Gaile looking for Tourist Advice 12 July 2006

[Earnbrand Aelbwine]

Not a whole lot here, and no new information, but I figure the community may be able to help with her questions for a change.

http://www.ews.uiuc.edu/~enevold/GaileTourist.jpg

[Cerulean Niteshadow]

I am not sure why, but for some reason her coming into the game to ask for tourist info bothers me.

I am glad she decided that she should post on the German Forums.

[Gaile]

I didn't really expect this to be logged. :embarassed: A German friend suggested I stop by and ask Germans about their country, and I thought I'd duck in for a few minutes and do exactly that.

And hey, any "touristy" info from folks reading this thread would be very welcome!

[[[And please, if someone reads this and feels negatively towards it, I'm a person as well as a dev, and I'd rather not read pages of how I "should be" doing this and that during my time in the game, or "shouldn't be allowed to" engage in whatever, nor how the community "expects" such-and-such from me every minute I'm in the game. :wink: I may be feeling a bit edgy in even guessing that such a comment might be considered, but please let's not go there. :shocked: ]]]

[Cerulean Niteshadow]

I didn't really expect this to be logged. :embarassed: A German friend suggested I stop by and ask Germans about their country, and I thought I'd duck in for a few minutes and do exactly that.

And hey, any "touristy" info from folks reading this thread would be very welcome!

[[[And please, if someone reads this and feels negatively towards it, I'm a person as well as a dev, and I'd rather not read pages of how I "should be" doing this and that during my time in the game, or "shouldn't be allowed to" engage in whatever, nor how the community "expects" such-and-such from me every minute I'm in the game. :) I may be feeling a bit edgy in even guessing that such a comment might be considered, but please let's not go there. :shocked: ]]]

Since you posted just after I did, I am guessing that part of you comment is directed to me as well as others, but I will not go there at this time.

I would say that 99.9% of the time when you enter the game with your Gaile character you will be logged so please remember this.

As far as Germany. I was there over 20 years ago, loved the scenery but as far as places to go I will let others who have been there more recently advise on this.

[Gaile]

Actually, I apologize for the awkwardness of that. I did not read your post, for you see I was writing mine at the time you were posting.

I am sorry for what might have appeared to be an unkind comment directed towards you. Not in the least, I assure you.

[Pei Wei]

Wish I had something contstructive to add, just like how the travel-bug seems to have hit. Still plenty of time to plan excursions that aren't GW related [*mock shock* - that's allowed? :grin:]

Sounds as though Gaile has a lot of things she'd like to do/see. Hope that pans out and the time spent in Germany a memorable one.

[Cerulean Niteshadow]

Actually, I apologize for the awkwardness of that. I did not read your post, for you see I was writing mine at the time you were posting.

I am sorry for what might have appeared to be an unkind comment directed towards you. Not in the least, I assure you.

That is alright, it is not a problem.

I haev been racking my brain as to where it was I went to. I do remember that the country was beautiful. Man I am showing my age as it is either alzheimers or maybe Mad Cow....but I cant remember.

RamStien AB is there but for the life of me I can;t remember the town.


DOH... just Googled it it is Kaiserslautern. :banghead: :duh:

Just remember the area was wonderful and I do hope to get back someday.

[Clint Fastfood]

Hi,

Since I live in Hamburg I would recommend this city, even though we do not have that many castles around here... *cough*

Well, the harbour or the Alster at night are beautiful and kinda romantic aswell.
It's worth a visit I think.

Clint.

[marbo]

There are some beautiful places around the Rhine, like for example the Eberbach Monastery (http://www.klostereberbach.de/html_english/index.html) or the castle in Biebrich (Wiesbaden) (http://www.rheingau.de/sehenswertes/biebrich), which is about 50 km away from Frankfurt. It's a baroque castle builded after the example of Versailles. In Wiesbaden I also would recommend taking a tour with the [http://www.nerobergbahn.de/engl/engl.htm]Neroberg Railway[/url] and visit the Russian Chapel on top of the Neroberg. The Taunus is full of old castles, castle ruins and remains of the Roman Empire, like the fortresses around the Limes.
In Mainz you can find a church named St. Stephan with some famous blue Chagall windows as well as the Gutenberg museum for letterpress.
In Frankfurt the Senckenberg Museum (http://www.senckenberg.de/root/index.php?page_id=71&preview=true) surely is a nice place to visit. Really beautiful ist the "Palmengarten" (http://www.palmengarten-frankfurt.de/englisch/englisch.htm) in Frankfurt, even if you're not interested in plants.
And of course there is the "usual stuff" like the cathedral in Cologne and so on.

I hope this helps! :wink:

[Supermissy]

I posted an extended suggestion at the German Wartower forums.

Greets Missy

[Ora]

If you are in Cologne and visit the Cathedral: Right opposit to it is the "Römisch-Germanisches Museum" = "Romano-Germanic Museum"
fascinating stuff about the Romans in Germany.

http://www.museenkoeln.de/english/roemisch-germanisches-museum/

Heidelberg btw is one giant tourist trap...
And the castles unfortunately often are in remote places.
like Burg Eltz: http://www.burg-eltz.de/d_index.html
which is about the most beautifull among the authentic castles.

