Travel Diary: Germany

There a few things you need to know before you venture off into the great unknown i.e. Europe.

You are definitely going to:

• Calculate the exchange rate with every purchase and mind you multiplying everything by 16 is NOT fun
• Mentally prepare yourself for paying R150 for a takeaway burrito (sans coke, that would set you back an extra R30)
• Not be that person that needs to pee everywhere they go… that’ll set you back an extra R10 every time (yes you pay to use public bathrooms in some countries)
• Be prepared for the culture shock…not everyone is friendly and people will stare at you without blinking…NO JOKES

That aside you are now ready to take on your adventure. For me the first thing pre-holiday was what to pack. I was visiting 2 different countries for 2 very different reasons so I had to pack like I was going to Cape Town (for every single season, obviously no problem there). I’m pretty impressive when it comes to packing (blow’s own horn here) I only took over 13kg which consisted mainly of snacks anyway. Strategically so…in case the spirit of shopping touched my soul. I was staying at a friend in Germany so I didn’t have the anxiety of hoping my accommodation wasn’t a whole in the wall

I know Germany isn’t exactly top of travelers vacation list and I’ve been there before so I really wasn’t expecting too much (TIP: keep expectations low so you get blown away) but Laylaa was great in taking me a bunch of cities and towns I wouldn’t have thought to go anyway.

These included;

Wiesbaden – currently my favourite place in Germany, it’s about 40min from Frankfurt and is much larger than I had anticipated. It’s the perfect melting pot of Old town Germany with a modern twist. The streets are still nostalgic of an era gone by but are lined with all things new. My favourite part, as with most European countries must be the cafes lining the streets where you can just sit, have a boozy brunch and enjoy the buzzing streets.

Frankfurt – definitely the metropolitan hub of the country. With its skyscrapers you would easily mistake it for another city in the world and men in walking around in tailored blue suits looking like Harvey Spector will definitely catch you off-guard. Not your typical German city centre. This is definitely where I would land up staying because I’m just a city girl at heart.

Idstein- a pretty small town but filled with just as beautiful side streets and cafes.

Limburg – for a sensory overload on the eyes for those who love a peek into how people used to live. This town was smack in the middle of a trade route and still possesses all of its old world charm; it doesn’t look like anything has changed for centuries. Small alleyways and buildings that look like it’s straight off a movie set and people can’t actually live there.

This is also where I discovered gold plaques imbedded on the sidewalks remembering the Jewish people who lived on that street. How long they lived there, which concentration camps they were sent to and if they were part of the resistance. Something I felt was very special. Reminding me again that as far away from home as I am, as much as the culture I completely different that we are all really just the same, and with a little love we can do a lot for a really big world.