Going to Germany for three weeks in the summer.... any tips/advice?

The Berlin wall and all the museums you can fit in

Just don’t wear any raccoon hats.

@RandomMrdan- I love animals too much to wear anything made from one. I actually have a raccoon in my backyard that I put out food and water for, my family and I nicknamed it Meiko.

What group are you going with (if any)?

Organization? Is it school sponsored…?

@naivete – I am going for The United Games of Nations program, and it is through a small organization, we’re still raising funds for the trip since I’m not the only one going.

@dogkittycat Make sure you’ve researched the organization!

I’ve never been to Germany but Austria is gorgeous and the people are generally friendly..

@naivete – I don’t need to… I know everyone in it and the people who are running the program in Germany.

Kebabs are great—and cheap!
If you ask for water, make you sure they know what you want. If you just say “water” (“Wasser”), they’ll assume you want the carbonated type. If you don’t, ask for “Wasser ohne Gas”.
Go to the Old National Gallery (Alte Nationalgalerie). It’s pretty neat. While there, write down the name of a painting of one of the Kaisers leading a parade in Potsdam (I think). I’ve been trying to remember for years!
Oh, and go to Potsdam. Sansouci is great.

Learn German? ;P

On the whole, you will find that Germans are formal and stand-offish with strangers but quite warm and amiable with friends. I would think that you will be warmly welcomed by your host family.

I traveled to Bavaria, in the south of Germany, once or twice each year for almost 19 years. I have been to the personal residence of only one colleague in all of those trips. In my experience it is very rare to be invited into someone’s home. On the other hand over the years I have invited at least a dozen of my colleagues to my home when visiting our US HQ in North Carolina. So take advantage of the chance to meet a German family up close.

You will want to see the Holocaust Museum in Berlin, if you can. Take in as much history and “culture” as you can, these opportunities to see a foreign country for more than a short visit come infrequently

Unless you have already done so, learn a dozen or so key phrases, like the various ways of saying thank you, you’re welcome, hello, goodbye (formally and informally), how are you, what is your name, my name is “dogkittycat”, etc. This will go a long way with your hosts and anyone else you might meet.
German children start English in the third or fifth grade, so the use of English is wide-spread.

Most of all, have a good time

SRM

Don’t be surprised to be seated at tables with strangers.

When you go to a restaurant, take a seat on your own. Nobody will come to lead you to a table.
Our public transport is excellent and will take you about anywhere in the country. Use it whenever possible.

I lived in Berlin for 3 months, I loved it there.

Germans are nice, but blunt, so don’t think they are being rude, because they aren’t.

Berlin Wall, explore Kreuzburg, Mitte, Friedrichshain, Alxanderplatz area, TV Tower, Brandenburger Tor, Tiergarten, Zoologischer Garten, Kaiser Wilhelm Church, Reichstag , Holocaust Memorial, Hauptbahnhof..

Eat currywurst, get a döner kebab, drink some Sternburg Export,

learn a bit of German if you don’t know any now:
Hallo (hello)
wie gehts (how are you)
Danke (Thank you)
Bitte (please)
guten tag (good day)
tschuss, tchussy (bye, byebye)
entshuldigung (excuse me, as in if you bump into someone on the train)

and most importantly- Geschwindekeitsbegrenzung (speed limit)

…love that word

Also DON’T cross the street if you do not have the walk signal, it’s not something they do really.

Don’t go up to someone and say “Ich bin verloren.” when you find yourself lost in a subdivision of suburban flats. It has the wrong connotation.

@wenn but there is none on the Autobahn, Geschwindekeitsbegrenzung I mean.

@anartist
Actually, about ⅔rds of them have speed limits.
And even on the strips that do not, the cops can still get you for traffic endangerment.

@ragingloli oh I stand corrected – - – I thought they were just speed advisories.
Well good thing I am not driving around over there
thanx :-)

@anartist
You can drive some laps around the Nürburgring racetrack (for a fee). You can even rent a track car if you do not want to risk your own.

If you will be driving don’t drink and drive. I would not have more than one glass of anything, and still stop at least an hour before getting on the road. If I remember correctly the DUI there is much lower than in the states. Also, my guess is they are very strict about not talking on the phone while driving. Germans drive fast and drive well. When they drive they are not drinking coffee or eating a hamburger. Study the international symbols for the road.

If you travel, I stayed in Garmish for a few days and thought it was wonderful. The Zugspitze is there, or nearby, I think it is the highest mountain/Alp in Germany, and you can take a train to the top. The Alps are just beautiful. I also enjoyed a tour of Castle Neuschwanstein very much. I did not visit any of the holocaust memorials, but if you are interested in that, of course those are an option.

Most of the people I encountered spoke English, so the language was not a problem, but having a Berlitz book of German can be helpful, and people usually appreciate if you try.

Don’t Goose Step. They might get the wrong idea.

@ragingloli :-D

Don’t call the partner units First Sergent a Nazi. If you are in the military, you won’t be for long. At least once you get out of the Brig. If not you will get a can of whoop @$$ opened on you.

Also what were you going to cook? BBQ chicken went over well when I was there.

I think Mattbrown is also a good person to ask for suggestions. He and @ragingloli are the only two I can think of who are German.

Cities: Berlin, Munich, Nuremberg, Cologne, Dresden, Hamburg
(small) Towns: Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Dinkelsbühl, Miltenberg, Trier, Wernigerode (in East Germany, it’s fantastic)
Other sightseeing: Neuschwanstein, Bavarian Alps, Linderhof Palace, Hohenzollern Castle, southern Black Forest, Rhein castles, Mosel

Yes, Germans can appear to be very frank. It’s a sign of trust and appreciation. No means no. It’s honest. Motto: only weak people can’t take no for an answer. But yes also means yes. And if Germans do invite you they really mean it. And if they tell you they want to keep in touch they really mean it.

And umlauts do matter.

Tschuss is very wrong. It’s Tschüss or Tschuess.

@mattbrowne
And Bautzen. Go there and buy the best mustard in the world. They also have a dinosaur park there. Kids love dinosaurs.

Bautzen? I’ll put that on my list. We know

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxon_Switzerland_National_Park

which is a bit further south. Beautiful ! And this can be combined with a trip to Dresden and

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erzgebirge