Trifels is also very nice. Barbarossa's favorite castle and the place where the holy grail is hidden according to the legend. No legend: Richard Lionheart was imprisoned here in 1193.

http://ceres.informatik.fh-kl.de/bsa/objekt.php?language=002&oid=00052

The most impressive one is Burg Burghausen, on the German Austrian border:

http://www.schloesser.bayern.de/bilder/schloss/burghausen.jpg

Neuschwanstein and other 19th century rebuilds I don't exactly consider authentic.

[Alexia of Durham]

If you just do the "Bach-tour " - which is in itself wel worth doing ,in my opinion - you'll find plenty to see in Leipzig itself .

http://odur.let.rug.nl/Linguistics/diversen/bach/tourist1.html

this isn't a link to any commercial gw-site or fansite,mods .That's a tourist guide to visit "Bach-towns ":grin:

( also made by an individual,I might add ,not a commercial company )

[filendicol]

I didn't really expect this to be logged. :embarassed: A German friend suggested I stop by and ask Germans about their country, and I thought I'd duck in for a few minutes and do exactly that.

And hey, any "touristy" info from folks reading this thread would be very welcome!

[[[And please, if someone reads this and feels negatively towards it, I'm a person as well as a dev, and I'd rather not read pages of how I "should be" doing this and that during my time in the game, or "shouldn't be allowed to" engage in whatever, nor how the community "expects" such-and-such from me every minute I'm in the game. :wink: I may be feeling a bit edgy in even guessing that such a comment might be considered, but please let's not go there. :shocked: ]]]

Hello Gaile,
if you like to visit Germany, you may not forget to visit Bonn, the capital city of Germany untill 1991. A small city, but very interesting. Beside of all the museums, old churches and castles, you can visit the birthplace of Ludwig van Beethoven, the old university, and the old graveyard (why should be a graveyard so interesting?? ) Some important people are there, like Robert and Clara Schumann, Ernst Moritz Arndt, the wife and the son of Friedrich Schiller and many more. From Cologne to Bonn is it about 30 km, so you can visit both cities at the same day.
Greetings from Germany

Filendicol

[Æshættr]

In this Forum everybody give you tips in the middle or the south of Germany.
But Germany isnt only a place of "Krauts", "Weißwurst und Brezelesser". No in the very north of germany live the fishheads.
In the summer the north of germany is a good place to meet and even from Leipzig to here its the journey worth.


You can visit Westerland (http://www.westerland.de/index.php?RUBRIKID=602&RUBRIKID=602&MID=15) a City on the island Sylt.
Or Husum (http://www.tsmh.info/international/lang_en/index2.htm) (can be reached by www.husum.de (http://www.husum.de/).
http://www.boelling.de/nordfriesland/nf/nf16.jpg
Husum is directly @ the westcoast. There you can breath the clean and fresh seaair. (I missed it everytime I leave North-Germany)
I'm living directly near Husum in a small village called Mildstedt. Very neat place :)
Now a small list of very good places to meat. (even for peoples from here!)


North Sea Islands and Halligen
You should never miss out on a visit to the islands and Halligen off the coast of Northfriesland if you spend a holiday in Husum or the Husum Bay Region. Halligen are small islands without dykes that are flooded by the sea several times a year. The inhabitants have adapted to this natural phenomena by building their houses on raised earth mounds, so called "Warften". It is also well worth getting to know the North Frisian islands with their unusual natural environment and fine sandy beaches.

Seehundstation Friedrichskoog (Seal Station)
Friedrichskoog is on the Dithmarschen coast and has become a favourite place for an excursion especially on account of its seal breeding station. Here you can observe how orphaned seals (Heuler) are brought up and what research is being done in this field.

Friedrichstadt
http://www.tsmh.info/international/lang_en/placetovisit/images/friedrichstadt.jpg
Founded by people from Holland and marked by its many small canals, this small town in the southern part of Northfriesland likes to be known as "Small Amsterdam" or the "Venice of the North". The canals and the River "Treene" are ideal for boat trips and paddle boats are also for hire.

St. Peter-Ording
At the western end of the North Sea peninsula of Eiderstedt is the town of St. Peter-Ording,
a very well-known resort on account of its 12 km long sandy beach.
On hot summer days this long beach is ideal for building sand castles and for a refreshing bathe in the North Sea.
The West Coast Park in St. Peter-Ording offers animal enjoyment for adults and children. Wild animals and domesticated animals can be observed in a large park setting of around 20 acres.

Tönning
http://www.tsmh.info/international/lang_en/placetovisit/images/toenning.jpg
The charming harbour town of Tönning is on the North Sea peninsula of Eiderstedt, directly on the banks of the Eider and on the border to Dithmarschen. Small attractive restaurants invite you to eat freshly caught fish, and in December the "Packhouse" is transformed into the largest Advent Calendar of the world.
In the Multimar Wattforum visitors can learn more about the secrets of the Wadden Sea.
Large aquariums demonstrate the co-existence and co-operation between man and nature in the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park.

Flensburg
The port of Flensburg is the most northerly town in Germany directly on the Danish border.
The historic town with its old merchant houses and inner courts, and the attractive harbour give this town a special maritime flair.

