last modified: 11/30/11

Museums: Searching on "Museum" won't help much, since the word is the same in English and many other languages. Strategies: 1) Combine "Museum" with the name of a subject area, in German (example: Geschichte - history), or with the name of a city ("München) or region ("Bayern"). 2) Go to the web site of any city or even town of more than the smallest size and you'll probably get a list of museums there and nearby. The standard address of German cities is "www.[city name].de". 3) Combine "Museum" with terms that describe what most or all museums offer, such as "Ausstellung" (exhibition) or "Sammlung" (collection).

Example: The Universalmuseum Joanneum in Graz, Austria. Its collections / halls include (partial listing): natural history museum, the world's largest collection of suits of armor and related weapons ILandeszeughaus), a collection of Roman artifacts, an archaeology museum, a coin museum, a hunting museum, an agricultural museum, and an anthrolpological museum, and the usual art collections.

Castles. There's a problem: "Schloß" also means "lock" (which makes sense, since both locks and castles "close" things, which is the root meaning of the base word "schließen". Try the strategy above ("Sammlung", "Ausstellung"), or also "Jahrhundert" (century) or "Krieg" (war). "Schloß" can also mean "chateau" (elegant, unfortified, palace-like royal / noble residence). "Mittelalter" (Middle Ages) will help avoid that (if you want to), since such elegant places were not common in the Middle Ages. The search "Schloß Jahrhundert Krieg Süddeutschlang" yielded almost 2 million hits, among them:

1) the ruins of a fortified castle in Bechthal / Waldeck;

2) a very large castle, Marienberg, which dates back to the Bronze Age; the site includes links to other castles in Bavaria (25+, and not just Neuschwanstein), and also to the Marienberg gift shop, where you might pick up a little something to give the person who helped you finance your dream trip.

3) "haunted stuff " (as one GER 101 student termed it): See above, "Castles"; key search terms: "Geist" (ghost, but it also means "spirit", as in "human spirit", or even "mind"_); "Gespenst" is ghost in the spooky sense. The search "Gespenst Sage Ruine" (ghost, legend, ruin) yielded the ruins of the Rodenstein castle in Hessen, with the story of the "Knight of Rodenstein" and the usual war, love, etc. etc. For pictures of the ruin, click on the link "Ansichten". To get that real spooky feeling, take the "Night Watchman's Tour" of Berlin's haunted places. - includes a visit to the Ruines of the Gray Monastery, where once lived the medieval Witches' Master, Leonard Thurneysser.

4) Art, paintings, etc. See above, Museum, but also use the search words "Kunst" (art), "Malerei" (painting [the act]), "Maler / Malerin" (male/female painter), "Gemälde" (painting [the actual work of art). If you want a specific period of art, add "modern", "Barock", etc. While the giant museums, like the Kunsthistorisches in Vienna, will knock you over, they will also wear you out. Maybe consider a small art museum. This little art museum, the "Städel", in Frankfurt offers a lot of variety.

Music Festivals: Search on Konzert, a city name, a kind of music. The German word "Fest" has entered into English (slugfest, foodfest, etc.), but it will work. "Musikfest.org" is for Bethlehem, PA (which is also the Bethlehem of the Christmas carol, "O Little Town of Bethlehem"), but www.musikfest.de will get you the big one in Stuttgart. If you want to join in (assuming you have the skills), add "mitspielen" (play along with the group) or "mitsingen" (sing along). Here's a group in Köln that allows people to join in, with some restrictions. This church group in Augsburg is much more welcoming to singers and musicians, perhaps even drummers as well.

Cars, motorcycles, automobile racetracks: BMW-Museum in München, with factory tours; the Nürburgring track (for Euro 24 you can drive on it - using your own car or motorcycle; Euro 325 and up is for the beginner's course, with their vehicles)

The Fall 2011 MWF 1015-1120 class was quite conservative in their interests. Perhaps you'll come up with something a little more interesting or challenging or helpful to other people. Maybe something like:

1) Visiting a crossbow craftsman in Switzerland; or making your own in Austria;

2) Voluntourism - using your trip to help a charitable purpose. The German-speaking world, obviously, doesn't need a lot of charity, but this site (as of November 2011) notes that you can help with forestry projects in Germany, even on a two-week stay (look for the word Spessart);

3) You might be able to find a short-term volunteer helper opportunity in a soup kitchen. Try searching on Obdachlosen (homeless), Mahlzeiten (meals), maybe also with Kirche (church) or mithelfen (help out). Here's a site about schoolkids helping in a soup kitchen; here's a church in Dresden that sponsors a night-cafe for homeless people.