I have a long history with Germany. In fact, a longer and richer history than with any country other than the United States.

My first Army duty assignment, other than for training, was in Germany. Specifically, a town called Würzburg, which is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. From the Prince Bishops Palace, to the Marienburg Fortress, to the Alte Mainbrucke, to the many amazing vinyards, the place is just amazing. And of course there are many other spots in Germany just as beautiful.

Located in western central Europe, Germany is the most populous country in the European Union and the second most populous nation in Europe behind Russia. Germany also has the largest economy in Europe and the fourth largest economy globally. The name English name Germany comes from the Latin Germania, which is how the region was referred to by the Roman around the time of Julius Caesar. In German the name is Deutschland.

Germany has an amazingly rich history and culture. Just a few German notables are Beethoven, Bach, Händel, Mendelssohn, Brahms, and Wagner. Apart from music, Germany has made an immense contribution to global thought in science, philosophy, literature, etc., and is sometimes know as "the land of poets and thinkers", or "das land der dichter und denker".

Fun fact and interesting connection between my first and last homes away from home, Germany and Korea, comes by way of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Shin Kyuh-ho. Shin founded one of the largest business conglomerates in Tokyo in 1948 but later expanded the company to Korea. The name of Shin's business is Lotte and has a hand in manufacturing, hotels, amusement parks, fast food, beverages, and is Korea's largest confectionery company. So, why talk about Korea so much on the gallery page for Germany? The name Lotte is a homage to the character Charlotte in von Goethe's The Sorrows of Young Werther, published in 1774. Lotte is a nickname for Charlotte, but one of the many subsidiaries of Lotte is a chain of luxury movie theaters named Charlotte.