THANK YOU so much to everyone on the trip for sharing their experiences on camera! 😊🙏 👉Go to piavpn.com/felifromgermany to get 83% off Private Internet Access with 4 months free!
IDK if you received my question about pronunciation. Is Waltz the dance and Walz -path road (new vp candidate name) . Are there German accents the say it different if there isn't a "T" in the word?
@@FreezyAbitKT7A The German name for the dance is "Walzer" ("waltz" in English). To my knowledge (I am German) there is no German word with the "t" in it, but a "z" is usually pronounced like "ts".
on the corn comment. I lived in Germany with my parents in the late 1950s. My parents gave a dinner for a German couple who were friends. They served corn and the German couple though they were being insulted because corn was only give to pigs. After some discussion and assurance no offense was intended they tried the corn. It was sweet corn not the field corn grown in Germany at the time.My parents then had to provide the German couple with cans of sweet corn for the remainder of the time we were in Germany. Nice to hear American corn is now in Germany.I would have missed it when i go to Germany next year.
I had a great time traveling with this group of folks. We had a great time in Germany and it was terrific to experience The food, beer, architecture, the people. A waitress in Cologne was confused on how I wanted to tip her paper cash, and a German who was at the table next to me jumped in and explained to the German waitress that I wanted to compensate her for good service. Only then did she understand. I later learned that you can round off the price of the meal with a price you want to pay, but I wasn’t clear on tipping culture in Germany. I appreciate how Germans who speak English will help out non-English speaking Germans. Really friendly people. I wound up speaking with and connecting with this gentleman. Great experience!
People do tip for good service but tipping with bills probably seemed unexpectedly generous. Great you enjoyed your time in my country. People should generally travel more to better understand each other.
Regional differences are real 😂 here in the north where the payment is low and the energy prices high, you usually tip them around 15-20% (but only if the service is as good as expacted) 😅 I love that you had fun visting my country, I definitely enjoyed my trip to America very much! It's just awsome to see both countries as allies and friends and I hope it will be like that for a long time. You're always welcome here 😊
Grüße aus Köln! Cologne is among German cities one of the friendliest places. I’ve lived here for more than two decades and just this week had a water for €3.60 in a restaurant. I felt slightly guilty for rounding it to €4 because in the US that would be incredibly disrespectful and rude. But here the servers totally appreciate it because not everyone would even tip for just a drink. Old habits die hard 😂
@@desperadox7565 Das mit dem Reisen wird leider in den nächsten Jahren nur noch der Elite möglich sein. Aber warten wir ab wann das CO2 Punktekonto kommt.
Maybe it's just American optimism and positivity that you are seeing/hearing? I think that many Americans will only be able to visit Europe or any particular country once in their lives, and I think that we look for those experiences to be positive.
@@southcoastinventors6583 LOL. No kidding. I traveled to Berlin by myself and had a much different experience. I think it helps that these folks are on a structured tour.
The world would be a better place if everybody had been to at least 1 or 2 other countries and learned that there are good people everywhere and your own country isn't always better in everything.
Actually, the most people which have the money for travelling have been to other countries. It's just the Americans who tend to stay in their own country all their life.
I lived in Germany from 1970 to 1973. My husband at the time was stationed there. I have not been back to Germany since then, so I loved this episode which tells me many of the things I loved about Germany has not changed! Things like prevalent bike riding everywhere, fantastic and fresh food (never went to a bad restaurant the whole time we were stationed there). I remember driving down the autobahn many times going probably 85 to 90 miles an hour in my little Volkswagen bug without a seatbelt with my 3 year old son standing (no restraints) in the back seat. God must have been looking after us! I love the German culture, the dirndl's the lederhosen and all those things. I am 78 now and will probably never get back there. It's a great place though. My grandmother's family came from near Heidelberg in the 1800s. Germany has a special place in my heart!
Wenn man hört, wie unsere Gäste aus dem Ausland über Deutschland reden, wird man sich erst wieder bewusst, wie gut es uns geht und wie schön es hier ist. Das vergessen wir leider viel zu oft. Thank you for opening our eyes, dear american friends ❤
@@floh667Aber du engagierst dich doch bestimmt persönlich mit ganzem Einsatz, dass es nicht so schlimm wird, oder? Schreib doch mal, was du so für dein Land tust außer meckern.
@@bonnsavant Ich hab eine Äußerung über eine Feststellung getätigt. Ist das in deinem Universum automatisch mit "meckern" und Tatenlosigkeit verkörpert? Erwartest du nun von mir, dass ich versuche in den Bundestag zu kommen um eine Veränderung vornehmen zu können? Ich bin es so leid diese dummen gehaltlosen Sprüche von Leuten, die nicht damit umgehen können, wenn man den verfall des Landes anspricht, ohne gleichzeitig als Retter der Nation aufzutreten. Dir ist klar, dass eine einzelne Person hier nur sehr limitierend gegenwirken kann? Ich trage meinen Teil dazu bei, aber eben nur in dem mir möglichen Rahmen.
Being from England, (now living in the US), and serving in the British Army I was stationed in Germany twice. Both time for two years and in the same place, Fallingbostle, I loved it. this was obviously when Germeny was still split. One of the first things I notice was how people would come up to our table, we were with local girls, but they would shake hands and say hi like they knew us for years. After being there for a few months we also noticed if you were to ask or at lest try to use Germen you would be helped more. Noticed this when those new recruits who didn't even attempt it got the "EH?" from the waiter, that we knew could maybe speak better English than some of those recruits. LOve the food, and so much of it on a large plate for a reasonable price. And people were so helpful, if you looked lost they would ask if they could help. The second time I went, having been gone for 2-3 years. Poeple in the resteraunts and bars remembered me, like I was a member of their family. Like I said I loved it there, wish I could go back and see what it is like now.
