Tips for U.S. soldiers visiting Germany for R&R

I'm going to Germany for R&R in a few months. It will be my first time to another country (I don't count Kuwait because i can't leave post). Anyway i have 20 days to explore Germany and some of the surrounding countries. I'm coming with friend we know we want to see Berlin we get there around the end of okterber fest (however it's spelled) So we land and Frankfurt and we are heading straight to munich. I digress... What i'm trying to say since i'm under strict time constraints and while i want to most see and experince Germany where are the best hot spots? We want to drink of course, see the castles, meet German woman, and visit famous sites. I'm told as a black male i'm sure to have a good time by my army buddies so i know it's going to be a good time. Oh yeah we most want to stay on military posts/bases names of some would be helpful.

Oktoberfest: During Oktoberfest it'll be pretty clear where the hot spot is! If you're young and want to meet people (and get a little crazy) then the Hofbraeuzelt is what you're after. After the tents shut down it's pretty common for people to head to bars and clubs around Munich. I'd suggest just making friends and seeing where the party goes. Hofbraeuzelt is conducive to this.

Neuschwanstein Castle is worth the trip but I wouldn't recommend any others if you're short for time.

I think the nearest base to Munich is in Garmish but I'm not 100% on that.

i have twenty day two weeks of which i want to be in Germany

I'm sure that the Army can give you more information on that point than the civilians here. Have a great stay!

True,but it's so hot outside i'd rather not brave the heat i do that daily just working. i should google it though thanks for the idea.

Not many posts near anything exciting. Heidelberg is probably the only post in a real town. Besides tha most of the posts are now in rural settings. So if I were you I would forgt about Army posts and plan on using hostels. Try Hostelz.com or hostelworld.com for some prices.

Have a good trip.

i heard that most bigger cites have been "Americanized" no offense. what i mean by that is most of what they offer is geared toward tourism. is that true? if i were wanting a more natural Germany rural is better?

You could try this out for a few days of R&R? It's pretty much on base in Garmisch.

http://www.edelweisslodgeandresort.com/home.html

My complete bias of this area may have something to do with it, but if you're looking for a more "traditional" Germany, the areas around the Black Forest and Schwabenland are quiet, nice, and less touristy. (Although parts of the Black Forest can get pretty touristy.) They're also within driving distance of the posts in Stuttgart.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber also has a lot of tourists, but has managed to maintain it's charm, mostly because of its size.

I also find Baden-Baden to be really nice, even if you're not in to the bathing culture there.

Most of the military bases are pretty rural, exceptions (that I know of personally) are Heidelberg, Mannheim and Stuttgart, meaning you can either get back to post via bus or tram or taxi (which is costly). If you stay at Patch Barracks in HD, you can literally walk home from a night out in downtown Heidelberg (take you about 35 minutes though, but if you wanna save on cash...)

Re: Oktoberfest. You do know O-fest starts mid-Sept, ends the first week in Oct, right?

The big cities aren't touristy per se, I mean the majority of normal people live there, but of course they need sites to see, things to get money rolling in and Munich will have lots to offer you. Berlin as well. In 2 weeks you can see and do a lot, but if you really wanna do Oktoberfest + see some sites around the area, then you'll need a minimum 4 days in Munich (2 for Oktoberfest, getting drunk, sleeping it off, 1 day for Neuschwanstein and Herrenchiemsee, 1 day to see sites in Munich). Personally, I'd plan a week for Munich alone. Then from Munich to Berlin, it's a 7 hour trek (train or car). You see where I'm getting at?

Judging from what you've said in your posts I would strongly recommend doing a little simple research yourself using these three sites.

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany
2. http://www.toytowngermany.com
3. http://www.germany.info/relaunch/info/publ...ases/value.html

All you need to be able to do is read. The information is all there already.

Yeah that's quite likely. An African guy (not African-American) in Mannheim once told me he's American (with a strong accent) as apparently he had heard what you've been told as well. You could also visit Heidelberg, there's a US Army post there, and out of all the towns I remember having Army posts in Germany that would probably be the one most worth visiting. The others not so much, especially if you want to see other cities in Europe as well (there it would be harder to stay on Army posts as there are not many, you may have to stay at regular hotels or hostels). As for the surrounding countries, I'd probably go to Paris, Prague and Vienna (all cities I haven't actually been to but want to go!). You could also go to Barcelona (I just came back to Germany after living there for a year so I may be a bit biased but it is really a great city), Clickair flies there for cheap from Frankfurt and Munich (and RyanAir from Frankfurt-Hahn).

I'd agree with Canuck about Garmisch and not just because I live here.

