Thanks to you both. I may be able to use either, but my main problem lies in that I frequent the smaller, off-the-beaten-path cities. I once lived in Giessen, and this trip will find me there, Hanau, and Marburg. In the U.S. there are several websites that have subdirectories in smaller cities, like www.urbanplanet.org, and I was hoping to find something like that for Germany.

Either way, thank you. Germany, to me, is the most special place on earth. I was stationed there when I was 19, for nearly 3 years. Although I finished college later, those were my college years, just after the wall came down. It was a GREAT time to be in Germany, although the Mark to $ rate stunk. Now that I have been back a few times, of course, the Euro to $ rate stinks--for me.

I write fiction, and have completed one story an agent has taken on and is just beginning to shop around. It is set in Deutschland, all over the place--murder suspense. I'm coming back to research another I'm currently writing, and it will be in France and Germany. Meeting cool, local people helps color my writing, especially when I'm trying to paint an authentic picture.

Again, Danke!