The Germany Thread

[sidis 9608]

'

 

All things travel to Germany and Ze German culture...

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

Christmas market in Rothenburg.   amazing.

[Spankytoes 1787]

Favorite country in Europe to travel to. Fuck Italy

[Sandman 3399]

I grew up in Wiesbaden, I loved it. I keep telling myself I'm gonna go back one day, been gone for 30+ years.

[Brisketexan 103141]

I grew up in Wiesbaden, I loved it. I keep telling myself I'm gonna go back one day, been gone for 30+ years.

Was never on my list. But then both kids started taking German and studying abroad. Spent a week in Berlin last year - really liked it.

First beer.



Turkish grub.



DDR legos.



Remnant line of the wall.



Dinner with old friends near Potsdam.



The bridge of spies.



Turkish market.

[Southland 35]

Munich is my favorite city I've visited in Europe. Would love to do a European delivery of a BMW at the factory and road trip it around Bavaria one of these days.

[mdmost 42167]

I need to get to the mother country. My family line on my father's side hails from outside of Darmstadt, close to the site of Frankenstein Castle (the possible inspiration for Mary Shelley's Frankenstein), just south of Frankfurt. I keep telling mdleast that we need to make the reverse pilgrimage that our ancestors did. Philadelphia>Amsterdam>Frankfurt. Also need to do Oktoberfest. 

[Sandman 3399]

1 hour ago, Brisketexan said:

Was never on my list. But then both kids started taking German and studying abroad. Spent a week in Berlin last year - really liked it.

First beer.



Turkish grub.



DDR legos.



Remnant line of the wall.



Dinner with old friends near Potsdam.



The bridge of spies.



Turkish market.

I never made it to Berlin. Or anywhere in East Germany, for that matter. I'm jealous!

[G650 13063]

9 hours ago, Southland said:

Munich is my favorite city I've visited in Europe. Would love to do a European delivery of a BMW at the factory and road trip it around Bavaria one of these days.

Yeah, I love Munich. I was on a Oktoberfest tear for quite a few years, but haven't been in 3 or 4.

 

Trying to convince Liebherr (who I buy my excavators from) to take us over for a blowout Wiesn event, then convalesce in Innsbruck after.

[G650 13063]

14 hours ago, Spankytoes said:

 Fuck Italy

Let's not get carried away.

[Assman 1830]

Currently 2 weeks into my 2 month stay in Germany.  Last weekend we did Brussels and Trier.  This week we were able to go a day trip to Heidelberg.  On the list is Stuttgart (Porsche/MB museums), Cologne, Berlin, Munich, and Prague.  I probably won't have time for all so need to prioritize.  Such a beautiful country but the people are generally assholes.

[52-80 18962]

i like how theyre direct and they dont bullshit.  too many bullshitters around.

[Assman 1830]

Heidelberg pics

[G650 13063]

Other than Canada and Oz, Germany is the most culturally similar country to the States there is. More than the UK even.

[AnonymousInternetPoster 163]

Flying into Frankfurt in 3 weeks to spend 10 days there, Dusseldorf and Essen.

[Spankytoes 1787]

I’m too lazy to find another photo hosting site. Until there’s a tapa option, or i can figure how to upload photos from my phone, imagine Spanky doing cool shit in Germany here.

[Reynolds Woodcock 4585]

I'll play. About 5 years ago, I asked for help on the old site for a month long trip to Europe. GoLL and Spanky convinced me that Berlin was a must do, and it ended up being my favorite spot. 

 

 

 

 

And I think this was on a train from Berlin to Prague 

[Reynolds Woodcock 4585]

And one from Munich, where I didn't spend as much time.

 

 

 

[Antidean 200]

Timely thread is timely. I go to Tuttlingen (southern Germany, fly into Zurich) twice a year. Actually leaving to go there next Saturday.

[Assman 1830]

The Porsche museum has a few 911s that you can rent for a day, so here is my planned route.  It hits both the Lichtenstein and Hohenzollern castles, which are some of the best in the country, and mixes in a nice blend of the Autobahn and back roads.  Looking forward to this day more than anything out here.

[Obligatory Simpsons 14]

[Sandman 3399]

Here's a question: where would one find a site to purchase airfare to Germany that doesn't cost thousands of dollars? Every time I check, it's ridiculously expensive. I know the time of year is a factor but it seems like it doesn't matter, all the rates are high. No, I don't expect to buy a ticket for $200 but I don't want to spend $2000 either.

