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For the breaks

If you are visiting Germany as a soccer fan, don't leave the tourist in you behind

PHOTO: M. RAMESH

INTERMISSION A cruise down the Rhine is an exhilarating option

If you are going to Germany to watch the FIFA World Cup, don't forget Germany also happens to be a tourist's delight. Apart from the big cities like Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich, there are other centres as well, which are worth a visit. Here are a few options.

Those looking for a carefree experience can spend some eventful days in Celle with its half-timbered houses.

The UNESCO-World Heritage City of Quedlinburg is the centre of half-timber buildings in Europe. Several sights reminiscent of the Ottoman Empire dot the city.

One of them is the Collegiate Church of St. Servatius with a famous treasure. Just a few kilometres away is the old city of Halberstadt with Gothic buildings. The Halberstadt Cathedral houses another famous treasure.

If you can't keep away from football even in your free time, visit the HSV Museum in Hamburg, where soccer history comes alive. Between Berlin and Leipzig, the game locations for the World Cup 2006, one can recover from the happenings in Lutherstadt Wittenberg, where Martin Luther lived and worked.

Rhine cruise

If a cruise is what excites you, experience one along the River Rhine to the castles in Rüdesheim and Assmannshausen, situated only 50 kilometres away from Frankfurt. Known for its excellent wines, there is the interesting Asbach Visitors' Centre. "Rüdesheim Coffee", the local specialty, is on offer as well.

Then there is Sasbachwalden. The beautiful village is nestled in the foothills of the black forest. Famed for its flowers, half-timbered houses and world-famous wine, Sasbachwalden is located 27 kilometres south of Baden-Baden within easy reach of Freiburg and Heidelberg. For details on packages and other facilities visit www.germany-tourism.de.

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