EDGE on the Net

Sweets, sausages and sunrises conspire for an action-packed getaway to one of Europe’s most vibrant cities.

After an anonymous German professional soccer player told a magazine he was gay, the country’s chancellor is urging him to come out by saying, "You need not fear."

As Christmas approaches, thoughts turn to Christmas markets. And, nowhere are they more beautiful than in SouthWest Germany. From the Black Forest region to Heidelberg, Mannheim and Stuttgart, SouthWest Germany’s Christmas markets are magical.

Fortunately for those whose budgets and schedules preclude the trip, there is plenty to do - and drink - in the U.S. during the fall beer festival season. Think of it as Oktoberfest in America.

Düsseldorf’s luxury shopping boulevard "Königsallee" stays open until midnight as city joins other metropolises worldwide to host Vogue magazine’s annual global event of night-time fashion shopping and showcasing.

German Catholic physicians are saying that they can "cure" their so-called "warm brothers" with a homeopathic course of sugar pills.

Pink Monday is when 50,000 gays party at Düsseldorf’s "Biggest Fun Fair on the Rhine," turning the city’s 21-year-old, nine-day outdoor spectacle into the color of cotton candy.

It’s a wedding party that got out of control: Two hundred years ago, Bavaria’s Crown Prince Ludwig celebrated his royal nuptials with a big public bash that was such a hit it became an annual event - and came to be known worldwide as "The Oktoberfest."

The announcement by Germany’s foreign minister, that he would not bring his husband to anti-gay countries raises a big question: Now that out-gay & lesbian politicians are meeting other leaders, should they hide the spouse if that offends the hosts?

Germany’s justice minister says she is considering changes to income tax laws to iron out disadvantages for gay couples.