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I guess I'm going to Germany. (Planning/WhatToDo/GenericAdvice)
Wearingglasses
Of the friendly neighborhood varietyRegistered User regular
Of the friendly neighborhood varietyRegistered User regular
Hi guys, I'm going to a trip with my mother and meet with my aunt in Oberhausen (which is North-ish of Dusseldorf, I think). Our relatives from Canada will also be coming. We'll be staying there for three weeks, where the first ten days will be a tour around Europe, all destinations planned already. Then our Canadian-based relatives will leave and I'll be stuck in Oberhausen for the rest of the duration of the vacation. Since I'm just mostly chaperoning for my mom, I'll be free for a week or so.
What stuff can I do? I don't drive, and I don't speak German. I'm not much of a sightseer (castles are nice, though!). Not much of a shopper either. I'd like to sample the local cuisine (I love cheese, and sausages, so I guess that's perfect).
What other things should I bear in mind / watch out for?
Thanks in advance!
What stuff can I do? I don't drive, and I don't speak German. I'm not much of a sightseer (castles are nice, though!). Not much of a shopper either. I'd like to sample the local cuisine (I love cheese, and sausages, so I guess that's perfect).
What other things should I bear in mind / watch out for?
Thanks in advance!
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You'll need to go down to the Rheinland to see fancy castles, but places like Lemgo can be nice to spend an afternoon in. With regards to the local cuisine, don't forget about potatoes and cabbage. They're thrilling. What kind of budget do you think you'll have? A week isn't too long but probably long enough to get bored if you can't plan excursions elsewhere.
Is Dusseldorf or Cologne an easy commute?
PS: Potatoes and cabbages?
What's the difference between the Deutschland Pass and the German Rail Pass, aside from the former's limited time frame? Are these worth it?
Main difference seems to be that it allows you to also take free boat trips on the Rhine and use some touristy bus lines on a discount.
You could for example drive to Düsseldorf, do some sightseeing and later take a boat to Köln instead of the train and have a nice view cruising up the Rhine.
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most densely populated state in Germany and there are lots of cities to see, as a native citizen of Cologne I can point you in some direction when it comes to the city, but it really depends on what you are interested in, historic sights, museums, architecture, etc.
Depending on when you will be there and what you are interested in, Cologne has the GamesCom which is one of the biggest gaming expos and also hosts the German Games Workshop/All things Warhammer Gamesday.
Those events are both in August.
You should also maybe check up and read the wikipedia entry for North Rhine-Westphalia to get an idea what places might be of interest, I can see if I can give you more info about them then.
I probably won't be able to maximize the Rail Pass, come to think of it.
Thanks for the info so far guys, I appreciate it. I'm also reading up on tourist etiquette.
Can I survive commuting around Germany only with English, or do I have to learn the basic phrases (and do Germans frown about foreigners mangling the German language?)? Also, is there a night curfew / last bus ride kind of thing where public transportation shuts down for the night?
Are you 18? If so, you are of legal drinking age. Go out to bars, have some fun, meet new people.
EDIT: Also, some places serve hay soup. Hay soup is gross.
Heads up on the english speaking: the smaller the town you're in, the less english people will speak, but most young people and service staff will have at least a smattering.
You can probably ask for Leitungswasser, but this is very very uncommon and might be frowned upon depending on the place you visit.
Keep in mind that tips are not expected to be as high as in the US and a lot of places make their money on drinks.
If in Düsseldorf the local beer is called Alt. It has a pretty unique taste and might be very unusual for someone used to drinking lager.
In Köln(Cologne) the local beer is called Kölsch. it is a rather light beer and comes in very small glasses. A classic spot for trying it would be the Früh Brauhaus in the Kölner Altstadt.
Food you definitely need to try:
CURRYWURST
Sausage chopped into slices and drowned in a special curry sauce. This is served with french fries.
This is THE classic German fastfood but has in recent years been replaced by the Döner Kebap. Döner is something you can get everywhere as well and also highly recommended.
More coming soon.
eh it's not NORMAL but I never had a problem. And yeah if getting bottled I would probably ask for stilles wasser.
So I do not think anyone will give you any trouble over ordering tap, just saying that it really is highly unusual to do so in a restaurant.
I just noticed your mention of haysoup and I had to google it because I never heard of that.
It's a dish from Austria and is mostly served in the Alps from what I could find out, so I assume you were in the southern parts of Germany?
Actually it doesn't sound that bad, but I never tried it, they just use some hay from mountain meadows for seasoning apparently, you do not actually eat the hay
Other things, though, were excellent. German breakfast food is most enjoyable. And if you order hot chocolate there, they actually make it correctly and don't water it down like they do in the states.
they're basically gyros though
Stilles Wasser, got it.
Most germans can speak a little english and the "functionaries" of society, i.e. people selling you train tickets, can definitely speak enough english to get you where you want to go.
As for random other information:
- Germany is not a 24/7 country like the usa or uk are. Things shut down for the night, plan ahead accordingly.
- Bavaria, while having really pretty cities, castles and landscapes, is full of, by comparison, conservative, elitist jerks.
- Each region will have it's own culinary "thing". On top of what has been mentioned before, I'd also suggest trying "kaiserschmarn" and "schnitzel".
