Germany
Destination Germany, a country rich in history and culture with mountain ranges, spectacular forests and rivers. City life in the capital of Berlin is diverse, and the art and nightlife scenes are sure to surprise you.
The city is home to the Brandenburg Gate and the Neptune Fountain, a baroque fountain of bronze and granite, commissioned by Kaiser Wilhelm II and made by Reinhold Begas in 1891.
There are many sites relating to WWII. The Reichstag and Bundestag Buildings among them, and, of course, the Memorial to The Murdered Jews of Europe. The memorial, designed by the New York artist Peter Eisenmann, consists of a large space filled with 2711 stelae. These look like sarcophagi built of concrete, placed in a regular pattern of varying heights.
The Berlin Wall has to be at the top of the city’s tourist hot spots. Many of us will recall seeing the Fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, broadcast on news channels all over the world. Afterward, a project called the ‘East Side Gallery’ was started. This initiative involved over a hundred artists who were asked to make murals on a remaining stretch of the Wall in East Berlin.
Munich is known for its Oktoberfest and beer halls with hearty foods including, of course, delicious sausages. While in Munich it’s great to enjoy a beer and a hearty Brotzeit (which is a bread-based snack).
The bread baking tradition here is deeply important and inspirational, and many of the local bakeries date back to the 19th and early 20th century, while the Hofpfisterei goes back at least as far as 1331.
For more rugged adventures, the German Alps are not as high as the equivalent parts in France or Austria, for example, but they make up for it with an equally beautiful natural scenery full of fascinating palaces, castles, monasteries, and fortresses that shape the area’s unique face.
The Alps are one of the greatest mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east, and winding through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west. Perfect for hikes, paragliding or hang gliding, there’s also the opportunity to admire the stunning backdrop of the mountains in perfect relaxation with a good beer if that is your choice of holiday fun.
There is something for young and old alike with bars and restaurants for all tastes in the cities, and the German beer flows well throughout. Germany as a tourist destination is a diverse and vibrant location, from the Black Forest, the mountainous Alps region and picturesque villages, not to mention the northern beaches, magnificent art museums and culture.