Informationen

• Visa
• Accessibility
• Euro disabled WC-key
• Weather / journey time
• Car / traffic
• Train / rail
• Society
• To go out
• Alcohol / sex and drugs
• Eating
• Sport
• Finance
• Internet and powersupply

Visa

A visa is not required for visitors from the European Union and the USA. Citizens of other nations should contact the office of foreign affairs or the German embassy in their own country.
www.auswaertiges-amt.de

Accessibility

Germany is generally quite barrier free. Public state and council buildings have to be wheelchair accessible and even zoos, railway stations and new motorway service areas have one wheelchair accessible toilet. If you have a disabled pass with a “B” written inside, your assistant gets free entrance or discount.
Hotels, especially the newer ones, provide a minimum of one room with accessible bathrooms with seat, plenty of space and “drive in” shower. Older hotels or private pensions are rare or not accessibly designed.

 Euro-disabled WC-key

Since 1986 all disabled WC in motorway service areas and gas stations at the German freeway (Autobahn) are accessible with the “Euro-disabled WC key”. Over the years over 9000 cities, councils, universities, shopping centres, public buildings and pleasure grounds have been equipped with this key system. Beyond the German border, some toilets in Austria and Switzerland are outfitted with this key system as well. Therefore every disabled person has the option to use these facilities with his own key without any problems. You can get the key with a photocopy of your disabled pass and a money transfer of €18 at:
Club Behinderter und ihrer Freunde
Pallaswiesenstraße 123a
64293 Darmstadt
Tel.: +49 6151 81220 Fax.: +49 6151 812281
www.cbf-da.de

Or over the VDK

www.vdk.de

Or, if you ask at the town hall, some councils rent the key to visitors up to 3 months. If you do not have a disabled pass, a letter from your doctor or a doctor’s certificate with a description of your disability is satisfactory.

4.2009 Author TA Admin

Car/ traffic

The German 'autobahn' is famous worldwide, synonymous for driving at boundless speeds and squeezing out every available ounce of horsepower without the need to conform to a speed limit. In reality it is different. Many roads have a limit already and the traffic jams common over weekends and during holidays can make the trip a game of Russian roulette for impatient people. The biggest road network of Europe needs service and it seems that there are building sites wherever you go. As a traveller you may have time and should use the country roads “Landstaße” which are limited to 100km/h (62 mph). In town you are permitted to 50km/h (31 mph) and some areas are 30km/h zone (18 mph).
List of car rental companies with wheelchair option:
-Soon.

Train / rail

All trains are provided by the “Deutsche Bahn AG”. They improved their service over the years, but still not every train station is modified for wheelchairs.  The “Bahn AG” says that 70% are modified now. There are some train varieties you can choose from. The regional trains are slow and they stop in every village. The “Inter-Region” trains and the “Inter-City” are a faster option, because they stop just in bigger cities. The fastest connection between cities is the ICE train, a real alternative to the car. However the seats for wheelchairs are limited, and two people in a wheelchair can’t sit together in a carriage. Therefore a spontaneous trip is difficult. Therefore it is recommended to organise your trip in advance and to visit the “Bahn AG” homepage
www.bahn.de.
The disabled Mobility Service Centre of the “Bahn AG” is available direct under:
www.bahn.de/international/view/en/home/info/barrierefreies_reisen_handicap.shtml
+49 180 5 512 512

Some Cities have a metro, subway or tram, how every you call it. We provide further information in the city description about it.

Society

Few countries have had as much impact on Europe as Germany, in both positive and negative ways. It is a land of ideas and innovation. Beside the automobile and printing press, MP3 technology and Aspirin were invented there. It is also the birth place of Albert Einstein, Martin Luther, Goethe, Beethoven, Wilhelm Busch and the brothers Grimm and some other greats who, in some way, have shaped the fate of humankind. And now, for god’s sake, the pope is German, too!