Schleswig
One of the oldest quarters of this charming town on the Schlei is the old fishing village on the Holm.
Every two years a Viking festival takes place here and the history of the old seafaring people is presented in a lively and dramatic way.
Three kilometres south west on the Haddebyer Noors is the Viking Museum Haithabu. This excellently laid out and attractively presented museum offers interested visitors comprehensive information about the people from the north.

Lübeck
The Holsten-Tor is the emblem of the city and served originally to protect the harbour.
Today it houses the city history museum. On account of the many historical monuments the city was made one of the UNESCO world heritage sites.

Kiel
In the capital city of Schleswig-Holstein cruise-ships and ocean-going ferries dock right in the heart of the city. As a recognized location for Olympic sailing competitions and on account of the annual " Kieler Woche", Kiel can justly be considered the sailing Mecca of the North Sea.
In the open air museum at Molfsee, old farmhouses, cottages, barns, windmills and workshops from the different traditional agricultural areas of Schleswig-Holstein have been rebuilt in original form and there are demonstrations of how professions and trades were carried out in former times.

Hamburg
The metropolis of Hamburg is within easy reach, thanks to a good infrastructure. We especially recommend a boat trip through the canals of the warehouse city or a visit to one of the famous musicals. There are also many other events taking place in Hamburg, the Hamburg Harbour Birthday for example, or the Long Night of the Museums.

Glücksburg
Glücksburg, a recognized spa and cure centre, is particularly famous for its Water Palace that was the cradle of several European royal families. You can spend several wonderful hours walking along the Promenade or along the beach of the spa.

[tuacker]

Somehow I have the feeling Gaile takes a few months off - to fully explore Germany :P.

Btw: Austria isn't thus far from Germany and it's way more beautiful *runs*

[Apok Omni]

This is a great idea, getting in touch with the whole world that playes GW.

And I am glad to see that all of you guys are helping her out, as I am sure she is reading this as we type.

Yes, Germany is a great place to visit. In fact, all of Europe is interesting. I like that they found a way to kill 2 birds with 1 stone (poor birds...)

Anyway, good luck Gaile!

[Weidi]

Sort of offical Website for cologne need to use the right-sided navigation to stay in english on the side. Left one will kick u back to german site...

http://www.koeln.de/tourismus/en/

Well, finally found an engl. side for "castles" near cologne/at the rhein...
"Drachenfels" / "Dragonrock" is the one nearest by to cologone, afaik.

http://mediaspec.com/castles/rhein/



And before i forget, u should be openminded cuz this is colognes true colour ;)

http://www.directupload.net/images/060713/temp/4MTpN8l4.jpg (http://www.directupload.net/show/d/757/4MTpN8l4.jpg)

And well hope u got my post since my engl. not the best and i ever get slapped for it ;P

[Lady Rhonwyn]

Ok, I'm not German, but Dutch, so may I give some advice about Amsterdam? Don't go there, Groningen is much nicer :grin: (and you're close to the area's Æshættr mentions). But, in earnest, in Amsterdam you will only mostly find foreigners, because every foreigner goes there (saying they've seen the Netherlands while they've only seen Amsterdam). No, if you want to see something of the Netherlands, go to Madurodam.

http://www.madurodam.nl/default.php?language=1&sqlmode=1&fid=479

If you're into history, go to Trier and the Roman baths there. The surroundings there is also very, very beautiful. And I personally love the area between Mainz and Koblenz. The way the river Rhine weaves it's way through the hills is beautiful. And all those small towns, nestling on the hills, all the way down to the river...

I hope to see you in Leipzig.

[Greebo]

No visit to Amsterdam would be complete without a visit to a few notable hotspots;

Firstly, the Van Gogh museum (http://www3.vangoghmuseum.nl/vgm/index.jsp). I had the pleasure once to escort Patrick Stewart and his wife there, so it must be good. :wink:

Secondly, The Anne Frank house (http://www.annefrankhuis.nl/content.asp?pid=1&lid=1&setlanguage=2). Maybe not as upbeat as the museum, but still worth a visit.

Enjoy your visit.

PS: another (in)famous hotspot in Amsterdam is the Red Light District, but I won't suggest it here. Tourists seem to end up there anyway, somehow. Makes for nice anecdotes with the folks back home, I guess. :wink:

[Ora]

Btw, did you know that you can fit the entire heart of Europe (aka Germany) into the state of Montana ? :shocked:

A good place to get a short overview over the key figures and facts:

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/gm.html

(yes, it's the CIA, but they got at least these facts right :laugh: )

Should you go down the Rhine from Cologne to the Netherlands there is this jewel (cathedral, Roman history monument park, castle...we got it all in a town with just 40K ppl..and according to the legend, Siegfried was born here.):

THE CITY OF ROMANS, Of THE CATHEDRAL AND OF SIEGFRIED, THE DRAGONSLAYER

http://www.xanten.de/en/index.php

[Lytha]

Hello Gaile,
if you like to visit Germany, you may not forget to visit Bonn, the capital city of Germany untill 1991.
I was just about to suggest that, too. Among the places that filendicol mentioned, the city itself is one of the most beautiful ones I've seen in Germany. I'd rather visit Bonn than Frankfurt. :wink:

Münster in Westphalia (sp) won some prize for "nicest city in europe" or somesuch some years ago and is quite charming, too. University's main building is a castle, beautiful old buildings in some parts of the city, little moatle castles spread around the nearby country, the cathedral and other nice churches, etc. And the city is crawling with bicycling students.

