Germany
Oktoberfest 2011 Opens in Munich, Germany
The 178th Oktobefest opened at the stroke of noon amidst sunny skies today as Bürgermeister (Lord Mayor) Christian Ude tapped the first keg with two blows of his hammer and shouted “O’zapft is“ (it’s tapped), accompanied by a loud 12-gun salute. The mayor, as tradition dictates, gave the first beer to Horst Seehofer, the Ministerpräsident (premier) of Freistaat Bayern (the Free State of Bavaria).
More than six million visitors are expected …
Lufthansa Frankfurt to New York (JFK) First Class Flight 400 – Review
Frankfurt Airport is by far Germany’s busiest transportation hub and reportedly serves more international destinations than any other airport in the world. It is also a major hub for Lufthansa Airlines, which is one of just a few select airlines that fly the double-decker Airbus A380, the world’s largest airliner. While Lufthansa does fly the A380 from Frankfurt to New York, my flight was on an Airbus A340.
Lufthansa is in …
Villa Rothschild Kempinski, Königstein, Germany – Hotel Review
In 1949, an unusual gathering took place at the Villa Rothschild. German politicians including Konrad Adenauer, Theodor Heuss, Adolph Schönfelder, and Hermann Strafer gathered to formulate post-war Germany’s fundamental rights laws (Grundrechte).
Today, the hospitality of the villa, originally built in 1894 for Wilhelm Carl von Rothschild, is not limited to world leaders. Indeed, vacationers and business travelers from around the world can enjoy the hotel’s 22 elegant rooms and sprawling …
What’s Doing In Frankfurt
Like Germany itself, Frankfurt’s story is one of postwar redemption. Bombed nearly to oblivion in 1944, this thousand-year-old city on the banks of the River Main, once a jewel of the Holy Roman Empire, is today one of the great centers of finance, transportation, and culture in Europe.
In the last thirty years, Frankfurt’s skyline has been transformed by skyscrapers, and its riverbanks have been turned into a vast cultural thoroughfare. …
Hotel Hessischer Hof, Frankfurt – Review
My first interaction with the Grand Hotel Hessicher Hof Frankfurt’s staff was weeks before my arrival. It was a chat with the hotel’s concierge. We didn’t speak on the telephone, however. Rather, the conversation took place on the Web via the hotel’s unique Concierge chat function. Within seconds of clicking on the concierge button, I was pleasantly greeted by “Concierge” and he (or she) addressed all of my questions including …
Photo Contest Winners: Scenic Views
From the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Großglockner in Austria, or the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland, there’s always a jaw-dropping view for our readers to photograph.
This made the task for our judges, Basilio Alferow, Shannon McClatchey, Clark Rendall, and Greg Spira, all the more difficult.
From the hundreds that were entered, three of our readers’ outstanding photos stood out to our judges more than the others.
Our First …
