Germany! A Western European country with a terrain of vast forests, rivers and mountain ranges, and 2 millennia of history. A home to thriving art and nightlife scenes, iconic Brandenburg Gate and many sites relating to WWII. For its Oktoberfest and cavernous beer halls and skyscrapers.
But, here are 11 things that make Germany special.
1. Mixing water, barley and hops
Did you know? Germans drink, breathe, eat and sleep beer.
There are more than 1,300 breweries and 5,000 different brew brands helping us drink more beer per person than any other European nation, apart from the Czech Republic..
In Germany, they have special beer laws -- the so-called Deutsches Reinheitsgebot regulation first introduced in 1516 dictates that only water, barley and hops may be used.
2. Getting from A to B
Germans may be the great car producers like the BMWs, Audis and Mercedes.
But while the rest of the world is driving them luxuriously they usually taking the train.
Facts: Germany's excellent rail network is mostly still state-owned, with Deutsche Bahn, or DB, operating the majority of trains on both passenger and freight routes.
About seven million relatively happy passengers and 1,138,000 tons of freight daily make 26,000 train trips on its 33,000-kilometer network.
Despite all that traffic, German trains are generally on time -- or at least within five minutes of schedule.
There are high-speed ICE trains linking major towns and cities at up to 300 kph.
3. The life aquatic
Germans love sailing, surfing, waterskiing, swimming, kayaking and canoeing and windsurfing -- in any weather.
Facts: The country has more than 12,200 scenic lakes, most of which are accessible for any activity throughout the year.
Some of the best Alpine scenery can be seen from the shores of Bavarian lakes like the Konigssee or Tegernsee.
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Brandenburg are also crammed with lakes -- there's even a hiking trail connecting all 66 lakes in Brandenburg.
A European ranking published in 2013 showed that Germany has one of the highest numbers of "excellent" lakes and rivers for swimming.
4. Taking our clothes off in public
Germans dare to walk around naked. And, no other nationality comes close.
5. Baking bread
Bread in Germany is more than just a part of the daily meal, its part of their culture.
Facts: Each region has its own variations -- there are more than 1,500 -- ranging from dark and heavy rye breads in the north to lighter wheat breads in the south.
Germans eat an average of 87 kilograms of bread a year each and there's a bakery for every 2,100 people.
6. Bureaucracy
Germany has an abundance of laws controlling almost every aspect of their life.
For example: Crossing the street as a pedestrian at a red traffic light is frowned upon and anyone caught by the police can be fined.
Every house has at least four different garbage cans: plastic, paper, organic waste and general garbage.
Placing trash in the wrong can risks a fine.
To keep all that potential for social chaos under control there's even a government office called Ordnungsamt, which literally translates to "office of order."
7. Moving everything
German houses and apartments are never furnished.
Germans move with all their furniture -- including oven, fridge, countertops, cupboards and even the sink.
It's a sort of a national pastime, often involving friends and family instead of professionals.
8. Castles
There are more than 25,000 castles in Germany today exclusive of the ruined ones and most are home to museums, restaurants and even hotels.
9. Weekend walks
There are pleasant, leisurely hikes along climb-free trails or physically demanding scrambles up narrow, winding paths.
Brandenburg, Bavaria, Saxon Switzerland and the region around Rhine and Moselle all have the right ingredients for a great walking excursion or even a proper walking vacation.
10. Getting down
If you think the best carnival is of Rio de Janeiro, then you are wrong.
Northwest Germany's Rhineland holds an annual "karneval" in the shape of its Rose Monday parade in which up to two million costumed visitors throng the streets of Cologne and Dusseldorf.
In southern Germany, celebrations known as Fasching and Fastnacht see people wearing traditional masks or dressing up as devils or wild beasts.
Wherever the celebrations take place, it all ends on Ash Wednesday when everyone gets back to being serious and efficient, albeit sometimes with a slight hangover.
11. Making meta jokes
If you think Germans don't know how to tell jokes, then you are wrong. It's just that some of the best jokes take 50 years to tell.
Fact: Their love of "Dinner for One," an ostensibly unfunny British television sketch that fell out of favor in its homeland shortly after it was broadcast more than half a century ago.
The play, about an elderly dame and her drunken butler, hangs around the repetition of the phrase "same procedure as last year," and culminates with a double entendre punchline that may have been unexpected just after the Berlin Wall went up, but is now worn thin.
Whether the play is funny or not doesn't really matter.
The real humor comes from the reassuring fact that it's been aired in Germany, almost without exception, every New Year's Eve since 1963.
The same procedure as last year.
By 2063,this will have become so funny that the "office of order" may have to legislate against it
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
