Gruss Gott! - Hiking in the Alps and the Rest of My German Trip

So a few weekends ago we drove down to Southern Bavaria -- near the Swiss border to a popular vacation spot, similar to many East Coast ski villages, called Oberstdorf. The traditional Bavarian village had all the essentials: ski and hiking shops, restaurants, cafes and of course some local bars.

Settled at the base of one of Gemany's tallest mountains, hiking was not about to be a walk in the park. This meant I had to do the unthinkable: buy ugly hiking shoes (I know I'm sorry, please forgive me). My hike on the Saturday before the Fourth of July was in the ball park range of 27 km or 17 miles. 

I also was able to ride the Gondola to the top of Germany's second tallest mountain. 

Also, I did a quick trip to Hamburg and Papenburg (a ship building town near the North Sea). 

The rivers that run throughout the city, remind me a bit of Venice. Off to the right you can see a floating restaurant that was still full despite the rainy weather.

Below: The Hamburg Town Hall 

The shopping in Hamburg is very much like Beverly Hills, with the exclusive shops such as Versace and Gucci. Most laughable is that Abercrombie and Fitch found a home in the same neighborhood (the punchline is that they have people believing their clothing is worth money). 

The following day, we went to Papenburg, which is where they build a number of cruiseships, like the most recent Celebrity Cruiseline boats, and NCL, such as the Gem, Jewel and Jade. Crazily enough, they build the cruise ship room by room and then put it together on top of steel frames. 

New Celebrity Ship that is set to be complete at the end of this month! The first tour should be later this fall! Behind the end of new Celebrity ship, crews have already begun working on a new NCL ship. 

On an unrelated note: I just joined ZipCar at my college's campus and they're offering a special now for $25.00 of free driving credit when you sign up. Just click the photo below and enjoy!