• We purchased round-trip tickets between Salt Lake City and London through a travel agent, who was able to find a better rate than we had purchased tickets for in three previous trips to Great Britain. We found our remaining plane tickets to the continent and back to London through the Internet, and we were very satisfied with the ease of arranging them by computer, the reasonable airfares and the efficiency of Ryanair's Web site.

• The travel agent also helped us arrange a rental car to be picked up at the airport in Frankfurt and returned at the airport in Cologne.

• Accommodations in Germany's bed-and-breakfasts, or zimmer frei, were comfortable and clean, and we had no trouble finding places to stay.

• May was a delightful time to visit Germany. The people were helpful and welcoming. Lodgings were readily available and impressive with their cleanliness and attention to detail. In almost every inn or guesthouse the pillows had been plumped and then whacked in the center of the long edge creating two points, replicating the snowy Alps.

• Don't speak the language? Don't worry. We were pleasantly surprised with how well we got along, despite not speaking the language, and would suggest that others not be afraid to explore, especially in the countryside. We learned a few pleasantries: good day (guten Tag) please (bitte) and thank you (danke), and always started our conversations with a bit of German, then slowly spoke English. In remote villages, we never knew if we'd be able to communicate, but usually someone was available who knew enough English to be the go-between. Many people were eager to practice their English with us.