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Post by amber89 on Jun 13, 2019 18:01:01 GMT
Argh! I always figured the Germans, with their technical knowledge, had some of the best trains in the world. Is the infrastructure just getting old, or are there other problems? I hope the government fixes some of those problems, so people can get around more quickly. It starts to be a myth, this "german engineering"...it's enough to read the case of the new Berlin airport. I suppose that the infrastructure was neglected for a very long time (most likely the tracks, because the trains are pretty new) and now there is no money to replace it. The same issue is with their high-ways...all of them are at the same time in repairs, because it got sooo bad.
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Post by Bean on Jun 13, 2019 18:11:36 GMT
Oh yes, please ask your husband! Rothenburg ob der Tauber came up when I had a quick search and I loved the idea of visiting with all those pretty old buildings. I guess we'd be willing to consider an overnight train or a longer journey somewhere, I just think the journeys which are broken up with lots of changes on various trains and buses could be a bit of a drag, which probably rules out some smaller towns.
Our trains are often late anyway, so that won't be a shock! It was more of a shock when we were in Switzerland, that everything was always on time!
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Post by amber89 on Jun 13, 2019 20:58:53 GMT
So, had a chat with my husband...depends a lot what you also are interested in when visiting a city or town. First idea was Bremen (around 3h, changing once). Also, the area Wurzburg-Bamberg (around 5,5h, direct) is also a very nice one (old, german university towns). In German-speaking area Wurzburg is known as a area for good wine. Bamberg is famous for its smoky beer. If you go south, then you could also go even further towards Munchen (5h, direct from Berlin or max 2h, change once from Bamberg/Wurzburg) and Nurnberg. Reaching Rothenburg is easiest from Nurnberg (1,5h, change once). Don't expect Munchen to look like an old city, it was heavily damaged during WWII and few buildings survived (including the city council). The same is also valid for Nurnberg, the old, medieval buildings that survived the war are scattered and hidden between new buildings. The other option is to go north, towards the sea. There would be worth to visit maybe Rostock and Lubeck. Both are old cities that were part of the Hanseatic League, with Lubeck even the capital of the Pomerian region. I hope this helps. Of course, if more questions, feel free to ask
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Post by 3piggles on Jun 13, 2019 21:42:38 GMT
Their trains sound like ours. Newer trains, old tracks, endless problems and delays I guess German engineering does take money, and life has gotten extremely expensive.
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Post by Bean on Jun 14, 2019 6:24:32 GMT
Thanks Amber! That's great to start me off - I will look those places up later.
When we're thinking about when to go, I've heard that German weather can be as changeable as ours, and that visiting mid-summer for sightseeing can be quite oppressive if you have a really hot summer. So if we visit in spring or autumn (so we can see the sights without wilting), that makes the coast slightly less appealing, but we do also quite like the idea of something that's fun for the kids too - like a CenterParcs style resort where good weather isn't necessary for a good time.
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Post by amber89 on Jun 14, 2019 18:55:28 GMT
I have't really heard of German weather being so changeable (maybe just crazy April...we have here a saying "April, April der macht was er will"). Generally, Germany is not very hot, but you might catch a heatwave and AC is not really common. Also, depending on the area where you are, you might also get in addition high humidity. My husband said that Berlin is generally cooler than Munchen, for example. Personally, i always travel in mid to late September...less large groups of tourists and accomodation is cheaper. I am not sure i would trust myself to swim in the North Sea, even in July, when the water reaches 15 C. Don't know if you are used with colder water. The Baltic Sea reaches a luxurious temperature of 20 C in July. Depending how old the kids are and what they are interested in, there are many options in Germany for them also (LEGO-land, Europapark, Olympia park etc). Just with a fast Google search i found this options:
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Post by Bean on Jun 14, 2019 19:19:52 GMT
We always used to holiday in places like Filey on the Yorkshire coast and swam in the sea without a second thought. I can't do it now I'm an adult though - far too cold - but the kids do. We watch them, hoping they don't ever get into trouble so we need to go in!
Olympia Park looks fun!
It was just a forum on Trip Advisor that mentioned cities like Berlin getting stifling in August if there's a heatwave (because of all the buildings retaining heat and lots of people). I should make sure I don't take one person's view as the gospel! It's like here with a/c not being common - if it does happen to get really hot, you certainly know about it at night. We have so few nights that are really hot that it's not worth considering a/c, but there are a few nights a year when you'd appreciate it!
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Post by 3piggles on Jun 15, 2019 19:00:35 GMT
We're on the Atlantic, pretty much across from you, Bean, and by the end of the summer, the ocean temp is up to 20C. At the start of the summer, it's about 50F. As children, we'd go in the freezing ocean, and stay until our lips turned blue, which was when we were too numb to be cold. Of course, our parents would call us out to thaw out, and make us do it all over again, lol If I could walk on sand, I would still at least put my feet, and let the waves lap over them
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Post by jolovespiggies on Jun 24, 2019 18:39:04 GMT
Water can be so soothing can't it?
hugs jo xx
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