I went to the British Zone in Northern Germany when one of our planes went down. I was amazed, all the families from the nearby town came out in the evening with gifts (mostly food and cookies). They just wanted to talk to Americans and learn about Americans. It was like they were starved for exposure.
I got yelled at by a food server for taking the wrong plate of food. He set it out in front of me and I assumed it was for me. I was embarrassed and then got pissed off. It ruined my day and I am still mad
Hallo Feli, ich finde es echt interessant die Reaktionen der Amerikaner über Deutschland zu hören. Gerne mehr von solchen Videos. Grüße aus Baden-Württemberg.
Dem stimme ich zu. Ich bin auch schon auf die "Reaktionen" gespannt, wenn es aus den schön herausgeputzten Touristenhochburgen herrausgeht und auf das Leben und Wirken in Ballungscentren, Großstädten usw. getroffen wird.
Dafür gäbe es z.B. "The Natasha & Debbie Show", die Feli auch bereits bzgl. einer kooperation angeschrieben haben und seit über einem Jahr keine Antwort erhalten haben...
I am an American and it can be a bit overwhelming given the many differences. You will be happy to know I found this channel because my wife and I plan to live in Germany for 6 months upon retirement. My plan was for a year, but she insists on 6 months in Italy also. Have visited several places in Germany and lived there in the early 90's. I didn't truly immerse myself given my then youth and affiliation with the US Army. Personally, I love the structure, adherence to rules, cleanliness, orderly nature and absolute beauty of Germany. The tag on the front of my BMW has the word "Tschuss" on it. lol
I am from Germany but one culture difference I learned 20 years ago. In my free time, besides school, i did some First aid for the German Red Cross during sports events. Once there had been an icehockey Team from Michigan. IT was a youth team and they played in a small village in Niedersachsen and we had the privilige to be there when they played. One of the American Players get injured and we helped him. After some time his father came into the locker room and wanted us to stop because he wasn't sure how much IT would cost. He was shocked when he saw that we were 15-20 years old and did it for free and that the Team just pay something Like 30-50 German Mark to our local red Cross Office and that we helped as our hobby in our free time. After the game we had a nice chat and drank some tea.
Yes, we are very accustomed to medical services being extremely expensive. I was in Scotland last October and I ended up having to go to the emergency room one night. I was so concerned about how much it would cost because I didn't have any insurance and I didn't know how it would work with me being a foreigner. I was seen by a doctor and received two prescription medications, and there was no charge at all. This would have cost hundreds of dollars even with insurance in the US. Without insurance, it would likely have been thousands of dollars. It's so wrong that medical care is that expensive. Many people go without care that they need because then they wouldn't be able to afford their housing or food costs.
@@CakeCakeCakeIf one goes to germany for example, it is possible to buy an insurance for foreign tourists. I do it, when I get visitors. It is not expensive, but of course only for issues, you did not bring with you. Medicin in Germany is not free, better you have an insurance.
Yeah try to be patient. The father wasn’t trying to be rude, it’s just that Americans are more accustomed to predatory medical practices. You could have an injury or illness (doesn’t matter what it is) and instead of fixing/curing it in 1 visit they will stretch it out to 5 visits so they can charge more money.
Such nice people telling what they've noticed in a very respectful way, pointing out the positives (something a lot of germans on the internet can actually lern from, haha). Very nice that you were here! I hope everyone enjoyed their trip :)
I'm a military brat and spent 4 years in Wiesbaden as a kid and had a great time seeing the country. One of my best friends now is from Unterwössen in Bayern and I went there 7 years ago for her daughter's wedding and fell in love with the area. Spent 3 weeks with her at her mother's in Unterwössen last summer and loved it. Going for Oktoberfest in 2025.
Meine erste Reise nach Deutschland war mit dem MS Europa im Hebst 1969. (Ich nahm am Aussenstudiumprogramm von Kalamazoo College teil.) Wir stiegen ins Bremerhaven aus. Unser Programmführer sagte uns wir sollten unser Abendessen unabhängig versorgen. Ich bin um die Innenstadt herum gegangen und habe mir einen Imbißwagen gefunden. Dort kriegte ich meine erste echte Bratwurst. Ich war aber zu schüchtern als Pommes frites auch zu bestellen. Nachdem ich die Wurst erledigte, hatte ich noch Hunger. Ich bin um die Ecke gegangen und dann wiederum zur "Mobile Wurst Unit" und habe mir die Kartoffeln bestellt.
Your German is excellent--and I'm glad that I can still mostly understand it, although I've forgotten quite a bit of vocabulary. I could tell that an American wrote it, however, because you used the simple past tense throughout, which Germans almost never do. Was the snack wagon you mention like a food truck, or was it more of a pushed (or pulled) cart?
