School vacations are staggered. They begin and end at different times in different parts of the country. As a result, says Thomasz Schreiber of North German Radio, August in Germany is just like any other month. There is no shut down of anything in Germany. I mean, all the museums are open, the shops are open, the restaurants are open.
Public transport works.
These American visitors, lining up outside Buckingham Palace to watch the changing of the guard, say the British capital is bustling and hustling at this time of year. We were surprised to find that the sightseeing buses were going. The Tower of London was open. Everything was open. The stores were open.