Tell us a little about Gelsenkirchen, Kaiserslautern, and Nuremberg

[The Magpie]

Thank you Dave. Just a note trains will run all night during the World Cup so you dont have to rush back to the station for the last one.
Bd

Good to hear.

Have never slept in a park, but I could easily see heading out to a local watering hole after the match, then hanging out in a local sqaure or park for a few hours (late-nite footie anyone?), then catching the early train back to where I'm staying, taking that time to sleep on the train.

FWIW, I've heard great things about Nuremberg:

http://www.nuernberg.de/english/

[AGF Aarhus]

I've never been to G'Kirchen or K'Slautern, but I have been to Nürnberg several times.

It's a nice, small city. The center is surrounded by a midevil wall and there's a lot of old architecture (castles, churches). There is a famous fountain that depicts the Seven Sins and is pretty damn cool. The center has a large pedestrian zone with lots of shops, and there are plenty of bars to keep you entertained.

The surrounding areais very 'old world'. The region in callen Franken and has lots of old castles. Würzberg is not far away and is home to a large palace and is the center of the Franken winemaking region (I think the wine is garbage, butthat's just my opinion).

If you go from Würzberg along the Main towards Frankfurt you go though a lot of quaint old towns, many with walled centers and decaying midevil castles.

If you turn south where the Main and Tauber meet, you end up in Rothenberg am Tauber. The Allies made a point of not bombing the town, and it is probably the most intact midevil town in Germany. Either you will love it or hate it. Personally I hate it because it is overrun with tourists and feels like Disneyland without the rides. Most of my relatives loved it because itis exactly what you picture when you think of 'Old World Germany', complete with Glockenspiel and cookie cutter houses.

It's a lovely region. Have fun.

[Enge]

I just put in my application, but it looks like a longshot.

My grandparents came from Gelsenkirchen-Buhr, so I have a special personal reason for wanting to go there. I'll have to hit the Rick Steves books to see if I can find some things to do in that area. Maybe I will have the good fortune to find some relatives wanting to house their long lost Amerikaner.

We visited Nuremburg last year. I found it very interesting. The old town is well preserved, with a number of old cathedrals and the famous plaza area. They also have a first rate fortress (at least by Michigan/California standards!) that we thought was great. We did not go out to the Nazi rally grounds, but I have heard that many people find the museum there and the old stadium the highlight of their trip.

We had the pleasure of going into St. Lorenz Church during organ practice. It's a stereo setup, with pipes in both front and back. The player was one of the best organists I have ever heard. They have a lot of great artwork, with an interesting story of how they saved so much during the war. We have a St. Lorenz here in Frankenmuth, but it's not quite the same thing.

I've never been to Kaiserslautern, so that will be new.

[AGF Aarhus]

I just booked my hotels for the 3 match days. Couldn't find availability within any of the actual cities. I'm staying in Dusseldorf for the Gelsenkirchen match, Heidelberg for the Kaiserslautern match, and in Fuerth for the Nuremberg match.

Also, hope you're right about the extended train service. There don't seem to be very many hotels in Kaiserslautern.

Fürth is, for all intents and purposes, a neighborhood of Nürnberg, so Bob's your uncle, there. Heidelberg seems quite along way from K'Slautern, though.

[The Magpie]

We did not go out to the Nazi rally grounds, but I have heard that many people find the museum there and the old stadium the highlight of their trip...

The old rally grounds are actually adjacent to the World Cup stadium in Nuremberg.

[DC_Gunner]

How long is the train ride from berlin to these match sites?

[jorge805]

There is hope. Got word back from a pension in K-town (around the corner from stadium and station) that they have availability...just waiting for a reply via e-mail now. It's been two days.

Wish I spoke German, dammit...but at least I'm signed up for German 101 next semester.

PM for info.

[eldiablito]

....and hopefully Dortmund!
I'm sure you meant and hopefully Kaiserslautern a 2nd time...you know, actually winning the group ;)

[USAClash]

Fürth is, for all intents and purposes, a neighborhood of Nürnberg, so Bob's your uncle, there. Heidelberg seems quite along way from K'Slautern, though.

Yeah, it looks like a decent trek. I might have to find a place to crash in Kaiserslautern that night.

[T Nitty]

Well, it looks like Kaiserslautern is the only town that hasn't been described here.

I was there for one week in 2001 for the Air Force and then visited again in summer 2003 on vacation in Germany and UK. I'm sure there are many fellow military personnel that have been stationed there and can give more details.

I wouldn't consider K-town a large city, but there are several small villages nearby. It sits in a bit of a valley. The stadium overlooks the city. There are many restaurants, bars, shops, etc. in the extensive pedestrian area. Most cafes have outdoor seating, which is great in the summer. I had some great ice cream with egg liquer one night, don't remember which place. They also have decent sushi and a nice Cuban restaurant with good mojitos. I'm sure they'll have extra tents or temporary bier gartens set up in all the WC cities.

Burg Nanstein (http://smartacus.org/gallery/2005_10_10) (Nanstein Castle) is nearby and overlooks Landstuhl and Ramstein Air Base. It's not exactly Neuschwanstein (http://www.castles.org/castles/Europe/Central_Europe/Germany/germany7.htm) , but it's ok.

If you have a car, check out the nearby German wine road (http://www.germany-tourism.de/e/2837.html) or weinstrasse (http://www.deutsche-weinstrasse.de/). There are several quiet photogenic villages along the route, though it may be like rush hour traffic while we're there.

Here's some info on Kaiserslautern (http://www.shopping-kl.de/Info-KL-Ordner/Staedte/Ramstein-AirBase.html) and Ramstein AB (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/ramstein.htm).

There will probably be more Americans in K-town than the other cities. I think it is actually the largest American "settlement" outside the US.

I would recommend Googling hotels for some of the smaller villages in the area. I have a friend stationed there, so hopefully I'll be crashing at his place.

[AGF Aarhus]

How long is the train ride from berlin to these match sites?
Berlin to (roughly):
Gelsenkirchen: 4:00
Kaiserslautern: 5:45
Nürnberg: 4:45

Those of us in Berlin got screwed by the draw.

[jorge805]

Woohoo!
Just booked my room in Kaiserslautern at Pension Blum.
100 m from the Hbf and 10 minute walk to the stadium.

I'd post a map, but it won't let me.

Double room with bfast 70 Euro.

Mr. Stefan Wilding Pensionblum1@aol.com