About the country

The Federal republic of Germany is the most influential country of Europe. It has witnessed the most controversial facts of history like Nazism, Holy Roman Empire and the building and demolition of the Berlin wall. With many magnificent castles it has wealth of art and culture. German is the widely spoken language in German, but outsiders can find many English speaking locals especially in the common tourist destinations.

Weather

The weather here is very unpredictable as there is a possibility of rain almost all months, so carry clothes accordingly. April and May are the months of spring which brings in full bloom of fruits and flowers. Months from May to September have very fine weather with sunny skies and offers the best time for traveling and site-seeing. People who have a passion for sports like swimming, hiking, and cycling can have the best time here during these months. Winter sports can be enjoyed at the resorts in the months from November to early March. The temperatures are below freezing and the days are too short (comprise of only six to eight months) in winter.

Local Customs

Locals greet each other by handshaking and saying Guten Tag. To say goodbye, people use Auf Wiedersehen. Guests are expected to bring uncovered and odd number of flowers, especially roses, when visiting someone’s home. The guests are welcomed with either food or refreshments. At the table, hosts say ‘Guten Appetit’ to which the guests should reply with ‘Ebenfalls’. Smoking should be better avoided in public areas. Locals dress informally but certain occasions like opera, theatre, certain restaurants and social functions call for formal wear.

Electricity

220 V, 50 Hz

Moving Around

The best way to get around is to buy the Welcome cards or the city passes which allows the customer to access unlimited bus facility in many cities of Germany. It also gives special offer on certain tourist attractions. For flexibility one can rent-a-car or go for chauffer driven cars. Along with the rent, VAT of 16% is payable. Car insurance should be available before hand in case of any accident. The speed limit within the cities is mostly 50kph and 100kph on the highways.
Nine stars

The nine stars of Southwest Germany comprise of Baden-Baden, Freiburg, Heidelberg, Karlsruhe, Heilbronn, Mannheim, Pforzheim Stuttgart, and Ulm. They are considered to be some of the beautiful cities of Europe. Each of the cities play a vital role in the culture of Germany. Baden-Baden has few of the finest resorts and also has Europe’s second largest opera and concert hall. Freiburg is known as the historic city center and is famous for cobblestone mosiacs, open streams and ancient alleys. Heidelberg has world famous castles and Germany’s oldest university. Karlsruhe has the famous museum Center for Art and Media. Look out for various amusements along the Nectar river of Heilbronn. Pforzheim is the capital for watches and jewelry. Stuttgart is famous for theatres and opera. Ulm is the birth place of Albert Einstein and is also house to the world’s tallest hurch spire.

Travel

The national airline that serves Germany is Lufthansa. Bwelin-Tegel airport is situated at 8 km away from the city and it takes about 20 minutes to reach there. There is a provision of duty free shops, banks, post office, eateries, conference hall, and car hire and tourism information for the passengers.

Another busy airport is the Frankfurt airport which is located at 13km away from the city. Buses take about 20 minutes to get there. Taxis are available at any time. The Intercity railway network at the airport also provides international services to Hungary, Switzerland and Austria. The facilities provided here are duty free shops, left luggage, restaurants, banks, conference halls, post office, car hire and tourism information. No departure tax is levied on the passengers.

Those wishing to travel by sea can avail the ferry connections to Finland, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Latvia, and Norway.

Eurostar provides railway service to and from Belgium, France and the UK. Booking can be made by telephone. The Inter-Rail offers unlimited second class train travel within 29 European countries. The Eurailpass offers unlimited first class train travel within 17 European countries.
EuroCity and InterCity trains have a restaurant on board, providing food and drinks. InterCity Express target the business class and provides services such as fully equipped office, conference compartments, etc. Tourist over 17 years of age can carry alcohol and tobacco with them within permissible limits.

About the county

Lying in the Southeastern Europe Romania is slowly emerging from the shackles of its dark history. Modern Romania was formed by merging two Principalities i.e. Moldavia and Wallachia in 1859 which were ruled by Ottoman Empire for centuries before. Romania is bordered by Moldova, Ukraine, the Black Sea, Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro and Hungary. Bucharest is the capital of Romania. Transylvania and Moldavia constitute the northern half of the country. Romania’s main attractions include Black Sea Coast, the Carpathian Mountains and Transylvania. The Black Sea Coast is popular for its white sandy beaches and offers a perfect experience for families. The Carpathian Mountains are beautiful and covered by dense forests which offer skiing opportunities. There are many health resorts also in Romania. Transylvania is popular for Romanian Spas which have been known for its many healing powers. Local food specialty includes cuisines like ciorba de perisoare (soup with meatballs), ciorba tanancasca (meat with vegetables), lamb bors, giblet soup and a variety of fish soups.

Population & Languages

The population of Romania is around 22.5 million and the official language being spoken is Romanian. The other popular languages are Hungarian and German.

Electricity

The voltage is 230 V and the frequency is 50 Hz. The types of plug used are round pin with attachment and “Schuko” plug and receptacle with side grounding contacts.

Geographic Location

It is located in Southeastern Europe bordering the Black Sea between Bulgaria and Ukraine. It is bordered by Hungary and Serbia to the west, Ukraine and Moldova to the northeast and Bulgaria to the south. Carpathian Mountains pass through the center of Romania.

Climate

The climate of Romania can be termed as Temperate and it has four seasons. While spring and autumn are cool and pleasant. Summers are very short and hot occurring in July and August. The winters can be harsh and cold with snowfall between December and March. The best months to visit Romania are May and June and September and October.

