IF you are from Spain and you are assigned here in Germany, then you better start learning German. Because you are from Spain, you don’t need to get a visa to come here in Germany because as a member of the European Union, it entitles citizens of other countries not to get a visa anymore. And because Germany is located in Mainland Europe, you can also come here via land. There are train trips daily but like with plane flights, they are reserved ahead online. But if you want to bring your car from Madrid all the way up to here, then you can do so. Just make sure you’ll have someone with you to take over the driving if you are about to doze off.

Then when you have already reached Germany, it is now time to brush up on that German language. You can either enroll in a German language school or you can enroll in one online so your work won’t be interrupted. In a typical German language school, you will be asked to write down a one-sentence essay in German and recite it in front of the class. Don’t worry, your classmates are also adults just like you. You are also assigned a language partner. A language partner is someone from Germany who wants to learn Spanish. Thus, he or she will be able to tutor you in your German acquisition attempt but in return, you must teach him or her how to speak correct Spanish as well.

Even then, you can also learn German through language tapes or through DW. DW is a television station in Germany with worldwide reach and you can slowly learn how to speak German by just reading the ticker in the television and listening to what the broadcaster or the actress or actor is saying. Aside from that, you can also learn how to speak German just by eavesdropping on two German natives conversing with each other. German is not that hard to learn since Spanish and all its dialects such as Catalan and Basque are co-related with German in a way. It is actually a Romance language because it originated from Rome. The Roman language of old is largely influenced by Germanic and Frankish tribes when the Romans conquered Germany.

Anyway, most of the inhabitants here are Roman Catholics just like you so you will also be able to celebrate the Christmas season here in its entirety from Advent to the Feast of the Epiphany on the first Sunday of January 2008. You will also be able to experience the nine days of dawn masses just like you’ve been experiencing in Spain all your life. Another thing to understand here in Germany is that it has no minimum wage. So businesses here usually pay higher than the European average even though they still use the same currency which is euro. And if you want to know what is the authentic German cuisine here, then you may want to know that it is a very down-to-earth cuisine because they really serve you fresh potatoes just picked from the farm. If what you order is potato fries, then these are just harvested prior to being cooked. That’s how heavenly Germany is.

One thing to ensure yourself on leaving after your year here is that you have seen as wide a variety of German culture as you can. It is a large country and so the culture differs rather a lot between the North and the South, the East and the West. A Germany train can take you through all regions, guaranteeing you a thorough German experience abroad. A pass is the most recommendable option since for it is both economic and flexible, ideal for young travellers.

It is most important to research the whole of your holiday before coming, to maximise your time here and not regret a moment. Ask friends for tips, read newspapers, even try and learn some of the language - your trip will be one to remember!

Germany is just one of the countries that are best for your travel excursions. The country is abundant with many attractive views good for relaxation after a long harsh work. The country of Germany is good for family trip, even if you are a first Germany traveler you will love the country itself because there are many historical attractive panoramic sceneries here; such as castles, museums and more. There are many things to do and see around Germany, and because of that you will surely craving to see and land personally the country.

The Neuschwanstein Castle is one of the most popular castles that lay in Germany. If you want to see the real castle where Sleeping Beauty sleeps particularly in Disneyland, you better drop here as one of your excursions. The castle is one of the most visited attractions in Germany because of the incredible façade it shows. When you were here, you can imagine that you were one of the Walt Disney characters. It would be a dream come true landing in this castle since you were just one of the millions of people wishing to come over here. You must also include Berlin when planning to visit Germany, the historical miscellany of the villainous Berlin Wall is located in some parts of Germany as well as the remaining gate which is the Brandenburg Gate which nestled at the end of Unter den Linden Boulevard. It is in this capital city of Germany where you can also see zoo that caters wit over 13, 000 different species.

You can bring your lover in Germany’s Romantic Road, another most alluring attractions in Germany. You can see chronological churches and gothic churches as well that lays here. Lovers will love strolling this road since there are captivating views of more to see and discover. After a good journey and travel around Germany, experience also the past dark history of Germany. Discover Germany’s horrible past history in the Dachau destination, it was built during 1933; the statue that says “Never Again” which signifies the dark history of Germany. Visit also another tourists attractions which is the Lake Constance; the largest aquatic tourist attraction in Germany. The lake is splits with both Switzerland and Australia; there are about four million people who came in hear for drinking water. The aquatic warm water is an attraction also to many different species of birds which loves to drench them in the water.

You might be thinking that the Black Forest in Germany features the black side of Germany, you maybe thinking that there would be horrible features that hide in the dark forest. Ironically, the Black Forest is a great destination to stroll and gaze around the flourishing forest. A visit to this place is a great idea especially during summer because you can hide within the forest’s thick leaves under the heat of the sun. Those who love to hike or cross-country skiing, the Black Forest is great recommendation for you. There are actually many tourists’ attractions you can find and discover about Germany, and discovering it yourself is a great as well as worthy experience.

BEING the daughter of the German ambassador to the Philippines, I have never been to my home country in my entire life. It was only during my fifth grade did our whole family leave the entire Philippine shores behind and go back to Germany as my father was then appointed as German deputy foreign minister after being in Manila for 15 years. Thus, it was sort of lost in translation for me although I already knew the language by heart because we spoke German at home at our little enclave inside the embassy compound. However, I sort of being gifted too as I also know how to speak English and Filipino being the two staple tongues in the Philippines.

This year will be my first Christmas in Germany and I’m really looking forward for it. I have known Christmases in the Philippines for so long a time that I love to savor it already in my home country. When the Lufthansa flight that I was in landed at Frankfurt International Airport, I found myself bewildered. I felt that I was in a strange land filled with familiar people. It was a busy airport and I later learned that it is the second busiest airport in the world, next to London’s Heathrow and succeeded by Paris’s Charles de Gaulle International Airport. It was ten times busier than the Ninoy Aquino International Airport back in the Philippines that I knew.

And the terminals were first rated and offered all the amenities that I only saw through DW and the Internet. This time, I savored it for real. The signature shops were awe-inspiring too. At this time of the year, they are starting to decorate the duty-free shops and the nearby hotels with Christmas trees. But there are also Halloween decorations as it is only days away before this celebration will arrive. Sure, Western Halloween has reached Philippine shores but they’re more concentrated on celebrating it the day after which they call as All Saints’ Day, an entirely Catholic concept. There are lots of Catholics here in Germany but I’m not sure if they are as devout as we are in the Philippines.

Next that I’m struck is the difference between the cathedrals here and the cathedrals in Manila. The cathedrals in Manila have this colonial design. It is understandably so, the country being a colony of Spain during the last two centuries or so. But here in Frankfurt, the cathedrals have Gothic designs. I later knew during my first history lesson here that these were conceptualized by the Catholic conquerors of old who wanted to lure the natives to the churches. Thus, they needed to decorate something which represented their culture. And so this tradition has pervaded even in these relatively newer times. And the art thing here is very pervasive. Every where I go, there are painting galleries and photo exhibitions as well as shows of innovative concepts. They are held either in malls or in classically-identifiable places such as museums.