You never know when travel trivia will come in handy. It might score you the winning point in a pub quiz or fill a conversational lull at a cocktail party. Today’s destination spotlight is on Germany, a country with a reputation for being efficient, orderly and reserved. It’s the motherland of great minds like Einstein, Nietzsche and Marx. It has spawned such innovations as the printing press, automobile and Geiger counter. It’s also the country that brought us blue jeans, Christmas trees, gummy bears and cuckoo clocks. So without further ado, here is a random compilation of interesting facts about Germany.
1. Septemberfest?
The famous Munich Oktoberfest actually starts in late September. This rowdy Bavarian beer festival traditionally runs the 16 days up to and including the first Sunday in October. Oktoberfest 2014 will take place from Saturday, September 20 to Sunday, October 5. Brace yourself, 6.7 million liters of beer were consumed at last year’s festival.
2. Prost!
Don’t worry if you can’t be there for Oktoberfest. There is no shortage of suds in Germany. In fact, there are over 1250 breweries producing about 5000 beers in the country, and plenty of bars and beer gardens to sample them in year round. There is almost one brewery for every town, and most Germans are pretty loyal to their local brew. In Bavaria, beer is actually considered an official food. It’s no surprise that Germany has one of the world’s highest per-capita beer consumption rates.