[solomon noctus]

Some suggestions for Amsterdam and surroundings (how long are you staying there ?).
Hope you don't mind if they are a little "touristy".

Amsterdam sights (http://www.amsterdam.info/sights/)
Museums in Amsterdam (http://www2.holland.com/us/discover/amsterdam/museumsattractions/museums/index.jsp)

http://www.amsterdam.info/museums/img/museum_rijksmuseum_front_view.jpg
Rijksmuseum

Muiderslot (http://www.castles.org/castles/Europe/Western_Europe/Netherlands/muiderslot.htm)

http://www.castlesoftheworld.net/castles/Europe/Western_Europe/Netherlands/Muiderslot-Muiden/MUIDER~1.jpg
Muiderslot

Zaanse Schans (http://www.zaanseschans.nl/zschans/en/index.php?Home%26nbsp%3B)

http://www.zaanseschans.nl/zschans/images/zaanse-schans.jpg
Zaanse Schans

Haarlem (http://www.haarlem.nl/smartsite9.htm)
Delft (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delft)
The Hague (http://home.tiscali.nl/aarde01/)

Utrecht (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utrecht_(city))

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/Domtower_Utrecht.jpg/180px-Domtower_Utrecht.jpg
Dom Tower

Pity I can only put 4 images in this post.

To summarize : there are lots of interesting places to visit in the Netherlands and I could go on for ages posting here. Basically you could just take a map of the Netherlands, throw a dart at it and find something interesting within 5 miles from the place it hits.

[PrimedApe]

Hi!

I didnt have the time to read all the threads, but i still want to post some suggestions, so please forgive if i post something thats alreday been suggested.

In my opinion a Dresden is a place you definitely want to visit. Since nearly all the great buildings have been destroyed in WW2 most of it has been restored and it is beautiful (e.g. the Frauenkirche).

Frauenkirche in 1945:
http://www.npj.com/homepage/teritowe/frk6.jpg

and today:
http://www.entdecken.de/dresden/bild/frauenk.jpg


Also some Chateaus would be nice to visit. For example "Schloss Neuschwanstein" is really great.
http://www.ulrikasheim.org/neualtenburg/guide/Neuschwanstein-06.jpg

If you drive around in Southern Germany and the Taunus you will see Castles and Chateaus everywhere, so just take a look ;)

So long
PrimedApe aka Alex

[moenbase]

Oh yea. Germany has many amazing scenery. I'm from The Netherlands though, western neighbour.
There are many many great things the German have, that we do not. :]

I'm not sure about the German cities, tempetures and such, but in Holland it's really too hot to do a lot of in-town things.

But it does sound very cool to visit German castles and old forts. :]
*that pic above this post just makes me drool* :smiley:

*Hint:
Take ur camery with u and post pictures of the things you see. ;)


p.s.
In Holland I would recommend Madurodam (which is in The Hague, quite a bit away from Amsterdam.), it's an amusement park with Dutch buildings, landscapes, important things on scale.
http://213.206.66.146/default.php?callmode=1&language=1&sqlmode=1

[Ora]

Oh yea. Germany has many amazing scenery. I'm from The Netherlands though, western neighbour.
There are many many great things the German have, that we do not. :]

I'm not sure about the German cities, tempetures and such, but in Holland it's really too hot to do a lot of in-town things.

But it does sound very cool to visit German castles and old forts. :]
*that pic above this post just makes me drool* :smiley:

*Hint:
Take ur camery with u and post pictures of the things you see. ;)

You guys have at least 1 castle I know of in s'Heerenberg :wink:

and Neuschwanstein is just 19th century fake, born from the mind of mad genius Ludwig 2 and ruining his families coffers for the next 100 years...
thank god he committed suicide before he could start to rebuild Falkenstein...:laugh:
But than again, it attracts a ton of Japanese tourists each year, they think it's the place of many fairy tales. :laugh:

[Marlow Fireblood]

Isn't Neuschwanstein the castle that Disney based their logo on? Gotta love a building with a third storey grotto... :shocked:

Anyways, surprised nobody's mentioned Berlin yet...

[filendicol]

Oh yea. Germany has many amazing scenery. I'm from The Netherlands though, western neighbour.
There are many many great things the German have, that we do not. :]

Yes, hills and mountains. :grin: :tongue: :wink:

[Lady Rhonwyn]

Yes, hills and mountains. :grin: :tongue: :wink:
Hey! We have hills! Just no mountains, but we do have hills.

And solomon noctus, for the average American, every part of the Netherlands is in the neighbourhood... I was amazed when I lived in America that people would go for a drive for 3 hours, just to go to a drive-in cinema... (there wasn't any closer to where I stayed). I already think that Assen is far from Groningen... (about 30km...)

[DonBrouhaha]

No in the very north of germany live the fishheads.


Fishheads- Ok now I know the next mask I want...............

