Recreation when the weather is cold

Don't let the cold put you off. Winter also has a lot to offer in terms of locations with excellent leisure facilities. If you want to hear the exhilaration echo of the mountainsides, Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a veritable winter sports paradise. The town is a popular holiday destination that gives ski and snowboard enthusiasts just what they want. Ideal conditions in the surroundings mean you can either go for glory like an Olympics champion or descend to the valley at a gentler pace. If you prefer an indoor location for your sporting activities, the Monkey Cage rock climbing hall in Aschaffenburg and Sportland complex in Erlangen are what you're looking for. They offer gym facilities for strength training and workouts, but sports such as squash, badminton, billiards and bowling are also options. Nature lovers who love hiking can head to the Maising gorge southwest of Munich to enjoy a landscape that looks wonderful even in the middle of winter. Located in the Starnberg district, the trail leads through the shadowy gorge to the densely wooded shores of Maising lake, one of the many bodies of water that make up what is known colloquially as the "land of the five lakes". If you want something out of the ordinary and like being part of a team, a game of "bubble soccer" in Fürth is for you. It's like a combination American- and UK-style football: the players' upper bodies are encased in huge inflatable, see-through plastic bubbles, and they can use somewhat rougher-than-normal techniques to get the ball off their opponents.