City vs. Rural Germany

Tourists naturally gravitate towards big cities with famous landmarks and bubbling social scenes. Visitors to Germany are no different. As seen in my last post, my key places to visit are Berlin, Munich and Cologne. So, what happens to the rural villages outside these big centers?

In the 20^th century, rural cities that had local industries in mining, steel, shipbuilding and traditional produce were the foundations of Germany’s economy. Now in the 21^st century, the era of technology has marked the decline in such companies. The transition from factories to offices has not treated small cities well. As a result, villages are draining in people, money and life, while the big cities are swelling.  Young, educated, professional people want to have culture at their finger tips, such as having an opera house, a first-division sports club, or a trendy fashion scene. As a result, that leaves only vacation homes in the countryside. Is there a way to save these once-booming historic towns?

Top 3 German Cities

Fun fact: Germany is the 5^th most traveled to country in Europe and the 7^th more visited worldwide. It is one of the safest travel destinations worldwide.

The goal of this post is to give an introduction to three major cities in Germany I plan on visiting. I will be in Germany’s capital, Berlin, for two weeks attending a contemporary dance workshop at the State Ballet School of Berlin. I am looking forward to this exciting opportunity to explore a country I’ve never visited before and dance in a country I never have before. Following the program, I plan on traveling to several of Germany’s other great cities, including Munich and Cologne.

Berlin is the capital of Germany and indeed the largest of its cosmopolitan cities. Its population is close to 3.5 million and has become the center of politics, culture, media, and science of the country. It is the home of the renowned Berlin Opera and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. The city’s most famous landmark is the Brandenburg Gate; it used to be a symbol of separation, but now the gate is the scene of artistic and cultural inspiration. I look forward to wandering the charming streets of Berlin and making feel like home for two weeks.

Introduction

Hello Blog Universe. I welcome you to my creative and informative blog about an American (me!) in Germany. I am taking a trip there this August (2013) and I want to get aquainted with the country and its culture, history, and society. In my opinion, one of the most important things about traveling is being able to adapt to a place's customs without hesitation. As a native New Yorker, I am used to the thousands of the tourists blocking pedestrian traffic and frustrating the lives of locals. As a tourist, I want to blend into the native scene and become immersed in the new culture, as opposed to staring at it from the outside.

The goal for this blog is to educate myself and others on the German lifestyle from varying perspectives, for example food, social etiquette, neighborhoods, or museums. I want to learn and explore their customs so that when I am in Germany (or when you go in the future), I (we) can be educated tourists and live life like a German.