Traveling in Germany Can Have its Quirks

I've just returned from an eight-event reading tour in Germany for my memoir My Germany, and I had a great time once again. I love the serious book culture that exists in Germany and how authors are respected as cultural figures. I love the comfortable trains and the train stations with good food, great bookstores and cheerful-looking flower shops.

But certain things about traveling in Germany are quirky, and that's actually a good thing, because a book tour can be exhausting, and without ...