Niederwald
Monument, which sits high above the river and affords a great view of the
Rudesheim vineyard and the Rhine River itself. Try to go in the late afternoon
for the better light.
In the evening, there's no shortage of fantastic beer and wine gardens serving
the local wines. Many German restaurants are set up sort of community style. Most
have large tables which are shared by different parties. Don't be surprised to
find yourself dining with a German family. It's a great way to experience the
German lifestyle. Here are some Rhine snapshots.
The Romantic Road
Traveling
southeast from the Rhine Valley you can follow the signs along the autobahn and
easily reach the Romantic Road (RR). This stretch of road passes several towns
and villages leftover from medieval times. Probably two of the most popular are
Rothenburg and Dinkelsbuhl. If you're coming from Frankfurt or the Rhine Valley,
plan to spend a night in Rothenburg.
Again, I suggest a car for exploring this area. But if driving is not your
thing, regular trains and buses service much of the Romantic Road. If you do
drive, it's only about a two hour drive from the Rhine Valley to Rothenburg, and
that's allowing extra time for getting lost along the way. We arrived in
Rothenburg in the late afternoon, miraculously found our hotel, and set off to
explore the town.
The first
place you'll probably want to head for is the Market Square in the center of
town. From here you can visit the TI (Tourist Information Center), have lunch or
dinner, or book yourself on the Night Watchman's tour. You'll also want to visit
St. Jakob's church, and the Medieval Crime and Punishment museum. One other
highlight in Rothenburg is to "Walk the Wall", referring to the ancient wall that
surrounds most of the town. It will be the least crowded in the morning. If
you've taken the Night Watchman's tour, you'll have already covered a portion of
it. But in the morning, you'll get some great views of the Rothenburg
rooftops.
You can also pick up some good Rothenburg history by booking a horse and buggy
ride, or by employing a private guide, both of which are readily available in
Market Square.
From Rothenburg, it just a short drive south to the smaller town of
Dinkelsbuhl. There's not really much to tell about Dinkelsbuhl. It's a somewhat
smaller version of Rothenburg, but definitely worth a stop. I happened to visit
during the annual Stadtfest. Here are some snapshots.
There are a few more smaller towns along the Romantic Road...Augsburg comes to
mind, as well as the larger Wurzburg. But after visiting Rothenburg and
Dinkelsbuhl the others seem redundant. Not that they lack any charm of their own,
but it's a good idea save your time and venture further south into the castle
area of the RR. You'll want to aim for Fussen. This is another good town to act
as a base and spend the night. To beat the crowds at the famous Neuschwanstein
Castle, it's wise to get there early.
The Neuschwanstein Castle area
of Bavaria is more or less the end of the Romantic Road. If you're going at the
peak tourist times during the summer, you'll need reservations to tour the
Castles. If you don't have reservations, an early arrival gets you a better
chance of gaining entrance without too much of a wait. In any case, the price of
your ticket gets you into two Castles...Neuschwantstein and Hohenschwangau, which
was King Ludwig's boyhood home.
You have your choice of hiking up to the Castles (a somewhat steep climb), or
you can take a horse & buggy or the shuttle bus. They are both easy to find
near the ticket booth. Walking gives you the opportunity to photograph the
Castles from different angles. Your ticket gets you into Hohenschwangau first
followed by Neuschanwanstein. Be sure to be on time for your tours. The punctual
Germans have a beautifully timed system, and they adhere to it. After you finish
your tours, be sure to hike up to the Marienbrucke (Mary's Bridge) for a distant
view of Neuschwanstein. On the way back down to the ticket booth area, take a
detour, buy a beer and a sausage, and relax a bit at the very scenic Alpsee
Lake.
If you have the time after visiting the Castle area head west from Fussen in
the direction of Lake Constance, which borders Austria and Switzerland. You can
get some good shots at the small harbor in Lindau and in the Austrian hills above
the lake.
Munich
Backtracking a
bit north and east from the Romantic Road area takes you to Munich, home of the
Oktoberfest. Of course, we just happened to be in town for this yearly beer
fest...along with a few hundred thousand other fun seekers. The Oktoberfest runs
for 16 days from the last week in September until the first week of October. The
size and scope of this festival has to be experienced in person. It's estimated
that over a million gallons of beer are served. I did my best to add to this
total but could only manage a few quarts, along with a few giant pretzels,
countless sausages, delicious rumpsteak and giant pork knuckles.