Ich war dieses Jahr das erste Mal in Amerika. Es war ein großer Traum und ich hatte von Filmen und Dokumentation ein bestimmtes Bild geformt. Amerika, das Land in welchem du vom Tellerwäscher zum Millonär werden kannst. Das Land der unbegrenzten Möglichkeiten. Alle Menschen sind super freundlich, usw. Vor Ort habe ich schnell festgestellt, dass dies eher eine Illusion ist. Ja, die meisten Leute sind sehr freundlich. Es wirkt allerdings manchmal sehr aufgesetzt. Ich habe auch viel Elend gesehen und als ich krankheitsbedingt zum Arzt musste, verließ ich die Praxis mit einer 600 Dollar Rechnung. Das Land ist wunderschön und es leben tolle Menschen dort, aber auch dort gibt es eine Kehrseite der Medaille. Ich habe durch diesen Urlaub Deutschland mehr zu schätzen gelernt. Das Sozialsystem, das leckere Brot (😅) und das angenehme Klima. Wir meckern immer sehr viel und ja, auch in Deutschland müssen sich einige Dinge verbessern. Wir können jedoch froh sein, hier leben zu können.
US cities have turned into hellscapes. Self created by out of touch elites. I live in Southern California. There are 75,000 drug addled homeless people in Los Angeles. NY city is going back to the bad old days of the 1970’s. I live 50 miles inland of LA where it’s the normal American dream. Nice houses, people, affordable restaurants and parks to walk in. Oh yes, drug stores that don’t have to have all of the merchandise locked up.
Mir ging es ganz genauso, ich habe 1991 eineinhalb Jahre in Colorado gelebt. Dieses Gefühl von Freiheit gespürt. Aber als meine Ehe auseinander ging, musste ich schweren Herzens mit meinem zweijährigen Sohn zurück nach Deutschland, da es sehr schwer ist, alleinerziehend zu leben. Ich dachte immer, die Amerikaner hätten einen ähnlichen Lebensstandard wie wir Deutsche, aber da lag ich sehr falsch. Wenn man durch die Army abgesichert ist, gehts einem wunderbar, ja. Aber bei uns kann man mit einfachen Jobs ein einigermaßen gutes Leben führen, in den USA schuftet man sich kaputt und bleibt trotzdem arm. Man sagte mir, meine Eltern wären "reich", nur weil mein Papa nen BMW fuhr ... Ja, ich wäre sehr gerne geblieben, hatte kein Heimweh, aber alleinerziehend mit einem kleinen Kind ist man in Deutschland besser versorgt.
My wife and I lived and met in Germany and have been back at least 6 times (most recently 4 weeks ago), so the cultural differences we notice are more about how Germany has changed over the last 40 years. Things like the incorporation of so many English words and expressions into the language, the widespread availability of electronic payment v. cash in recent years, the shift from stick shift to automatic transmission cars when renting, the superiority of kitchen equipment and the wider variety of food (including regional. vegetarian and lactose-free options) available in restaurants.
I'm an American who has driven a stick shift for almost my entire life, until 4 years ago. I rented a car in Germany a year ago, reserving a stick, only to be given an automatic. I was disappointed as I really wanted to drive a stick again.
a lot of youtubers go on these trips and it's kinda fascinating hearing their opinions, especially from an older crowd! i just lived in germany teaching english for 10 months, and there were lots of culture shocks. the focus on quality rather than consumerism, dressing for the season not the weather, and the intense scams and picpocketers at hbfs jumped out to me. i also love the "grab and go" set-up that allows you to grab a cheap sammy or a pretzel and hop on your train rather than mcdonald's or something overpriced. while there, i lived in a happy little gray zone between local and tourist as an expat haha, it was a really awesome time!
I live in Germany. While I have heard about it, I shall say that I jaywalk all of the time and I have never experienced it. And plenty of people jaywalk here.
There is always the conception that you should act as a good role model to kids. So that when the kids walk to to school etc without their parents, they don't jaywalk. Grownups usually can judge the risks Kids not so much. And for parents it's hard to justify why someone else is jaywalking and there Kids see that. So one strategy is to tell their child that the person they saw jaywalking is stupid. And that's how you get those reactions like that of this little child.
Yep. Traffic safety is taken seriously and adults are expected to be role models for kids...you see it is common for our 7 yr olds to walk 4 blocks or so to their school by themselves.
Actually crossing on red is an offence in Germany, while there is not exactly any definition like jaywalking. You just mustn't cross near a red light or endanger anybody. Besides that, there are regional differences how many poeple do that or speak out.
What nice interviews these are! All these travelers from the States noticed a lot of interesting points about Germany. They are all good conversationalists and communicators. Feli, you are a great moderator. Danke!
When we were in Germany last Aug we were surprised by the great conversations we had in our AirBnB locations, even backyard neighbours for 1 evening inviting us over for beers and schnapps or table mates in Munich ( Andechser am Don) asking us how our visit was then conversing into the evening. Or at a little community festival in Seeg in the Allgau one lovely afternoon with dancing and bands and home cooked food, magical. Overall the serving staff all over Germany was better than we expected.
Man I love the American loving our fixtures and windows. Like just generally appreciating the buildings it made me crack up a little cause it's so normal to me. I love how they all had a thing that they cared about. Playgrounds, fixtures, cultrual things, pricing, food. They all took note of something and compared it to american stuff from home. They all have a kind of positive experience an open mind and I love that. It's so cool I hope they continue to have a great trip! And when they come back see even more stuff they like!
Haha -my wife and I have already decided that if we need to move back to the US, we are importing German windows and shades with us. And we need to establish a pipeline for jam to go back to the US. Our families insist on us mailing them jam care packages as often as possible. Because it was illegal in the US - and mostly still is - I had never had black currant jam until coming here and I love it. It would be so hard to go back to apple, grape, and strawberry jam and that is about it.