For the part of your R&R around the Oktoberfest it would be the best Forces centre as it's closest to the Oktoberfest (1 1/2 hours by train). It is also, as a tourist resort, both highly traditional (ladies in Dirndls, men in bizarre leather shorts ) and modern. You can enjoy Bavarian food in portions that will test the capacity of your stomach then meet other travellers in places like the Irish Pub.

And, as Drivin West suggested, Neuschwanstein Castle is only a 40 minute drive away.

http://www.edelweisslodgeandresort.com/home.html

If you want to combine drinking and sightseeing, Cloister Andechs is a *must* Many Tourists, but also lots of Germans.

http://www.andechs.de/englisch/kloster/

P.S.: Stealing their beerglasses is VERBOTEN and will be prosecuted by the security people. And they mean it.

But you can buy the beer glasses. And take a beer mat or two.

Bigger cities get lots of tourists every year, but they're a long way from being "Americanized." Tourists visit from other countries, too.

Smaller, non-touristy towns can be charming, but you might find there's not much to do in them. You'll also find that if the population doesn't cater to an international tourist trade, not much English will be spoken there. Of course, "beer" is the same word in both German and English. Also, smaller towns are served by the slower trains, so might not be the best use of your time.

Yeah, I think if you go to rural towns you'll be bored out of your mind. German cities are Americanized as far as having McDonald's, Burger King, Starbucks etc, but other than that they're still pretty German (or Bavarian etc.).

Patch Barracks is, as far as I remember in Stuttgart, the Military hotel in Heidelberg is on Patrick Henry Village and is quite a walk from downtown, though there is one taxi that is allowed on base! For a great location and good rates for Heidelberg try The Dubliner irish pub, smack in the middle of hauptstr. Also in Garmisch the Edelweiss is a nice place but way at the end of town and quite expensive, if you want to experience Garmisch there are loads of nice pensions/guesthouses around for a very good price.

There's a couple bus lines from PHV to Heidelberg. Green/Red Line (US only) connecting PHV to MTV and Campbell Barracks every 60 minutes during the day, and public line 717 (stop Kurpfalzhof about 200m from main gate) every 30/60 minutes.

It might be that Elfenstar was thinking of Patton Barracks (right by the Hauptbahnhof). No idea if there is a hotel on post, though.

That right by the HBf is the PX/BX area. Patton Barracks is the site halfway to Kirchheim.

The only military hotel in HD is on PHV, the military shuttle busses stop at around 6pm or so.

I suggest you don't believe everything you hear. Besides Americans are not the only "tourist" in the world traveling in Europe. What does "Americanized" mean any way.

Or are you one of those Americans who think America is the world?

I'm not sure why a serving soldier would be asking us where the bases are in Germany as said earlier?

Sumfink don't smell right here.

Aaah BD come & work with me for a few days & you'll probably understand He is in Kuwait and knowledge of anywhere other than that (and probably not even that!) is probably very limited if not non existant, Geography doesn't appear to be a strong point with most of the soldiers I have met here

Well, leky, since he's said he's not allowed to leave post in Kuwait, he probably doesn't know much about the country, no.

It is a sad fact that geography is not one of the strong points of an American high school education. I seem to recall that at my school, it was not even a required subject.

Still, our soldier friend could probably manage to quit playing Grand Theft Auto in his downtime and get on the internet a little more.

Sojaboy, I'm gonna give you the non-politically correct answer but it's probably what you need to hear and it comes from an old soldier. You've been down in the box picking sand fleas out of your armpits for months. You've been living in a container with a bunch of stinky-assed dudes for longer than you can remember. Most of the guys coming off deployment just want to get drunk, get laid, and generally have a good time.

Fact: There's a lot of clubs in Germany that flat won't let your black ass in the door.

Fact: If you just go randomly looking around the country you ain't gonna get nowhere.

My advice: Take advantage of any free lodging you can get on U.S. bases. Find some local dudes that know the local landscape. There are a lot of clubs near U.S. bases where German girls go to specifically go to meet/dance with/fuck brotha's. Find out where they are and go there. Worst case scenario, you can pay for the shit and somebody local can point you in the right direction.

Such as Club 1900 in Heidelberg. At least a friend of mine once told me there were lots of Americans there (I've never been there personally). And judging by the pics on their website, quite a few black guys there (probably Americans), so I doubt you'd have problems getting into that club. But yeah, you'd probably get better advice from guys who are stationed in those cities.
Of course, Dan's politically incorrect advice is true, but you gotta keep in mind that this only works because there are always Americans going to those clubs specifically to meet/dance with/fuck German girls. Every time you add a German girl to your little black book, a German girl adds you to her little black book, too.