GERMANY

Germany is located in the heart of Europe and amous for its contribution to classical music . You can experience the glories of the Berlin Philharmonic or of Wagner’s Ring at Bayreuth, or follow in the footsteps of great composers: Bach in Leipzig, Beethoven in Bonn.

Germany has a reputation to be the cradle of modernism. So a visit to the Bauhaus in Dessau or the Weissenhofsiedlung in Stuttgart would sure please design fans. The older traditions of the Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo preceded German modernism and leave a rich legacy of artistic and architectural treasures. Most German cities of any size also have excellent galleries; Berlin and Cologne are the centre of the European contemporary art scene.

And what about the food and drinks? Did you know the excellence of Germany’s beer derives from the sixteenth-century Reinheitsgebot, the world’s oldest food purity law. Traditional German food is characterized by wholesome but hearty dishes, different kinds of sausages and excellent but calorie-dense cakes. But most towns nowadays offer a broad selection of international options, usually including Balkan, Greek, Italian and Turkish.

In summer you can walk or bike through Germany’s endless forests and mountains, while the Alps attract international visitors with outstanding downhill ski runs in winter. There are also innumerable spa towns in Germany.

When you visit Germany you’ll have the pleasure to meet its people. You will be struck by the warmth and open-mindedness of Germany’s people, particularly its young people. You can have fun testing how liberal a town or city is by observing how local people react to the red light when crossing the street. As you might guess: people are more likely to ignore the no-jaywalking rule when the city is bigger and more laidback. Whereas honest citizens in small-town Germany will wait patiently for the green light despite an absence of traffic as far as the eye can see, which produces a pretty comic sight.