Local information

Germans have a Northern European way of life, meaning that the pub plays an important role in a German's life. Pubs are a meeting place where the locals, and who ever happens to be passing by, can have open discussion about the local news, in a friendly environment. There is almost always a pub on each university campus.
The cradle of ecology (the term ecology first appeared in German,) Germany offers a number of possibilities to discover the countryside. Scenery varies and even in the large cities you never feel far from nature as the local authorities are always beautifying their streets and parks.
There is always time to appreciate the environment and the culture, whether you are at university or at a job. In fact, the government, in its fight to reduce the level of unemployment, whilst maintaining the German tradition of work management, has slowly allowed the number of hours of work to decrease so there can be an improvement in the quality of life. So go ahead use your free time to discover German culture. Berlin, for example, is a well known lively cultural capital with theatres, cinemas, museums, and night clubs.
Germans suffer from the false reputation that they are cold in their relationships to others. In fact Germans are the opposite, they are very open and welcoming and always try to get to know you and are always there to help you. For example when you are in Germany ask someone on the street for directions, they are most likely to take you personally to where you want to go. Relationships between students are easily formed. When you are in Germany you will not be alone or only with people of your nationality. This it is a great opportunity and environment to just dive head first into the German way of life.

Climate and Seasons:
The overall climate can be described as Northern European: the winters are cold (frequently freezing) and the summers are fairly mild. The further north you go the colders it gets, however the the sea moderates the climate in the north. The further east you go, the climate and seasons are more defined: in Berlin you can sunbath during the summer, and during the winter the temperatures can be freezing and it can snow for long periods of time.
The further south you go, the milder the weather: Munich is at the foot of the Alps and during the summer you can have very nice days while snow can still be seen on the mountain peaks.

Distances:
Germany is the second largest European country in terms of land mass. A plane can be a means of transportation if you wanted to travel from Cologne to Berlin or even from Munich to Hamburg. The railway system is one of the best managed in the world. It covers the entire country since the West and East were united. The ‘Inter City Express’ is the most important component of the railway system: it travels at over 250 km/h.
The motorway system, the "autobahn," is especially well managed and organized in the Western part of the country. There are no strictly inforced speed limits: so this is the domain of the large cars which are the pride of the national industry. However, in the part of Germany that used to be the East, a lot of work needs to be done. There are no tolls on the motorways.

Practical information:
currency: Deutsche Mark (DM)
exchange rate on 15 April 2001: 1 DM = 0,511Euro = 0,459 $US
Telephone: 00 + 49 + number

For further information also see www.audimax.de that provides a comprehensive list of Who is Who in the German educational system.

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