If you do visit Munich during the Oktoberfest, I don't have to remind you to
reserve rooms well in advance. And expect to pay a premium for even a modest
room. Don't even attempt to drive your car near the festival. Munich has a great
subway system with stops right at the fairgrounds.
Of course, Munich is not all beer and
pretzels. For a taste of the historic side of Munich head for the Marienplatz.
Enjoy some coffee or hot chocolate in the shadow of the Glockenspiel. Visit St.
Michael's Church and the 5-century old Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady),
recognizable by it's twin onion domes.
The Marienplatz is easy to find from any subway station, with a stop emerging
right in the square. Subway stations are marked with a "U" for U-bahn, or "S" for
S-bahn, the S-bahn being a commuter train service. You'll also be a few blocks
away from the Hofbrau House, famous for their beer-sloshing chorus line and
Omp-pah bands. This area of town is loosely referred to as the Pedestrian Zone.
You'll find street performers, good street food featuring sausages of all types
(watch out for the super hot mustard), and for those who are interested in
shopping, lots of great shops. In the evening, it's pretty lively in this area
with lots happening on the street. So bring your fast film and a tripod. I found
that a small Bogen table-top model works well. Here's a few random Marienplatz
snaps.
If you've had too
much of a good time in Munich you can cast some gloom on your trip with a visit
to nearby Dachau, the first Nazi concentration camp built in 1933. I won't go
into any of the particulars on visiting Dachau, Philip Greenspun has already
written a piece about it here.
To get to Dachau from Munich it's about a 45-minute trip. Take the
S-bahn...S-2...in the direction of Peterhausen and get off at the Dachau stop.
Transfer to the #724 or #726 bus waiting outside the train station. The bus will
drop you off across the street from the camp. Return to Munich the same way.
Like most cities in Europe, Munich has a fine soccer team. We had the
opportunity to see Munich's F.C. Bayern team in action. If you can fit in a game,
it makes for some great photo opps of the local fans. Soccer matches are held at
the Olympic Stadium built for the 1972 Olympics. You can reach the stadium from
the Marienplatz by taking the U-3 subway line and getting off at the
Olympia-Zentrum stop. Here are a few shots.
Final Notes & Links
Of course there's much more to do and see in Germany. This small guide just
scratches the surface. From Munich, we traveled on to Austria. But if you wanted to end
your trip here, it's a short drive or train ride back to Frankfurt for a flight
back home. And Munich has an international airport as well if that is your
choice.
As far as photo equipment goes, bring what you're comfortable with. I tend to
favor wide angle and normal lenses. My longest lens for the trip was a 100mm.
Film is readily available all over, as well as processing. I shot Fuji Provia F
100 for the entire trip, plus a small amount of Ilford XP-2 in my Olympus Stylus Epic. I saw a few
signs prohibiting tripods, but it varies depending on what site you're visiting.
I was refused a hand check of my film at the Frankfurt airport.
Some good travel information can be found at the Fodor's European discussion
boards at http://www.fodors.com/. For travel
guides, I've always liked the Rick Steves Books at http://www.ricksteves.com/. They're easy to
follow and get to the point.
All text and images copyright 2003 by Jim
Tardio. If you'd like to see more photos of Germany, as well as other travel
destinations, please visit my site.
I do not like Germany as much as the author does.It is not worth presenting here.What for Gods sake are old trains and other gimmics do in an environment like this?The whole country is overconstructed and there is no place to feel oneself.Other countries are too,but it is done in a nicer way(see Holland,Luxembourg),it is not rabbish like the one the author presents here.Besides,I know well Germany and you should live a few months over there to become acquainted to the special character ofthose people.
If you fly into Frankfurt,
you may want to spend a day or two in the city. Most people will
find that Frankfurt is not as "nice" as Munic. But spending some
time in Frankfurt, you may take with you a more rounded picture
of Germany than by just following the paths of "traditional German"
highlights. Frankfurt's very diverse population and cityscape offer
many opportunities for photographers. In addition,
there are many museums and art galleries. Centered around the Frankfurter
"Roemerberg", for example, you will find the following locations
all within short walking distance:
Since I was born and raised in the area, I cannot help but point out that Frankfurt and the parrt of the Rhine Valley you visited are not located in Bavaria, but the in the state of Hessen. Also, the stretch of the Rhine Valley between Ruedesheim and Koblenz has recently been declared a world heritage area, and is well worth visiting. As an alternative, or if you feel like seeing more of the same, continue from Koblenz along the Moselle Valley to Trier. The Moselle Valley is probably a little less touristy than the Rhine Valley, but in my opinion even more scenic - and the dry Rieslings there are at least as tasty! A highlight along that route is one of my favourite castles in Germany, Burg Eltz.
