Bob and Linda........My wife and I (she died 6 years ago)...went to Germany 8 times for a month each time in the 80's. Our oldest daughter has lived in Germany for the past 28 years....she teaches school on an army base.....currently at Heidelberg.....about ready to retire. Edna and I used to traipse around looking for our ancestor's records....mine in West Prussia and Schleswig-Holstein....hers in Bavaria....and in upper S/H and lower Denmark. We used rail pass.....walked or used taxis wherever we stopped. If you go to Frankfurt....and take a train up to Hamburg.....and another train to Meldorf it's a full day's trip. We changed the procedure a couple times and flew into Copenhagen....a very interesting city....then took the train (which goes part of the way on the ferry) over to a spot whose name slips my mind at the moment.....took the train to Tonder....spent the night in a lovely hotel on the edge of town......then crossed the border to Niebull. Sylt is just south of there. and then later a train down to Heide and Meldorf....& eventually over to Hamburg. In Niebull we got off the rain....walked up a couple blocks....saw a sign in a window "Zimmer Frei"....=vacant room. Actually they had converted their garage into a nice room where we spent the night.....had a great breakfast (part of the boom bill).....conversed with them freely via their 10 year old daughter who spoke passable English. We went to Sylt in July......the Germans wear bathing suits....but don't go in the water....the North Sea is COLD.....they sit in small beach tents...open to the sun....but sheltering them from the chilly breeze. Don't leave your base without an umbrella.....showers are frequent in Germany. S/H doesn't see a lot of American tourists.....at least they didn't in the 80's....but we found everyone friendly....and never had a problem finding a place to stay even tho we arrived at odd hours. In Heide there's a nice hotel right across from the RR station. We checked in there one afternoon & the Mayor and city water commissioner invited us to dinner. You'll love the tiny shrimp they serve up there....& all fish is good. My grandmother was born in Hassenbuttel....a wide spot in the road just south of Wesselburen. I have a cousin in Heide. I had an aunt that lived south of Meldorf before coming to the States....name was Siercks. My grandmother was a Schoolmann.....and I have Geil cousins.....and Dau cousins that lived in that area. We never bothered with a car.....Eurorailpass enabled us to get on and off trains at will....the trains were great....they run on schedule....and often. And we covered great distances....so we preferred to relax on the trains.....and the food on the trains was good. The dollar is down relative to the mark....my advice is don't waste your money at big name hotels.....live with the natives.....you'll love it. Normally warm weather hasn't arrived in April or May.....& showers are frequent....carry an umbrella....wear an extra sweater....and enjoy it. John jdbentz@prodigy.net