Michele's Germany Travel Blog

Planning a trip to Germany? Wondering how to keep in touch? Cellular Abroad provides some answers. Read More.

CDs and electronic dictionaries can be very effective tools for learning German. A few of my picks include electronic dictionaries from ECTACO and Sharper Image and German lessons on CD from Michel Thomas. Read More.

Our Germany travel forum has been asleep for a while but with summer coming up, I thought it would be a good time to invite people to participate in the forum. You can discuss vacation ideas, food, wine, beer, and generally anything you would like to talk about regarding Germany. Post your questions about Germany on the forum to get answers not only from me but from other members of the Germany travel forum.

If you are not an About.com member yet, it only takes a few minutes to sign up and it's free. I hope to get some lively discussions going about Germany, the best places to go, the best vacations, travel anecdotes and funny stories about German translations, Germans and Germany.

Join in - hopefully we will be able to build a strong community of Germanophiles - I am sure everyone that has been to Germany has anecdotes to tell and tips to give to other travelers and I look forward to hearing them as well as answering questions that are posted.

Wine connoisseurs are not the only ones that will enjoy staying at one of Germany's wineries. The vineyards of Germany are often idyllic and many are within a short drive of major cities. The Web site, winerystay.com provides information and links on winery stays in Germany and other European countries. The Mosel region is particularly charming and has several wineries and vineyards that offer lodging as well. Good cuisine, good wine, reasonable room rates, and personal service are hallmarks of any German winery stay. Particularly nice for a romantic vacation, staying on one of Germany's vineyards or at a winery, will leave you feeling both relaxed and cultured (and maybe a little tipsy).

May in Germany provides visitors with the opportunity to enjoy good weather, a myriad of spring and summer festivals and a last chance to visit before the high tourist season starts in June. The Hamburg Harbor birthday, with its parade of tall ships and massive festival takes place every year the second weekend of May and the first Rhine in Flames event takes place in Bonn, to name but a few of the things that take place in May. Airfares are still low so whether you are traveling north to Hamburg or Berlin or south to Munich or Stuttgart, you will find plenty to do in May.

Germany is home to around thirty islands, all of them quite small, and each with a personality and nature of its own. If you are looking for a relaxing way to spend your holiday consider staying on one of the German islands which offer various spa treatments, fresh air, beautiful scenery, quaint villages and various regional cuisines. Many of the islands are at least half nature reserves and water sports and cultural offerings are myriad. Read more.

www.braugasthoefe.de offers a wide array of Brewery stays in Germany and most of them offer great prices in lovely settings. After writing about winery stays, various hotels, and more recently about hay hotels and farm stays, a reader told me about brewery stays. While I haven't experienced one myself yet, I very much look forward to the opportunity to do so. Check out the Web site you might find just the German atmosphere you are looking for at one of Germany's many breweries. George, thanks for the tip - you can bet I will be heading out one of these weeks soon - just looking at the photographs and the menus makes me want to spend a few weeks touring Germany's breweries and the Web site is very comprehensive with a lot of detail about each brewery.

The Rhine in Flames is a series of boat parades and fireworks displays that is not to be missed. Running over the course of the summer at various locations along the Rhine, it is definitely worth putting in your travel plans. This year, the first display will be from Bonn to Linz on May 3 with other displays to follow throughout the summer. Here’s a quick guide to the main Rhine in Flame events including the dates for up to 2008:

• Bonn bis Linz:
• 03.05.08
• Bingen/Ruedesheim:
• 05.07.08
• Koblenz:
• 09.08.08
• St. Goar:
• 20.09.08
• Oberwesel:
• 13.09.08

Read more.

Munich is celebrating its 850th birthday this year and the city that has been voted as one of the top ten most liveable cities in the world is hosting several events this summer to commemorate the founding of Munich. The theme for the birthday celebrations is "Building Bridges", a bit of an inside joke as Munich became a city after Henry the Lion destroyed the Isar bridge and built his own bridge into what was then Munichen. If you are planning a summer vacation in Germany, you might want to take in one of the events as Munich parties hardy -

• June 14-15, 2008 Town Foundation Festival
• July 19-20, 2008 Old Town Ring Road festival
• August 1-3, 2008 Isar Bridge festival

Germany is famous for high quality products from kitchen gadgets to fine jewelry. If you can't make it to Germany to buy a gift, here are some gift ideas for Mothers Day that you can buy online. Read More.