"Germany - Heart of Europe" a Germany Travel Page by mtncorg

Having lived in Germany for three years and having been here on many trips since, this is the country outside of my own that I am most familiar with. The old western section was about the same size in land mass as my home state of Oregon. But, whereas Oregon has 3 million people living in the state, Germany has millions more. The thing about Germany - and Europe, in general - is that with so many people living in the country, it still doesn't sprawl all over the countryside like the Newer World cities. It is still possible to get out and wander in the woods or hills.

Germany has a lot to offer and it is bigger than it looks on that world globe of yours. I would recommend exploring small sections of it. One can explore history, art, nature, architecture, whatever. And Germany, not unlike most other European countries, is a whole lot of countries thrown in one. From the pastures of Schleswig-Holstein to the vineyards along the Mosel; from the capital of the New Germany, Berlin, to the beergartens of old Munich; from the heathlands of the Luneberger Heide to the awesome grandeur of the Berchtesgadener Alps.

Germany is also an easy country for a beginning American traveller to put on their itinerary. I think that if you can gain an understanding of both Germany and Germans - their history (not just the World Wars), their art and cultures, you have a good beginning for the rest of Europe. It does, afterall, lie in the heart of Europe and has influenced and been influenced, in turn, by the countries surrounding. Public transportation - train, bus or boat make the country easy to get around in. And, of course, you can try your luck on the autobahn, as well, but for large cities, you (as in most of Europe) will need a good map and a good navigator. It is a bit more expensive now, since the euro has taken effect. Some of my German friends complain that when the euro came in, prices remained the same. Only the 'DM' symbol went away to be replaced by the euro symbol.

There are so many places to see and go in Germany, a comprehensive page would be somewhat useless due to size - somewhat like VT pages people have created for the US or Europe. Only scattered highlights can be attempted. Many of our fine German VT members can fill you in on the finer details or other veteran VTers who have long experience wtih this interesting, colorful and controversial country. Again, my memories are like images caught in memory. A castle here, a glass of wine there, maybe a cathedral or a mountain.