Germany

Visited: 1989 – 2022 (on various occasions)

Duration of visit: 60 days

Capital city: Berlin

Population: 83 million (2022)

Estimated reading time: 11 minutes

• Köln – Cologne Cathedral is the only memory I have from my first independent visit of Germany, while hitchhiking around Europe in 1991.
• Munich – the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, famous for FC Bayern, Oktoberfest, Olympic game host.
• Speeding up well over 200 kilometers per hour at Nürburgring motorsport complex.
• Wondering around Neuschwanstein Castle – the palace of King Ludwig II of Bavaria in 19^{th c}entury.
• Berlin – the capital of united Germany; visited in 2005.
• Legoland Deutschland – one of the most popular theme parks in Germany; visited twice with the kids.
• The Audi factory tour in Ingolstadt allowed me to understand the car production line, technology and plant operation.
• Historic old town with centuries-old buildings in Lindau on Bodensee.

Germany sounds as a characterless country to most of people that are not Germans. However, I believe it is much more interesting than it sounds. Cultural diversity in the last decades has turned around the country completely. If in the early 1990s I had to use all my knowledge of German to get by in a store, restaurant or cultural landmarks, these days there is hardly anyone who cannot communicate in English.

I visited Germany for many reasons: for business, family, sightseeing, language study and logistic. During an overseas flight from New York to Munich an American marine, who came to Europe on a mission, without hesitation answered to my question, what would he want to do or see in Europe in his free time: “I want to ride a Mercedes on a German Autobahn where there is no speed limit!”.

There are more speed limits on German highways recently, but Germany is still unique: over 2,100 castles, 1,500+ different kinds of beers, 300 different breads and 1,000 kinds of sausages.

Germany is also one of the most densely populated countries in the world, the largest car producer and host of the famous Octoberfest festival in the state of Bavaria, where beer is actually considered food.

Germany is a country that is much more than a tourist destination for me. I have visited it on many occasions, but hardly considered it as a tourist destination until recently.

My first memories go to 1989, when Slovenia was part of Yugoslavia and the only option to get a computer at that time was crossing the border. I was eager on buying Commodore 64 and my parents believed that computers were the future, even if only used for games at that time. We drove an old Zastava 101 – Yugo car to the city of Rosenheim and purchased the computer, which was later smuggled through Yugoslav custom control without hassle.

Munich airport has been used as a starting point to fly overseas in some occasions. It is far from my hometown in Slovenia, but connection options by train, bus or car have enabled me to reduce a number of connecting flights or lower my expenses.

In 1990 I was relocated to a small village nearby Steinstadt due to bad notes at German subject in high school. My teacher warned my parents that I could pass to the next grade only, if I was going to get some instructions during the summer holidays.

I was directed to remote family members in a small Bavarian village, where I would communicate for 4 weeks only in German. My uncle and aunt took good care of me; the football World cup in Germany helped making the boredom bearable.

The visit to Neuschwanstein Castle was by far the most memorable highlight: fairy-tale architecture, Romanesque designs and cultural dimension of my castle visit set the bases for explorations in the following decades. My language skills improved a lot and I was an exemplary student the year after.

The capital of Germany offers everything that discerning visitors could request from a European city: tense – rich history, cultural and artistic diversity, high-quality performances, creations by the most famous artists, musicians and architects.

Modern buildings, technological solutions, parks, logistic combinations. Alternative groups, extremist movements of revolutionary solutions and sports events that historically marked the whole Europe.

I was based in a small apartment in Eastern part of Berlin. It was basic, but finished with German precision. At that time, it was much cheaper staying in the eastern part of the city, while the connections to move around the were as good as anywhere else.

Out of many Berlin attractions I want to highlight the following:

Brandenburg Gate is a symbol of German reunification and one of the most iconic sights in Berlin. One of the earliest and most attractive examples of a neo-classical building in Germany is the only surviving historical city gate, constructed between 1788 and 1791. The Gate was crowned by the Quadriga statue, that travelled to Paris, when Napoleon’s army took Berlin in 1806. Fortunately, only for 8 years.

