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| The Aachen Cathedral |
| Stone steps lead up to a simple throne in a vaulted room in Aachen. |
| The Berlin Wall |
| The Brandenburg Gate or "Brandenburger Tor", has been the site of many important historical events in Germany, the most recent of which was the celebration of the destruction of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany in 1990. |
| The entrance and facade of the New Palace at the Sans Souci Park, Potsdam |
| A waitress carries beers to the revelers at the Oktoberfest in Munich, where around 5 million litres of beer is consumed |
| A man raises his glass at Bavaria's Oktoberfest. |
| Rugged peaks in the Alps, seen from the Zugspitze, the tallest mountain in Germany. |
| Breads in a German Bakery |
| Aachen, Germany by Kirsten Dolle |
| Aachen, the town I live in, is a big tourist attraction in Germany. In the centre of the old town you can´t miss the Aachener Dome, a very impressing cathedral built by Karl dem Großen. I really do love Aachen, because it´s not so big but you´ll never get bored anyway. And the old town is very cute: Lots of visitors from all over the world get enthusiastic when they see it. |
| The biggest tourist attractions in Germany are for example the "Kölner Dom", a big cathedral in Cologne, or the "Brandenburger Tor" in Berlin, which was closed for the time Germany was divided into two parts and is now open again since 1989. But what I can really recommend to visitors is a trip on the Rhein, Germanys bestknown river, especially where Rhein and Mosel meet. Another tourist attraction are the German "Weihnachtsmärkte", markets which only excist before christmas with a lot of stalls where you can buy food or presents. |
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| The Kolner Dom |
| I think I would take a friend, who wants to understand my culture, to Berlin. There the former parts of Germany - east and west - bounce against each other, and there you can find everything that represents Germany: The modern town with many very open-minded inhabitants, a lot of museums which remind of the dark parts of the German history as well, the multi-cultural atmosphere which becomes typical for Germany. And very close to Berlin there´s Potsdam, a very very nice little town with "Schloss Sanssouci", an old castle which reminds of the times of monarchy. |
| If you want to party, party, party, join the "Love Parade" in Berlin, where techno-freaks from all over the world meet or the "Münchener Oktoberfest", where thousands litres of beer per hour get poured. If you like hiking and skiing, visit the Alps in the south of Germany. Famous is the German "Brotzeit auf der Alm": you can rest at an alpine pasture and eat, drink and party... I absolutely adore the North Sea, with its rough waves and the endless beach. I´ve been there more then ten times and will go there again and again! In summer, there are a lot of music-festivals in Germany, street parties and markets. People enjoy sitting in cafes, go to the disco, go swimming in the open-air swimming pool. Oh, and the men (and a few women) play football! In winter, people can be found in their appartments mostly, where they meet friends, watch TV (how boring!) or play cards or something like that. Of course they go to disco as well, and many of them like skiing. |
| I'd like to tell you about German food. So, first of all I have to refute a prejudice: I really don´t know anybody who likes to eat "Eisbein (pickled knuckle of pork) and Sauerkraut". Most of us like italian food for lunch, french food for breakfast and salad and a piece of bread for dinner. The traditional german cuisine looks like that: potatoes, vegetables and a piece of meat. That gets boring after some time! But I only can praise our bread and our cakes! |
| I know that there are many people who think that the Germans didn´t learn anything from the First and Second World War, when they hear about racists in Germany. I only can affirm, that there are only very few people who are hostile to foreigners, not more than in other countries, perhaps less. Most of the Germans are friendly and open-minded and they love to meet people from other countries! What makes me so proud to be German? Germany is a very beautiful country with great landscapes and interesting towns. It´s got a fifty year old democracy now and the people know both, how to party and to work hard. Many Germans are creative, interested in what happens in the world and sportive. And they make the best cake... Perhaps you´ll see (and taste) that one day yourself? |
| return to Cultural Correspondence return to Cultural Keepsakes Write to Kirsten at: kirsten_doelle@hotmail.com |
