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.
May 16th 2008Europe » Germany » Bavaria » Munich Hello all! As many of you know, I am travelling in Europe right now and promised to keep you all up to date with some kind of travelblog. So here it is . Obviously if any of you no longer want ... 65 photos[full story]
May 15th 2008Europe » Germany » Bavaria » Munich Munich or Muenchen, the heartbeat of Bavaria. Living in Freising (and studying at the TUM Technical university of munich) ons has to take the time to come here and this is exactly what I did on the fi ... 12 photos[full story]
May 15th 2008Europe » Germany » Bavaria » Munich 5/15/08
I have absolutely LOVED every aspect of Munich! Its beautiful, friendly, they speak English, they don’t take life too seriously and they have a great love of beer which is evident dow ... [full story]
May 14th 2008Europe » Germany » Bavaria » Munich (Slower please!)
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a learning curve. Please note that this "curve" is actually more of a ninety degree angle - which makes the "curve" more of an "obstacle resembling a wa ... [full story]
May 12th 2008Europe » Germany » Bavaria » Munich I was also contemplating titling this entry "back in the world of beautiful gentlemen" but decided that this statement is the most relevant right now.
I didn't sleep on the plane and that may have ... [full story]
January 3rd 2003Europe » Germany » Bavaria » Munich There is no doubt that he's Italian. At first sight, he could be an important business man with his nice suit and greasy hair. Turns out he is not. He's on vacation from his job as a truck driver. He ... [full story]
May 10th 2008Europe » Germany » Bavaria » Munich After a whirlwind tour through Innsbruck (Austria), Schloss Neuschwanstein and Oberammergau, we've ended up in Munich. I really liked Innsbruck (smaller and very near the mountains) and Neuschwanstei ... [full story]
May 7th 2008Europe » Germany » Bavaria » Munich Not loving this overnight train business. After a night of shuffling bags around in a space not much larger than the bags themselves, at least I can solve the Tower Of Babel in about 20s now. Didn't g ... [full story]
May 7th 2008Europe » Germany » Bavaria » Munich The town I will be living in for the next 5 and a bit months is Freising, a quite small village (population 45000) next to munich airport. (20 minutes away with the train or 40 minutes away with the s ... 10 photos[full story]
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