The older I get, the more I crave nongerman windows. I hate that I can't open my windows without moving all my plants. As a kid in my parents' house, we had Danish windows that open to the outside, and I thought that was normal. Later, I got annoyed at our normal German windows because they all open inwards. Now I understand that they can't open outward for cleaning and danger reasons... So I really want to try American windows, even when they don't have Kipp. They should be available in better options than shoddy single pane, right?
@@JonaxII Newer windows are all dual pane for insulation purposes. And when I was a kid, most windows also had an inner "storm window" that was a single pane between the normal sash windows and the screen. Window screens will be different for most Europeans since they rarely exist here but are in every American windows you'll ever see. But, if you put plants in your sill, you'll like an American window.
@JonaxII If you're used to Danish windows, then you would likely want to stick to them. Even though American windows are double and triple pane, the structural integrity of the window itself usually doesn't compare to Danish standards, and certainly not German. Only a select few very high end ones would do so. Without knowing exactly, I'd imagine it relates to building styles, where a rough opening in Europe can be just about anything from store to wood, 2x framing in the US is very systematic, and windows rely on the wall framing around it to keep everything in place. Usually European windows do not have the nailing flange on the outside, that windows do in the US, where they practically get stitched to the wall with nails, where a European window is typically fastened with 6-8 stout screws, and the the joints are packed for support. 2 very different systems of building.
I was in Germany last year. My culture shock was the joy that people have there and the way they enjoy the outside and each other. America is lied to about how other countries and how there is so much unhappiness anywhere other than the US.
This are tactics from countries that lack real democracy. For example communists countries in dictatorships. North Korea and china is telling their citizens how awful it is in other countries too.
Well, it's sort of true. Because Americans are happy and positive when they shouldn't be. Whereas Europeans are unhappy and pessimistic when they shouldn't be.
@DavidKroff my perception is that people who do not travel believe America is the greatest country and that other countries have it so much worse and therefore unhappy. That is what I meant. Its purely anecdotal .
I visited West Germany in 1986 when I was 15. We were staying at a B&B kinda place and as we were getting breakfast, I asked for some milk and they asked back if I wanted it fresh or cold. I told them I wanted fresh, even though I was confused by the question. When it finally arrived, it was warm. And I was confused again. And then I realized that fresh milk meant THEY JUST MILKED THE COW! 😂 Best tasting milk I've ever had
Trying fresh milk is on my bucket list. A glass will do - don't need a bucket, lol. Another milk/language barrier tale: in 1994 we missed a domestic flight in the Philippines and were put on standby for 3 hours, but our child needed milk. I hiked from the airport to a bar nextdoor, where the language issue began when I asked for milk to go. Bartender: no clue. After a few minutes I remembered that Tagalog word for milk is gatas. Progress, but she handed me a glass of milk. I repeated "to go." She responded "sago?" Sago are gelatin pearls made from palm. It took me several more minutes to remember they use the phrase "take out", not "to go." Mission accomplished!
I’m currently on holiday in Frankfurt from Los Angeles. I love it here, should’ve educated myself more before traveling. Feli is right about finding parking is a nightmare. The autobahn is awesome. I’m definitely coming back more and more. This country is beautiful
I'm from Minnesota, and I have been to Germany 5 times. In December, it will be 6. I think the thing I was surprised the most about the first time is the bakeries. They are amazing. The second thing is the windows(the tilt/vent mode) and the shutters, I definitely would love both on my own place someday here.
I lived in Germany, in Nuremberg, from Feb 1980 to Jul 1982. The things I remember most were The Christmas Market (Christkindlesmarkt) which was beautiful and fun. There is a city in Washington State called Leavenworth that has a similar atmosphere to the Christmas Market. The coliseum (Kongresshalle) by the park off Bayernstrasse. No coliseums quite like that in the States that I've seen. I guess it's been restored now. I loved the castle downtown and the discos. No castles in the States! Plus, my wife and I lived in an apartment building with an elevator which was really nice! I would really like to go back. Great interviews by the way. Thanks for sharing!
Visited friends in Munchen during Oktoberfest. Natural foods everywhere, follow the rules, Well maintained building and infrastructure, public transport of every kind and affordable (alittle pricey for the train ride to the airport). Out and about walking, biking, etc. I just felt like I was in a more healthy environment for human urban living.
My parents met in Heidelberg back in the 1950s as American High School students. After getting married and having four kids, we were lucky enough to be stationed at Rhein Main Air Base in Germany. We were close enough to visit Heidelberg many times. We spent every weekend over an almost six year period travelling throughout Germany. I have many fond memories of Germany. Yes, Neuschwanstein (the model for the Disney Castle) was one of our trips.
I wasn't on this trip. But I have been in Germany five times now and really enjoyed it. I was surprised to discover that Frankfurt was the European city that reminded me most of Toronto where I live. Everyone I encountered in Germany was helpful. The food was great everywhere I ate. I was also amazed that even on a Sunday, the bars were open and people were out dancing before noon in some areas. The best was how friendly people were. As soon as they heard us speaking English, they would come over and ask where we were from and when we said Canada, they had to buy us drinks and had endless questions. Would go back again in a flash!
