Germany:

Augsburg

Most of this info is a bit shaky and comes from memory, so don't be using this info elsewhere, and don't attack me if some of the info is slightly off.

Augsburg is an industrial city with a university that was built in the seventies, but it has a lost of nice little corners and can be beautiful. Check out some of these places. Get a map and find the old city walls where they still stand, take a running tour of Augsburg (i forgot who does this, but it's the only one that i've ever heard of.), go down to Anna Straße and the rest of the pedestrian shopping zone, eat out on the plaza in front of city hall, go into the city hall building and up the the golden room (don't just look at the cieling, check out the crazy creatures painted all over the walls.), go to...

The Fuggerei is the world's oldest low-income housing area, well someone told me that anyaway. It was built in the 1500's and has been in operation ever since. The people there still pay next to nothing in monthly rent, but are no longer low-income. I think that most of the poeple living there are related to poeple who lived there long ago. It's moslty a toursit trap now, but one of the only tourist traps that i have seen that is what it is. If this were in florida it would cost to get in, the houses would just be injection-molded façades, and no one would be allowed to live there. It would probably be privately owned and have a food court. It has none of these things and that's why you came to Europe, right?

The Post Irish bar and restaurant (who thought of that? It works anyway, the place is always full) is where i usually find myself in the evenings. Mexican food in Germany isn't as good as in the States, but it's not bad, and the beer almost makes up for it. Get there earlier, or make a reservation. I used to get a Hefeweizen and the fried chicken tacquitos, but i swear that the portion has decreased in size and the side salad dissapeared. Now i get a burrito or something else.

My favorite little hole-in-the-wall is the Kichererbse (the chick pea/garbonzo bean). It seats about six and the menu has even fewer items than that. They only have felafel sandwiches or on a plate, you just heard the whole menu! The food ist great, and the slow friendly service makes you feel more like you're in the Middle East than in Germany. Yep, that's the proprietor just chillin' in front of his place in the picture to the left. Get a Spezi or a beer, and (sometimes there's dessert) you're in felafel heaven. The portions aren't huge, but just enough. It's downtown in a little alley just across the street from the big colorful house pictured in the upper left of this page, so you'll have to look for it.

the Altstadt café is just 15 meters from the Kichererbse has some decent pasta dishes, but ain't an Italian joint. They also have good salads, and daily specials. Sit inside or out. Inside is nice, but can get smoky at times.

Bauerntanz is an oldtown traditional Bavarian restaurant. If you're not a meathead, try the Käsespätzle, sort of like small gnocchi, covered in cheese and grilled, diced onion, my favorite, and pretty much the only thing that I get in Bavarian restarants. Are the waitresses dresses made out of tableclothes? It sure seems like it. It's just at the end of the alley where Kichererbse and the Altstadt café are.

Hotel Ost Nothing special, but wasn't super expensive at 125 DM per night and an unbeatably central location. I stayed here when most of the friends that i had there had moved out.

Eickmanns Kaffeehaus A nice place for breakfast, or a drink in the evening.
Prinzregentenstrasse 1

Pow-Wow Cocktailbar & FrŸhstŸckscafŽ
Definitely the coolest place I hung out. It's a restaurant, bar, and lounge and does well at all three.
Klinkertorstra§e 1

Kerosin For great bands and DJs, Kerosin was one of the best places to go.
Gögginger Str. 26-28

To find out what's going on in Augsburg, just hit the neue Szene website, or pick up a free copy at most restaurants and bars, and many other places.