[dkar]

My advice to Gaile would be - put T-shirt with "Gaile Gray guild wars community manager" on it. I'm sure you will get lots of "runners" in any city you gonna visit! :grin:

[Vallen Frostweaver]

Beware the beer... One of my friends visited Germany during Oktoberfest and drank lots and lots of beer with her husband... she came back pregnant :shocked:

So be forewarned... beware the beer...

[AmunRa]

at least it's good beer :D

[Vallen Frostweaver]

at least it's good beer :DI would agree more if you said tasted good... otherwise, it's a matter of perspective with risk of the above mentioned side-effects... :worry:

[Ora]

I already knew there was a relation between drinking beer and bellysize...:laugh:

[Dzierzy Mierz]

There are some beautiful places around the Rhine, like for example the Eberbach Monastery (http://www.klostereberbach.de/html_english/index.html) or the castle in Biebrich (Wiesbaden) (http://www.rheingau.de/sehenswertes/biebrich), which is about 50 km away from Frankfurt. It's a baroque castle builded after the example of Versailles. In Wiesbaden I also would recommend taking a tour with the [http://www.nerobergbahn.de/engl/engl.htm]Neroberg Railway[/url] and visit the Russian Chapel on top of the Neroberg. The Taunus is full of old castles, castle ruins and remains of the Roman Empire, like the fortresses around the Limes.
In Mainz you can find a church named St. Stephan with some famous blue Chagall windows as well as the Gutenberg museum for letterpress.
In Frankfurt the Senckenberg Museum (http://www.senckenberg.de/root/index.php?page_id=71&preview=true) surely is a nice place to visit. Really beautiful ist the "Palmengarten" (http://www.palmengarten-frankfurt.de/englisch/englisch.htm) in Frankfurt, even if you're not interested in plants.
And of course there is the "usual stuff" like the cathedral in Cologne and so on.

I hope this helps! :wink:


Oh yes! I just moved back to the states from Wiesbaden, Germany in January. Kloster Eberbach is absolutely GORGEOUS, and the restaurant is lovely. The food is wonderful as well. Actually, I set out to make a nice, well-informed post, but alas, it's just making me homesick. :sad: We spent nearly 4 years in Wiesbaden, and I must say that although it's not a highly touristed area for Americans (who tend to head out from Frankfurt towards the more stereotypical areas) it's well worth spending time in.

I'll make a better post later, now I'm going to go stare at the last bottle of Wein from Kloster Eberbach that we have left......so sad.

[mumerikram]

Gaile if you go to Germany, rent a BMW and drive the Autobahn.
No speed limits FTW !!!

[AmunRa]

Gaile if you go to Germany, rent a BMW and drive the Autobahn.
No speed limits FTW !!!
That's not 100% the truth. There is a Speed limit of 120km/h (~74mph) on the Autobahn, but there are also a lot of parts where you theroatical can drive as fast as you want (depends on traffic).

I'd recommend an Mercedes SL 65 AMG (612 HP | 4,2s 0-100km/h | 12,6s 0-200km/h) :thumbsup:

[Dzierzy Mierz]

BMWs are more trouble than they are worth. We went through 4 of them while we lived there, finally ended up with a little red sporty German spec'ed Mazda (man, I could hear the hubby from a mile out when he was coming home lmao).

Also, as it's already been stated, the autobahn has many places where there are speed limits, and many many places where there is a speed recommendation, and you can indeed get pulled over for going faster if the road conditions are not perfect, and/or you are trying to drive like a maniac in traffic.

There is also the safety factor to think about.

Contrary to movies, the vast majority of people do not drive down the Autobahn in excess of 150 miles per hour....and the ones who do tend to be in older Volkswagons. LOL *remembers the time she was almost run off the road by some old guy in an old Golf*

*runs off to cry of homesickness again*

Make sure you watch out for the Smart Cars, at high speeds they are difficult to see, and easy to smush into oblivion. Just kidding.....well, sorta.

[dndhatcher]

We live in a very interesting world today.

Even 20 years ago, meeting people in a virtual world to get travel advice for the real world was only vague science fiction concept.

Hope you have fun on your trip Gaile. (Good luck trying to go everywhere everyone tells you about!)

[filendicol]

That's not 100% the truth. There is a Speed limit of 120km/h (~74mph) on the Autobahn, but there are also a lot of parts where you theroatical can drive as fast as you want (depends on traffic).

I'd recommend an Mercedes SL 65 AMG (612 HP | 4,2s 0-100km/h | 12,6s 0-200km/h) :thumbsup:

Close to the truth, AmunRa. :-)
To drive on the Autobahn the recommended speed is 130 km/h. Surely we also have speedlimits, like 80km/h or 120Km/h if requiered (because of Road works etc.) but if there is no speed limit on the Autobahn (Gaile, Autobahn 555 from Cologne to Bonn, for example ;-) ) the recommended speed is 130km/h but you can drive as fast as you want.

[Æshættr]

That thing with the drivespeed is a bit annoying, because if you want to really drive fast, aan ideot with a Ford K or something similar slow car drives @ the left side so you must use your breaks.
But there is a special Autobahn which ist very straight and often very empty.