I was a bit stunned by your comment. As you may know many travel photography is displayed on Photo.net. You may argue about the quality of the material, they way the country and its various inhabitants are displayed or the composition of the pictures.
What bothers me is your blunt or should I say ignorant attitude towards Germany and its people. Being from Holland, and having lived in Germany for several months, I can honestly state that the country is anything but overconstructed. If you took the effort of investigating a little further, you should become aware of the fact that it harbours many of the cultural, scientific and philosophical fundaments on which western society is built.
I'd say, do the Germans a favour and don't bother visiting them again.
As a German(born in Munich, Bavaria) I am often amused by the choices North-American tourists always make when visiting Germany. This article once again features the typical American and Japanese tourist attractions that actually are to be avoided! (Together with Heidelberg. Forget Heidelberg! :-))
Take a look at Gothic and Renaissance houses in Regensburg, a medieval city whose large center never has been destroyed during war and whose Gothic dome delights me every time I stop there, go hiking in the Chiemgau (wonderful scenic region about 80 km east of Munich), follow the Isar south to the Alps (and do NOT stop in Oberammergau;-)
To think of Germany as "overconstructed" is simply wrong. And its different landscapes show a variety you hardly find anywhere else within such a small area. I am living in Montréal, Québec, and there is literally nothing in this province (about four and a half times bigger than Germany!) that does not remind me strongly of my beloved Bavaria (Except for those little hills, that are called "mountains" by the Quebecers *lol* Sorry, no offence,I really like it here.)
Bottom line: got to Germany, especially Bavaria, and avoid all of the main attractions listed in the article. Regards!
I totally agree with you about getting off the tourist route and venturing into some of the lesser known spots. But it usually takes more than one visit to a place to get the "full" experience. For instance, I've been to Italy many times, and after the third trip started exploring some of the back roads and smaller towns.
But what makes those areas mean more is the fact that you've experienced the heavily promoted sites. In Italy, I really enjoyed the hustle and bustle and opulence of Florence, but came to appreciate the lesser, more informal attitudes of the smaller towns throughout Tuscany...like Civita and Cortona.
But we often don't know what we don't know. I hope to go back to Germany and discover some hidden treasures of my own. There's only so much time and money for most folks to travel and they usually want to see "popular" sites. I live in Los Angeles and frequently marvel at the hordes that come here to visit Disneyland, Universal Studios, and Hollywood, while ignoring some of the quieter beaches, wonderful hiking trails in the Malibu Hills, and the smaller ethnic communities. But I understand their motives. I've been here a lifetime and they only have a few days to spare.
By all means get to the roads less traveled...if you have the time. That goes without saying.
Also, for the record, while visiting Germany I met many folks who were neither American or Japanese. We had a wonderful dinner with folks from Amsterdam, took a train ride with a British family, sloshed beer at the Oktoberfest with Middle Easterners, Spanish, and Italian visitors, and shared a carriage ride in Rothenburg with a couple from Berlin.
Some more Ideas about how to spent Time close to Frankfurt
I was born in Gelnhausen and live in Wächtersbach, the two cities are
located within the Kinzig Valley. This valley separates the Vogelsberg (literally
translated "bird's mountain", a very large, ancient shield volcano) in
the north from the Spessart (a large mountain area, which stretches from
Darmstadt to Würzburg and is crossed by the river Main) and streches from the
Frankfurt region eastward. It features a lot of cities with beatiful old towns,
such as Gelnhausen, Wächtersbach, Salmünster, Steinau and Schlüchtern. The
sothern rims of the Vogelsberg north of these cities are descending within some
kilometers of distance from an altitude of 400-500m to 150m. Large areas of the
mountain shoulders north and south of the Kinzig Valley are covered with forests,
but the central region of the Vogelsberg is nearly free of wood (in former ceturies, iron was won from
it's stones and the wood used for charcoal production). The Spessart on the
south is mainly covered by forests, cut by narrow, beautiful valeys. Beeing
one of West Germany's faintest settled regions, you sometimes drive 20 or 30
kilometers throught the Spessart without signs of human habitations, suddenly
interrupted only by a single rest house or farm.