(While I do bang a 10 on the reg, I'm still a poor)

[Brisketexan 103141]

16 minutes ago, Sandman said:

Here's a question: where would one find a site to purchase airfare to Germany that doesn't cost thousands of dollars? Every time I check, it's ridiculously expensive. I know the time of year is a factor but it seems like it doesn't matter, all the rates are high. No, I don't expect to buy a ticket for $200 but I don't want to spend $2000 either.

(While I do bang a 10 on the reg, I'm still a poor)

My daughter is studying over there this summer, and we looked for the cheapest deals.  Condor airlines is hard to beat.  We flew them last year, and it was fine.  No frills, economy class, but got us from Austin to Frankfurt direct just fine.  And something like $600 a head each way.

[Surly Bevo 24247]

Took a family of 5 from DFW to Munich on American last summer for something like $6500 round trip (flew back from Paris) . All in all I considered that pretty reasonable per head.

[Sandman 3399]

1 minute ago, Surly Bevo said:

Took a family of 5 from DFW to Munich on American last summer for something like $6500 round trip (flew back from Paris) . All in all I considered that pretty reasonable per head.

I'd agree, that's not terrible. I only need 2 tickets, so anything under 2k would be nice. I guess I should convice my wife to go before I make any plans...

[Brisketexan 103141]

7 minutes ago, Sandman said:

I'd agree, that's not terrible. I only need 2 tickets, so anything under 2k would be nice. I guess I should convice my wife to go before I make any plans...

It's probably cheaper to leave her here and hook up with a frau once you arrive.

[Southland 35]

1 hour ago, Sandman said:

Here's a question: where would one find a site to purchase airfare to Germany that doesn't cost thousands of dollars? Every time I check, it's ridiculously expensive. I know the time of year is a factor but it seems like it doesn't matter, all the rates are high. No, I don't expect to buy a ticket for $200 but I don't want to spend $2000 either.

(While I do bang a 10 on the reg, I'm still a poor)

I just did a quick search on google flights and see AUS-MUC for ~$1200 for most of May-Jul, with some dates down to around $900.

[Sandman 3399]

1 minute ago, Southland said:

I just did a quick search on google flights and see AUS-MUC for ~$1200 for most of May-Jul, with some dates down to around $900.

I'm in OKC so I'll either have to pay extra or leave out of Dallas, I suppose. I'm sure there's a joke in there somewhere about having to pay extra to leave Oklahoma.

[Shady Ray 1633]

5 minutes ago, Southland said:

I just did a quick search on google flights and see AUS-MUC for ~$1200 for most of May-Jul, with some dates down to around $900.

I live here (Munich) and I typically use flugladen.de. Just booked 612€ from MUC-DFW  via Delta over ATL departing 4/12. If you can brave a strictly German language site you can get flights from DFW for a grand or less pretty regularly. And they are legit. 

[Shady Ray 1633]

Sorry, meant to post to sandman but I’m a fucking idiot on the new board. Point remains the same. 

[Spankytoes 1787]

Try Google. Seriously

https://www.google.com/flights/

You can see what dates are most affordable for your itinerary and filter as needed. (Non-Stop, specific airline, etc.) 

[rage-a-holic 4237]

Neuschwanstein

 

Garmisch-Partenkirchen

 

Dr.Pepper in Munich, about $1.75 a can

 

Eagle's Nest

 

Berchtesgaden

 

 

 

[Grippe 308]

9 hours ago, rage-a-holic said:

Garmisch-Partenkirchen

Absolutely glorious memories of drunken evenings spent here.

[AnonymousInternetPoster 163]

15 hours ago, Sandman said:

Here's a question: where would one find a site to purchase airfare to Germany that doesn't cost thousands of dollars? Every time I check, it's ridiculously expensive. I know the time of year is a factor but it seems like it doesn't matter, all the rates are high. No, I don't expect to buy a ticket for $200 but I don't want to spend $2000 either.

(While I do bang a 10 on the reg, I'm still a poor)

Sandman, try Google Flights.  Very user friendly and extremely helpful for finding what you want based upon price/schedule.

[Austin Orange 98]

Don’t underestimate Frankfurt. Melting pot, great nightlife, and easy womens.

[Sandman 3399]

I found my sweet spot, it's October! Found 2 round trip tickets in October for $1500. My wife is not convinced about going, so I have some work to do.

