Beginning our trip planning for next year. In 1997 we wound up in Gottingen due to mass confusion without rooms. Had to stay in chain hotels then. Has anyone stayed in small hotels in this inviting little town? Our time there was several hours late at night, but we ate at a wonder pizza place (still remember how good it was), and our walk around the town was pleasant even in the dark. We want to go back, and see it again leisurely - the fountain in the middle of town was a girl feeding a duck, I believe. Will make it our home base for several days next fall before heading to Vienna for the rest of our trip. Any suggestions you have about that particular area, I will appreciate. Thanks.

Kathy, <BR>I'm having difficulty accessing my notes due to problems with my A-drive. In the interim, here's a bit of related trivia that may be of interest to you. In front of Bancroft Hall, the US Naval Academy's dormitory in Annapolis, MD is a huge bust of Tecumseh, the Indian chieftain. He's bedecked in head dress and has a quiver and arrows slung over his shoulder. He's known as the "God of C". Midshipmen, as they march from Bancroft to classes, parade grounds or the football stadium, attempt to toss coins into Tecumseh's quiver to ensure at least a "C" grade on upcoming exams. In Gottingen the statue of Liesl, the goose girl, serves a similar purpose. Upon graduation, students traditionally kiss Liesl in order to ensure their success in future endeavors. She has the reputation of being the most "kissed" girl in Germany! <BR> <BR>Once my A-drive comes to life, I'll offer some suggestions regarding Gottingen and environs. What time of year are you planning to travel? Will you be traveling by auto from Gottingen to Vienna?

Hi Wes! I can't believe my good fortune that you have info to share with me. Thanks to your on target suggestions in the past, we breezed through Brugge and found hidden sights in Amsterdam. How terrific!! Yes, I remember now that the statue is Liesl and the fact she is the most kissed girl in Germany. I had forgotten both. How did your travels take you to that small town? Following a mishap in reservations, we arrived there at 11PM tired, hungry and frustrated after being on the road (via car) all day. Our destination was Hannover (husband's business), but we found Gottingen a quiet treasure. We were only there for two evenings, then headed on to Poland from Hannover - but we both hoped to return. This is our chance. Thanks for your quick response, Wes. Whatever you find, I'll be glad to receive ....... Wow! can't believe my luck!!!!

Sorry, I forgot to answer your question. We will travel either late August or early September, and combine Germany with either Vienna (with side trips to Prague/Budapest), or head south to Munich and tour Austria from there. We hope to travel by train as we did last year with great success. Thanks.

Kathy, <BR>It seems as though many prospective travelers to Germany think primarily of Bavaria and its Romantic Road or the Rhine and Mosel Valleys as the only appealing and scenic spots of interest in Germany. The area immediately surrounding Gottingen is laced with scenic roads, medieval houses, fairy tale villages and the Deutsche Marchenstrasse (the Fairytale Route) and the fairy tales to accompany them, wooden churches reminiscent of Scandanavia, Egyptian antiquities (!?!) , imposing castles both Renaissance and Baroque in style and evidence of the reign of Charlemagne. Gottingen itself has an incongruous feature, the university founded in 1737 by the Elector Georg August of Hannover who, just coincidentally, happened to be King George II of England. All are unencumbered with the hordes of tourists more commonly found in Bavaria. <BR> <BR>To thoroughly explore and enjoy the delights of the portions of the Lander Hessen, Nordrhein-Westfalen and Niedersachsen that lie about Gottingen, one should plan on traveling by auto and devoting a week's time to capture the essence of the area. <BR> <BR>Where to begin? What to see? Begin in Gottingen and visit the Town Hall, its Ratskeller, guardroom and most impressive, the Rathaus Halle. Where is it? Immediately behind the statue of Ganseliesl, the Goose Girl. Wander from the Market Place to 25 Rote Strasse and you'll find the oldest house in Lower Saxony, dating to 1276. <BR> <BR>Johannisstrasse, Burgstrasse and Barfusserstrasse all have unaltered houses that date to the early 1500s. Many of these half-timbered houses have ornate decorated facades. The Junkernschanke Inn at the corner of Judenstrasse and Barfusserstrasse, not far from the Town Hall, has medallion heads of saints and sinners, including portraits of the original 16th century owners, mounted on the walls. <BR> <BR>In the Municipal and University library northwest of the town hall you'll find a huge collection of manuscripts including a Gutenburg bible from 1455. <BR> <BR>Much more coming. I think this is as lengthy a piece as Fodor's can tolerate. <BR> <BR> <BR>

Kathy, <BR>Here's an interesting and scenic itinerary that encompasses a good part of the upper Harz Mountain area. Take Rte 27 north east from Gottingen to Herzberg and visit its castle. Unique in that it's wood framed it's the ancestral home of Britain's Queen Elizabeth. (Built in 1510, it was the home of Ernst August, the founder of the English-Hannoverian dynasties.) Continue from Herzberg on Rte 243 to Osterode and pick up Rte 241 the German Holiday Road (Deutsche Ferienstrasse) to Clausthal-Zellerfeld. Detour about halfway to Bad Grund on Rte 242 to visit the Iberger caves. Return to Rte 242 and Clausthal which has an interesting wooden church dating to the early 1600s. Take Rte 241 to Goslar, a former Imperial city with some magnificent buildings. The arcaded, ornate Rathaus houses a stunning Council chamber dating to the mid 1400s. Opposite the Rathaus a chiming clock provides four scenes of the town's mining history at 9AM, noon, 3PM and 6PM. Just north of the Marktplatz a smaller square, Schunhof, is completely surrounded by half-timbered arcaded houses. The Kaiserfalz, the Imperial palace is southwest of Marktplatz. It's a 12th century palace, immense when one considers its age. Adjacent to it the Palatine Church contains the tomb and effigy of Heinrich III, its first occupant. <BR> <BR>Continue on Rte 241 to Bad Harzburg, a town devoted to spa cures, diets and beauty treatments and take Rte 4 south to the Romerkalle waterfall in the Okertal valley. Continue on to Braunlage and Rte 27. Take Rte 27 west to Bad Lauterberg, yet another spa town where you can pick up a cable car to the top of Wurmberg (Worm Mountain) for some stunning views of the Harz mountains and forests. Rte 27 will take you back to Gottingen. <BR> <BR>Still more to come.

