A small town in Germany?

Advantages: Compact, cultured, loads to do
Disadvantages: Limited "old town", some may find it lacking vitality

...Bonn was the capital of the former West Germany (or Bundesrepublik in German) between1949 and 1990. It is the nineteenth largest (according to Wikipedia) city in Germany which says much about why it was chosen to be the new capital following World War Two; Konrad Adenauer, the post-war chancellor of the Bundesrepublik, was a local lad and he pushed for Bonn to become capital over Frankfurt, a city which was in a much better position to take on the role. Frankfurt already had many suitable buildings and a good infrastructure but Bonn won the day in spite of the added costs involved. Following World War Two, Germany was divided into four zones; this was done to satisfy the Allies who each had various claims on the territory and wished to protect their individual interests and the other reason was that it was believed that Germany needed...

fizzytom 20.03.2007 · Read review
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Review of Bonn (Germany)

  A Rat-Infested Town in Germany

Advantages: Stunning architecture, lots of history
Disadvantages: Rats!

...I would imagine that everybody's heard of Hamelin, or to give it its more correct, German spelling, Hameln. At least, I should think everyone's familiar with the legend of The Pied Piper of Hameln. The town lies around 50km south of Hanover in the state of Lower Saxony, northern Germany. It straddles the Weser river and is the cultural and economic capital of the Weser area. In fact the town owes its prosperity through the ages to the Weser river and the trade that passed along it. This led to local merchants building some elaborately decorated houses which have survived to this day and are one of the main attractions of visiting here. Approaching Hameln you could be forgiven for wondering what the fuss is all about. A series of drab suburbs does nothing to excite the newly arrived. However, at the edge of the inner ring road...

proxam 09.01.2005 (20.08.2006) · Read review
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Review of Hameln (Germany)

A Little Piece of Germany in West Yorkshire

Advantages: Close to city centre and cathedral, work a quick visit
Disadvantages: Would be nice to have some bars/cafes

..."Little Germany" is the name given to an area of Bradford city centre near the cathedral in which a good number of German merchants lived and did business in the nineteenth century. These successful businessmen prospered in Bradford and built a number of rather impressive warehouses for their businesses ? primarily within the textile trade. What is particularly ironic is that in 1846 a young German tourist visited Bradford and subsequently wrote an article, perhaps for the Ciao of that era, in which he said " In Bradford, however, you think you have been lodged with the devil incarnate. If anyone wants to feel how a poor sinner is tormented in Purgatory, let him travel to Bradford". Still many of his compatriots were to arrive, and settle, in Bradford just a few years later. The area is still occupied by businesses but some...

fizzytom 05.11.2009 (06.11.2009) · Read review
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Review of Little Germany (Bradford)

Wunderbar Hamburg Germany

Advantages: Great lively city; great sights!!
Disadvantages: None really!

...Hamburg Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany and has a rich and varied history and in the modern age is still world famous for it's port, tourist attractions and the Beatles in the 1960s as well as one of the recent James Bond films having been set here in the 1990s! I first visited Hamburg when I was six or seven and had family living over there and I am really pleased that I did as otherwise it is certainly one of those cities that you could easily miss and that would be a shame! Hamburg is a great cosmopolitan city that will appeal to old and young alike. Perfect for couples who enjoy fine dining and shopping as well as perfect for families at the fairs and attractions. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Getting there: Flights to Hamburg are relatively frequent. If you live in the North of England like me then direct...

nickjj78 12.09.2004 · Read review
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Review of Hamburg (Germany)

A little piece of Africa in Germany!

Advantages: A great day out for all the family
Disadvantages: Can be expensive

...I have just been on a day trip to the Serengeti Safari Park in Hodenhagen, Germany with my lovely husband and 2 hyperactive children (aged 4 and almost 2). It was a trip for all of the people who work in hubby's office but it was not a group excursion as such - we paid for ourselves. While the weather was a bit funny - one minute the sun was shining and we were minus jackets, the next minute it was overcast and the jackets were back on - a fantastic day out was had by one and all. And I wanted to share the experience with all of my friends here! Basic Information ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Serengeti Safari Park is the only safari park and amusement park in Germany. It is located in Hodenhagen, which is in the Lohheide area, approximately 65 km from Hannover. By car you drive on the Highway A7 on the route Hamburg to Hannover and take...

bonsi6337 03.06.2006 · Read review
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Review of Serengeti Park, Hodenhagen, Germany

Portugal vs. Germany 2-3

Advantages: A couple oif very good goals, good attacking intent
Disadvantages: Slack defending at times