[Bone3421 716]

Been awhile but have done munich(Oktoberfest) twice and hit up cologne and frankfurt on way to amsterdam

For the airfare question i always have luck on skyscanner 

[PittsburghTiger 6049]

On 3/30/2018 at 5:36 PM, Brisketexan said:

My daughter is studying over there this summer, and we looked for the cheapest deals.  Condor airlines is hard to beat.  We flew them last year, and it was fine.  No frills, economy class, but got us from Austin to Frankfurt direct just fine.  And something like $600 a head each way.

I've been to visit family in Germany over 20 times. In Pittsburgh we used to have a USAir direct flight to Frankfurt. That went away when USAir went away. Now we have Condor, direct to Frankfurt. It's nice in that you can bypass the east coast airports, Philly, JFK, LaGuardia, Newark, etc. Business Class roundtrip was under $2,000 on Condor. The same dates on Lufthansa had it at $5,000 and you had to connect on the coast.

If you must connect look at Condor out of Pittsburgh. The first day of the seasonal service is, I think May 18. That's the day I fly over.

----------------

 

sorry, I'm an idiot, I tried to do a multi-quote with Sandman as well but now I see he has found his tickets and I can't see here how to delete a post.

Edited April 2, 2018 by PittsburghTiger
i'm an idiot.

[PittsburghTiger 6049]

On 3/30/2018 at 4:17 PM, Assman said:

The Porsche museum has a few 911s that you can rent for a day, so here is my planned route.  It hits both the Lichtenstein and Hohenzollern castles, which are some of the best in the country, and mixes in a nice blend of the Autobahn and back roads.  Looking forward to this day more than anything out here.

On the upper left of your map is Ettlingen. My German cousin lives there and I have been there many times. Just be careful with traffic at that intersection of Autobahn 5 and Autobahn 8. If there is an accident or something it is a wicked backup. Last October I was there and basically both highways were jammed for over three hours due to a big accident.

Are you going to give yourself any time to spend in Baden-Baden? It is a fantastic town. 

Also looks like you are going to take 500 right past the Mummelsee. That's a nice little spot for lunch, and they have some neat little shops there. That road can have a shit ton of motorcycles on it so watch out for that.

Also, Rathaus, is down there, http://www.rothaus.de/en/our-beers/rothaus-pils-en/tannenzapfle?alter=true. It's right off the 500, just after you pass the Schluchsee

Badische Staatsbrauerei Rothaus AG 
Rothaus 1
79865 Grafenhausen-Rothaus
Telefon 07748/5220
info@rothaus.de

 

It's a nice easy drinking Bier.

 

 

[PittsburghTiger 6049]

On 3/30/2018 at 4:17 PM, Assman said:

The Porsche museum has a few 911s that you can rent for a day, so here is my planned route.  It hits both the Lichtenstein and Hohenzollern castles, which are some of the best in the country, and mixes in a nice blend of the Autobahn and back roads.  Looking forward to this day more than anything out here.

Found this video of the 500. It's pretty cool. I've driven it, but this is not my video.

 

 

[Ghost of LL 15225]

So a few disparate and disjointed thoughts:

On the Rhine: Along the stretch of the Rhine between Bingen and Koblenz, there are a number of castles that have been converted into hotels, most notably Burg Gutenfels in Kaub, Burg Rheinfels in St. Goar, and Burg Schoenburg in Oberwesel.  For view and rustic feel of a castle, I would go with Gutenfels; for restaurant and bar, Schoenburg; for accommodations, Rheinfels.  They're all fairly reasonably priced, and typically include breakfast.  Beware that you probably want to have a car, as the castles are all up on steep hills above the towns--taxi service is limited, and it is a real drag to carry your bags up those hills if you're just traveling by train.

KD Line runs boats up and down the Rhine in the Summer.  It makes for a nice afternoon--bring a loaf of bread and some meat and cheese and a bottle of wine and sit up on the top deck.

Cologne: People are going to disagree with me, but I really like Cologne.  From a tourist standpoint, there are two things to see: the Cathedral and the Roman museum.  But right around there are a number of great beer halls in which you can score a Kolsch or five, including Peters Brauhaus., which I really liked.

Potsdam: Just outside of Berlin is Potsdam.  There's so much shit going in in Berlin, that I don't think too many people go out to Potsdam, which is really a shame because it's a beautiful town with an outsized amount of history.  Just before you get to Potsdam is the Wannsee Conference site, where the Nazis spelled out their plans for the Holocaust.  About a mile down the road from that is the Gleinicker Bridge--i.e., the Bridge of Spies--on the way to Schloss Cecilienhof, which was the site of the WWII conference.  Cecilienhof is one of a number of Prussian royal palaces in Potsdam, including Frederick the Great's palace at Sans Souci.  