Since the area is close to the Rhine-Main region, a lot of people work in the
area of Frankfurt, Offenbach or Hanau, and tourism is not so intensive as in
other areas of southern germany. To the Rhine Valley you can drive within one and a half
hour, and even the Taunus mountains in the north of Frankfurt can be reached
within an hour (there the Saalburg, a rebuild roman castle can be found, one of
a few hundred castles the romans build along the "Limes" which separated the roman
occupied south-west of Germany from the nativ germanic north).
Some pictures of the region can be found on my homepage at:
Cool down, Edward. Your words reflect at least lacking information. Germany is a beautiful country. I don't state this because I am German but because I visited many other (also beautiful) countries. Okay, your next door neighbour is not a hundred miles away. On the other hand you don't find a desert like a few hundred miles of corn on plane fields like in the Middle West of the states.
For those without prejudices: don't make the mistake to merely visit the tourist attractions like Rüdesheim or Neuschwanstein. Rüdesheim is by no way typical for anything in Germany. Only American and Japanese tourists visit Rüdesheim.
The Middle Rhine Valley is a good destination. But go a little further to Koblenz and turn into the Mosel Valley. Most of the other rivers also flowing into the Rhine like Main, Lahn, Nahe and so on have most pittoresque and scenery valleys.
Leave the big destinations, the cities and the Autobahn. Look for the countryside. Look for villages. You will need a good guide. Plan your trip very carefully at home, best a few months before.
Come in any time of the year. If you come in spring take a chance to see the flowering fields of the apple and cherry trees in the states of Hesse and others.
There's so much to see and learn that even an average German hasn't seen all of their own country. I can give further tips when you send me a mail.
Any film, negatives or slides, or memory media is available. Films are cheaper than anywhere else in Europe. If you buy in small shops look for the "Best before...".
This from my photography homepage http://www.eisenburger.de/Photo/Ein_Feld__i_/ein_feld__i_.html is BTW a typical scene of rural Germany. The field is located about 60 km northeast from Franfurt. Doesn't look overconstructed, or?
I particularly liked Jim's travel notes. I have visited Germany twice. I have visited many of the places that Jim mentioned, but he led me to some interesting opportunities for the next trip. I also agree that if you are going to visit a country for the first time you will want to see the places that you have heard or read about. I also agree that it is great to get away from those heavily touristed spots to really get the local flavor of a country. I have visited 25 countries. My wife and I will travel to 10 new countries this summer. I can't wait to use my new Nikon D-100 in Scandinavia. Readers can view some of my travel photos at my site.. www.CrazyAboutTravel.com -Dave-
Würzburg is redundant after Rothenburg? I think not. Rotenburg is a lovely, lovely town, but Würzburg definitely holds its own.
Würzburg was the home of the Prince-Bishops for centuries. While the Festung Marienberg, the large castle overlooking the town from across the Main River, may be similar to the walls of Rothenburg, the Residenz, a Baroque masterpiece, is certainly not. Napoleon stayed in the Residenz in 1806 and described it as the most beautiful palace in Europe. Although the Residenz was gutted by Allied firebombing in 1945, the reconstruction has been amazing.
If you liked the Residenz, be sure to visit the Kappelle (in the hills across the river from town and across a smaller valley from the ) and the Jagdschloß ("hunting lodge") of Prince-Bishop Julius Echter (just outside town in Veitshöchheim).
For some of my photos from Würzburg click here or here.
dear edward john,
what i saw you write about germany is wrong and offensive. me being a serb mixed with croat, croatia germany is my home why are you prejudice against my people? please let me know i really wonder.
I grew up in Bonn, and I returned to Germany as a tourist after leaving it as a young boy many years later. I love this country, and even though I have traveled to many countries in my life, I keep on returning to Germany for its beauty. There is a lot of culture everwhere you go to in Germany. Their bread and pastery is fresh and delicious. From Bavaria, I can travel in a matter of hours to Austria, Italy, France and Switzerland. This is a country to enjoy ... over and over.
