Background: As Europe's largest economy and most populous nation, Germany remains a key member of the continent's economic, political, and defense organizations. European power struggles immersed Germany in two devastating World Wars in the first half of the 20th century and left the country occupied by the victorious Allied powers of the US, UK, France, and the Soviet Union in 1945. With the advent of the Cold War, two German states were formed in 1949: the western Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the eastern German Democratic Republic (GDR). The democratic FRG embedded itself in key Western economic and security organizations, the EC, which became the EU, and NATO, while the Communist GDR was on the front line of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact. The decline of the USSR and the end of the Cold War allowed for German unification in 1990. Since then, Germany has expended considerable funds to bring Eastern productivity and wages up to Western standards. In January 1999, Germany and 10 other EU countries introduced a common European exchange currency, the euro.
July 25th 2008Europe » Germany » Baden-Württemberg » Lake Constance Hello again!
I'm now in at my friend's in Wahlwies (near Stockach, next to Lake Constance), after a five hour journey through the Bavarian countryside from Munich.
After a bit of a lie in in S ... 21 photos[full story]
May 4th 2008Europe » Germany » Baden-Württemberg » Baden-Baden A fascinating town with a thousand faces that will undoubtedly bring a wide smile to yours. Set out on an extraordinary walk through Baden-Baden - pass by at the famous Kurhaus, promenade through the ... 6 photos[full story]
July 21st 2008Europe » Germany » Baden-Württemberg » Black Forest Well we have made it to Germany. This morning we crossed the border about 20 miles north of Strasbourg and are currently camped in a small town called Achern. We stopped early today to prepare ourse ... [full story]
July 19th 2008Europe » Germany » Baden-Württemberg » Mannheim ...That I haven't had any updates for a while. This is a combination of not much going on, boring things going on, things going on where I couldn't take pictures, etc. So here's what's been happening ... [full story]
July 19th 2008Europe » Germany » Baden-Württemberg » Heidelberg We had an excellent day from start to finish in Heidelberg, startign with a funicular train ride up the hill to Heidelberg castle and a stroll along the grounds. The castle is crumbling a little, but ... [full story]
July 14th 2008Europe » Germany » Baden-Württemberg » Stuttgart Vom 10. - 13.7. stand ein langes Wochenende in Stuttgart vor der Tür. Nachdem wir uns von unseren Freunden in Bern mit einem Fest verabschiedet haben, wollten wir natürlich auch von allen Freunden im ... 13 photos[full story]
July 14th 2008Europe » Germany » Baden-Württemberg » Heidelberg After weeks of solo travel I finally have my travel companion as my sister arrived this morning. Her flight was delayed two hours for weather, so I had a nice morning sitting in the airport, reading, ... [full story]
July 6th 2008Europe » Germany » Baden-Württemberg » Mannheim To start off my entry, I have a creepy anecdote. The other day, I was riding to a soccer game on the S-Bahn. It was really cramped and more people were getting on on every stop. I was stuck up next to ... [full story]
July 4th 2008Europe » Germany » Baden-Württemberg » Heidelberg I'm off to see my other half - together in Munich two years ago we survived the chaos and stupid girl politics by combining our forces and coming out on top. The trip to Heidelberg was wonderfully un ... 3 photos[full story]
July 2nd 2008Europe » Germany » Baden-Württemberg » Mannheim I just wrote a huge blog on what's been going on, and I lost it. So here's the synopsis (I'm really tired and ready for bed):
After spending the morning at school and in a tour, we went bowling and ... [full story]
Map of Germany
Germany's Flag