I was in Berlin December of 2023. Three things have stayed with me since then. One of the first things I noticed was the pace of German people. For them, I'm sure that this was there normal speed, but to me it seemed like they were race walking. Second, the bathroom in the hotel was like wow. An entire wall of shelving for the mirror and sink, the fantastic showers, heated towel rack. I was truly amazed (I think this was like a 2.5 star hotel). Finally, form truly does follow function. The built in kitchen had no wasted space (whoever thought of putting a cutlery draw below a cooktop, genius!) Oh yeah, the carbonated bottled water :)
Well my father was German and came to America at age 19 as a master mechanic to teach ppl in America how to work on Volkswagens. He moved to upper east Tennessee, met my mother and decided to stay. He started his own business here and couldn't get away as much as he'd have liked but he went home to see everyone more than we all went as a family due to travel costs, a death in the family and he did fly back to help my Opa with his business once after a heart attack. Gosh his story alone is so long and fascinating, I'd love to tell it to you one day. But I have been to Germany twice. Once at age 6 and next aged 12. I can vividly remember both and both were so different. The first time was end of summer and being so young, my brother and I fell ill from prob the plane lol but we started running high fever and my Oma called her doctor that came to the house to see us. We toured a few castles and towns. My grandparents town was so beautiful with even a small carnival like park in the middle with kiddie rides. There was also the town butcher, cheese shop or dairy, and bread shop. I also love a German table setting for meals. It was always so awesome, the bread and everyone had a cutting board and all the meats, cheeses, and ppickles, onions you name it. That was just lunch lol. Dinner was so nice, the food like the lady said all fresh and girl I remember these potatoes Oma used to make❤️ they were great! Breakfast same with the cute lil egg holder and special spoon lol.. Family times were great but then to they hadn't met us nor even my mother until that trip. Well some hadn't, my dad had 5 brothers so some had flown to America. But at age 12 we came over for a German Christmas, my father loved Christmas and wanted us to experience Germany in the winter. I love the architecture, the fact they appreciate their old buildings and don't just tear all of them down for new. There was an underground mall we went to that rocked! I can remember my Aunt was the Mgr for a rather large cosmetic/perfume store and she always dressed in the most amazing clothes, jewelry, makeup, and fragrance. Oh and get shoes I loved. But she had told me, now this was in the late 70s that America is always 1yr behind Europe in most things. And they were!! I was blown away by a lot of things being so much more modern as well as ancient. Oh and let me say the butter over there❤❤❤ you can NOT find the same here! I've tried lol. Oh and a few days b4 we were supposed to leave, we went to bed with 0 snow and woke up 2ft of snow. That was crazy, we have quite a bit of snow here but I don't think we had ever gotten so much snow. We did get some moon boots for Christmas which are snow boots and those were no where here in the states. All my friends were dying for a pair😂 I just fell in love with Germany. It is so beautiful, I love my family there. Only one of my dad's brothers is still living now. Daddy passed away 5 yrs ago. It is hard. Oh and so is genealogy over there🤦♀️🤦♀️ my goodness. My last name is Weiberg, there's even a town named Weiberg 😂. send me a pm some day and I can fill you in on sl my father's life... take care and God Bless 🙏🏼❤️
VERY long post. I understand if you skip it. An experience from Kiel back when I was in the Navy: Our ship was there for Kieler Woche (a huge international regatta held once a year) circa 1982. Apparently the U.S. sends a navy ship for Kieler Woche every year. I had duty the first day in port, but after a while the word was passed for anyone who has sailed before to report to the Quarterdeck. There was a miscommunication between the Squadron Command and our ship, because we didn't know the Kieler Woche officials expected us to provide a crew for one of the boats racing in the regatta the first day. I had been on the Thames River in Connecticut as a boy with family friends and manned one sail at the time, so I reported to the Quarterdeck. WHAT could go wrong? 😬 As the only crew onboard when the need for a regatta crew was discovered were "on duty" (everyone else was already ashore on liberty), only about 1/4 of the crew heard the call for experience with actual sails. We were able to muster 8 enlisted plus the 1st Lieutenant, but the total regatta experience amongst our small contingent was an anemic 0 hours and 0 minutes. WHAT could go wrong? 😦 We're given permission to go ashore in our "civvies", but it was still considered a work detail rather than "liberty" and we reported to the regatta officials. Our 1st Lieutenant takes charge and gets the race details from the regatta officials. We understand the course, but we are embarrassingly ignorant of regatta strategy. Our first objective is to get to a large round buoy in the distance and make a hairpin turn around the buoy in a counterclockwise direction. The starting line is relatively perpendicular to the course we'll need to take to the first buoy and it's a timed start - a starter pistol sounds prior to the start, synchronizing everyone's watches, then at the specified time after the first shot, the actual start is shot. The strategy we DID understand was we need to be as close to the starting line as possible without being over and at max speed when the second starter pistol sounds. We ACED IT! All those other "fools" to our right were up on the other (upwind) side of the starting line stealing each other's wind, while we were on the downwind end of the starting line and crossed the start perfectly - or so we thought. Those of you with sailing experience can already see our problem. Draw a right triangle with the starting line making up one side, the 90° angle of the triangle is at the upwind end of the starting line, and the first buoy to the 90° angle makes the second side. All those "fools" had to travel along the upwind side of the triangle to get to the first buoy. Because we picked the downwind side of the starting line we were effectively traveling along the hypotenuse of the triangle to get to the first buoy. Our path - by definition - was going to be longer than the "fools". As I said, we crossed the start perfectly and quickly gained an apparent lead. However, our course to the first turn forced us to steer more into the wind in order to keep heading towards the buoy, lowering our speed. Additionally, wind pushing your sails from the side also pushes your boat to the side. The closer we got to the first turn, the more we had to turn into the wind to pass around the correct side of the buoy. By the time we finally reached the turn, the rest of the racers had already made the turn and were halfway to the next turn. I estimate we crossed the finish line a half-hour after the rest of the racers did and in all likelihood delayed the start of the next race. Embarrassing. 😞
You know, I remember one internal championship of my son's then swimming club. There was one boy who was, well, bad. On the larger sider and much slower than the others. No chance at all. But, you know, participation was not obligatory. He could have dropped out, stayed at home. He didn't. He completed every part of the whole competition. And I respect that. It shows sportsmanship/honour/a sense of duty, pick your favourite trait. On that day, so did you. In spite of not having experience you went ahead. OK, you did not actually have a choice. Still no reason to be embarassed.