NO REGULAR SPEED LIMITATIONS :neener:

[Lady Rhonwyn]

That thing with the drivespeed is a bit annoying, because if you want to really drive fast, aan ideot with a Ford K or something similar slow car drives @ the left side so you must use your breaks.
But there is a special Autobahn which ist very straight and often very empty.

NO REGULAR SPEED LIMITATIONS :neener:
Ok, I don't have a Ford K, but a Toyota Yaris, and when I'm going uphil, I tend to stay on the left lane because otherwise I'll most likely have to break and will only drive about 60km/h when I'm finally on top instead of the 130km/h I would have done was I able to go on... And I've seen BMW's going to the other lane because they couldn't keep up with me (downhill, naturally...)

[Ora]

Toyota Yaris and Ford K's on the left lane ? omfg...Time to use the foldable bazooka...

To explain for the non German minority: On the contrary to the US overtaking on the right is strictly forbidden in Germany. There are very few exceptions to that rule, e.g. in traffic jams.
Don't get tempted to imitate the idiots doing it. This can get you a very heavy fine plus you might loose your license temporarily.

Btw: No government, not even the one with the green party could ever install a general speed limit on our Autobahn, that would either cause a revolution or at least cost them the next election !

This is a free country, baby ! Tempo 100 ? yeah, in 6 seconds...:laugh:

[FourthVariety]

German Autobahn.

Imagine a German 3 lane Autobahn on a quiet day.
60 mph: You are a truck on the right lane
80-100mph: You are a car on the middle lane, sometimes left.
100-155 mph: You are a crazy person constantly on the left lane and a potential risk.
155+ mph: You tuned your car, so it exceeds the limiter all cars have built in. You will be an absolute risk.

Bottom Line: If you ever want to visit Germany for speeding, please have the decency to take your sports car on the Nuerburgring-Nordschleife. It is the toughest track in existence and EVERYBODY can take his car there for a spin. (You have to pay 50€ for 4 Laps though, one Lap takes 7 minutes in your tuned Viper). If you want to enter the afterlife after a fatal crash, you will be the R0X0R if you did it there.

You can order tickets now, or just go there.
http://www.nuerburgring.de/index.php?id=310&action=race_selected&uid=8


You see, you do not need the Autobahn for Racing, there are perfectly good alternatives. You can also put down 250€ for a ride with a professional if you feel you have the money but not the car. Speed addicted Anet employees however, might want to ask the car rental company first, if wrecking the car on a race track is covered by the insurance.

Have fun

[bizlib]

Well, As Always I must take a different view than the rest (sorry about that - but it must be done)

A trip to Germany is a trip to one of the most charmming countries in europe, it simply has everything - Great museums, nice people, top food, views to die for and so much more - Including it's history....

So sad that it is this history that is still (and will always be) under the shadows of it's past :(

Places to visit? How about -

Bergen Belzen - where over 50,000 people were murdered.
http://www.bergenbelsen.de/en/chronik/

Buchenwald - Where over 60,000 people were murdered.
http://www.buchenwald.de/index_en.html

Dachau - Where over 30,000 people were murdered.
http://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/englisch/content/

Ravensbrück -Where over 90,000 people were murdered!
http://www.ravensbrueck.de/

Sachsenhausen - where over 100,000 people were murdered!!!
http://www.gedenkstaette-sachsenhausen.de/gums/en/geschichte/speziallager/spezial01.htm

There are many many more - but many have forgotten, knowing these only as empty numbers - null values in a never ending ocean of information....
But please - if you have the time visit these monuments to the victims - Give them the respect they have earned in their death....

Now, before the flames start - Don't get me wrong - I love Germany, I am even half German, Berlin is my 3rd fav city (After Vienna and London :wink: ), However, this changes nothing from the fact that with each tour to Germany, there is always a strange burning feeling in my gut.
It's like the burning land & flesh of the past have an unholy link to my present (& future).....

Regards,
& enjoy your trip....

[LunarEffect]

A town in Germany I can really, really recommend is Tübingen. It offers some beautiful old churches, monasteries and castles. The center of Tübingen consists solely of ancient houses with little shops in the bottoms that offer pretty much anything you can imagine and hmmm its pretty green everywhere and has a great park on an island in the middle of the river called neckar. The nightlife is also great, due to the wide spectrum of different clubs/bars/restaurants/cafes/pubs you can go to...and the lighting of the old town at night just looks lovely... well of all the towns/cities in Germany I visited, Tuebingen and the surrounding area are by far my favorite =)

[Delmar]

I didn't see it mentioned in here though it may have already been, but I would also like to recommend "Eagle's Nest." It is also a very picturesque spot as well as containing a lot of history. I saw that most of the other major things have already been mentioned. (Neushanstien (I'm sure I murdered the spelling), Berlin, Frankfurt, Dachau, Munich, Nurnberg (for the war trials, etc.) There are also several King Ludwig castles that are very popular. If you get the chance, (I know you mentioned Amsterdam) there are also the D-day beaches at Normandy in the area. I would also like to recommend trying to dip into France, Austria, and Switzerland. Obviously all of them have their attractions but seeing as much as you can is always a bonus.

