One of my hobbies is travelling. Another hobby of mine is to look for unique souvenirs for each country that I visit.
This year, I visited Germany. I had the chance to visit Heidelberg, Frankfurt, Munich, and Stuttgart.
It is my second time in an European country. The first one was the UK. As soon as I descended from the plane and got my bags and moved out of the airport. The first thing I noticed is how green the Germany is. There are trees and greenery every where.
I started my trip in Heidelberg. A small village that is located an hour drive from Frankfurt to the south west. Nothing interesting in there, except the Neckar river. There is also a castle called Heidelberg castle. I hear that this castle is still standing since the days of the Nazis.
As usual, when I travel take my Canon SLR camera everywhere with me. However, I did not use it at all. I used my iPhone 7 instead. It took pretty pictures of what I wanted to take. I decided to use my iPhone because it also takes good videos. My Canon camera does take very good pictures, but awful videos. It seems that mobile phones are taking the ground from standalone cameras. At least in the casual photography.
In this post, I am not going to speak and show pictures of how beautiful of Germany. There are many posts and videos that talk about the beauty of Germany. This post is intended for people who want to know what unique souvenirs to get from Germany.
Fortunately, Germany is very unique in that regard. They are know for their amazing woodwork. You can get so many interesting things from there.
Let us started:
Black forest Cuckoo clocks:
Germany is well known for intricate woodworking. They are also known for wooden clocks that are called Cuckoo clocks. For the uninitiated, cuckoo clocks are type of mechanical clocks that are made of woods and decorations that moves as time progress during the day.
It is possible to get them off eBay. However, these are usually cheaply made and are not authentic. German make Cuckoo clocks are beautifully made. Just by looking at them, you feel the quality and the precision of craftsmanship. It is always advised to get the ones that are called Black forest. You will find many shops that sell original Cuckoo clocks that are authentic. You might find them also in Switzerland. Just be sure to ask the shop owner about what time-day system the clock works with. Some of the clocks requires to be rewind everyday. Other require rewinding the clock once ever 8 days. They can be purchased online from the following website: kaethe-wohlfahrt
Smokers:
Smokers are another thing that Germany is famous for. I have never heard or saw anything like them before seeing them in Germany.
So what is a smoker? A smoker a figure made of wood that holds a cigar or pipe. It is made from two pieces that can be separated from the middle. The lower middle half can be opened so that you can place a scented piece inside and light it. Then close the smoker by putting the pieces back together. Since the smoker is hollow from inside, the smoke gets out from the figure’s mouth. Making it look as if it is actually smoking. It is a cool way of enjoying burning scent. It hides the burning scented piece and goes well with any home decoration.
Chief’s knife:
Germany has a well know chief’s knife company called ZWILLING J.A. Henckels or simply just ZWILLING. A well known brand for making well made chief’s knifes. They also make other kitchenware besides big kitchen knifes.
Steel soap, is another thing that I never know that existed before visiting Germany. And I found it here in ZWILLING shop. It is a pieces of steel that you rub while water is running. It removes the smell of garlic, onion, and meat from the hand once you finish cooking. It works like magic and removes the smell from the hand.
Marklin Toy Trains:
Another cool toy that you can find in Germany is train toys. Marklin toy train. I am a fan of collecting smart mechanical toys that shows the creativity of the designer. Marklin has a line of toy train that looks well designed. It looks more of a decoration piece than a toy. The trains look authentic. the quality is also very good. The train models are made from metal. I would recommend any traveller to pick one up if they had the chance to visit Germany. The good thing is also that the train has a motor and the train moves on the tracks. There are many expansion kits that can be purchased separately. Overall, it is worth your money.
In conclusion, Germany is unique and fun place to visit. This is evident in their souvenirs. I hope this article helps in answering some of the questions that travellers have in regards to what souvenirs to buy when visiting Germany
Congratulations @jast-im3! You received a personal award!
You can view your badges on your Steem Board and compare to others on the Steem Ranking
Do not miss the last post from @steemitboard:
Vote for @Steemitboard as a witness to get one more award and increased upvotes!