I have one! Literal strangers will walk up to you and ask you if you will watch their stuff for them, even expensive stuff... like when they go to the bathroom or whatever. And another is people will let strangers borrow their expensive stuff here. There is a level of trust and safety here that is not in the USA.
I visited Germany in 2012 and was struck by the beauty of it, the little villages surrounded by green countryside, not suburban sprawl like the US, the beauty and history of the cities, and just a general feeling that quality rather than quantity is valued. I loved it so much and that surprised me for some reason!
Tours? Interesting. Glad to see you share the German/European experience with others. That is one of my favorite things when travelling with first timers. Love it!
Shout out to Greg at 1:42 sporting my hometown baseball shirt! Well done and way to rep over in Germany! Same for the couple actually from Milwaukee! Yes, at 6:30, one of the big things that I had noticed was how difficult it was for the disabled. A very good friend suffered from MS. He had a very difficult time navigating as there were no "kneeling busses" or ramped sidewalks, even the apartments were not set up to get into for someone with limited mobility. That said, people were always there to help him with either getting home or getting on a bus, shopping, just everyday life. So the German people do see the need for something to be done to assist disabled folks.
Feli, I love this video. Very well done. It is very interesting, insightful, and and pleasant as usual. I especially love when Nancy had to say. I am on the same page that she is. I'm a very pleased by the fact she is teaching others who will be teaching young children. She appears to be from my generation. And I noticed that she originally came from Chicago, as I was born and raised in Chicago. We've probably had very similar experiences growing up. I couldn't be more agreeable with her point of view, how children's learn about themselves, what they can do and their limits, how to watch out for oneself and the people that are around you. And probably most important your sense of personal responsibility. God bless her. And I'd like to do a shout out to that nice couple from Milwaukee. I've never met a person from Wisconsin that I did not like. And I've met plenty. From the countless times I've been in Wisconsin, to those I've met in the United States Air Force. I cannot say enough good things about Wisconsin people.❤
This is not just Germany but Europe overall. The prices in the grocery store are so much lower and for much higher quality produce and foodstuffs. Special to Germany (and Austria) is the hot food available in the store, as well as the cheese and cured meat selection at just a regular Rewe or other grocer. It’s just spectacular! Also, you can get groceries more easily in smaller portions to fit one person. In the US, everything is portioned for a family. I wish we took the European approach to our food more. We would be so much happier and healthier.
Food in the US isn't portioned for a family. It's portioned with the expectation that you will not finish and will take the leftovers home (not throw it away).
I lived in Landsberg am Lech from 1979-1984 and in Frankfurt am Main-Harheim from 1984 to 1991. To this day I miss Germany deeply. While living in Frankfurt my landlady became like my grandmother. My neighbors were all very friendly and helpful and I felt more part of a community than here in my own country.
I'll be visiting Germany for the third time in 18 months two weeks from now. I agree with all of the observations your tour group made. I'm especially fond of the Euro-style windows and doors and wish those were available here in the US. It looks like you had a great group for this year's edition of the Feli tour.
The biggest shock for me was how chill everyone was about the stunning architecture. My German friends and I went to some bars in Heidelberg last April and everytime we went outside I’d audibly gasp at the castle lit up on the hill and no one else seemed to notice. Haha they thought it was a funny reaction. Same for the old pinkish looking church in the middle of town. I visit regularly and have for a while, and I still get excited about beautiful churches in little Dorfs or those old half timber houses. My friends tease me about it every time.
If you see it all the time, it's normal. There are 25,000 castles, palaces and ruins in Germany. I like Heidelberg too, I live in the same state but further south. I like watching videos like this, with the view from the outside, you learn to appreciate it more, thank you.
I've been to Germany a bunch of times starting in the mid 1970's. Things that have changed over the years: timeliness of public transportation, cleanliness, and perspective of Americans. Those also pertain to the rest of Europe too. In the seventies train departures were to the second and I don't remember one ever being late. A few years ago we missed a connection in Frankfurt due to a 20 minute delay from Heidelberg, and other trains were a minute to five minutes late fairly regularly. There is way more graffiti now than there was in the 70's. I also remember the pride people had in washing and sweeping their entryways daily (almost seemingly hourly). Another change is back then before Schengen the US passport was golden, and being an American (an perhaps being an unconscious student) we were treated extremely well by the German people. Now, and perhaps because I'm older there is less grace granted for my stupidity. What hasn't changed is what a lovely country Germany is and the rich history it has, like most countries, including the USA, both good and bad chapters...an opportunity to learn.