Kathy, <BR>This itinerary among other things will get you to the stomping grounds of some of Germany's more legendary and mythical personages. It'll also expose you to the artistry of ancient Egypt, contemporary Africa and German porcelain! Can't be more eclectic no matter how hard I might try. <BR> <BR>From Gottingen, take Rte 3 north through Northeim to Einbeck. At one time in the Middle Ages, Einbeck was home to over 700 breweries. Talk about "home brew"; seems like all the townspeople did. The Marktplatz is surrounded by wooden houses, two of which are particularly interesting. The town pharmacy (Rats-Apotheke) and the Brodhaus opposite, both dating from the 16th century, give evidence of their use by brewers. Dormers on both building open to attics where hops, barley and malt were stored to dry before brewing. In the plaza you'll find a statue of Til Eulenspiegel, the local brewery worker, prankster and trouble maker of legend who was the subject of Richard Strauss' tone poem of the same name. <BR> <BR>For one of the most stunningly original building facades, continue from Einbeck to Alfeld on the banks of the river Leine to view the Alte Lateinschule. The school and its façade date to 1610. The exterior is laced with what appear to be porcelain replicas of gods, goddesses and various human virtues. Quite stunning and, unlike so many half-timbered and wooden buildings in these Saxony villages, made of brick. <BR> <BR>Continue from Alfeld to Hildesheim, a town severely damaged in World War II but lovingly restored. There is a marked pedestrian trail, the Rosenroute, that will take you past most of the major sites in town. On the square Am Steine in the southwestern section of town you'll find the Roemer-Pelizaeus museum which houses the largest collection of Egyptian art and artifacts in Germany outside of Berlin. In the western suburb of Hildesheim-Sorsum you'll find the Afrika Manyatta museum devoted to African folk crafts, many of which are available for purchase in the museum's gift shop. <BR> <BR>From Hildesheim drive west on Rte 1 to Hameln, the legendary town of the Pied Piper. The Rat Catcher's Home (Rattenfangerhaus) like many of the fine houses in Hameln are in a style different than you've encountered up to now. The design is Weser Renaissance with a preponderance of pinnacled gables and ornate scrollwork. Most date from the early part of the 17th century and are very much in evidence around the town square and adjacent streets and alleys. <BR> <BR>Take Rte 83 south, on the bank of the Weser River to Bodenwerder. Here, the ornate town hall is the former mansion of Baron Munchhausen, a real person renowned in legend as the world's greatest storyteller and liar. Continue south to Hoxter, cross the river and look for directional signs to Furstenberg, the porcelain factory and museum housed in a palace dating from 1747. <BR> <BR>Backtrack and continue south on the banks of the Weser to the village of Munden where the Weser is formed by the convergence of the Werra and Fulda rivers. Munden lies in a basin surrounded by the two rivers and lovely hills. It's a charming village in an equally charming setting. From Munden you can return to Gottingen via Rte 3. <BR> <BR>I don't know how long you plan to stay in the area of Gottingen, but if you've got additional time, I'd suggest a drive on the Deutsche Marchenstrasse (Germany Fairytale Route) to Hofgeismar, a walled village and on to Kassel with its stunning collection of Rembrandts and prehistoric antiquities housed in Schloss Wilhelmshohe, a building that has been home at one time or another to Jerome Napoleon, Napoleon III and Kaiser Wilhelm II. <BR> <BR>Drop me an Email if you feel I can be of assistance.

I hope all you guys who are planning a trip to Germany were all listening. Wes has given a superb rundown on the attractions of this largely ignored part of the country. <BR> <BR>I would add that Quedlinburg and Werrnigerode are also not to be missed if you have time (turn right at Braunlage instead of proceeding directly to Bad Harzburg). It is worth repeating that all this mountain region was completely untouched by the ravages of the war and you are seeing the genuine 1000 year old article in many cases.

Thank you, Harzer, for the kind words! I frankly hope not too many readers are enticed by the area. I'd hate to see some of these villages turn into Rothenburgs.

Not likely to happen in my experience. When I lived in Bad Harzburg (1960 -64) a few Danish, English and Dutch tourists used to turn up, and I don't think much has changed. Almost none of my German friends from the West and South of the country have ever been to the Harz either. <BR> <BR>And it was always politically a sort of no-man's-land. Even after the Wall went up in Berlin there was almost no attempt to erect permanent controls on the border through the Harz for many, many years. Mostly there were just signs up along the streams that marked the border saying: Caution! You are now entering DDR territory. One exception was the Ecker dam wall which ran across the border, and even in 1960 there was a barbed wire barrier erected across the middle of this with armed boys about my age amongst the undergrowth on the other side. I believe there were roving armed patrols though and it was best to leave your visits to the East German side until late at night. Later they erected a series of concrete towers with searchlights, dogs, Selbstschussanlagen (spring guns) and all the other party tricks one associates with the then German-German border. <BR> <BR>Interesting times! <BR> <BR>Regards, <BR>Harzer

For the prospective traveler to Europe in summer, 2001