From our base just outside of Speyer/Hockenheim in Germany, we did a number of day trips that are easy to get to and worth the time and effort. Our trip to Tübingen – just outside Stuttgart, was just over an hour-and-a-half south of our base. We combined the trip to Tübingen with a visit to beautiful Lichtenstein Castle which is close by – about 40 minutes by car, making it an ideal double adventure easily done in one day.
From our base just outside of Speyer/Hockenheim in Germany, we did a number of day trips that are easy to get to and worth the time and effort. Our trip to Lichtenstein Castle (which also include the town of Tübingen) was just over an hour-an-a-half south of our base, and just outside Stuttgart. We combined the trip to Tübingen and Lichtenstein Castle, making it an ideal double adventure for one day.
This installment of our trip to Belgium and Germany 2016 is getting confusing… It’s the fourth and last in the series, so do we call it Germany – Part Eins (1) or Part Vier (4) – Trier And A Terrorist Sighting? Either way, bet you want to get to the terrorist bit – right? DON’T skip ahead…
Heading To Germany This Year? Here’s a Quick Guide To Berlin’s Top Landmarks… (plus a free eBook)
The Netherlands leads the way even though Germany welcomes record visitor numbers in 2014 The number of overnight stays from abroad to Germany increased to 58.8 million for the period from January to September 2014 according to latest figures from the Federal Statistical Office of Germany. Some 2.9 million extra nights, in accommodation establishments with ten or more beds, were registered compared to the same period last year, an overall increase of 5.1 per cent. “This dynamic growth in inbound figures clearly provides German tourism with yet further momentum and impetus. “The increase of more than five percent at the end of the third quarter 2014 is again well above the equally satisfying growth rates recorded for January to September 2013 (up 3.8 per cent). “Looking at these intermediate results, we are optimistic that the annual balance of our predictions for overnight stays for 2014 will be achieved,” explains Petra Hedorfer, chief executive of the German National Tourist Board. Poland for the first time among the top ten markets With an increase of 12.2 per cent …
BERLIN, Dec. 19, 2014 /CNW/ – 2015 will be a year for sport and culture in Berlin. The city will host many international sporting events, with the highlight being the UEFA Champions League football final at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium. Culture lovers will be treated to quality exhibitions exploring different periods of cultural history from the Renaissance to the 20th century. Berlin, the City of Sport Football fans can look forward to major football finals being held in Berlin. The best European football clubs will face off for the UEFA Champions League title on 6 June at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium. Ladies first, however, when the women play for the same title at Berlin’s Jahn-Sportpark. Also on 30 May, Tempelhof Field will be hosting one of the electric car races for championship points in the FIA International Formula E series.
Touring one of the world’s most infamous castles Walt Disney built his empire around a beautiful castle, that castle was inspired by the magnificent Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Germany. Neuschwanstein Castle and the surrounding village of Schwangau are spectacular and quaint all at the same time. The splendour and grandeur of the castle paired with the rustic feel of the country-side with the distant sound of cow bells echoing through the valley – this truly is a place where fairy-tales are born. Neuschwanstein Castle (pronounced: Noysh-vine-stine) is one of the most popular of all the palaces and castles in Europe, seeing more than 1.4 million visitors annually, with up to 6,000 per day in the summer, so depending on when you visit and try to book a tour, your wish may or may not be granted – so plan ahead!
After driving around in circles for what seemed hours (but was only a few minutes), we found a parking garage and parked. Phew! Glad that was over..We’d been following our friend through the modern and very clean city of Karlsruhe – trying not to lose him, while at the same time making sure we were not running red lights or breaking the law! (Karlsruhe is located 50km south of Heidelberg) For a city this large it was strange to see plenty of parked cars by the side of the road but few people actually walking about. Street after street of parked cars, but there was no inclination that there could possibly be a park – let alone a zoo in this neighbourhood. Once we’d parked the car, we came out of the underground garage into a large open plaza surrounded by buildings. On the far side were a few trees and off we went towards them – still wondering how they’ve managed to hide a zoo in the middle of the city. We got to …
A few months back, Gail and I were telling her BFF about our trip to Germany and our Oktoberfest experience when she said: “Let’s get dressed in the German outfits and go to Oktoberfest in Kitchener this year!” Having gone to Oktoberfest in Stuttgart, it was seeming kind of odd that we’d travelled some 5,000+ kilometres to Germany, but had never bothered to drive an hour up the highway to visit Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario for Oktoberfest – especially since it’s said to be Canada’s best Bavarian Festival! Gail & I looked at each other…and thought, hmmm not a bad idea, but we’re not German – wouldn’t we be insulting them if we bought authentic Bavarian outfits and went to Oktoberfest as frauds? What to do!? … Google it (of course)! After a bit of quick research we found that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with dressing up as Bavarians – quite the opposite in fact! Information we found indicated that lots of people get in the spirit and “fake it ‘til they make it” at Oktoberfest – …
Stuttgart, Germany – Last year we sampled Oktoberfest during the day [here] and it was a family-friendly atmosphere with beer, dancing on the benches and singing thrown in for good measure, but what about at night when the adults come out to play? We made a special trip to Stuttgart in the evening to sample the bright lights and the full beer halls in all their glory and I can honestly tell you….. it ain’t nothin’ like the daytime!!! We arrived just in time to have some dinner – around 5:30pm and the halls were filled already. Which one do you choose? We tried a couple during the day, but settled on spending our entire evening in the Dinkelacker beer hall. You have to book months in advance to get in the front section by the band, but we were quite happy to go the back of the hall to watch as the party unfolded before us. The tables seat 30-40 people, but sitting isn’t what you’re there for – standing on the long benches …
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