There is hardly any place in Europe which a photographer wouldn't find interesting.I have visited Bavaria and it's a wonderful place where you don't have to fear thieves robbing you of your photo equipment and a place where you can be taken back many centuries without sitting in any "time machine".Germany is the heart of former Roman Empire and towns like Regensburg,Passau or Bodenmeis int the south of the country are spectacular.I sometimes feel that people envy the Germans for their achievments and that's really a pity.If you dislike the Germans than you shouldn't probably come to Germany and maybe try visiting other places.
... as a reply to the comments on "overconstructed". Industrial landscape has its charme, too, and Essen with the Ruhr zone has been elected to further candidate for European cultural capital 2010 recently exactly for this reason. Southern Germany is not so typical, but the upper Rhine Valley was unfortunately indeed changed into artificial enough so it needs today renaturation. However, this can be an occasion to find photographical motifs (see photo).
... and what Karlsruhe would have to 'offer' as Kulturhauptstadt.
Karlsruhe is a baroque city (the name means something like "rest of Carl"), with radial streets leading to the castle. The pedestrian street (photo) is linear and crosses these rays in the southern part of the city, while the northern is left to the castle park, exemplary also because of the campus integrated in it. Karlsruhe's fountains are a concern of the cultural resort of the city (along with more modern achievements like the Centre for Art and Media ZKM - unique in Europe) as they highlight the baroque caracter of the city.
When I read the leading articel it makes me smile. Not only because he's right but also I live in germany. He had picked out some of the highlights. I personally looked for the quieter places around to get more of the special cultural environments. And there are a lot of. People is quiet different from the nothern to south and they quiet great in set up there own art of living.Try to explore some differnce between Schleswig-Holstein and Bavaria. To taste that I like to travel. Not onlyin food and drinking (even this is an important expirience)but also in habitand and manner to order their life.
And I do it that way when I visiting other continents.
I like to
I liked Jim's article and I liked his rebuttal to those who say to stay away from all the areas he mentioned because they're "too touristy." I've lived in Germany for four years now (I'm American), first in Darmstadt for three years (20km S of Frankfurt) and in Garmisch-Partenkirchen for the past year (Bavarian Alps, Austrian border, 1hr. SE of Munich) with two more to go. I agree with Jim that it's important to see the big sights and get an overview of the area and then take your time to explore if you can. The big sights, while they can be filled with tourists and often are not the originals but have been rebuilt after having been destroyed during WWII, give a good sense of the hundreds of years of history that is at one's fingertips in this country. But then, you can go for a wander and stop into almost any little town and find a picturesque "Altstadt" with its "fussganger zone" (Old Town with Pedestrian Zone), full of Mom and Pop shops, gasthauses and braustuberls, where you can while away the afternoon at an outdoor table having kaffe and kuchen (coffee and cake), staying as long as you like with no waitress shooing you away to make room for the next paying customers. I agree that the best stretch of the Rhein is Ruedesheim to the Deutsches Eck at Koblenz, and that the turn down the Moesel from there is well worth the time. Burg Eltz isn't the easiest castle to find or get to, but its setting especially is quite dramatic. No one's mentioned going north. Definitely go check out the cathedral in Cologne for some dramatic photo ops. We love just being able to ramble around the ruins that seem to be just about everywhere. I can't even remember the name of one of my husband's favorites. It's right off the A5 in the Rhein River plain about 30 minutes S of Darmstadt. Just a fun place to go poke around and take pics. (See attached photo. Maybe someone will recognize it!) We've also found Germany to be an ideal base for exploring the rest of Europe. Germans aren't mean, but they are formal in a lot of respects. Greet the people when you walk into (Guten Tag) and out of (Auf Wiedersehen) a shop, assert yourself (but not rudely) when it's your turn for something (anything), as Germans don't queue, and don't expect to get a lot of eye contact or smiles in the streets unless you have a dog or small child with you (not much different than living in NYC). You'll have a fabulous time!
The falling of the borders in 1989 has also opened a whole new world to Germans and western tourists alike. Visit the historic city of Dresden, which was severely bombed out during WWII. The eastern-most city of Goerlitz is not to be missed, if you want to see a really old Altstadt. They have buildings there that date to the 10th century. Head to the Erzgebirge (Ore Mountains) for some quaint old villages. The town of Schwarzenberg has a castle and cathedral at the center of town that are not to be missed! And Seiffen, also in the Erzgebirge, is the original home of all things Christmas: Nutcrackers, Spinning Christmas pyramids... it's the only place I know where it's Christmas all year round.
