In the old days, traveling to Germany meant you could pack five bags and have clothes for every eventuality (invited to a Costume Ball? covered…. hiking in the Alps? covered…. A day at the spa? got it). Today, you are far more restricted by luggage allowance and increasing costs per bag. And honestly, who wants to schlepp all that luggage??…
Category: Travel to Germany
A Visit to the East Side Gallery Berlin
In February 1990, 118 artists from 21 countries came together to memorialize the fall of the Berlin Wall. Their incredible plan was to create a visual representation of the joy and energy felt in Germany and worldwide. When they finished in September 1318 meters of Wall were painted with a string of murals that would become the East Side Gallery.…
Water Castles or Wasserschlösser in the Münsterland
As a child, I always drew my castles the same way. A medium large building with a turret on each side, completely surrounded by water. I wasn’t drawing Neuschwannstein or Burg Eltz… I was drawing the Wasserschlösser or Water Castles I remembered seeing in the Münsterland. You see, whenever we visited my Oma and Opa, we always visited their Castle,…
The Pied Piper of Hamelin Story-800 Year Mystery Wrapped in Fairy Tale
When I was growing up, one of my favorite German fairy tale vinyl records had the Rattenfänger von Hameln story, the Pied Piper of Hamelin Story. As a child, the idea of all those kids being snatched up because the town fathers didn’t want to pay the exterminator’s bill made a HUGE impression on me. I listened over and over,…
What is a Schrebergarten or Kleingarten? Germany’s Little Gardens
You are traveling along in Germany, and suddenly, on the side of the railroad tracks, there is a cluster of fenced-in tiny houses surrounded by small gardens. Are these actual homes? Is it a campground for seasonal workers? Is this where the Garden Gnomes live when they aren’t in your garden?? These little plots of land are called Schrebergarten or…
Berlin Food Tours- One City, a World of Tasty Food!!
One of my favorite things about visiting Germany is the Food. The bread, the sausage, the Souvlaki, the Sushi… Sound odd? But the BEST “ethnic” foods I’ve ever eaten were in Germany. As you can see from the image above, the city with the what has to be the most diverse restaurants in one small place is Berlin. Something about…
Visit the DDR Museum Berlin- An Interactive Museum of East Germany
Perhaps it’s because I loved the TV show Deutschland 83 and the film Goodbye Lenin, or maybe it’s because I’m forever haunted by the thought that a city can be divided by a Wall. It could even be the wild wallpaper, but the DDR Museum in Berlin ranks among my favorite German museums. This little hands-on museum offers a fascinating…
The Best Currywurst in Berlin? What is Currywurst? And where to FIND it!
It’s not a shock, if you are looking for the best Currywurst Berlin is the place to go. After all, Currywurst was invented in Berlin… and there is a currywurst stand on every other corner. There is even a Berlin Currywurst Museum! On my last visit I tried as many as I could (in the name of science, you…
My Week in Berlin- Museums, Currywurst, and a LOT of Cake!
My daughter spent a semester as an Exchange Student in Berlin, and I decided it would be a good time to visit. Let me begin by saying… A Week in Berlin is not enough time to see/do/experience and EAT everything I wanted to. But! I’m proud to say that we did give it a try, and we managed to squeeze…