There are several American Military communities in Germany and I recommend trying to make contact with some of the service members stationed in Germany. They can help you out with tours and prices through the USO as well as give you some helpful tips/hints on routes/construction and etc. Just a thought. I would volunteer to help out but I'm moving back to the States about the time the conference is going to take place.

Hope you have a great time!

[Kara]

I have never been to Germany, but I love to travel! I'm excited for you, Gaile! Everything looks so amazing, and you're so lucky to have a job that will take you all over the world! AND let you play video games! :rolleyes:

Man, I would love to have that job.

I've been all over the USA, to Mexico 3 times and England twice... and every time I get on a plane it's like I'm stepping into some little capsule and I'll step out into something new!

Cheesy, yeah... but I have a travelling itch. Good luck, have fun, and bring us back pictures!

:cloud9:

[Lady Rhonwyn]

Well, As Always I must take a different view than the rest (sorry about that - but it must be done)

A trip to Germany is a trip to one of the most charmming countries in europe, it simply has everything - Great museums, nice people, top food, views to die for and so much more - Including it's history....

So sad that it is this history that is still (and will always be) under the shadows of it's past :(

Places to visit? How about -

Bergen Belzen - where over 50,000 people were murdered.
http://www.bergenbelsen.de/en/chronik/

Buchenwald - Where over 60,000 people were murdered.
http://www.buchenwald.de/index_en.html

Dachau - Where over 30,000 people were murdered.
http://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/englisch/content/

Ravensbrück -Where over 90,000 people were murdered!
http://www.ravensbrueck.de/

Sachsenhausen - where over 100,000 people were murdered!!!
http://www.gedenkstaette-sachsenhausen.de/gums/en/index.htm

I agree with bizlib on one thing... If you're in the neighbourhood, visit a deathcamp... I'm from the Netherlands where a lot of Jews where exported from. Anne Frank is just one that left something behind of herself. I had read and heard a lot of those camps, but it didn't drive the point home to me like a visit to Sachsenhausen did (btw bizlib, I just edited your link a bit, to show the entire history of it, not just the Soviet one).

It won't be a happy experience, I can tell you that, but it will be one you'll not lightly forget. And I think one you should experience.

[novalithen]

A town in Germany I can really, really recommend is Tübingen. It offers some beautiful old churches, monasteries and castles. The center of Tübingen consists solely of ancient houses with little shops in the bottoms that offer pretty much anything you can imagine and hmmm its pretty green everywhere and has a great park on an island in the middle of the river called neckar. The nightlife is also great, due to the wide spectrum of different clubs/bars/restaurants/cafes/pubs you can go to...and the lighting of the old town at night just looks lovely... well of all the towns/cities in Germany I visited, Tuebingen and the surrounding area are by far my favorite =)


Tuebingen FTW! if you have a ton of time, do the Stockerkahn (sp?) which is kinda like a gondola. Fun ride up/down the river.

I have heard no other peeps from the deep south representing, so here is a plug for the Black Forest! I lived in Villingen-Schwenningen (is that the longest city name in the country? I think it is....) for a year and saw most of the state of Baden-Wurtemburg. If you want some real down-home german flava, here is a trip for you:

Tuebingen:
-see where Goethe puked out a window next to the old church (he hated being there at the time, so he got drunk.)
-have a drink at the Jazz Keller (sweet place to dance all night)

The take the train to Meersburg on Lake Konstanz (Bodensee in German).
-It has a sweet sweet castle that was once occupied by Annette von Drost-Hulshoff (sp?) a very famous german poet.
-Then take the ferry to this little tropical(!) island Minau in the middle of the lake, palms and all are there.
-Then further on to the city of Konstanz, which is gorgeous

-Then take the train to Freiburg, which is just on the border with France. Beautiful city, the Munster cathedral is breathtaking, and during WWII a bomb dropped inside the church but didn't explode. It's one of the few that remain intact of it's size from the war. PLus it's just a great place to walk around. Very eco-friendly place too.

Oh yeah, drink lots of Kristalweizen (filtered Hefeweizen) and eat all the Hanuta you can find.

Sigh, now I'm getting homesick, and I only lived there for a year! BTW if anyone needs a bilingual PC technician in the BW area, let me know, my german wife and I would love to move back!

[Xedu]

I lived there for 17½ years and miss it greatly. Germany is rich in history and it's preservation. The Holocaust isn't the only history Germany has, if it is of interest to you, please visit the memorials and museums, but there is also other wonderful places in Germany to visit and connect with it's entire past.

As for Leipzig only visited it when it was East Germany, so it has been awhile, okay so it's been a very long while. Well some things I recall or have to look up again...Johann Sebastian Bach worked in Leipzig from 1723 to 1750, at the St. Thomas Lutheran church, and Richard Wagner, the composer, was born in Leipzig in 1813.

They have the Völkerschlachtdenkmal (Battle of the Nations Monument).
The Bach Museum operated by the Bach Archive opposite St Thomas' Church is dedicated to the life and work of Johann Sebastian Bach, the great composer and long-term musical director of Leipzig. The Altes Rathaus - Old City Hall, contains a small town history museum and the architecture is renaissance style. And I'm sure many things I never knew of when I went there.

p.s. If available and you like Vicks-44 have some Jägermeister! Gotta love herbal medicine.

p.s.s. If available try a Spezi (cola and lemon drink) it is very good.:grin:

Okay I'm homesick now...please enjoy your visit and take plenty of pictures!