...There was a massive build up to this match with critics, pundits, bookmakers and fans alike all debating whether Portugal's flare would triumph over Germany's big game experience. Would Ronaldo step up to the plate and overshadow Ballack? Who would triumph in midfield? Pepe or Lahm? All these questions were set to be answered in half an hour. Immediately it was clear that this match would be determined in midfield, and Germany lined up 4-5-1, with Podolski being pushed out to the left wing. Both teams started of clearly very wary of each other, struggling to penetrate each others defence. The first clear chances fell to Thomas Hitzlsperger, formerly of Aston Villa, who shot twice from distance, one hitting Deco and the other one from a tight angle found the side netting. However, the first good chance fell to Portugals Simao who...

mkkreuk 19.06.2008 · Read review
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Review of Portugal vs Germany

  Germany's ugly face, and lots of pretty ones, too

Advantages: Good people, like anywhere else in the world
Disadvantages: Bad people, like anywhere else in the world

...As one of the few German users of Ciao UK and someone who has lived and studied in Britain, I have decided to exploit my position and engage in a piece of cultural crossover, exclusively for Ciao's UK community. Do not expect any descriptions of cultural, architectoral or historical sights here. The purpose of this article is the same as should be with every opinion at Ciao, i.e. to answer the question "Should I buy this?", or, as in this case, "Should I go there?" I am about to answer this question in the view of recent reports of xenophobia, neo-nazism and anti-semitism in Germany, thus I am focussing on the aspect of how safe it is to travel there, how openminded people are or not, and what kind of experiences you can expect to collect when interacting with German people. You can imagine that this is one of the most difficult...

From_The_Continent 20.02.2001 · Read review
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Review of General: Germany

The Home of the British Army in Germany.

Advantages: Ideally situated for exploring the area.
Disadvantages: Not much to do but shop and drink

...? Antwerp ? Turnhout ? Eindhoven ? Venlo. Just past Venlo you will pick up the signs for Mönchengladbach (A61). Warning, watch your speed in Belgium because they issue hefty fines if you?re caught above 120kmh. Wait till you get to Germany where there are stretches of Autobahn (Motorway) with no speed limit. Places to Stay. There are many hotels in and around MG, but the ones that I like best are the Holiday Inn (Speicker Strasse 49. Tel 0049 (0)2161 9380) which has an indoor pool and a sauna, or the Best Western Crown Hotel (Aachener Strasse 120) which offers a free airport shuttle. Both are situated in the centre of town and although they are more tailored for the business customer, you can usually get a better rate at the weekend. Things To See. The Benedictine Monastery. Overshadowing the town centre is the Benedictine...

kev19687607 12.07.2004 · Read review
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Review of Mönchengladbach (Germany)

A year in................Germany!

Advantages: Fantastic fun, great opportunity to broaden your horizons.
Disadvantages: Takes a while to adapt to a new country.

...America and get away with passing the course! Others, myself included were naturally apprehensive but quite looking forward to the idea of having a year abroad. Fast forward a couple of months and we had all made the difficult choice of what to do in our year abroad. Manchester uni had given us three fairly broad options. They were study, work, or serve as a teaching assistant. Study, which I chose was by far the most popular, this was followed by teaching. A few hardy souls chose the option to work in Germany or Austria, but in 2003 this was the more difficult option as the downturn in the economy of Germany was just beginning and very few firms had the budget to take on a potentially risky British student for a year! So finally it came to October 2002 and I found myself standing in Leipzig-Halle airport facing a year in Germany. I had...

mr_christa 15.02.2005 · Read review
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Review of Gap Year in Germany

Germany At A Low After Bilic's Side Rocked!

Advantages: A strong performance from Croatia
Disadvantages: Germany unable to generate momentum

...Croatia are a quality side so I wouldn't say this came as a shock result, but nonetheless it was a great victory. Bilic called the correct changes after Austria, a game they had lost their grip on after about half an hour, sacrificing a striker and opting for effectively, an extra man in midfield, with Kranjcar in an advanced attacking role. And it worked, as Germany failed to generate momentum, and Croatia were clinical on the counter-attack, registering more efforts on goal despite seeing less of the ball. Questions were asked of the German defence, with Jansen caught ball watching as Srna nicked in ahead of him to score. Rakitic completed the game with a high pass success rate, but it was down to his cross being deflected which Lehmann scrambled to push onto the post - only for Olic to seize on the opportunity. He might have got lucky...

scream4bruce 16.06.2008 · Read review
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Review of Croatia vs Germany