I am about to answer this question in the view of recent reports of xenophobia, neo-nazism and anti-semitism in Germany, thus I am focussing on the aspect of how safe it is to travel there, how openminded people are or not, and what kind of experiences you can expect to collect when interacting with German people.

And, although this should sometime cease to be an imperative introduction for every German writing about his/her country, I should also state that when I come to the point of discussing myth and reality of right-extremism in today's Germany, I don't want to diminish in any way the crimes committed over 50 years ago. I share the responsibility of all Germans for our history and preserve the memory as a constant reminder, yet as a young person I have every right to look ahead and reach out to new inspirations for my life.

So are we all a xenophobic bunch of Nazis? I wouldn't be here if we were, and I am no exception. Indeed we really do have a problem with neo-nazism in Germany, but it is limited in scope as I will explain in full detail. But don't believe everything you read about this in the Sun, Mirror and the likes. Even German media often make premature judgements here. This was the case with an attack on a group of Eastern European Jews in Düsseldorf last autumn, which was immediately labeled an anti-semitist act, but proved to have been committed by a relative for reasons of family problems.

I would say that the described acts take place by around 80% in the eastern German regions of Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. A real pain for true believers in east-west integration like myself, this is threatening to create a new east-west divide, ten years after reunification. The stronghold of the extreme right in eastern Germany, in my opinion, results from two facts. 1) When the German Democratic Republic (GDR) was founded in the Soviet occupied (eastern) zone of Germany after the war, no conscious revaluation of history took place, instead one totalitarian regime replaced another. The GDR used many of the national symbols employed in the Third Reich, and the Holocaust had little mention in socialist history books, which preferred to focus more on the victory of Marxism over Nazism. Thus East Germans were not given much opportunity to reflect their past. 2) The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1992 destroyed demand for East German industrial products overnight, leading to a vast economic downturn. Even today, after 1.4 trillion DM of taxpayers' money spend on investments in East Germany, there is still a big economic divide. At 8% national unemployment rate in Germany, the West has only 5%, East Germany struggles at 17%.

Mostly not at all. There may be some areas in the East which I wouldn't recommend for travel for the time being. But the Eastern states of Thuringia, Saxonia, Saxonia-Anhalt, and parts of Brandenburg will give you a warm welcome. Do not miss to visit the wonderful cities of Potsdam (Sans Soussi Castle), Weimar (Goethe and Schiller) and reconstructed Dresden (no comment here on a British website).

You will be impressed that most Germans below 50 speak good or very good English, so it will be easy for you to ask people for the way, talk to people all over the place, build new contacts and, hopefully, make new friends. It is quite common for German A-Level students to go abroad for a year or to participate in exchange programmes. Most Germans will be most pleased to help you around.

As in any other country, attitude differs with regional mentality. Going by the usual stereotypes, Bavarians may be slightly more stubborn than Rhinelanders, but once you've gained their friendship they may prove to be the more faithful friends.

Don't hesitate to visit Germany and build your own opinion. Most probably you wont get shot at or harrased, instead you might well get invited by a stranger to a pub for a good German beer. Be invited to visit our immense collection of cultural and historical sights, our thriving cities, and some fine spots of nature.