[Trin Storm]

I didn't really expect this to be logged. :embarassed: A German friend suggested I stop by and ask Germans about their country, and I thought I'd duck in for a few minutes and do exactly that.

And hey, any "touristy" info from folks reading this thread would be very welcome!

[[[And please, if someone reads this and feels negatively towards it, I'm a person as well as a dev, and I'd rather not read pages of how I "should be" doing this and that during my time in the game, or "shouldn't be allowed to" engage in whatever, nor how the community "expects" such-and-such from me every minute I'm in the game. :wink: I may be feeling a bit edgy in even guessing that such a comment might be considered, but please let's not go there. :shocked: ]]]Honestly I don't know how you could expect it not to go there or how your in game appearences would not get logged. You are the company spokesperson - it happens every time you come in game. You may be a person - but the character "Gaile Grey" has become the PR face of the game. If you was a person wish to ask something like that - then you should find the appropriate avenue. It is only using your position as Gaile in game that people even answered. A regular person doing that would have been told to go way -

You can't have it both ways.

[Djinn Effer]

I'd probably check out... Kölner Dom, München, Neuschwanstein, Bavaria, Stuttgart, Dresden aaaand Frankfurt.

[CMEPTb]

Gaile should have talked through an un-official account name. I am sure (especially being in the German Districts) that there would be suggestions freely given anyway even with an unkown IGN.

[Cerulean Niteshadow]

Look I am not getting into this debate except to say that it has totally taken this thread off track.

I dont think the thread needs closed as there still may be someone else who wants to contribute to places for her to see, but the Mods may wish to remove several post from this thread.

Gaile asked for suggestions of places to go and people have been supplying them even if they are fun places or serious ones like the concentration camps. I think she can decide from all of the suggestions which ones to go with.

So even if some people think that offering up the suggestions of the camps was tacky it was not out of line. What is out of line is the arguement/debate that is now going on about them.

So lets stop the debate and allow this thread to get back on track! :soapbox:

[snowkissed]

Cerulean said it rather well. I pruned out the debate because this isn't the place for it and it isn't relating to the thread topic at all.

To be on topic, albeit poorly, I've never been to Germany so I can't make any suggestions :laugh: But have fun there and I'm jealous, Gaile :cutie:

[Cerulean Niteshadow]

Cerulean said it rather well. I pruned out the debate because this isn't the place for it and it isn't relating to the thread topic at all.

To be on topic, albeit poorly, I've never been to Germany so I can't make any suggestions :laugh: But have fun there and I'm jealous, Gaile :cutie:

Your welcome Snow and the part you trimed is fine.

Gaile I have posted a place early in this thread. Have fun.

[Be Mesmerized]

Germans about their country, and I thought I'd duck in for a few minutes and do exactly that.

Gaile,
some things to enjoy on the "hours after the day" - as well as Europe would fit into Montana, travelling from Leipzig to i.e. Heidelberg takes > 5hours by car.

In Leipzig you have a beautifull center city; and the "Auerbachs Keller", if you know "Faust" by Goethe, it is where Mephisto took Faust and tried to cheer him up with drinking after Grethe dumped him. Mission: If you do not know "Faust", it may be an idea to read at least a short version before. Go to Auerbachs Keller and have a glass of wine. Reward: 3000XP. Skill "WOW your German studying friends"

That "party" thing: The "Sachsen" = Saxonians are really good at partying. Especially "putting sausages on the grill" has a great tradition there. Mission: ask some local GuildWarers to start a grill for you. Reward: 2000XP, skill "Roasting Sausages"

When walking through Leipzig, usually you will see some NPC selling sousages from a grill around their belly. Mission: get a sousage and it eat. Reward: 1000XP, a happy belly.

Around Leipzig there are some sees to have a bath; be aware: it is not unusual to bath naked. So, no problem even if you lost your bikini in transit.
Mission: Take a bath in one of the seas around Leipzig. Reward: 2000XP. Skill "Refreshing chill out" (stance)

In around 130km distance (that would be 1,5h of drive by car) there is the very beautifull city of Dresden. Some parts there are UNESCO world cultural heritage. Dresden did get some heavy punishment in former times: during WW2 bombs where dropped to destroy it just for psychological warfare; and 2-4 years ago Dresden got flooded. And again it was rebuilt. Just find the Elbe (it is in the center). Mission: Travel to Dresden. Take a boat trip on the Elbe. Read the signs. See a very beautifull city. Meet friendly people.
Reward: 5000XP.

Enjoy your time in Germany,

Be.

[ZylosE]

I want the GWWC to come to LONDON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LONDON FTW

[Kalamir Of Redshire]

I went to Austria a week ago, its pretty nice, and its not too far away from germany. If you do get to go to Austria, check out Salzburg, the Salzburg Dome is amazing. The University Church is also pretty nice to look at, and what got me is that its so clean looking! Its also where the sound of music was filmed at, which is a plus. If you can take a side trip, go for it!