I was stationed 20 minutes north of Aachen '00-'02, at Geilenkirchen AB. You will have a blast. You will be in the Tri-Border area, Germany/Holland/Belgium. The sky is the limit on your travel options(or your calendar/wallet). Get a German train pass, and an international one(crossing countries there is like us crossing states). Get your Passport ASAP. Get an International Driver's License. The hardest part is some of the wierd ass signs. Definitely good knowledge to have. There are speed limits. Even on sections of Autobahn. Use a nice small camera that you can always have it with you, it sucks trying to lug around a big camera...and you never know when good photo opportunities will be. Don't expect or look for WalMart/Mcdonald's/Target etc... They have those things, but that's not fun. Experience the smaller local options, so you can have good stories to bring home. Learn some German phrases, but don't stress over it. Most people in Europe will speak a fair amount of English(sometimes they are shy though). If your residence is not geared towars international travellers, don't bring too many electronics. The electricity is different and you may require transformers. On larger items see if you can switch the voltage. See if you can use your cell phone in Europe, change to an international plan before you leave. Germany is known for beer, but have some of the best wines as well. Try eiswein(ice wine), it is sweet as apple juice. Bittburg, Erdinger, Paulener are all popular in that region. The Heineken brewery(with tours) is in Amsterdam. Check out the festivals, Oktoberfest, Christmas markets(Christkindlesmarkt, Christkindlmarket, and Weihnachtsmarkt). OK. Someone else chime in now. Have Fun. PM if you want some more details. I have an American friend that lives there permanently if you want a POC.