Germany Search East # 39; Communist kitchen
The official language is German, spoken both in the form of local dialects and German standards differ according to the area, for example, there is a local dialect in Berlin, but very few native speakers remain, while in rural areas and to a lesser extent urban Saxony the Saxon dialect is the majority language Although the vast majority of German speaking standard German, it is for many of them non-native speakers, and it should be noted that German dialects are as different as separate languages.
While Germany is not the English more competent European countries, English-speaking Germans are still a majority, and especially young people are often commonly However, German is a difficult language to learn, but the Germans are very tolerant of non-native speakers so do not hesitate to try some phrases in communist times the elderly in the former east Germany had to learn Russian at school and you might find someone who is yet able to speak the language, but it is increasingly rare the small minority of the Sorbs live in rural areas on the border between the states of Brandenburg and Saxony cities and towns are bilingual using both German and Sorbian, which is similar to Polish and Czech.
The main airports in the region are in Berlin, Leipzig Halle airport code LEJ Dresden and Berlin currently has two airports, Tegel TXL Berlin Schönefeld SXF Schönefeld is now expanded to become Berlin-Brandenburg International Airport BER, which is expected to open a day by 2014 and replace existing airports the vast site of construction coupled with the scandals and failures of planning and construction time-out to a tourist sight in itself.
Major international airports outside of East Germany, but would be less like Hamburg, Prague and Warsaw.
Germany has an extensive rail network, and the area is well served by trains from all over Germany and the neighboring countries of Poland and the functions of the Central Station Czech Republic Berlin hub of rail transport in Germany of is the most prestigious line of the German railway company Deutsche Bahn is the high-speed line Hamburg-Berlin, where InterCityExpresses schedules can go up fast 300km h of the main networks of the city interrelated by EuroCity trains or InterCityExpresses would Kopenhagen -Hamburg-Berlin-Dresden-Prague, Warsaw, Berlin, Berlin-Leipzig-Leipzig-Munich and Frankfurt Main higher than a vast network of regional trains serving the smaller cities.
Germany is famous for its network of motorways and since the 1990 meeting, the network has been extended and improved You can enter the area from all over Germany and fast enough practice, however, the connections between neighboring Poland or Czech Republic are still in development and you might find a huge difference in the quality of roads on both sides of the German border.
You can rent cars in all major airports and find rental outlets in most major cities Traveling by car is the most flexible and the network of highways and main roads is enough to bring you all over Germany East within hours it tends to be quite expensive as well.
Note however that most car rentals deny having their cars taken in the countries of Eastern Europe, including Poland and the Czech Republic If you plan to visit these countries, too, can choose to rent your car because these limitations are not applicable in the other direction round.
If you have a sufficient sense of adventure and at least a handful of the German language, you can take regional trains linking almost every small town with major hubs such as Berlin, Dresden and Leipzig There tickets train exclusively to regional trains, which are called bills Ländertickets state and go as Sachsen tickets or Brandenburg and tickets are only valid on regional trains in Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt Sachsen and Sachsen-Anhalt or Brandendenburg, respectively travel by train gives you the opportunity to get in touch with the people of younger people and students are the most likely to speak English, so approach them to discuss and they could tell you about hidden gems that deserve visited unguided never cover.
The German capital Berlin, a metropolis with a vibrant nightlife, cultural life and a younger interesting history.
Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam near which was built as a copy of the French Versailles.
Dresden, with its beautiful old town, which was called the North Florence.
The Erzgebirge mountains with its century-old heritage of mining and beautiful forests and unspoiled landscapes.
Hidden gems as the Spreewald area, a network of canals and lakes of the Lower Lausitz, 200 km south of Berlin, or the Upper Lausitz region with cities as beautifully rebuilt or Bautzen Goerlitz.
Visit Berlin the capital of Germany and the center of night life and undeniable culture in Central Europe.
Visit the Sorbs, a Slawic minority in Germany, which settle in rural areas between Berlin and Dresden and retained their ancient heritage and culture Try to be there for Easter.
