Germany

Culture and adventure combine to form a Germany that defies easy generalizations in spite of its caricatures. Of course, it has Lederhosen and busty barmaids, but it is also a landscape studded with skyscrapers and technology as modern as tomorrow. Although Germany may live with the horrors of the Nazi era for decades to come, it is forging ahead with a group of determined young people to create a nation that leads Europe in modernity, innovation, and an enlightened democracy. The allure of tradition, in spite of heavy bombing, is still here, ranging from Bavarian alpine peaks and lakes to fairytale castles and half-timbered houses. ...

Culture and adventure combine to form a Germany that defies easy generalizations in spite of its caricatures. Of course, it has Lederhosen and busty barmaids, but it is also a landscape studded with skyscrapers and technology as modern as tomorrow. Although Germany may live with the horrors of the Nazi era for decades to come, it is forging ahead with a group of determined young people to create a nation that leads Europe in modernity, innovation, and an enlightened democracy. The allure of tradition, in spite of heavy bombing, is still here, ranging from Bavarian alpine peaks and lakes to fairytale castles and half-timbered houses. In vivid contrast Germany has entered the 21st century with Internet cafes, Turkish ghettos, great art and greater music, and a history book lesson in integrating a backward Communist country into a Land of forward-looking cosmopolitanism. Young Germans tell you that their history is not the past but the future.

About the Expert

Darwin Porter and Danforth Prince have written many guidebooks for Frommer's, including Frommer's France and Frommer's Germany.