When will Jo from Frankfurt and Tom from Huttenfeld Hessen be publishing their "Insiders Guide to Germany?" Please mark me down for a copy! I have copied and pasted in a folder, years of restaurants, sights, places to stay, places not to stay, transportation tips, beer halls, etc, etc, by you folks. Over 400 entries now. (Some Nigel, Thomas from Vienna, James from Ansbach in there also.) It would be a great bestseller.
Remember, if you sell to the lower masses, you can live with the upper classes, and party like rock stars!
Posted by
Ann Arbor, Mi
3696 posts
I am going to Germany in a few weeks and hope to meet up with Jo... so I definitely second your idea! I love Germany as well, and if everyone feels Rick does not do it justice, then someone else should. Lots of room for more rock stars!
Posted by
Frankfurt, Germany
9212 posts
Ya'll forgot Ed. How could you? He is Mr. Europe himself.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
Ed would be the ideal author for "The Unpretentious Unapologetic Driver's Insider Guide to France and Spain". James would be good for "Get Over Yourself, Grab a Beer and Enjoy Germany!" Thanks for the compliment, but I'm keeping my day job. Plus, I think the forum guidelines mention something about all posts becoming the intellectual property of ETBD. Oh well....
Posted by
Vienna, Austria
517 posts
Just back from 10 days in London! I recommend if you are in the vicinity of St Pauls wander into the Viaduct Tavern, have a pint, and then politely ask if you can see the remains of a Newgate Prison cell that is part of their basement. It is pretty chilling to see the conditions that human beings were forced to live in for centuries. The bar tender threw in a little history lesson that was both informative and entertaining. Cobwebs included. Cost: Price of a pint. Definitely "off the beaten path". But seriously: Thanks! Am now waiting for the phone to ring from Rick Steve's Publishing. ("Europe through the eyes of Expats", Vienna chapter.) Oh well, guess I better not count on that for the kids college fund. For the record, I also get a lot of good travel tips from all who post here. Hats off to Jo, Ed, Tom, Nigel, James and many others!
Posted by
Mansfield, GA
850 posts
Hey James, I think I read your port-a-potty publication.
Posted by
England
375 posts
I've found the "Daytrips" series of guidebooks to be a good resource (pubished by Hasting House; most written by Earl Steinbicker). There is one for most European countries and several cities. Some of the suggested trips are for popular areas, but many are for lesser known places. I might not fly across the ocean for some of the suggested trips, but if you're going to be in the country for a while, there are lots of good ideas in these books.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
"and if everyone feels Rick does not do it justice, then someone else should." Somebody else did. The Eyewitness, and Insight guides offer pretty good overviews of the whole country. Fodor's (yes, Rickniks, the dreaded FODOR's!) "25 Great Drives in Germany" is the single best English language "off-the-beaten-path"guide I have seen for Germany. None of these books hold your hand and guide you every step of the way like Mr. Steves does, but at least they don't try to convince you that ho-hum places like Beilstein and Reutte are amazingly special. Rather, they give a brief description and let you discover the locations on your own.
Posted by
Stuttgart, Germany
3050 posts
Tom - I'm going to check out that Fodor's book. Now that I have a car I'd love to explore more of Germany that way come spring. I am generally not a fan of Eyewitness Guides as practical travel guides - not enough info about lodging, restaurants, etc but my in-laws brought their copy with them and it turned me on to a BUNCH of cool castles and sights in my area I had no clue about. I would recommend them if you're going to be spending a lot of time in one country (more than a few weeks) certainly.