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German wine/travel advice for 1st time to Europe

German wine/travel advice for 1st time to Europe

Old Sep 2nd, 2006, 08:47 AM
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German wine/travel advice for 1st time to Europe

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I will be going to Germany for one week in late September and I need some travel advice. I'm completely new to traveling--I've never left N. America--so I'm trying to educate myself as much as possible about what to bring for clothes/shoes and spending money; I'm also trying to learn traveling etiquette. I am privileged (and grateful!) to have a German host (a long-time friend from grad school) for my first European experience. However, I'd like to educate myself as much as possible, so that I'm better prepared for the trip.
Having said that: Can any of you suggest whether I should buy a railpass ahead of time or is that not necessary? Does anyone consider a particular travel guide or German phrase book to be better than others? If so, which do you recommend that I buy? Also, I have a question about German wine...but I think I'll save that for another post.
Any info would be appreciated!
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Old Sep 2nd, 2006, 04:15 PM
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topping for a first-timer
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Old Sep 2nd, 2006, 04:25 PM
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This is difficult. At first i would say, don't worry about travelling to Germany, people are nice and helpful! Do you need a railpass? It totally depends where you want to go and how long you want to stay. You need to be more specific. Travelling in Germany is easy. It's the best country on this planet ;-). Wine = Riesling, not everywhere but again, where do you go...
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Old Sep 2nd, 2006, 04:39 PM
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I doubt you will need a rail pass. Where will you go while there?
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Old Sep 2nd, 2006, 05:04 PM
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I used Barron's German at a Glance when we went last November - good info and not too big to carry around. ATM's are plentiful - the Franfurt airport isn't my favorite but I assume your friend will meet you there. Don't get Euros in the states - just hit the ATM when you get to the airport. Be sure to let your bank and credit card co. know you will be traveling in Europe. Depending on how good their fraud units are, they might hold charges if they don't know you are traveling overseas. Clothing - sturdy walking shoes (2 pairs), a couple of pairs of casual pants, several tops, sweater and a light coat. You should be fine. I always take a lightweight travel backpack for daytrips. I did 12 days last November in a 22" carryon - that included packing my winter coat for the trip over. You really don't need as much as you think...and it's always fun to buy something there. My husband had remind me several times that "they do sell clothes in Germany".

You are lucky to have a host while you are there....we did for our first trip and it was wonderful. Go to the bookstore and buy a travel guide and read up.

If you are staying in Frankfurt be sure to travel to Wurzburg - about an hour by train - lovely university city - be sure to visit the Residenz. You could also day trip to Heidelburg and Rothenburg (some say it's too touristy but it's fun for a day). There are other small towns south but they are hard to access via train. I don't know if I would spend the time to travel to Munich for just three hours to see the beer tents. Munich is a wonderful city and deserves more than a 3 hour whirlwind tour.

The German wines are delightful - reds are not as good as white. The hospital in Wurzburg owns vineyards and makes delightful wine. The whites in Germany are not as sweet as what we tend to drink in the US. They are crisper and fruitier.

As far as travel etiquette - learn a few german phrases - most germans can speak english but they appreciate the effort. Germans are very polite, friendly and helpful. We took a small gift of appreciation to our friend's family who hosted us in their home. We tried to pay for several meals and were quickly told "no" but eventually came to an understanding with them that they weren't going to pay for everything.

You are going to have a wonderful time - Germany is a beautiful country.
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Old Sep 3rd, 2006, 07:14 PM
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For a novice traveller, I would check out the Rick Steve's Germany book. It focuses on the highlights and makes things simple.

Good luck and have fun,

MY
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Old Sep 8th, 2006, 01:50 AM
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You will be in Germany during Federweisser time. It's the newest, youngest wine. Delicious, fizzy, light and very refreshing (and cheap too, usually not more than 3€ per bottle). You can only drink it for a short period...it's in season for about 3 weeks tops. So try it if you can. Traditionally served with an onion tart.
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Old Sep 8th, 2006, 03:23 AM
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By the way, this site is very helpful for understanding German wine and bottle labels:
http://www.germanwine.de/english/gui...winelabels.htm
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Old Sep 8th, 2006, 06:51 AM
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And do be aware that the Federweisser may result in serious aftermath regarding the necessity to be near a bathroom.
I personally hate the stuff (and I mean because of its taste and not because of the reasons outlined above) - but most people admittedly love it.
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Old Sep 8th, 2006, 07:42 AM
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Really, hsv? Federweisser doesn't agree with you? We don't have any problems with it, other than I once made the mistake of storing a bottle on its side, thus letting it leak everywhere (even unopened bottles must be stored upright).
Funny that you don't like it, we love it. But we're also glad we can only drink it for a couple of weeks annually.
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Old Sep 8th, 2006, 07:53 AM
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It's the perfect fly catcher ;-) If you have a few flies in your room, pour some Federweisser in a small glas and a few drops of dishwashing liquid. They will drown as soon as they touch the water. Other than that, there's no use for the stuff, it's far too sweet to drink!
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Old Sep 8th, 2006, 09:15 AM
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Thanks,BTilke, for the website and the wine recommendation. I'm intrigued because I haven't heard of it before. I'm not usually a fan of sweet wine, but I'll try anything.

HSV: Thanks also for your precaution! It's good to know...
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Old Sep 8th, 2006, 01:07 PM
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I don't remember the name of these books, but we found the small dictionary and phrase books with the bright yellow plastic cover to be very helpful. Can't miss them on the bookshelf. We had a phrasebook to help with different situations. It had some vocabulary as well, but part way through the trip we decided the vocabularly wasn't sufficient, so I bought a dictionary too - same publisher with the yellow cover. Between these 2, we figured out how to say just about everything we needed to.
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Old Sep 8th, 2006, 01:31 PM
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BTilke,

I guess I just don't like drinks with a lot of yeast in them - at least I presume that is the explanation as I also don't enjoy the otherwise vastly popular Hefeweizen beers. Give me a fresh Pilsener anytime!

It takes all kinds to make a world...or however one may phrase it, I suppose.
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