The Gate was standing in the Soviet Eastern sector, being part of an exclusion zone, when the Berlin Wall was raised. A top symbol of reunification of Germany was officially reopened on 22^nd of December 1989.

Reichstag – the current home of the Parliament and a mirror of German history as an internationally recognizable symbol of democracy, playing and important role as an architectural wonder and a historical testimony. Originally modelled after the Memorial Hall in Philadelphia, completed in 1894, it served as the home of the German parliament until 1933, when it was badly damaged in a fire.

Under Hitler’s rule the building fell into neglect; severely damaged during the Second World War and targeted by the Red Army due to its perceived propaganda value. Reichstag didn’t properly recover its position until 1990, when it was chosen as the site of the official reunification ceremony and once again becoming the home of the German national parliament in 1991.

Potsdamer Platz – The bustling heart of the city before the Second World War was a no man’s land from 1945 until the fall of the Wall, and recently dominated by the presence of the Sony Center, skyscrapers and endless shops that attract stars, celebrities, visitors and locals.

Similar to other important buildings, the damage of the Wall through 40 years of neglections was part of sad history. What used to be a wasteland with the Berlin Wall running through it, has become a completely new neighborhood. During my visit some parts of the Wall were still visible, while later in 2008 the last original part was torn down.

In July 2006, I started my German Tour in Cologne, attending a concert of The Rolling Stones at the stadium. Western Europe was under a pressure of hot summer wave, but the legendary group still managed to offer a great show with flames, fireworks, hot tunes and a lot of energy.

Especially Mick Jagger was running, dancing and singing up and down the stage, performing the greatest hits and a bunch of new songs. The stadium exploded at Honky Tonk and Start Me Up. The show ended with Satisfaction, Mick running all over the place and Charlie drumming enthusiastically.

The main destination during that trip was ex-East Germany.

The principal differences between western and eastern parts of Germany that I noticed, were: much better quality of highways, lower prices, many old buildings and abandoned factories in East Germany.

But also, a lot of new construction, store chains and businesses freshly opened, and the challenge to elevate the eastern part to the western level.

Dresden was my next stop. The city is famous for the Baroque Zwinger Palace, Semperoper opera house and the Church of Our Lady. Florence on the Elbe is also well-known for its musical heritage.

The opera house, Staatskapelle orchestra, Dresden Philharmonic, and Kreuzchor boys’ choir all mesmerize their audiences. The cultural schedule is full throughout the year, with the city organizing global festivals and engaging theater and dance shows. During the summer, the city attracts crowds to outdoor events in parks and along the scenic Elbe River.

Erfurt is another city in ex-East Germany, where I stopped, before continuing to the Czech Republic. An old university city with exceptionally preserved old town that dates back for over 1,200 years. The city is also famous as the place, where Martin Luther had his vision to spark the Reformation.

Roman Catholic Erfurt Cathedral of St. Mary was founded in 742, later replaced by a Romanesque and upgraded by High Gothic choir and its three 19^th-century towers. The central tower houses the largest surviving medieval-era bell in the world, the Maria Gloriosa.

The Merchants’ Bridge (Krämerbrücke), the longest series of inhabited buildings on any bridge in Europe, Church of St. Severus and Old Synagogue, one of very few preserved medieval synagogues in Europe, are other top landmarks in the old town.

“Rok, do you have time tomorrow and Wednesday? A friend from an electrical company is seek and cannot joined us to visit Nürburgring. I booked accommodation, transport and a Lotus car to race at the track. I cannot cancel it, but I can change the name on reservation? If you are free you are welcome to join us to have some fun?”

This was a phone call from my good friend, also a business partner, who invited me to replace somebody for a two-days trip to Nürburg, where the main mission would be driving Lotus cars on at the motorsport complex. I was already a freelancer at that time, flexible with time, always ready for an action.

“Of course, I would be happy to join you!”, was an easy answer.

