It's amazing how much faster you pick up a language with total immersion. I took German like 4 years in high-school and college and really don't remember much more than the basics. I spent 13 days in Italy like 8 years ago and was pretty damn functional linguistically by the end of the trip.

My tip for OP, other than apps and whatnot, is watch/read kids shows and books in German. It really helps you get the basics down quickly.