First, a couple of safety tips. In general, Europe is far safer than America, but you still need to pay attention:
1) Avoid looking like a tourist, and specifically, an American. Some of the things to avoid are obvious: no baseball caps, no clothing with distinctly American logos (including sports teams), no flags, no looking at maps in public areas. Some are less obvious, though: no white socks (seriously!), no extremely fancy sneakers (a lot of Europeans don't wear sneakers, and the ones who do don't wear the ornate-to-the-point-of-being-ugly designs that you find in Foot Locker), and no aimless movement.
2) Carry your wallet in your front pocket. If possible, split up some of your valuables (passport and cash in one front pocket, credit card and backup ID in another) to minimize risk. You also might want to carry a decoy wallet in your back pocket as well. ANYTIME you are in a crowd in a tourist area, you are a target for pickpockets. Do NOT allow people to bump into you, and get in the habit of checking your pockets every couple of minutes.
3) If you stay at the same place for several days, vary your routes to and from the hotel and vary your times of arrival/departure. Do not become predictable, especially when traveling alone.
4) If you happen to run into any kind of agitated situation -- barroom brawl, political demonstration, strike, etc. -- stay calm, stay quiet, and get out of the situation as quickly as you can. Carry the phone number for the American Consulate in the cities you plan to visit.
If you go to Germany, there are several outstanding places to visit.
5) Munich. I wish I would have had more time to spend there -- it was a BEAUTIFUL city. Among the attractions to check out are the Hofbräuhaus (a biergarten which dates back to 1589), Residenz (the palace of the Bavarian kings -- incredibly ornate interior; also has the crown jewels on exhibit), and the Deutsches Museum (kind of like the German equivalent to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum -- focused on technology and science). You could also get a tour of the BMW factory (bring that credit application!), which I hear is pretty cool. Finally, if you have a chance, the Dachau concentration camp is just outside of Munich. I didn't have a chance to go...and I've always regretted it. I think we have a duty to learn about the unpleasant parts of history...so we don't repeat them.
6) Heidelberg. The main attraction in Heidelberg is the ruined Schloss (castle) which overlooks the town. You can hike up the hill, explore the castle, and take some outstanding pictures.
7) Saarbrücken. There isn't much to see in Saarbrücken itself (unless you are lucky enough to be there for the one outside-of-France stage of the Tour de France which takes place there), but if you're in that part of Germany, make your way over to Strasbourg, France. Strasbourg still has its medieval defense in place: a moat surrounds the city, traversed by bridges. The city has a wonderful museum of modern art, an amazing cathedral, and wonderful food which is a mix of French and German cuisine. (The Alsace-Lorraine region of France has changed hands between France and Germany over the centuries.)
Have a good trip!