We rented two Lotus cars, signed the documents, claiming that we understand all the responsibilities, obligations and risks to which we would be exposed on the track. First circle was guided by an instructor, who stressed out the importance of caution while accelerating, breaking, entering into a curve, overtaking slower cars or being overtaken by faster cars.

For the next 30 minutes I was free to pump the adrenaline to the limits.

It is not about the highest speed that you can reach with a car, but about acceleration, breaking and feeling the force pushing you from the side when piloting in a curve. Laps were long and curvy, but very little traffic to avoid.

I was able to enjoy the car on a legendary Nürburgring track at full. The time was finished sooner than I would want to, confirming the fast that all the best and most exciting things come in small portions.

Neuschwanstein castle embodies both; the contemporaneous architectural fashion and King Ludwig II‘s enthusiasm for the operas of Richard Wagner. I visited it for the first time at the age of 18, when I was spending the summer with my uncles, learning German and staying in a nearby town.

The castle was built in the 19^th century. Therefore, it is not very old and it was equipped with state-of-the-art technology available at that time: there are toilets with automatic flushing system on every floor of the castle, as well as an air heating system for the whole building.

Only 14 rooms were finished before Ludwig II’s sudden death in 1886; all of them were majestically decorated. Located in a magnificent landscape, on the top of a hill, a Fairytale Castle is a magnet for millions of tourists that visit it every year.

I visited the castle for the second time with family and kids in 2018. The castle was included into an awarding trip to Legoland Park in nearby town Günzburg. One of the most popular theme parks in Germany and wider has a wonderful concept that keeps children entertained, participative, active and enthusiastic for the whole day, while parents can find their interest even if they don’t particularly enjoy youngsters’ activities.

Beside the entrance fee, not much additional money has to be spent to have good time. A pleasant deviation from Disney parks, where my kids were bored and hungry most of the time, which frequently resulted in queuing, shopping, eating and struggling for calmness.

Ingolstadt would easily be an average German city, if it wasn’t the headquarter of Audi factory. During the factory tour I was guided through production facilities, where we were able to observe the production line of metal carousels and the final assembly line for certain Audi models.

The size, organization, coordination between human force and robots, timing, planning and size of facilities are impressive. No wonder why German cars are among the best in the world.

2,500 robots and 50,000 workers produce various models 24/7.

It is normal that this kind of facilities transform a city to an extend that even a proper train line for employees is introduced to commute comfortably. Every activity is precisely planned.  There is not much time to improvise or play around while the line is constantly moving forward under your feet. The coffee breaks last exactly 12 minutes, scheduled on exact time. The experience of employees is highly appreciated, while constant performance without mistakes is a must.

Lindau on the Bodensee possesses a well-known historic old town on an island connected with a bridge to the mainland. Small squares and picturesque alleyways set against an impressive panorama looking over the Alps and Lake Constance. Quiet harbor with a combination of tourist’s boats, yachts and sailing boats is boasting at one end, while many historical building, small shops, restaurants and bars are spread around their inner part.

The area is nice for a short stroll, but I was a little bit disappointed with lack of atmosphere in the historic environment. I was not there in the high summer season, but rather in the beginning of May 2022.

Another peculiarity was that the average age of the other tourists was above 65 years; mostly in bigger groups, accompanied by guides in different languages. My thoughts were progressing into the following direction: maybe I am too young, too wild or too alternative to appreciate the beauty of Lindau.

“Let’s have an ice cream and move on!”, were the instructions to my kids, before we all happily moved on.

Germany is not a traditional travelling destination for me. I spent more time learning German or attending business meetings in Munich area, than exploring its natural, historical or architectural beauties.

Maybe it is because of a short distance from my hometown in Slovenia, similarity in culture or lack of opportunities for exotic action.

Perfectly organized and well planned, one of the richest countries in the world, with turbulent history and perfect infrastructure is quite expensive destination to visit. Although Germans are labeled as boring, perfectionists with a lack of sense for improvisation, these habits have started to change in recent times with globalization.

If I look at the list of places and time spent in Germany, I consider knowing the country and the culture quite well. However, there will be opportunities to return to Germany and dedicate it more time, especially to the northern areas.