Germany - Information.

Strange Happenings: At the Munich Beer Festival, the following sign was seen.   No translation required...

Also met an Iranian there who over a few beers, in a mixture of English and German, explained that his country was "Scheiße" (s**t).

Travel Advice and Information: Germany has a lot to offer, from the obvious sight seeing in the major cities (especially Berlin and it's recent history), to skiing (winter) and hiking (summer) in the German Alps in the south.   For the less energetic, cruising on the Rhine is a relaxing way to see this working river.

Weather: Temperate with rain likely any time of year and snow possible in winter.   Temperatures vary between near freezing in the winter to mid to upper twenties in the summer.   The Alps can attract a lot of snow in the winter, with below freezing temperatures likely.

Travel Companies: Most main companies go there.   My advice is to shop around.   See my 'Travel Links' for starters.

Currency: Euro (Deutschmark prior to 2002).

Beer and Beverages: Germany is famous for it's beer consumption, however, this stereotype is starting to fade as the Germans are becoming more health conscious and turning to wine.   The Czechs have now overtaken them as the heaviest consumers in Europe.   The most famous brand has to be Heiniken, known worldwide, but there are still many other brands to be tried.   Most of these are lager beers, including Heiniken.   Don't confuse Carlsberg as a German beer, this is actually Danish, but okay all the same.

I think the best I can do here as regards German beers, is point you to the Oktoberfest website.

Oh, the Germans, like the Austrians do like the odd schnapps, but it is more of an Austrian thing.

Language: Obviously German.   Many people also understand some English, as it is taught in schools and because of the tourist industry.   Very small minorities in Germany speak Friesian (Friesian Islands) and Danish (Schlieswig-Holstein province) and a slavic related tongue is spoken by a very few in the southern part of eastern Germany, near the Czech and Polish borders.   Note that people from the south of Germany (as well as Austrians) say 'Gruss Gott' and not 'Guten Tag' when they greet someone or say 'Hello'.

Religion: Many do not actively follow religion, but the Protestant church is strong in the north, the Roman Catholic church is strong in the south.   Germany has a large minority of Turkish immigrants, who actively follow the Sunni Islam faith.