GERMANY From the fairytale castles of the Rhine and the dramatic scenery of the Harz Mountains to the poignant wartime legacies of beautifully restored cities, Germany is a country of fascinating diversity which everybody should experience. From the hanseatic north to the timeless, rural Black Forest, the revitalised cities of the east to the alpine splendour of Bavaria - there is so much to see! Relax on the waterways, enjoy a scenic ramble or immerse yourself in history. Our carefully chosen selection of themed holidays, river cruises and classic holidays ensure that there is something for everyone.
BERLIN WINTER 2007
STAYED MERCURE CHECKPOINT CHARLIE NOT BAD BOOKED THROUGH HOTEL .COM FLIGHTS EASYJET MORE DETAILS ON BERLIN SECTIONS Berlin has gone through a truly remarkable resurgence. After the destruction of World War II, postwar division and the crushing repression of the communist regime, fresh crops of skyscrapers, clubs, boutiques, parks and gardens sprouted in the wake of the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. As Berliners reclaimed both halves of their capital, Berlin bloomed into Europe’s coolest city. However, Berlin’s dark history has not been forgotten. It is remembered at sights such as the bombed ruin of the neo-Romanesque Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, the Jüdisches Museum Berlin (Jewish Museum), the stark Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe and Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie (Berlin Wall Museum). While these important places are vital to understanding this unique city, visitors will also be entranced by Berlin’s brighter treasures, such as those presented on the Museuminsel (literally Museum Island), as well as by the city’s wide boulevards, fascinating neighborhoods and resilient inhabitants BERLIN PHOTO`S FROM BAIRDSTRAVEL ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------FRANKFURT SEE PAGE ON LEFT --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DUSSELDORF PHOTO`S FROM DUSSELDORF
-------------------------------------------------- RHINE CRUISE When we toured Europe Champions league game in Stuttgart 2005 LUBECK DAY TRIP FROM HAMBURG 1986  The Munich Beer Festival, also known as Oktoberfest or wies'n by the locals is a public beer festival held once a year in Munich, Germany for 16 days from the middle of September to the first Sunday in October.When it comes to beer festivals, there’s no event more famous in the world than Munich’s Oktoberfest. Each year, millions of visitors descend on the city in the last days of summer to take part in this event, making it the biggest event in Munich’s yearly calendar of events.
First, a few basic facts about the Oktoberfest: this long-running beer festival was first held in October of 1810 in honor of the Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig’s marriage to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. Over the years, the festival has been moved forward to the last weeks of September, which usually offers much better weather, and now Oktoberfest takes place over the 16 days leading up to, and including, the first Sunday in October (though inevitably, this prompts quips about the festival being renamed ‘Septemberfest’). The Oktoberfest is always held at the Theresenwiese, or Field of Theresa in English, though for this event the field will be so covered with colossal white tents, you’d see no sign of a blade of grass anyway.
HAMBURG 1986 THE ZOO Beautifully located between scenic lakes and the Elbe River, Hamburg enjoys a majestic beauty that belies its economic and industrial reputation. Indeed, with its network of canals and rivers, Hamburg has as much in common with Amsterdam and Venice as it does with Calais or Rotterdam. It is also Germany’s greenest city, with 13% of the city consisting of park and greenland, 23% protected countryside and six per cent nature reserves, giving Hamburg a refreshingly rural ambience.
OVER THE YEARS GFGC MEMBERS HAVE TRAVELLED TO GERMANY FOR THE FOOTBALL
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