First time traveler

Carol, welcome to the forum. It's pretty hard to make suggestions without knowing in what you're interested. And if you're starting cold, a good guidebook would help identify more questions you will have. There are a lot of videos and other info here on this website, if you browse through the menu of "Watch, Read, Listen" on the left of this page.

What is your level of experience in traveling in Europe, if any, and any language skills? How to get around is a crucial part of planning.

Nice time of year to visit. Cooler weather, fewer tourists.

Specific suggestions would accommodate your personal sightseeing interests, but we don't know what you might enjoy seeing/doing in Germany or generally.

Many people just do as Rick Steves instructs, country by country. I like the fact that you have a starting point - your aunt's service there - and an opportunity to build a trip that fits your own interests. Most visitors have no connection at all. Where was your aunt stationed? What did she tell you about Germany?

Beyond that... What else besides your aunt's service there motivates your visit? What kinds of things do you thing you would enjoy seeing? Are you outdoorsy? Food-curious? A museum-rat? More interested in old-world Germany or its larger more modern cities?

Germany speaks English for the most part. It has for many years now, but English is more of a Lingua Franca now than ever, partly because of heavy immigration patterns in Germany in recent years. The latest immigrants to Germany often speak English but little or no German, so Germany has had to roll out the English carpet, as it were, to accommodate them. Signage in Germany's airports and train stations and even around town sometimes is very often in English as well as Germany. I would not concern myself with learning the language thoroughly before October. It might be good to learn some polite phrases and the proper pronunciations for the places you intend to visit.

Suggest you do not try to see the whole country. Pick two smaller regions and dedicate 5 days or so to each... you'll have a better chance of experiencing the country that way than if you spend too much time on trains or on the roadways.

Most people fly into either Munich or Frankfurt. One of my favorite areas is Franconia, which lies in between; you could easily spend two weeks just in Franconia, actually. It's that interesting and diverse. I'm flying blind with you here. But 5 days in Franconia for half your trip is a good "flying blind" recommendation, I think.

https://images.mygermancity.com/maps/franconia.png

This railway map puts you in touch with many of Franconia's core places of interest:

https://nuernberg.bayern-online.de/uploads/pics/mainfrankenbahn_liniennetz_01.jpg

I'd start by thinking about what types of experiences you want to have. Germany has a lot to offer, so 10 days is a nice trip but you'll be making choice about things to exclude from your adventure.
Romantic walled cities, raucous beer halls, natural sights, outdoor activities and day hikes, castles, WW2, holocaust history, art, music, wine country/Rhein boat sightseeing. What do you want to see and what types of memories do you want to make?

Be sure to exclude your big long international flight days from the number of sightseeing days. You'll absolutely be able to do some things on those days but it's wise to start off by excluding them from your available time when planning.

Now that you have your "list", try to organize things efficiently and see if things work out geographically and travel connection-wise. Eliminate things that just aren't worth the hassle. Don't overstuff your schedule. That's probably the biggest mistake people make. You can always go back. Think about flying "open jaws" if that prevents a long backtrack.

Thank you all for your responses.

My Aunt was stationed at Ansbauch. She would send me trinkets from there and postcards of the castles. I have the tiny wooden shoes from Holland and bright post cards that show the tulips and windmills.

I would love to see the Alps, the Black Forest (my mom had a clock), some of the villages with Christmas items (I collect smokers) and some historical sites. I also enjoy the fall foliage photos that I've seen on sites as well.

My travel to Europe is nonexistent, but I have visited every state in the US, visited Canada and Mexico as well as cruised often.

Additionally, I am not fluent in other languages but am willing to learn.

I am not fluent in other languages but am willing to learn

For German the DeepL app from German startup delivers best translation quailty from / to English.

For learning German I recommend Babbel. Also Deutsche Welle (public broadcast) has a free offering.

Ansbach is in Franconia. You will be in a fine place and surrounded by other fine places if you visit there!

A small German lesson since you're open to learning some...

"-bach" is the correct spelling after "Ans-." "Bach" means "creek" in German. Many place names in German-speaking countries end in -bach.

Here's how the name developed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ansbach#Name_origin

"-bauch" means stomach...

My Aunt was stationed at Ansbach.

If you want to see your aunt's exact place of employment, ask older people for "Hindenburgkaserne" or google "Hochschule Ansbach, Residenzsstrasse 8"; it's only a few minutes from the historic center. Many Ansbachers think back to the time of the US Army garrison with nostalgia, and I myself can still remember what a shock it was first that the soldiers had to go to the Iraq War and secondly that they would not return afterwards. But please make sure she served in Ansbach, and not near Ansbach (that would be Katterbach, a few miles toward Nuremberg; the garrison still exists today), so that you're in the right memory place.

BTW, some reading stuff concernig the garrison can be found here: https://home.army.mil/ansbach/about

I think you'll be fine just speaking English with a few polite German words sprinkled in, but it's absolute fun to expand from there. Germans almost universally speak fantastic English but they absolutely appreciate the effort.

I would love to see the Alps,

From Munich...3 nights in the Berchtesgaden/Salzburg area. Boat ride on Konigsee, Sound of Music (Austria) and soaking up the Alpine air would be my choice
-BUT- another option is going south to Fussen/Neuschwanstein and then on to Garmisch for a day or two.

the Black Forest (my mom had a clock), some of the villages with Christmas items (I collect smokers) and some historical sites. I also enjoy the fall foliage photos that I've seen on sites as well.

For me, the Black Forest is kinda "meh" but maybe it's just very similar countryside to where I live. Freiburg et al is a good chill vibe, but on short trip to German, it doesn't make the cut.

INSTEAD I would just opt for an overnight in Rothenburg ob der Tauber on my way up the Romantic Road, maybe even 2 nights. Nights in Rothenburg are very different from the crowded days and there's a massive Kathe Wohlfart store to scratch your Christmas itch in spades. From your eventual Romantic Road endpoint, head to...

... a few days on the Rhine and you have a great (southern) German trip. Fly into Munich and out of Frankfurt.

Hi Carol and welcome

It sounds like your aunt did a lot of travelling while she was here.

The little clogs and pictures of tulips are Dutch - you can get them in tiny pottery or wood.

Ansbach is central to western Bavaria, between Rothenburg and Nuremberg, and the Black Forest where the cuckoo clocks are celebrated (but often not made - they were often carved around Brienz in the Berner Oberland area of Switzerland) is the most southwest part of Germany. German Alps are back in the area south of Munich towards the Austrian border. Or if you visit the Black Forest you are only a short jump to Basel in Switzerland and you could get to some pretty decent Alps fairly close to there.

Have a selective look at some of Rick Steves' videos on Youtube or linked off this very Rick Steves website and see what rings your chimes. So much to see and so little time to see it - the perpetual problem.

Do you want to go to the exact places your Aunt was or would the trip be more general than that?