The nation formed from many small tribes and peoples. They arose out of something that can be better described by archaeologists. Anyway, the region has been occupied for 100,000 years. In 500 BC the Greeks and the Romans called the tribes there Germanea. Deutschland, as it’s called in German, appears the first time in AD 843 when the grandchild of “Karl the great” divided the kingdom and “Ludwig the Deutsche” got the eastern part. That part looks amazingly like the borders of present-day Germany. But there was no unity in the region. Since time immemorial, recurring conflicts about power, authority, dominance by people, prince, emperor and church have passed by. The aftermath of two world wars are still present today and have forged the politics of Germany. After the end of WWII Germany was divided into two parts. The nation was reunited as recently as the 3rd of October 1990.

Today Germany has 82.2million citizens. The population is shrinking slightly, as the birth rate has reduced since the seventies. Today every woman has 1.34 children on average by the age of 30 years. This is why German society has an average age of 40.3 years, which is the third highest in the world.

Lifestyle. Today’s cities are laid out on the Middle Age settlements and are the living space of most Germans. Service provision and industry are the number one employers. Therefore most people live in town apartments or close to town in one of the growing “one family house settlements” surrounding the cities. They work usually Monday to Friday, with a short Friday.

Business Hours: In the big cities most shops are open Monday to Saturday 9am- 8pm. On Sundays and public holidays shops are mainly closed. Motorway service areas and fast-food shops are open 24 hours. But there are many exceptions in the regulations; therefore we describe just the basics. 

To go out

You can go out the whole week; however most such social activity is on Friday and Saturday. Go out late in the evening, depending on region. Dress casual, yet chic or posh. Many music clubs and discos open at 10pm and after midnight you can rub shoulders with the crowd. Maybe for that purpose many activities start late after lunch or around dinner time.

Alcohol, sex and drugs

Alcoholic drinks such as wine and beer can be purchased by teens over 16 years of age. Hard stuff like rum, vodka etc. is available only to those over 18 years of age. The drinks are available in every supermarket, gas station or kiosk with an ID. In discos they check the ID at the entrance but nobody seriously checks them in beer-gardens, pubs and restaurants as long as you appear to be the right age.

Cigarettes and tobacco are available nearly everywhere for people over 16 years of age. A pack is between €3 and €4.  

Many cities have a “red light district”, and provide, obviously, services for adults. Usually they are connected with a rough nightlife and are not for everybody. If you are looking for wicked entertainment, inform yourself properly. In some cities these districts are the main entertainment area for ordinary people as well or the borderline is thin.

Drugs are illegal in Germany. The ownership of a little bit of marihuana can cause less bother but still gets reported.

Gambling is a little bit separated. The slot machines or pokies are in nearly every pub. The glamorous gambling is allowed just in the state casinos.

Eating

As a vegetarian you wouldn’t get spoiled. You will find good restaurants in cities, but in suburbs or country regions it’s hard to get good meals. Fish is rare and more expensive than other meals. Gluten-free food is available for “gold” prices in reform houses “Reform Haus”. Some supermarkets have started to provide a gluten-free shelf with all the needs at an affordable price. German traditional cuisine is substantial and far away from “light”, probably a reason why the whole European cuisine is available everywhere. Italian with pizza and pasta is famous, as are Greek and Chinese. In bistros - typically located around universities - good French baguettes are available

Sport

“Soccer is our life” sang the national team and many people feel the same. During the soccer season the weekend is dominated by soccer. Every soccer field is in use and in parks there are always some blokes kicking a ball around. Yes, there are other sports, but they disappear in the mass of varieties so soccer is the outstanding sport that unites the nation.

Finance

Currency is euro - abbreviation EUR €, 1€ = 100 cents or Euro-cents.
Coins are available in 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 cent and 1 and 2 Euro.
Banknotes come in 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and sometimes 200 and 500 denominations.

Exchange rates at April 2009:
1,-Euro = 7,43 Dänische Kronen (DKK)
1,-Euro = 0,93 British Pound (GBP)
1,-Euro = 1,32 US Dollar (USD)

The common credit cards like Visa- Master Card are accepted in nearly every shop and restaurant. American express can be inconvenient for shopping but shouldn’t be a problem in bigger hotels and banks.

Internet and power supply

3.2009 Author CK Admin