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Frankfurt is where I have spent the most time in Germany. I lived there for one year when I was in the Army. Actually, I lived in a suburb called Büdingen. Frankfurt is not a typical German city; it's very Americanized. This is probably caused by all of the U.S. Army bases there. I haven't been to Frankfurt since 1989; most of the army bases have been closed since then. Frankfurt can be fun, but I really prefer Berlin.
Berlin is still basically two cities. The western part of Berlin is very developed and cosmopolitan, while the eastern side is still similar to the way it was at the beginning of the cold war. I find the eastern side to be much more interesting. When I was there, I didn't see any trace of "the wall"; most of it has been removed.
On the eastern side, near Kochstrasse, there is a place called the Bar Bizarre fetish club. It's a little hard to find, hidden at the end of an alley. The person who runs the place looks just like Tim Curry did in the "Rocky Horror Picture Show", but with a thick german accent. I was given a complete tour of the club, including the torture chambers and the dentist's chair in the corner. The club is located in a dimly-lit basement with rough stone walls. They have live "fashion shows" on the weekends. If you feel adventurous, you really should check it out. If you're shy, just drop by during the week when it's slow. The staff are very friendly. I didn't get a chance to return on Friday, when it's a bit more lively. I'm sure it would be quite an eyeful.
Kiel is located on Germany's beautiful North Sea coast. I spent a couple of weeks there one summer, which is the best season to visit. The city is famous for its annual yacht races. While swimming (actually, skinny-dipping) in the ocean, I encountered a huge number of jellyfish; they're all over the place in the summer. They don't sting; the strangest part is stepping on them while getting into the water. It's just like stepping on big slugs.
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