Get a bike and go along the Oder-Neisse-Bike Trail, a Zittau long distance bike trail by the Czech-border Ruegen in the Baltic Sea.
Dresden visit the capital of the federal state of Saxony and go hiking the Bastei in the Elbsandsteingebirge.
Visit the Monument to the Battle of Nations in Leipzig Völkerschlachtdenkmal who remembers the struggle between Germany, Russia and Napoleonic France, and was built solely by donations.
If you want to go to Leipzig in Saxony for the Gothic-Treffen annual wave during the Pentecost meeting of fans of dark music styles such as Wave, Gothic and EBM.
Spend some time in a small town off the beaten track to soak up the culture and life in eastern Germany Try Bautzen, Cottbus or Goerlitz for an entry.
Visit the Ore Erzgebirge Mountains in Saxony and go in Freiberg, a town with 800 years of heritage of mining and a university that is world renowned for its science skills geo When being there, you should visit the mine is managed by the University Freiberg It's used to train future geoscientists and open to visitors.
Hiking in the Harz Mountains, part of the green heart of Germany.
Visit the former German domestic border, which in some areas has been preserved as historical monuments.
Like the rest of Germany, the entire East German region is a very safe place to travel laws are strictly enforced, the police is easily accessible and very likely to help during the World Championship Football 2006, the police force of the large cities have received sufficient training to deal even with foreigners in English in small towns you will find the need to speak German the emergency phone number is 112 for each type of emergency.
While big cities like Berlin and, to a lesser extent Leipzig and Dresden have become multiethnic and have large communities of immigrants living there, in small towns and in the countryside, the non-white visitors can sometimes attract attention suspicious in some places there right -wing neo-Nazis, which may seem in trouble, especially when drunk the evening Act with common sense, and when in doubt stick to larger crowds of ordinary people Do not be afraid to call the police when feeling uncomfortable Unfortunately, all hate crimes are committed by neo-Nazis.
While German social systems allow everyone a decent social protection, large cities such as Berlin and Hamburg have their share of beggars and homeless in the streets These people are harmless and closely monitored by especially the police near train stations or in crowded pedestrian areas, you should be aware of pickpockets again, there is nothing extraordinary, and sense of common traveler enough.
Germany is relatively open-minded towards homosexuals Today Germany even had a gay foreign minister and the city of Berlin is governed by a gay mayor Current law is in a process of change and couples of gays lesbians may even have sex marriages with a number of tax benefits attributed to it.
Overt display of homosexuality is relatively safe in gay neighborhoods in large cities like Berlin in the countryside and in dangerous neighborhoods, displays of homosexuality may attract suspicious glances and with neo-Nazis and Muslim extremists around may give rise to insults or worse, you are better off, applying common sense.
Visit the shores of the Baltic Sea 250 km north of Berlin.
Go west to the north and visit Hamburg northern Germany's center and stop in small historic cities such as Lübeck or Lüneburg.
Go east to the north and visit the three Polish cities of Gdansk Gdynia and Sopot on the Baltic Sea that form a city called Tri-City Trojmiasto Polish.
Take a train to Warsaw in Poland There is a handy link to central Berlin which runs daily and takes about four hours.
Visit the old towns of Silesia in Poland, namely Wroclaw, Legnica, Kattowitz, Opole, and attend to their beauty found since the end of the communist era.
Take a train to Prague the capital of the Czech Republic There are several daily connections from Berlin via Dresden, taking 5 hours Berlin and 2 to 5 hours of Dresden.
Visit the towns of Karlovy Vary Bohemia, home of the famous liqueur Becherovka or Budejowice and Podravka, famous beer house in Bohemia too.
Regional train in Thuringia and start hiking the mountains, called the green heart of Germany.
Travel southwest and go to Bayreuth in Franconia, home of the famous German composer Richard Wagner, and again in Munich the capital of Bavaria.
East Germany, East Germany, Poland Czech Republic.