Yeah the train system has really gone downhill to the point the majority of DB trains are late. They’re now finally investing in fixing it but it’s gotten really really bad.
I agree that the quality of food in Europe is really good. Everything in Europe is small, like car, hotel room, elevator, etc...If you go to Europe, get the best shoes as you can, because you need to walk a lot
As a german i can't stop smiling about the us visitors experiences. Only one thing i would like to mentioned. German playgrounds are NOT build to be dangerous! in no way. There are strict rules of hights and material... but they shouls give the kids the possibility to be active, make decisions and try again if one try didn't work.. I'm sorry for my bad english.
American playgrounds got overly safe. Way too safe. Part of the fun of climbing something tall is being up high in the air and having a little bit of fear.
I want to say that we have bike paths all over Los Angeles and what it has done is taking away a lane for cars and gets used almost never by bikers because Los Angeles is huge. They do get used on the weekends when there is very little traffic, but when there's a lot of traffic during the week the cars get screwed out of a lane
I was one of the folks in the video that mentioned this, and while "dangerous" may have been going too far, I watched a mini-documentary while on my visit there that specifically said they are designed with small risks, to help children develop safe decision making skills.
My daughter is a safety officer at the kindergarten (German). She is annoyed about the rules for the play equipment, which she has to comply with by law. She thinks they are too strict.
So random but i literally met her at the mall where i work today, and omg she's so sweet and humble for such a popular person. Just became an even bigger fan now ❤❤
Growing up here in the US, most of our playground equipment was wood. But that was the 90s and into the very early 00's. They definitely overstepped with the "safer" stuff
It really more about liability than anything else since around that time they really went lawsuit crazy of safety proofing everything due to minors being around.
@@southcoastinventors6583 also why most fast food places have opted to remove playgrounds. Liability insurance is insane. I understand it, but dang at what cost?
The playground at 6:02 Whoever designed this, just from a purely visual standpoint, chef's kiss. I'm not sure how accurate this is, but it looks as if the wood they had at hand played a major part in the design of the structures. I really love the look.
Just watching this video brought back so many memories of my 2 week trip in March 2010. This was an educational trip arranged by the school where I was working on my Master's degree. We spent a few days in Wittenberg, Dresden, and Berlin. Here's my biggest cultural impression of each. Wittenberg: I loved this adorable town that was steeped in history! The first thing I noticed was the cobblestone streets. The architecture is simply gorgeous! And I was amazed at the Castle Kirche (church) where Martin Luther had nailed his 95 Theses and the City Kirche where he preached. I had never before been inside buildings that were literally hundreds of years older than the United States! Talk about the saying, "If these walls could talk" Dresden: I was so fascinated with the Old City. This was where I saw the biggest cultural difference between the US and Germany. It had been leveled during WWII. If this was the US, we'd have mourned the dead, cleared the rubble, maybe erected a memorial, and built a brand new city in its place. But Germany... they sifted through the rubble and put the city back together again like a giant jigsaw puzzle! I can't imagine the literal decades it took to catalog each stone and figure out how they all fit together! Berlin: Crossing some bricks where the wall had once stood and seeing the stark difference between the East and West sides. And the holocaust memorial park was very sobering. It looks to be hundreds of marble caskets which is sobering enough, but as you walk through, the ground slopes downwards while the top of the caskets stay at the same level, so eventually you are surrounded by these huge pillars of marble and you have this feeling of claustrophobia until you find your way out. In general: "I'm sorry, my English isn't too good..." I'm thinking, "You've just said more to me in my language than I can say in yours, and I'm in your country. I should apologize to you, except that I literally don't know how!" I could go on and on and on. I've also been fully converted to the German style of Kaffe, instead of American coffee. It's so much darker and richer! Germany is a beautiful country that I'd love to see more of, and I'll definitely learn more of the language next time!
Neat. On my trips there, I love being surrounded by centuries of history as soon as yo get out of the (Frankfurt) airport; the local bakeries everywhere (yes, some are chains) and pastry shops; the welcoming service in small shops in cities. We lived in Manhattan for 9 years in the '70s and 80s, which was hardly welcoming. Or clean.
Feli standing up in a moving vehicle is making me anxious haha! Also, it's interesting how much more of an accent she has after having been in Germany for a while!
It's very interesting to hear the various views of people with obviously very different professions and therefore different perspectives. Vielen Dank, Feli.
Thank you for this video, liebe Feli! It-s always interesting to hear what people from other countries are telling. Most of the experiences were positive, I‘m so glad and thankful for that. I expected to hear more disappointed reaction to be honest. Hope you enjoyed your visit in Berlin too, it‘s such an exciting and vivid city.
I had to check my passports to see how many times I was in Germany-primarily Berlin. The first trip was in 1968. It was the first trip for me and our two preschool children and the first trip back home for my wife. We flew from Cleveland to New York, to Newfoundland, to Frankfort and finally Templehof in Berlin. The 4 of us lived with my mother-in-law and father-in-law in a one-bedroom apartment. All of our sightseeing was done with public transportation. Mutti only knew "hello" and "goodbye" in English, but Vatti was pretty good at it. In 2022 My son and I made a trip (the 12th one) and this time we flew into the new BER airport and stayed at a hotel. We relied on public transportation and only got lost once.
