Northern Germany - for a change!

We were assigned in Bremerhaven years ago when our daughter was born. We much enjoyed the the peninsula formed by the Weser and Elbe Rivers. It was Sunday drives on back roads. Main points of interest might be Cuxhaven facing the North Sea and the old town of Stade near Hamburg. For me it was the feel of being near the sea more than specific tourist sights.

Regards, Gary

We only had a day in Berlin, and it was worth it. We loved Luebeck (stayed at the Alte Stadtwache) and enjoyed Kiel as well. Just enough time in Hamburg to take a tourist bus tour - and we'd go back there if we had the chance. Naumburg (Sachsen-Anhalt) was one of our favorite stops.

thanks - both tips are ones I hadn't thought of and that's what I was fishing for. Naumburg? Never heard of it - Google here I come.

Nelly,

With the exception of Mettingen, I am familiar with all the places you listed in the course of 15 trips to Germany since 1971, most of which in time and energy was spent "up North." While Munich, Ulm, Regensburg, Augsburg are captivating and interesting, Bavaria, as a whole, doesn't appeal to me. I definitely recommend going to Luebeck and Muenster, went to revisit those places in 2007 and 2009 after an absence of over 30 years. Hamburg is all right, I'm not crazy about it...it has to grow on you. Towards the end of May 2010, I'll be back "up North" to Berlin, Potsdam, Zossen, Jena, Leipzig. So, you're not the only one going in that direction. You asked about Sachsen-Anhalt--went there the first time last July to Magdeburg, which I highly recommend, especially the Altstadt, very historical and cultural. Those buildings from the Cold War period, ie., those ugly Mietskaserne, really catch your attention.

Unless you definitely want to see the Krupp's estate and museum, which I haven't seen, I would scratch going to Essen, spent an afternoon in the Innenstadt in 2007...that was enough. I found Dortmund and some of its suburbs more interesting if you want to see the major city in the Ruhr area, and, of course, one of my favourite beers in Germany, Dortmunder beers.

Thanks, Fred. The reason Essen is on this list is it's the capital of the Ruhr.2010 European Capital of Culture celebration. Though I haven't quite gotten my head around what is involved with this year-long cultural celebration, it looks worth investigating. Thanks for the list of ideas and your itinerary for some more hints. Here's the Ruhr.2010 site if you're interested:

Ruhr.2010

Nelly,
Looked at the Ruhr website as you suggested...appears to be a promo. Thanks.

In Germany Essen as a city is known as a Arbeiterstadt, basically a what we would label as a blue-collar city, and you can see that as you walk through the Innenstadt, where all the dept. stores and shops are. The difference is what type of social-econ level these stores appeal to; from that standpoint going to Essen is interesting and eye-opening, especially when compared to Duesseldorf, where you see not just in the names of the different dept stores but also the class of the shoppers. I've only been to Essen in the Innenstadt once in July of 2007 when I spent the afternoon there. There is a large bookstore (5 floors?), forgot the name, which you might find interesting.

If you have the time to spend a few hours in a smaller Ruhr town, a more charming picturesque one is Hamm...that one impressed me more in the Innenstadt. If you're interested in Prussian history, I can suggest Duisburg (also a Arbeiterstadt in the Ruhr)--I was last there in 1999-- and Dortmund.

Not the only one. We will be in Northern Germany for 88 days this summer. Our apartment is in Wolfsburg - right outside of Hannover. We are going to travel all over Germany, have plans for trips to Rome, Paris, London, etc, but most of our time will be spent exploring Lower Saxony.

I can't give many tips, but wanted to let you know that you are not alone!

Hi, Krista, I laughed at the 88 days - carefully maximizing time under the Schengen rules? Perfect. We only have 50 days in Europe this summer - 10 days Italy, 18 days France, the rest in Germany. Wolfsburg and Autostadt are on our list of things to see. Have a great trip! If you trip over anything I must see, please post it or PM me.