Of course, visit Berlin as well. And Weimar, which was the home of Goethe and Schiller, and Bach even lived there for a time, as did Franz Liszt and many others. Weimar has a great Stadtstheater where you can catch a play or an opera.
These are a few of the cities I lived in while living in Germany in the mid-90s, and they've all got great sights to see and photograph!
Me being German, I felt quite offended by mr Junker's comment. I assume he was having a bad day.
The article itself is very limited to the southern part of Germany (which was the intention), which is considered more 'rustic', especially Bavaria, and boasts fairy tale castles and fests galore. Nevertheless, don't ignore there's a northern part of Germany, too, which is completely and utterly different, and would definitely deserve an own article or section of this travel database.
Mostly flat, with some small exceptions, and people who are quiet, hesitant, and don't make friends easy. Being in Northern or Southern Germany is like being in two different countries, really. You have large river marshes, like on the Holland border, where the Rhine crosses into the Netherlands, you have Hamburg with that peculiar, almost British, feeling, and you have the North and East sea, the latter being a bit like the Hamptons. You have Cologne with the massive Cathedral which has been built through 6 centuries, and is worth every detour. And never forget Berlin, which has been thriving in the past few years! If anyone considers my country worth a vacation, feel welcome to contact me for a bit of advice.
If you're coming
from the USA, most flights will arrive in Frankfurt. You'll want to rent a car.
This will provide you with the most flexibility as much of Germany's charm lies
in the smaller towns and villages a bit off the autobahn. Driving to the
northwest from Frankfurt, it's about a 60 minute trip to the Rhine Valley. Our
destination was the small town of Rudesheim, situated on the banks of the Rhine
River. Rudesheim makes a good base for exploring the valley, and the river
itself. You'll have a choice to make; either drive the valley at your leisure, or
take a Rhine River cruise. We opted for the cruise.
Traveling
southeast from the Rhine Valley you can follow the signs along the autobahn and
easily reach the Romantic Road (RR). This stretch of road passes several towns
and villages leftover from medieval times. Probably two of the most popular are
Rothenburg and Dinkelsbuhl. If you're coming from Frankfurt or the Rhine Valley,
plan to spend a night in Rothenburg.
The first
place you'll probably want to head for is the Market Square in the center of
town. From here you can visit the TI (Tourist Information Center), have lunch or
dinner, or book yourself on the Night Watchman's tour. You'll also want to visit
St. Jakob's church, and the Medieval Crime and Punishment museum. One other
highlight in Rothenburg is to "Walk the Wall", referring to the ancient wall that
surrounds most of the town. It will be the least crowded in the morning. If
you've taken the Night Watchman's tour, you'll have already covered a portion of
it. But in the morning, you'll get some great views of the Rothenburg
rooftops.
The Neuschwanstein Castle area
of Bavaria is more or less the end of the Romantic Road. If you're going at the
peak tourist times during the summer, you'll need reservations to tour the
Castles. If you don't have reservations, an early arrival gets you a better
chance of gaining entrance without too much of a wait. In any case, the price of
your ticket gets you into two Castles...Neuschwantstein and Hohenschwangau, which
was King Ludwig's boyhood home.
Backtracking a
bit north and east from the Romantic Road area takes you to Munich, home of the
Oktoberfest. Of course, we just happened to be in town for this yearly beer
fest...along with a few hundred thousand other fun seekers. The Oktoberfest runs
for 16 days from the last week in September until the first week of October. The
size and scope of this festival has to be experienced in person. It's estimated
that over a million gallons of beer are served. I did my best to add to this
total but could only manage a few quarts, along with a few giant pretzels,
countless sausages, delicious rumpsteak and giant pork knuckles.
Of course, Munich is not all beer and
pretzels. For a taste of the historic side of Munich head for the Marienplatz.
Enjoy some coffee or hot chocolate in the shadow of the Glockenspiel. Visit St.
Michael's Church and the 5-century old Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady),
recognizable by it's twin onion domes.
If you've had too
much of a good time in Munich you can cast some gloom on your trip with a visit
to nearby Dachau, the first Nazi concentration camp built in 1933. I won't go
into any of the particulars on visiting Dachau, Philip Greenspun has already
written a piece about it 
