If you follow me regularly then you’ve no doubt noticed that I tend to spend a fair amount of time in Germany. There’s a good reason for this though; the country is large with so much to see and experience that in all honesty it’s never been the same trip twice. Also, thanks to its position in the center of Europe, Germany is just a natural fit for anyone traveling to Europe whether it’s on a river cruise or an independent jaunt around the continent. This trip though continues what has become not only a yearly tradition, but a personal favorite travel experience – I am once again partnering with the German National Tourism Board to share some cities and entire regions of Germany that are (mostly) new to me.
The original inspiration for this year’s trip was the fact that 2017 marks the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s remarkable act of nailing his 95 theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg and in the process creating Protestantism. Although I’m not a religious person per se, I am a spiritual one and for whatever reason I’ve also always had a fierce interest in religion and religious history. And, as luck would have it, I’m also Lutheran, so traveling to Germany to visit some of the most important sites to the Luther story just makes sense. But the trip will be about much more than just Martin Luther.
I’m starting the trip in one of my favorite cities, Hamburg. I wanted to revisit this Hanseatic city to see the new Elbphilharmonie concert hall, one of the most impressive new architectural wonders of the world, as well as to once again tour the newly UNESCO inscribed Speicherstadt. I’ll of course be enjoying new experiences in the city that all promise to be a lot of fun.
From there I’m traveling to the Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia regions of Germany, states I’ve never before visited but which I can’t wait to see. Throughout the entire week I’m experiencing and seeing a lot, but a few of what I think the highlights will be include:
- Behind the scenes tour of Hamburg Airport
- Beatles Tour in Hamburg
- A special Luther Dinner in Wittenberg
- Visiting the UNESCO recognized Bauhaus sites in Dessau
- Walking tour of Weimar
- Spending the night in a castle
- And much more!
Starting June 22 please be sure to follow along on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook as I explore these fascinating areas of Germany. Also be sure to follow the Germany Tourism Instagram account as I take it over for the entire week!
As always, please let me know if you have any questions about the areas I’m visiting OR if you have any recommendations!
