Trish York

My love for Germany goes back to the 7th grade when I took my first German class in middle school. I loved learning about the German traditions that were so different from my own and learning Christmas carols like Silent Night and O Christmas Tree in German. As I continued my German classes into high school and college, I struggled over the complicated grammar but always loved the vocabulary sheets with pictures of 100 different items we had to name – using the correct gender and spelling, of course. By the time I had the opportunity to live and work in Germany as a young adult I had an amazing vocabulary consisting mostly of nouns like chair, table, and telephone, as well as all the colors and days of the week but was completely useless when it came to a conversation! Luckily my colleagues were patient and spoke some English.

Packing up and moving to a foreign country is not for the faint of heart. Soon after I arrived in Germany on a one year contract that would turn into eight, it was clear I had been bitten by the travel bug so I set out to explore my new home and the countries surrounding it. I started small from my base in Düsseldorf then expanded my travels after moving to Frankfurt and later Stuttgart. Who knew Germany would have such diverse cities? I loved the multinational feel of Frankfurt, the village-like atmosphere of Stuttgart, the elegance of Munich and the grittiness of Berlin. Exploring smaller towns like Trier, Rothenburg, Esslingen and Lindau on Lake Constance, the university towns of Heidelberg and Tübingen and the wine towns like Rüdesheim and Bacharach were always a treat. The former East German cities of Leipzig and Dresden look more and more like their western counterparts now but in the early 1990s you could still see the contrast between east and west.

There’s so much to see, do and experience in Germany that it can be difficult to determine where to go. You can easily spend your entire vacation just exploring Bavaria or a week in Berlin visiting museums and soaking up history. You can plot your way along the Fairytale Route or the Romantic Road. You can focus on the castles and palaces of Mad King Ludwig of Neuschwanstein Castle fame. There are lakes and rivers and the sea just waiting to be explored along with mountains and forests. There’s the famous Oktoberfest and many small wine festivals if you want to get off the beaten path. You can trace your family roots and understand the path of emigrants by visiting the Emigration Center in Bremerhaven or Hamburg’s Ballinstadt. If this all sounds confusing, a travel advisor specializing in Germany can help you hone in on your priorities, narrow down your options and then find the perfect destinations, hotels, and activities to ensure you will have a trip to remember.