School's out for summer all over Germany

These ninth-graders from Karl-Maybach High School in Friedrichshafen are ecstatic: School's finally out in their state of Baden-Württemberg. In fact, schools in all 16 federal states are closed for the summer. The traditionally staggered start and end of the holidays was introduced to reduce traffic.

Time to hit the water! Like with these kids in Ilmenau in Thuringia, swimming, diving and simply splashing around in the water is a favorite summer pastime, whether in a lake, the ocean, or the glittering waters of a local swimming pool beckon as temperatures rise.

In the summer, travelers can expect long lines at airline counters and security checks at airports, like here in Hamburg. Many German families fly to Spain, Italy, Greece or Turkey to spend two or three weeks together on the beach.

Family hikes are currently all the craze, like here in the Harz National Park in Saxony-Anhalt. What's that growing under the tree; which bird calls and songs can you identify, and what's that red flower? When you know what you're looking at and listening to, a walk in the forest is never boring.

Frankfurt offers an entire holiday program for kids called the Main Games, after the river that flows through the city. Adventure beckons along the banks of the river, complete with a ropes course, slides and bouncy castles.

In Berlin, a summertime project titled "FEZitty - The kids' capital," holds daily activities, like playing sports, tending sheep and rabbits and riding the childen's Express train, in the heart of the German capital.

In the western German town of Neuss, kids spend two or three weeks at a large overnight summer camp, sleeping under the stars - without their parents. Camp fires, hiking in the dark and geocaching - some children may not want to go home again - at least not until summer is over.