Carnival in Germany began in ancient times, masked Teutons made as much noise as possible to chase away the evil spirits of winter. Now in the Cologne area it begins with 'Weiberfastnacht', where women take over the streets and no necktie is safe from the large scissors they carry.

There is a Fairy Tale Road in Germany, which, as it follows in the footsteps of the Brothers Grimm, leads to a castle filled world of fantasy, sagas, myths and legends, through forests, beautiful countryside and medieval villages.

Frederick II of Prussia is one of the most famous German Rulers, both for his military successes as a brilliant strategist, and for the ground breaking domestic reforms he introduced into his country.

Once upon a time there were two very dissimilar brothers, whose combined talents produced European folk and fairy tales which were anything but sweet and gentle bedtime stories. Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

Karneval, fun and chaos before Lent, especially in the wine regions of Germany. Those who are not fans try to avoid Carnival areas, where strangers embrace, bars make 40 percent of their annual earnings, and 'The Fifth and Foolish Season' takes over city streets.

A festival is not a festival in Germany unless there is some type of favourite food involved, and for Karneval, Germany's Mardi Gras, it is Faschingskrapfen or Berliner, the Carnival Jelly Donut.