Honestly--if you're doing a week in Berlin (and Berlin deserves a week), it wouldn't be a bad idea to stay a couple days in Potsdam.

[RiceOwl 74]

I was just in Germany in February. 

Spent three days in Munich and three days in Berlin (and a few in Prague too). 

I enjoyed Berlin far more than Munich. Berlin had lots of great museums and history, felt more like a bustling city, and was far more diverse. That said, I was traveling by myself. Munich seemed like it would've been much more fun had I been with a bunch of guys getting rowdy. In Munich, I went to the BMW Museum, Olympic Park, and did a day trip to the Neuschwetein (sp?) Castle. The Castle was awesome, especially covered in snow during the winter. The one thing I missed in Munich due to a hangover was the Deutsches Museum. 

 

[PittsburghTiger 6049]

19 hours ago, RiceOwl said:

I was just in Germany in February. 

Spent three days in Munich and three days in Berlin (and a few in Prague too). 

I enjoyed Berlin far more than Munich. Berlin had lots of great museums and history, felt more like a bustling city, and was far more diverse. That said, I was traveling by myself. Munich seemed like it would've been much more fun had I been with a bunch of guys getting rowdy. In Munich, I went to the BMW Museum, Olympic Park, and did a day trip to the Neuschwetein (sp?) Castle. The Castle was awesome, especially covered in snow during the winter. The one thing I missed in Munich due to a hangover was the Deutsches Museum. 

 

Berlin is much underrated. I was there the first time just after the Wall came down and brought home a big ass chunk of that thing.

[Spankytoes 1787]

Berlin is much underrated. I was there the first time just after the Wall came down and brought home a big ass chunk of that thing.

My favorite city in Europe

[berlinerbaer 663]

Another vote for skyscanner. That site always worked for me.

I lived in Berlin for 4 years. That city has it all, which is why I'm a bad person to ask about where else in the country to go...

If you are outdoorsy, I recommend the Saechischer Schweiz. An easy day trip out of Dresden (itself a beautifully restored city worth a day's visit), you can hike along the Elbe River near the Czech border in some of Europe's coolest scenery.

 

[SimonBolivar 10648]

I still think Mezzo Mix is the best soft drink ever invented. You can get it off Amazon, but they always have it in stock at GermanDeli in Grapevine.

 

 

[Shady Ray 1633]

On 3/30/2018 at 7:41 AM, Assman said:

Currently 2 weeks into my 2 month stay in Germany.  Last weekend we did Brussels and Trier.  This week we were able to go a day trip to Heidelberg.  On the list is Stuttgart (Porsche/MB museums), Cologne, Berlin, Munich, and Prague.  I probably won't have time for all so need to prioritize.  Such a beautiful country but the people are generally assholes.

Not sure where you are based during your stay but in case you are in BW/southern Hessen you might consider hitting the Stuttgarter Frühlingsfest, which kicks off this Saturday and runs for the next three weeks. It is a really nice festival without a lot of the hassles of the Oktoberfest.

Plus, if the weather stays warm, you can enjoy that great beer along with an endless parade of good looking women in low cut dirndls all looking to get getrunken. 

[52-80 18962]

36 minutes ago, Shady Ray said:

Not sure where you are based during your stay but in case you are in BW/southern Hessen you might consider hitting the Stuttgarter Frühlingsfest, which kicks off this Saturday and runs for the next three weeks. It is a really nice festival without a lot of the hassles of the Oktoberfest.

Plus, if the weather stays warm, you can enjoy that great beer along with an endless parade of good looking women in low cut dirndls all looking to get getrunken. 

i prefer the ladies besoffen, myself.

[Assman 1830]

23 hours ago, Shady Ray said:

Not sure where you are based during your stay but in case you are in BW/southern Hessen you might consider hitting the Stuttgarter Frühlingsfest, which kicks off this Saturday and runs for the next three weeks. It is a really nice festival without a lot of the hassles of the Oktoberfest.

Plus, if the weather stays warm, you can enjoy that great beer along with an endless parade of good looking women in low cut dirndls all looking to get getrunken. 

I actually just got back from Stuttgart today (work trip), but we plan on going back in a couple weekends for Fruhlingfest.  I've heard nothing but good things.

[gecko 1104]

All I know is I've been asked to speak again at a conference in Munich this September which is conveniently timed with Oktoberfest.....