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Hey guys! So, I'm heading to Germany in November for my college buddy's brother's wedding in Cologne (Nov 11th).
I figured, why not make a trip out of it, right? I'll be flying into Frankfurt on November 1st and have about 10 days to explore before the wedding.
I'm planning on renting a car and doing a scenic road trip. I'd love to see some castles, charming towns, maybe some stunning natural landscapes... the whole fairytale Germany experience! Any suggestions on where to go and what to see?
I'm open to all ideas, so hit me with your best recommendations!
Germany tends to have a pretty gloomy fall vibe in November. Daylight savings is over and it'll get dark around 5 pm, the weather is already chilly and damp (but except for higher elevations snow would be very unusual that early). It's probably not the greatest time for a 'fairy tale' experience unless one gets a bit lucky with the weather.
It's interesting the wedding takes place in Cologne on November 11th. November 11th is the start of the carnival season and carnival is big news in Cologne. There's a tradition that at 11:11 am on November 11th basically all regular life pauses for a minute and people do silly things. In a hotbed like Cologne there would be festivities throughout the day though. If the wedding party includes a German spouse then they would be aware of that, so it might even be the reason for why they do it that day; it's probably good to be mentally prepared for that.
If you arrive in Frankfurt you're in the heart of Germany and pretty close to some of the more historic and preserved cities and towns like Trier, Heidelberg, Rothenburg and Bamberg. I think the town Quedlinburg, which is between Leipzig and Hanover close to the Harz mountain range, might have the most picturesque old town though. It's worth noting though that Germany is a thoroughly modernized country and even the cities with historic old towns would also have shopping malls, movie theaters, office buildings, fast food places etc. and those might be in quite close proximity to prominent tourist sites, so it may not always feel very 'fairy tale' like even there.
Thanks for the reply! I really didn't know about the festival, it's funny about doing some silly stuff on that day, it's either great coincidence or the spouse have specific sense of humour, ha-ha
Thanks for the reply! I really didn't know about the festival, it's funny about doing some silly stuff on that day, it's either great coincidence or the spouse have specific sense of humour, ha-ha
It is not a festival but a way of life until Ash Wednesday. Their rings will say 11 11 11 Hellau!
Germany tends to have a pretty gloomy fall vibe in November. Daylight savings is over and it'll get dark around 5 pm, the weather is already chilly and damp (but except for higher elevations snow would be very unusual that early). It's probably not the greatest time for a 'fairy tale' experience unless one gets a bit lucky with the weather.
It's interesting the wedding takes place in Cologne on November 11th. November 11th is the start of the carnival season and carnival is big news in Cologne. There's a tradition that at 11:11 am on November 11th basically all regular life pauses for a minute and people do silly things. In a hotbed like Cologne there would be festivities throughout the day though. If the wedding party includes a German spouse then they would be aware of that, so it might even be the reason for why they do it that day; it's probably good to be mentally prepared for that.
If you arrive in Frankfurt you're in the heart of Germany and pretty close to some of the more historic and preserved cities and towns like Trier, Heidelberg, Rothenburg and Bamberg. I think the town Quedlinburg, which is between Leipzig and Hanover close to the Harz mountain range, might have the most picturesque old town though. It's worth noting though that Germany is a thoroughly modernized country and even the cities with historic old towns would also have shopping malls, movie theaters, office buildings, fast food places etc. and those might be in quite close proximity to prominent tourist sites, so it may not always feel very 'fairy tale' like even there.
So I guess that Germany doesn't observe Armistice Day, which celebrates the end of WWI?
In several countries, at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, there is usually a moment of silence to remember the millions of casualties in WWI.
So I guess that Germany doesn't observe Armistice Day, which celebrates the end of WWI?
In several countries, at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, there is usually a moment of silence to remember the millions of casualties in WWI.
But not in Germany apparently.
There, it's time for "silly things".
You may notice a pattern in the countries that celebrate Armistice Day (hint: they were all allied in WW1 and fighting against Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire). Armistice Day isn't celebrated in most European countries except for those.
It may surprise you, but the tradition of doing "silly things" on November 11th preceded World War One and one may consider it a coincidence that WW1 ended on that day. November 11th is also St.Martin's Day and traditionally there have been feasts and parades to honor that occasion as well.
To honor the victims of war Germany has the holiday "Volkstrauertag" (People's Day of Mourning) which usually is set on the 2nd to last Sunday in November. To honor the dead in general the Protestant German churches celebrate Sunday of the Dead on the last Sunday in November (traditionally a common day for relatives to come together and visit the graves of their lost loved ones).
So I guess that Germany doesn't observe Armistice Day, which celebrates the end of WWI?
In several countries, at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, there is usually a moment of silence to remember the millions of casualties in WWI.
But not in Germany apparently.
There, it's time for "silly things".
Please roll your claws in. Apparently you do not understand the century old tradition of Carneval or as it is called down South Fasching or the equivalent all over the mainly Catholic European countries including Swiss.
My great grand father was a casualty for many years - brain shot at Verdun. Great chess player and not good for anything else but his wife worked a man's job and then her's to feed him and the family. She had one more child to take care of.
Hey guys! So, I'm heading to Germany in November for my college buddy's brother's wedding in Cologne (Nov 11th).
I figured, why not make a trip out of it, right? I'll be flying into Frankfurt on November 1st and have about 10 days to explore before the wedding.
I'm planning on renting a car and doing a scenic road trip. I'd love to see some castles, charming towns, maybe some stunning natural landscapes... the whole fairytale Germany experience! Any suggestions on where to go and what to see?
I'm open to all ideas, so hit me with your best recommendations!
A good general idea is head over to the Rhine river. Wiesbaden and Mainz are about 45 minutes west of Frankfort and would be a good starting point for a multi day trip driving north toward Cologne. St Goar, Koblenz and Bonn are good stopping points to use a 2 - 3 day bases along the way.
This is an amazing trip if you want to see castles. Plus there are a lot of day cruises or even half day cruises to see the castles from the river. Depending on your interests you could also drive west along the Mosel, visiting Cochem and Burg Eltz.
Some castles can even be booked like hotels, depending on your budget.
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Martinstag
