Driving a Piece of East German History

by Dave Luna on

Ever wonder what life was like on the east side of the Berlin Wall? Well, you can still experience a remnant of that bygone era behind the wheel of an East German icon: the Trabant. The Trabant’s determined 25HP engine and non-existent electrical system make the car resemble a riding mower more than a modern automobile, but that’s what makes driving one so exciting.

Tour company Trabi Safari maintains fleets of Trabants in Berlin and Dresden. Their tours marry sightseeing with a unique “do it yourself” experience as tourists drive themselves in authentic Trabants on the streets of Germany. Drivers receive a very short operations tutorial before the trip. (Instructions include: “This is the gas. Very important!” and “Don’t touch this button.”) After everyone is briefed, the Trabant convoy follows the tour guide whose voice is piped in over the car’s (aftermarket) radio. The hour and a half journey is really about piloting East Germany’s Ultimate Driving Machine, so the audio tour is fairly light on historical narration.

Tour prices range from 25 to 35 Euros per person and reservations are required. If German isn’t your thing, you will need to request an English language tour guide.

Alternative Berlin

by Neil Woodburn on

Berlin is one of my favorite cities because it keeps on giving.

Long after you’ve seen all the standard “tourist sites,” countless other relatively unknown ones keep popping up and surprising you. Every time I revisit, it seems that another museum or funky exhibit has just opened or been discovered. The city is continually reinventing its secret tourist sights and I am never at a loss to see something new.

The Guardian recently asked four Berlin tour guides to come up with their “favorite alternative sights” in the German capital. The result is a short, but informative article one should keep handy if spending more than a couple of days here. Some of the suggestions I would consider a bit more mainstream than alternative, such as the now trendy Tacheles. Others, however, I have happily never heard about and plan on seeking out on my next visit–such as a crazy, all-night ping-pong bar named Dr Pong.

GADLING’S TAKE FIVE: Week of November 19

by Adrienne Wilson on

Now that you’re settling in and letting all that turkey digest and I have your attention I think it is the perfect opportunity to serve you this week’s five favorites found on Gadling.

5. The Post on Hookup Travel:
Face it – the holidays can be a drag without someone there to cuddle with in the lodge on your ski vaca or to without a hand to hold as you stroll alone down a sandy beach on the islands. In short, if you’re single and desperately wishing not to go solo this season check out this piece on hookup travel.

4. Stink 0, Airlines 1:
Here’s an interesting story of a smelly German guy who got booted from his flight for being a little too offensive with his odor. The poor fellow never made it to court and his case was tossed anyway considering his odor wasn’t due to disability or illness. That stinks! (No pun intended.) Read the full deal for yourself.

3. How to Bargain Abroad: The Right Way:
Savvy shoppers know how to bargain, yet there are two ways of going about this sport: the right way and the wrong way. If you’re good and I mean really good at doing it the right way you’re bound to score some awesome goods, otherwise you’ll be like the rest of us suckers getting jacked by high prices. Learn to do it right.

2. Stashing your Goods in Your Sandals:
For all the gift-giving individuals out there, give your loved one the gift of peace-of-mind. These women’s sandals by Reef allow you to stash a credit card or two, a key and some cash in a secret compartment. Pretty cool gear piece if you’ve always been one to cling to your goods on the beach fearing someone would take them.

1. America the Unfriendly:
Say it ain’t so? Or is it? Is it really that hard making it into our borders? Visas that tough to obtain? You be the decision-maker.

Word for the Travel Wise (11/23/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on


Today marks the day of my all-time favorite holiday where year-long stories are exchanged with family and friends over warm plates of turkey, ham, stuffing, and veggies. As people from all corners of the country either relax in the comfort of their own homes or dine out at some fabulous restaurant there will be many toasts, cheers and wishes for good-health over their good meal. It is for this very occasion that I pass this small fruit of knowledge your way to whoever may be reading at this hour.

Today I leave you with various ways to say Bon appetit!

  • Croatian – Dobar tek!
  • German – Guten appetit!
  • Hebrew – Bete’avon!
  • Hungarian – Jó étvágyat!
  • Korean – Mani deuseyo!
  • Persian – Noosh-e jan!
  • Polish – Smacznego!

For a complete list as found on the New York Public Library site in their World Languages Collection follow the link found here. Happy Thanksgiving all!

Photo of the Day (11/22/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on


On my hunt for a shot that reflected the act of giving thanks or of some delicious foreign fare, I immediately became distracted by the light lavender looking skies found in this photo. Taken by StrudelMonkey, he leaves several details about this popular Statue of Germania, which he notes was erected in 1883 to commemorate the union of Bavaria to Germany by Otto van Bismark in 1871. He also notes that the statue is surrounded by approximately 200 near-life size figures from German history. Now that I’ve done my duties and pointed out very awesome shot for our photo of the day I think I’ll continue my searches, but for real food this time. Keep up the great photography!

Want to see your photo on Gadling? Be sure to submit your favorite travel shots to our Gadling Flickr pool.