Off to Germany...any recommendations?

Just outside of Stuttgart is Photostudio 13. They do a lot of lab work, and Herr Steck is quite helpful. If you can get to Regensburg, Photohaus Zacharias has some really nice old cameras and get you chemicals, film, and paper. In Weiden, there is Brenner, they have everything! I hope this helps a little.

Sights to see are too numerous to list. I Munich alone, I can think of about a dozen easily. The residenz has a treasury featuring the oldest English crown in the world and the George and the Dragon stature covered in rubies, and is a short walk to the Hofbrauhaus.

My suggestion: drink lots of beer and eat lots of local foods!

Problem is that it is getting harder to get that "local food", restaurants serving such are getting scarce.

So many great suggestions! I definitely won't have time to visit them all, but that's just an encouragement to come back again soon. I'll b researching them all in more detail as soon as I get a chance (I just arrived yesterday).

Hi all,

Maybe certain of our German fellows can confirm if it's still existing : years ago, there was a stunning photo shop, with a lot of second high-end hand gear just down the Kölner Dom (The Cologne Cathedral). Given the general fate all around Europe of these kind of shop, I have doubt, but you never know.

Otherwise, +1 concerning local food and drinks. Give a try to the delicious Kölsch (Typical beer from Cologne area), served in a narrow and high glass (don't need to be a big beer drinker).

Have a good stay, Rachelle.

Regards,

Raphael

Raphael said:

H
Otherwise, +1 concerning local food and drinks. Give a try to the delicious Kölsch (Typical beer from Cologne area), served in a narrow and high glass (don't need to be a big beer drinker).

Have a good stay, Rachelle.

Regards,

Raphael

Click to expand...

Thanks Raphael. I'd love to go local, but at the moment I am on a very strict diet which does not allow me to eat drink alcohol or eat processed meats, bread, potatoes, pasta, and basically anything with added sugar, so I'm basically screwed out of all of the good stuff, like beer, sausage, pretzels, and all the delicious breads they have here (Japan is wasteland when it comes to good bread). Let me tell you, Germany was a great choice diet-wise.

Unless your diet is due to a REAL medical condition I would recommend you skip the diet while on holidays. Live a little, just don't go nuts.

Eric Rose said:

Unless your diet is due to a REAL medical condition I would recommend you skip the diet while on holidays. Live a little, just don't go nuts.

Click to expand...

It is due to a medical condition, unfortunately. I have to admit though, despite the restrictions, I feel great. That said, I may chance a small "cheat" at some point on this trip, but it'll depend on what it's for.

mooseontheloose said:

Thanks Raphael. I'd love to go local, but at the moment I am on a very strict diet which does not allow me to eat drink alcohol or eat processed meats, bread, potatoes, pasta, and basically anything with added sugar, so I'm basically screwed out of all of the good stuff, like beer, sausage, pretzels, and all the delicious breads they have here (Japan is wasteland when it comes to good bread). Let me tell you, Germany was a great choice diet-wise.

Click to expand...

Personally, I would find this kind of diet a begining of hell on Earth, so I hope for you it will not during for long.
Wish you recover soon, and enjoy your stay in Germany.

Regards,

Raphael

Raphael said:

Personally, I would find this kind of diet a begining of hell on Earth, so I hope for you it will not during for long.
Wish you recover soon, and enjoy your stay in Germany.

Regards,

Raphael

Click to expand...

It's funny, I thought it would be difficult but it's really not, other than finding food or meals that don't recolve around simple carbs like pasta, bread, or rice. I'm mostly surviving on eggs, cheese, sliced meats, and small salads I can find on occasion. I can eat regular chicken, beef, and pork, but nothing fried. Let me tell you, healthy living is hard in Germany! But, as I've mentioned earlier, it's amazing how my hunger and cravings have disappeared since quitting carbs. That's not why I did it, but it's a nice side benefit.

That said, it's not just clean eating that's hard, clean breathing is too - it seems that there are more smokers here than non-smokers. My throat is killing me -I can't stop coughing. I haven't been around this much smoke since I set myself on fire 17 years ago! (It was an accident).

Now, if only this rain would let up...

You should have seen Germany before smoking was banned from cafes, restaurants and public institutions and more places, some open air places, even a whole open air train station.

I wonder where you stayed so far...

@AgX: I can imagine. When I first moved to Japan in 1999, smoking was everywhere - next to the lingerie section in the department stores, in hospital waiting rooms, taxis, etc. And when going out to eat people did not (and still do not) stop smoking while you were eating - I always thought that was a case of bad manners. But now, other than bars and some restaurants, smoking is mostly banned everywhere, even in public. If you are outside, you have to smoke in a designated smoking section. You'd also be very hard pressed to find a single cigarette butt anywhere on the streets. The only people I see who don't follow theses rules are old Japanese men and European tourists. I've been to Europe several times over the past three years, but Germany is definitely the worst when it comes to smokers. (Sorry smokers).

So far I've been in Munich (with a side trip to Salzburg), and Hamburg; I arrived in Cologne this morning, and went to the Museum Ludwig to escape the rain. I tried to go to the cathedral, but they weren't letting people in for some reason. As I tend to crash in the afternoon due to jet lag, I just came back to the hotel. I'll probably go out this evening and see what kind of shots I can get in the rain.

Hohenzollern Bridge and Cologne cathedral are great in the evening or night, even in rainy weather.
https://goo.gl/images/ITPPP7