- Americans are portrayed as warmongering idiots a lot of the time, don't reinforce that stereotype! Prism isn't regarded kindly over here, either.
What's the usual / cheap way of buying refreshments / drinks in Germany during the day? Is bottled watter expensive, and/or are there drinking fountains easily accessible?
I've also gotten a bit of info on where we're going to tour around Europe. So far, there'll be Paris, Holland (aka "the place with the tulips"), Lourdes (the old folks are religious, so this one's mandatory), Rome, and Venice. And we're staying over a distant relative's place at Switzerland. No idea if I can sneak away to Bordeaux while they're in Lourdes, probably not.
If you like sausage, and will be in Bosnia and Herzegovina, or Serbia, (or anywhere in Southeastern Europe but they won't be as prevalent) they have these delicious sausages called cevapi that are super delicious.
Definitely try the beers while you're in Germany.
more info!
German tap water is full of stuff that kills bacteria and perfectly safe to drink.
If you really want to you can buy bottled spring water for as little as 0.19 euros a bottle (1.5L).
"Premium" water is also available and costs a euro a bottle.
While there are drinking fountains in some cities (i.e. not many), I'd be really careful about using them. Common sense applies, ze germans aren'y any better at keeping hobo butts away from the fountains than anyone else is.
While in Rome, kill all children that aren't with parent.
No seriously.
Pickpocketting is a huge. HUGE. (I can't bold this enough) problem in Rome and the groups responsible don't mind using kids.
Be particularly mindful in the subway, those little bastards are quick.
In Paris you won't have a problem with pickpocketting kids, in Paris it's people slitting open your bags, grabbing your goods and running for it. Advice? Don't use a bag, chain wallets are a good choice while touring the sites. Or, you know, take a bag but fill it with horse poo. If you hear a "Mais non, merde!" from behind you you know you've struck gold. as opposed to the asshole with shit all over his hands. hah.
and one last bad note: turkish gangs have taken to the charity ruse as of late in germany. alot of them aren't crippled or homeless, they're pretending to be and even if they do happen to be genuinely homeless, germany does a comparitively good job of taking care of those less fortunate. My point is if you want to donate, pick a charity, putting money into peoples' hats isn't helping anyone at the moment.
From what I know, Holland, Paris, Lourdes, Rome, Venice, and Switzerland. I'm not sure if that's the proper order. Most likely each stop will be one day at most of tourist stuff, but the chances of going off on my own is low.
I'm not sure if we'll go to the Southeastern parts of Europe, but I'll keep an eye out for those cevapi, thanks!
Looks like it's the stilles wasser for me after all. Noted on the criminal activity.
Thanks again!
But if you get stuck in another city in The Netherlands, see if you can lose the relatives, and take the train to Amsterdam, as most of the major cities are less than an hour away. Amsterdam stays open well past midnight and the train service runs until half past midnight too.
If you do have time by yourself in Amsterdam, I'd recommend the Brouwerij't IJ brewery, Upstairs Pannenkoekenhuis for lunch (I'd have eaten their pancakes everyday had they opened for breakfast), and Jordan neighborhood for dinner (La Oliva for tapas and Assaggi for handmade pasta).
I've heard that Venice stinks in the summer, is that enough of a deterrent to avoid it? The planned trip is 10 days, so with Rome, Venice, Lourdes, Paris and (maybe) Amsterdam, is that feasible? Turns out we're taking two cars instead of one van.
Definitely try some German food, it is delicious and since your time will be short make the most of it. Watch for pick pockets who will prey on tourists. Talk to your aunt about getting your money into Euros, some services will charge you fees but you can get it a bit cheaper. Most younger people will know English, it is required in school, so you should be able to find some help if needed.
Venice is amazing but yeah, I'd avoid it in the high summer. Not because of the smell necessarily, but the crowds will be crazy-pants. Mind you that's going to be true of everywhere in the Mediterranean.
So to clarify, you've got 10 days and you're going to drive everywhere? In that case I would hit up 3 cities AT MOST. Europe isn't that big but travel is not instantaneous, and most of the places you've mentioned would be worth a 10 day visit just on their own. At the moment your itinerary sounds ... ambitious.
@tynic re: itinerary - Yeah, that's what I was thinking as well, too little time for all of em. Add to the fact that we have old folks who are not used to walking around all day.
Maybe I can tell them to skip Venice and Amsterdam. Amsterdam I can visit after the Europe tour.
I know nothing about Europe, but I just wanted to say that this is a hilarious mental image.
Okay, so it's four days before I leave for Germany, and after the Europe trip on the first half of my vacation I think I want to go to these places (so far):
- Amsterdam
- Cologne
- Gottingen (to visit Carl Friedrich Gauss)
However, a friend "strongly recommends" going to Munich (technically, she said "You're in Germany! Go to fucking Munich!"). How hard is it to commute to Munich, and is it possible to arrange a worthwhile day trip to it?
1) Rome
2) Venice* (just a day visit)
3) Lourdes
4) Paris
5) Amsterdam*
*if there's enough time**
**there most likely isn't enough time, I agree.
Dang, I was afraid of that. So, overnight then? Or leave NRW@midnight?
It's a big city, I'd recommend only going if you've got a plan of what to do, or some people to visit/hang out with, otherwise you'll just end up wandering around. Personally I think Berlin is a better place for a spontaneous visit.