Local Customs

Handshaking is the common custom. It is also customary to kiss when being introduced to a woman. Mostly all normal European customs apply to Romania also. Dressing is conservative and casual. Smoking is prohibited on public transportation vehicles and theaters. Romanians like smoking themselves and thus like if you gift them cigarettes. Tipping is 5 to 10 percent in restaurant, hotels and taxis.

Attractions

Bucharest: Once used to be known as Paris of the East the city of Bucharest is a city of lights bustling with cafes, night clubs and restaurants. It also has Romanian Opera House and a huge National Museum. The historic sites include the Palace of Parliament, Old Court Church and Athenee Palace Hotel.
Brasov: Not to be missed places are Castles in Transylvania which include Bran Castle, Rasnov Castle and also do miss to see Sighisoara about 90 miles from Brasov, the birth place of Vlad tepes.
Romanian Riviera: This is along the coast of Black Sea which is huge tourist attraction. It is also home to several resorts and Romanian spas famous for their healing powers.

Travel

By Air ? The national airline of Romania is Tarom. Many popular airlines that fly to Bucharest include Air France, Alitalia, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, KLM, Lufthansa and Swiss. The biggest airport is Bucharest Otopeni Airport which is located like 10 miles north of the city.

By Sea ? Constanta is the major port on the Black Sea. Currently no ferries are being operated. But there are many cruises available which stop at various points of tourist interest like Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, Bazias, Giurgiu, Calafat and Bucharest.

By Rail ? There is an international service to Bucharest from Western Europe which runs only in summer months i.e. from June to September, the name of the train service is Wiener Waltzer.

Duty Free Items
1. Up to 200 cigarettes or 200 gm tobacco
2. 200g cocoa and 200g coffee
3. Perfumes, medicines and souvenirs
4. Two cameras, One small movie camera, Twenty Four cassettes, One portable radio, One TV set, One tape recorder, One pair of binoculars and One typewriter.
5. Gifts up to ?175

Prohibited Items
Un-canned goods, meat or dairy products, Narcotics, firearms, ammunition, weapons, eggs, plants, endangered species, fireworks and alcoholic beverages that contain more than sixty per cent alcohol.

About the county

Poland is one of the ancient nations that was formed around 10th century. It is Central Europe, east of Europe and most of the area being a flat plane and mountains along the south border. Warsaw is the capital of Poland which was completely destroyed in World War II and was rebuilt from scratch again. Royal Castle of Warsaw which was reconstructed after the world war is a must see attraction. The Lazienky Palace should also be not missed which has an open air theatre and Chopin’s monument. Krakow is the second biggest city of Poland stands as a witness to its medieval era. Poland has a strong liking to music and theatre and thus home to many theatres and opera houses. Popular Polish Cuisines include Zrazy Zawijane (mushroom-stuffed beefsteak rolls in sour cream) served with boiled kasza (buckwheat) and pigs’ knuckles.

Population & Languages

The population of Poland is roughly 38.5 million and the official language being spoken is Polish.

Electricity

The voltage is 230 V and the frequency is 50 Hz. The types of plug used are round pin with attachment and Round pin plug and receptacle with male grounding pin.

Geographic Location

It is located in Central Europe, east of Germany bordering the Baltic Sea, the Russian Federation, Belarus, Ukraine, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic and the Federal Republic of Germany.

Climate

The climate of Poland can be termed as Temperate. Winters are severe inland with average temperatures in Warsaw being 23°F (-5°C). Summers are hot inland with average temperatures in July around 66°F (19°C). The precipitation occurs round the year.

Local Customs

Handshaking is the common custom. It is customary to bring flowers if you are going to someone’s house. Dressing is fairly conservative and casual and formal for entertainment in the evening or in a good restaurant. Smoking is prohibited in some public buildings. Tipping is 10 to 15 percent in restaurant, hotels and taxis.

Attractions

Warsaw: The city was completely destroyed in World War II and was completely rebuilt after the war. The popular sights include Historic Museum of Warsaw, the Lazienki Palace with its open air theatre and Chopin’s monuments, and Palace of Culture and Sciences.

Cracow: St. Mary’s Church, Royal Castle, and Royal Cathedral on top of Wawel Hill

Travel

By Air ? The national airline of Romania is LOT Polish Airlines (LO). Many popular airlines that fly to Poland include Aeroflot, Air France, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Easyjet, El Al, Lufthansa, Ryanair, SAS and Swiss Air. The biggest airport is Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport which is located like 6 miles southwest of the city.

By Sea ? Pol Ferries operates connect Poland to Sweden, Denmark and Finland

By Rail ? Polish State Railways (PKP) (website: www.pkp.pl) operates Eurocity trains from Poland various major European cities. But, all services from Western Europe to Poland pass through the Czech Republic, Germany or the Slovak Republic. The main routes link Warsaw with Berlin and Cologne, Budapest, Prague and Vienna. There is also a car-sleeper service from the border of Holland to Poznan/ Warsaw.

Duty Free Items
1. Up to 250 cigarettes or 250 gm tobacco or 50 cigars for Non-European union countries.
2. 800 cigarettes or 200 cigars or 1kg smoking tobacco for EU Countries.
3. 1 liter wine and 1 liter spirits for Non-EU Countries.
4. 10 liter spirits, 90 liter wine and 110 liter beer for EU Countries
5. Perfumes, medicines and cosmetics for personal use
6. Gifts up to ?175

Prohibited Items

Birds and poultry arriving from countries infected with Avian influenza, Un-canned goods, meat or dairy products, Narcotics, firearms, ammunition, weapons, eggs, plants, endangered species, fireworks and alcoholic beverages that contain more than sixty per cent alcohol.