Gay travel to Cologne this year is certainly going to be popular. Known as a Mecca for gays, this German city is host to the 2010 Gay Games from 31 July – 7 August. Everything is raring to go for this event that features sporting disciplines, festivals, fairs, parades and other cultural events.

Called the ‘gay Mecca’ in Germany, the city of Cologne is gearing up to host the Gay Games 2010 which take place from July 31 to August 7. Therefore gay travel to Cologne will be at its peak this year. The games obviously focus on sport disciplines; however they also include a number of colorful cultural events, fairs, festivals and parades.

It is the biggest sporting occasion for LGBT athletes, musicians, singers and artists. Any athlete can participate, regardless of his or her sexual orientation. When the first event was held in San Francisco in 1982 it was named the Gay Olympics. The aims and aspirations are to foster participation, sporting success, and inclusion.

Past host cities include San Francisco, New York, Amsterdam and Sydney. There will be a total of 34 disciplines that range from field and track events, to soccer, bowling, volleyball, wrestling, weight-lifting and chess. If you are planning a trip to Cologne during this time, it would be advisable to book early.

Over the years, the Gay Games has been hosted in Sydney, Amsterdam, San Francisco and New York. The 2010 event will feature 34 disciplines which range from wrestling and weight-lifting, field and track events, to volleyball, bowling and chess. Anyone planning a visit at this time should book accommodation early.

Cologne is Germany’s oldest city. It is located on the banks of the Rhine River. The city is always full of visitors who come to experience the rich, vibrant culture. The residents are jovial, friendly and helpful. There are so many gay clubs, restaurants and bars in Cologne that you would not be able to visit all of them in one holiday.

Gay visitors have a number of interesting and entertaining activities to choose from. These include a fun motorbike tour for women only, an exhilarating hike to stately castles, plus a tour that reveals the history of homosexuality in Cologne from the 19th Century through to 1969. You can also be part of the Rhenish Extravaganza, a lively annual carnival.

The Koln Tourismus Service Center even welcomes LGBT visitors with a Pink WelcomeCard. This center also offers free public transport and discounts on theater tickets, river cruises, opera performances and museums. You can also get discounts for gay bars, clubs, saunas and shops. With this in mind, gay travel to Cologne in 2010 is sure to be a big hit.

The city
Munich is the third largest city in Germany and the capital of Bavaria, Germany. The city’s name, also known as Munchen, is derived from the Old German word “Monche”, which means monks. The city, with its two local rivers (The Isar and the Wurm), lies about 50 km north to the edge of the Alps.

The Climate
Munich is known for rather high precipitation and has a continental climate. Violent and unexpected rain storms are common in the city. Temperatures can change completely within hours, differing extremely between winter and summer, and even between night and day.

Winters
Munich winters are rather cold, starting in December and lasting until March. Heavy rainfall is rarely seen in winter, but in January the average temperatures fall to around -1°C and snow can be expected. The snow cover lasts for at least a couple of weeks.

Summers
May to September is summer in Munich and is known to be fairly warm with average temperatures of around 22°C.

Architecture
The city is an inspiring mix of historic buildings and impressive architecture.  The National Geographic Traveler chose Munich as the 30th best destination of historic places around the world. The Frauenkirche,in the center of the city, is the most famous of all the buildings and serves as a cathedral. The large Residenz palace complex, begun in 1385, is another amazing building and a significant museum of interior decoration.

Markets
Munich’s most popular market, the Viktualienmarkt, is known for its fresh food and delicatessen. The Auer Dult is held three times a year on the square around Mariahilf church and is one of Munich’s oldest markets, well known for its hardware, tat and antiques. The Christkindlmarkt opens at Marienplatz three week before Christmas, selling Christmas goods.

Economy
Munich has the strongest economy as well as the lowest unemployment rate of any German city. The city is considered a global city and the economic centre of southern Germany, holding the headquarters of Siemens AG, BMW, MAN AG, Linde (gases), Allianz (insurance) and Rohde & Schwarz (electronics).  

Transport Network
Munich has one of the most comprehensive and very punctual transport systems in the world, incorporating the Munich U-Bahn (underground railway), the Munich S-Bahn (suburban trains), trams and buses.

