My Favorite Place

      There are so many beautiful places in the world and the cork board on my wall only confirms that I want to travel to see as many as possible. However, to date my favorite place that I have been to would be Germany. I know what you're thinking, 'But Kaitlin, that's a whole country!'. But I promise you, if you have ever had the chance to travel to Germany you will find it very difficult to pick just one city or place that is best. However, I have tried to narrow it down to three places in particular.

      The first place is Cologne, which has unfortunately been in the headlines a lot lately. This beautiful city has the perfect combination of urban shopping and restaurants mixed with the history and tradition that comes with being 2,000 years old. I have traveled to Cologne twice and each time have visited the Cologne Dome, a beautiful cathedral.

Photo Information: personal photo of the Cologne Dome

      Cologne also happens to house the Lindt Chocolate factory, which produces beautiful chocolates! One of the neat things when touring the factory is being able to see the different molds they use for their chocolates and the production equipment necessary to produce all of the chocolate!

Photo Information: personal photo of Lindt Chocolate factory molds

                                                     
                                        Photo Information: personal photo of Lindt Chocolate factory production

        The second place I absolutely love in Germany is Heidelberg. The city has some of the kindest people and bakeries everywhere you turn. It also houses the University of Heidelberg where one of my cousins studied Journalism. We have family that lives in Otterbach, Germany and visiting them is a bonus of traveling through Germany. My favorite aspect of Heidelberg in particular though, would have to be the castle that sits in the middle of the city, which gives a spectacular view!

Photo Information: personal photo of Heidelberg

           The last of my favorite places in Germany is Munich. This vibrant, cultural hub is what many think of when they hear Germany. It has beautiful architecture all along its streets and several shops selling traditional lederhosens and dirndls for people to buy. The cafes lining the streets are great places to take a break from all the shopping. But that's not all! Munich also houses the wonderful football (or soccer) team F.C. Bayern Munchen. While in Munich one can also visit the Olympic Stadium from the 1972 Olympics. With so much to do it is easy to see why this is a great city to visit!

Photo Information: photo was taken by Nickay3111 on flickr

     I love visiting Germany and my family that lives in Germany. I am very fortunate and have gotten to do so twice in my life and traveled there for the third time this summer. This year we went to Munich and Salzburg! The German culture is wonderful, as are the people, so if you ever have the chance I would most certainly recommend traveling through Germany!