And Fred, thanks for the tips, I'll check them out.

Tell my what your interests are and I can give you more details for Muenster. Lived there for 8 years and still return there regularly. A good starting point is the city's website. Lots of tourism information in English available.

www.muenster.de

I love Muenster on market days with a huge farmers market right in front of the cathedral on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Or look at the dates for the fleamarket, one of the largest in Europe: 15 May, 19 June, 17 July, 21 August and 18 September. It takes up a large part of the promenade in front of the chateau and beyond.

Are you interested in art? Then take note that Muenster is also called the city of sculpture. The last large sculpture exhibition was in 2007. Some of the installations (also from previous exhibitions) are still around. The city tourism office or the Landesmuseum should be able to point them out on a map for you. This little video clip will give you a taste:

http://www.muenster.de/stadt/medien/filme_filme_skulpturen_normal.html

I'm not a big shopper but Muenster is a great place to browse the stores - and spend some money. The atmosphere is really nice and the selection of stores is huge for a city of this size. It only has about 270,000 people but basically serves a region with well over a million.

And of course there's lots of history. Muenster is well known for the place where the peace treaty after the 30 year war was signed in 1648. And had some really violent historic moments during the time of the anabaptists. Check out "Q" by Luther Blisset, a very interesting fictional tale about the anabaptists in Europe which includes a few chapters in Muenster.

Not sure if Duisburg has events for 2010. But if you decide to go make sure you take a harbour tour by boat. VERY interesting! It's the world's biggest inland harbour and includes sites like Europe's largest scrap yard :-) Yes, Germany is much more - and often very different - than the Disney castle ....

Muenster is definitely on my list, Beatrix, and I have browsed their website (Ich kann Deutsch lesen und sprechen, also ist Englisch nicht noetig.) Thanks for the details, especially on the market days, as I've never been there. Do you have any favourite Wasserburgen? Bicycle routes? Duisburg sounds interesting, and we may go take a trip on the Schwebebahn in Wuppertal. We'll visit Koeln and the Bergisches Land (I lived in Odenthal a loooong time ago.) We like visual art in medium-sized doses, architecture in larger doses, both medieval and modern. We will definitely visit some of the restored industrial sites in the Ruhr and most likely Autostadt too. Music - classical, especially vocal for me, though I have to drag the others. Tecklenburg outdoor theater - not so good for the family, as they don't know German, but West Side Story in German is playing this summer, that could be interesting. Tips most welcome. (If you work downtown, I'd gladly buy you a coffee to hear some stories...)

There is so much to see in Germany...you have listed a few opportunities for day trips (an easy train ride), but if you want to get off the beaten path, you might try an over night trip to Kampen in Sylt (due west of Flensburg). Some consider it to be the German equivalent of our Carmel by the Sea.

Nelly,

Allow me also to vouch for Muenster/Westfalen, went back there in June 2007, hadn't seen it since 1973, especially the Dom and Altstadt.

The reference on Duisburg was not only to see the Binnenhafen, Germany's largest, but also the interest in Prussian history...to see Museum Koenigsberg in the Innenstadt, which features Koenigsberg and its connection to the Hohenzollerner monarchy in East Prussia. I saw this museum in 1999...very enlightening.

My favourite "Wasserburg" (moated castle) is Burg Vischering in Luedinghausen. It includes a medieval museum inside.

There are several "Freilichtbuehnen" in the region and they often do musicals. Coesfeld is showing "Studio 54". Love that theatre because most of the seats are covered by a roof. Considering the amount of rain in the region that is a nice treat! I also like the one in Billerbeck, it's showing a German musical this year with very German humour. No roof there.

Summer is not the best time for concerts. I'd check the websites of the individual cities you'll be visiting. Found a few concerts in Muenster, including some in the cathedral and another church. I'd always go for a concert in a church because that's a unique atmosphere you don't get at home:

http://www.termine.muenster.org/finden.php