South African citizens can get flights to Munich by visiting bestflights.co.za

The city is an integral part of the motorway network of southern Germany. {Motorways from Stuttgart (W), Nuremberg, Frankfurt and Berlin (N), Deggendorf and Passau (E), Salzburg and Innsbruck (SE), Garmisch Partenkirchen (S) and Lindau (SW) terminate at Munich, allowing direct access to the different parts of Germany, Austria and Italy.} Heavy traffic in an around Munich is very common. Traffic jams can be expected during rush hour and at the beginning and end of major holidays in Germany.

Cycling is recognized as a good alternative to motorised transport and the growing number of bicycle lanes are widely used throughout the year. A modern bike hire system is available in the central area of Munich that is surrounded by the beltway.

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Situated at the pretty Danube Stream in the guts of Bavaria, Ingolstadt is an example of the eldest and most charming towns in Germany.

Early settlements prove the existence of a density of population since 1800 BC. The 1st time Ingolstadt was mentioned in an official document was in the year 806 by Carl the Great and it got its town rights in 1250. Although that, the city is being considered found around six hundred AD by Ingold. The name was first “Ingoldes Stadt” (City of Ingold), but across the centuries it has received its present name – Ingolstadt.

An interesting thing to understand about Ingolstadt’s history is the foundation the Bavarian Illuminati, a famous secret society, which was established by Adam Weishaupt in 1776. Likewise , Ingolstadt is the seat of the vehicle company AUDI, which was founded by August Horch. AUDI is also thought by some to be an acronym for Auto Union Deutschland Ingolstadt. The city has a very successful ice hockey team called ERC Ingolstadt, which is currently in the 1st place of the DEL in Germany and made the second place in last years’ play-offs. The town is also the setting of the famous book “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelly.

Through the centuries, the city center of Ingolstadt has kept its old typical city design style and buildings that date from the middle Ages. Some bits of the town wall are revived in their original look and there are a couple of museums that are worth a visit, like the Army Museum, the Toy Museum, the German Medicine Historical Museum and others.

Although this town has a quite small population of roughly 122 000 folks, Ingolstadt has a huge number of banquets celebrated across the year. The most famous ones are the “Pfingstvolksfest” ( 02.06-11.06 ) and the “Herbstfest” ( 22.09-03.10 ), where folks are drinking a large amount of lager, enjoying the theme park-like atmosphere and looking at the tiny sales booths. You could really say that it is a little version of Oktoberfest. Having mentioned these beer-feasts, it now seems appropriate to name the four breweries, which are providing the beer for them and are of course situated in Ingolstadt: “Ingobräu”, “Herrnbräu”, “Nordbräu” and “Westpark Bräu 1516″. Other bigger feasts are the “Brunnenfest” (01.04-17.04), “Septemberdult” (09.09-17.09 and the “Christkindlmarkt” (01.12-23.12). In this year there’ll be even more feasts and parties, as Ingolstadt is celebrating its anniversary – exactly 1200 years, in February.

If you enjoy traveling and would like to read more on some of the most famous places in the world, visit famouswonders.com and also check out Neuschwanstein Castle history.

To start I would like to say that most people are right, Germany is a GREAT place to visit. I heard on the radio yesterday that over 4 million US people visited Germany in 2005 and to be truthful it didn’t shock me at all. With so many handsome things to see and experience who would not be interested?

Lets start off with the obvious attractions: Castles, German Lager and German Food.

Castles : maybe the number 1 attraction of Germany. Castles are one of Germanys most significant valued possessions. With one Castle in each single decent sized city in Germany, you will always have a place to visit whatever where your travels in Germany take you. Most of these Castles have nice cafes within where you are given information on the historical price of the establishment, not to say great food in my experience.

German Lager : Many say that German lager is the best in the planet, due to this quantity of German breweries are hesitant to give up their ‘tricks of the trade’ many saying ‘its in the water’. Whether this is true or not Germany definitely has a name for providing tasty preservative free beer. The German government actually mandates that only a few main ingredients are to be added to the beer and no chemicals can be added, BY LAW.

German Food : I am sure that you all have either heard about or tried some of the classic German dishes, i.e. Schnitzel, Wursts ( German sausage ) and Spatzle, but what you may not have attempted are some of the ‘not so traditional’ but common dishes in Germany. If you are planning a visit to Germany I recommend going to any German restaurant and ordering the house special. Most cafes, just like in the U.S., have a home special that isn’t like restaurant to restaurant and will usually be very delicious.

Do you enjoy reading this? If yes, you may also visit famouswonders.com to read more about some of the best places to visit in the world and have a look at Garmisch Partenkirchen Germany.