Germany

When it comes to most things the Germans just do it better, cars, food, and especially Beer. Offering a vast contrast of modern culture and history Germany is an eye-opener and a must-visit country for everyone. As you travel through any city or village in Germany and you can see the scars of the past, that is what makes Germany so amazing they don’t hide from their past, they leave it open for all to see and learn from, in the hope that these things won’t ever happen again.

Germany is a huge country, give yourself plenty of time to travel around and enough time to enjoy that particular town. If it is your first time in Germany definitely hit up the bigger cities like Berlin and Munich as they offer so many amazing experiences but if you’re looking for something magical head out into the countryside

The Autobahn Speed demons from all over the world have heard of the magical highway where you can put your pedal to the metal and go as fast as you want. The Autobahn is a major highway that runs through the whole country, on the contrary, to popular belief, there are limits on some sections of the Autobahn. They are usually well signed and speed limits are enforced. However on 60 per cent of the highway, there are no official limits, how is this possible? it has a lot to do with the power of the German automobile industry extremely well-engineered cars, what better way to showcase them.

• Every office must have a view of the sky, however small.
• A pillow is classified as a “passive weapon” and hitting someone with one can lead to charges of assault.
• You can not wear a mask while on strike.
• It is illegal for one’s car to run out of gas on the Autobahn.
• Playing the Piano after midnight is illegal
• There is a law you can not deny a chimney sweep access to your home if he demands it.
• In Munich: During Octoberfest, no person is ever legally drunk – no matter how much alcohol they have consumed.

Castles of Germany

Germany these days looks like a fairy tale land complete with over 25 thousand castles, a significant number of these magnificent castles were built by King Ludwig or nowadays known as Mad King Ludwig. It is unknown if he was actually mentally unstable or just enjoyed spending a lot of money on excentric castles. In Bavaria, you will find the world’s most recognised castle, Neuschwanstein, which Disney copied and to this day uses as their logo. These days some have been turned into hotels, tourist attractions or just remain frozen in time perched up on the hillside.

Accommodation in Germany ranges from Hotels, Hostels to Airbnb. The closer you are to the main attractions or the city center the more you will pay for accommodation. In Europe the metro/public transport systems are amazing, stay a little future out of the city but make sure it is close to a public transport stop so you can get around. Hotels in Europe can be of a different standard to what you are used to, expect small, basic and keep in mind you get what you pay for.

The Germans just do food well, everything is cooked to perfection and almost always supersized! Diet is not a word in Germany just indulge and enjoy.

Sorry to those vegetarians but German food is well known for its heartiness and MEAT

There are over 1500 different types of sausages the most famous being the Brutwurst which is a ½ or 1m long hot dog filled with delicious German Sausage

Mains

Currywurst – A typical street food or snack in Germany, the Currywurst is a  sausage in-home tomato, bbq kind of sauce dusted with curry powder

Pork Knuckle – Juicy, tender, and well-cooked pork, complete with a crispy crackling coating the outside.

German Schnitzels – are incredible, they are usually the size of the plate if not bigger

Sauerkraut – This is a side dish that comes with the main, it is sour or fermented cabbage. Don’t knock it until you try it. The taste is sensational.

Dampfnudell: This is a yeast ball from southeastern Germany near the Austrian border. It can be enjoyed sweet as a dessert filled with fruits, or savoury stuffed with meat and served with Sauerkraut.

Frikadellen: German meatballs, pan-fried balls of spiced meat usually served with potatoes.

PRETZELS – Here in Australia we are brought up with the crunchy pretzels, which is NOT traditional in Germany the pretzels are made of a bread/dough-like mixture and they are usually as big as your head, a perfect snack to soak up the steins of beer that you will be consuming.

Deserts

Haribo: Founded in 1920 It is famous for its gummy bears, which have been in production since 1922.

Lebkuchen: These are made of gingerbread dough, and can come coated with chocolate, walnuts, dried fruits, and other sugary treats.

Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte: This is known in English as the black forest cake. It is made from berries that grow in the black forest and sweetened with chocolate.

German Beer 

When it comes to beer the Germans just know how to do it better. It is taken very seriously and is made with pride. The Germans are the 2nd largest consumers of beer behind the Czech Republic, Beer is considered a human right and is usually cheaper than water. Beer is like an art, it is made with no preservatives and has to pass a purity test before it can be sold as German beer. There are 500 brands, 1300 breweries in Germany. Around 7 million litres of beer are consumed every Oktoberfest 

Jägermeister: A digestive drink made with 56 herbs and spices and at a strength of 35%.

The public transport system in Germany is word class. The bigger cities have a system that will get you anywhere you want to go. Berlin and Munich have a range of transport options, but they are all integrated. You can travel on the busses, trams, S-Bahn, U-Bahn (above ground). A one-way fare starts at 2.90 Euro, you can get a day pass for 9 Euro which is unlimited, or a three day pass for around 17 Euro.

In most of the major cities, there are well-marked bicycle lanes, you can find bicycle rentals for around 15 EUR per day in most places.

Train – Train travel is an incredibly efficient way and fantastic way to get around Germany. The Deutsche Bahn offers high-speed trains and regular trains. The high-speed trains are fantastic and a very quick way to get around but be prepared to spend more on the ticket. Tickets from Berlin to Munich can get up to 190 Euro, there is the option of intercity trains, regional trains, and overnight buses, the cost comes down on the ticket usually running between 50-70 Euro. They often release last-minute specials, so it depends on how flexible you are with your itinerary. The Trainline is a fantastic resource that you can search almost any train throughout Europe to compare times and prices.

Bus – The buses around Germany are fanatic and are by far the cheapest way to get around the country. Most of the buses are comfortably set out, have semi-reclining seats, aircon, and stop for frequent rest stops. This might be the cheapest way to travel to Germany, but it is not the quickest, if you are on a tight schedule the trains might suit you better. However, the buses offer the option of an overnight journey, you don’t waste a day traveling and you save on a night’s accommodation. I have personally used Flixbus, they are by far the cheapest, most punctual, and comfortable buses.