It’s been a month since we returned to Russia, and boy, do we miss Germany! After those unforgettable four days in Saxon Switzerland, how could we not? But today’s post isn’t about that. Germany, like any country, has its quirks. I’ve compiled a list of things that shocked, intrigued, or simply amazed us during our stay. Buckle up for a wild ride through German culture!
- Glass entrance doors in apartment buildings. Talk about transparency!
- Apartment doors so thin, they might as well be cardboard. Keys barely bigger than mailbox keys!
- No house or apartment numbers. Instead, entrances are numbered, and apartments bear the owner’s name. Good luck, delivery guys!
- Renting over buying. Most people rent apartments, with entire buildings owned by individuals or organizations. They handle everything from trash removal to repairs. Imagine calling your landlord for a broken light switch!
- Transportation feels like floating. Electronic schedules at every stop, and everything runs on time. German efficiency at its finest!
- “Bitte” (please) peppers every sentence. Politeness overload!
- “Schönen Tag!” (Have a nice day!) sounds like “Show me that!” in Russian. Linguistic adventures, anyone?
- Creative employee motivation. One Berlin web studio offers free breakfast from 8-9 AM to get programmers in early. Genius!
- Bottle deposits. 25 cents for plastic, 8 cents for beer bottles. No litter and some extra change in your pocket!
- Trash sorting madness. Even after three months, I couldn’t fully grasp it. Only true Germans know the secrets of proper recycling!
- Glass comes in three colors. Brown, green, and clear – each with its own recycling bin.
- BIO products. Our regular sunflower oil is their fancy “BIO” oil at €3 per half-liter!
- Meat paradise. German sausages, need I say more?
- Young wine in September tastes like kvass. A familiar taste in an unexpected place!
- Germans drink more beer than Russians but no drunks on the streets. How do they do it?
- The pricier the café, the older the clientele. Respect for the elderly or just different priorities?
- Tap water is drinkable. It took me two months to trust it, but now I’m a convert!
- Shop greetings. Every store employee greets and bids farewell. It’s infectious!
- Four magic words at the checkout: Hallo, Bitte, Danke, Tschüss. Just don’t mix up the order!
- Respect for monuments, even foreign ones. Soviet memorials still stand in Berlin and Potsdam.
- Street art as graffiti prevention. Clever and beautiful!
- Creative playgrounds that look like random assemblages but are pure genius.
- German “dachas” (summer houses) focus on flowers, not vegetables. A different kind of garden therapy!
- Germans don’t laugh at foreigners speaking German. A lesson in patience for us all!
- Paid cat-feeding grandmas. Compassion meets practicality!
- Green cities. Potsdam and Berlin are more forests than concrete jungles.
- Sports culture. From hiking to cycling, Germans start young and never stop!
This list is just the tip of the iceberg. What amazed you during your travels? Share in the comments!
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