So interesting! Everyone in this video was so nice about Germany. 🥰 Will you upload more videos from this trip? I would love to see your visit to Heidelberg, cause that's where I am living. Would have been cool if I would have run into your group while you were there 😄 I was also curios from which little town near Heidelberg Hannes in your video is from 😉
Go to Wisconsin where there are bike paths and walking paths and in winter snowmobile trails. There are also brew pubs where you can hang out with people.
Hello, I was stationed in Schweinfurt West Germany, January 1989 to November 1991. I was there for the fall of the wall to Berlin in August 1991. That was a great time to go there. Then in October 2019 went to Berlin for a week and I could not believe how Americanized Berlin was. Still a beautiful city, but definitely Americanized to go back again. I’d like to even go check out Schweinfurt again.
It wasnt "americanised" ... it was "Bonn-i-fied" thanks to the TERRIBLE (small-town-minded) BUREAUCRATS which came from Bonn and completely ruined the city[1]. Also: INVESTORS are the bane of the city ... because they still buy what is left of OLD and BEAUTIFUL BUILDINGS ... to let it rot, tear it down and replace with UGLY BLAND BLOCK ARCHITECTURE. Apart from that the most annoying "americanisation" is GRAFFITI ... because there is no will to punish the "artists". We always had a really ANNOYING clubbing scene, which seems to have grown bigger. [1] I was in university in '89 and a friend of mine and I created a rule that "anyone with a car numberplate of more than two letters should be forced to park at the edge of the city and stick to public transports". German numberplates have 1 to 3 letters denoting the city ... and three-lettered cities are small, i.e. they DONT KNOW HOW TO PROPERLY DRIVE!
Your videos are great! This is very cool you showing off Germany to Americans. I’m divorced and our kids are grown so my last couple of trips to Germany was solo. I’m going back in April and a friend from work is coming with me. I’m looking forward to sharing this country that I love so much. Ich liebe Deutschland!
I moved to Bavaria near the Czech border in January. Perhaps it is the fact that I am older but other than learning the language - which is an ongoing thing to be sure - I did not have a lot of culture shock. But - a big part of that is because at least in this area, a lot of the cultural practices are the way things were for me growing up in the rural American Appalachians. I remember everything from how a cash economy worked and our small town bakery to even things that seem quite odd to many Americans now like Easter Egg trees. Even closing shops on Sunday here is exactly the same as my childhood and what Americans called "blue laws" back then that governed shopping. The level of smoking is something I have had to readjust to, and the lack of AC on 30+ degree days.
@joergvader Funny you should say that. My landlord is a linguist. And he warned be careful of of the Palentine dialect/ accent here and that it would be difficult not only for me to understand others but also other Germans have difficulty with the accent. (He used the example of how many English speakers struggle with a Scots accent.) He has told me that my American accent isn't that bad really, but to stick as much as I can to my German classes and the more north and west accents. I'm still new enough not to hear a lot of the difference but I was in Frankfurt last week and the folks at the airport immediately knew what area I lived in even with my Anglicized pronunciation of some words. Winter isn't bad for me at all. When I was in the Army I was stationed in Colorado, Utah, and Montana through various parts of my career. Meter plus blizzards and temps -40C or lower in some nights every winter. At least this past winter was damp but mild compared to those.
My family lives in Furth im Wald and Weiding. I live up here in Berlin, have lived in Leipzig and stayed a long time in Bremen. I went from living in Sunny SoCal to the PNW and then spent 7 years in Buffalo, NY, survived blizzard of 2022 and 7 feet of snow. There's nothing Germany can throw at me that I'm not prepared for.
@@armyfirefighterlast winter indeed was damp and cold, the next winter metereologians exspect to be very cold. Climate change did a lot since I was in Arzberg, but still it might get cold and snowy. Btw. Palatine is (Rheinland-) Pfalz in the west, but you are in Oberpfalz which is a part of Bavaria. With the dialect: They consequently exchange d and t, g and k, p and b. Additionally they might replace j by g. I can't pronounce it even though I lived in Arzberg for 2 years. I guess that's how they knew where you are coming from. Additionally there are regional words that won't be understood elsewhere.
@himmel-erdeundzuruck5682 Thank you. I had to look it up as I was sure I heard him correctly. But I did mistype it. The term for the dialect he used was "Upper Palatinate" which I guess is the English name for Oberpfalz region. I live in Weiden and see the term all the time but never connected that English term with the German. Still much to learn, lol. Anyway, with that overview, I started thinking and I have started to pay attention. That may very well be the reason I have difficulties with understanding German spoken to me here, while I have much less difficulty reading and much less speaking compared to understanding what I hear. I thought most of it was me with American pronunciation but those sort of transpositions between the German I learned / am learning and local speech would be part of it. To help my conversational, I am doing what a lot of Spanish speakers do in the US to learn English- watch evening television. I have a much easier time understanding those shows than live speaking here and this may be the reason. My landlord is helping me too as he is helping me with German in exchange for me helping him with gym workouts and learning American idiom. I guess unless you all have a specific need, Germans all learn British English. This close to Britain makes sense. But there is enough difference in word choice between the US and UK to cause issues. Example- getting summer tires put on my car in Amberg this Spring. The clerk asked for my cars documents and if I brought the tires. (In English). I said yes, the paperwork was in the dashboard and the tires were in the back seat and trunk. She looked up totally confused and then it clicked. "Papers in the glove box and tires in the boot." She understood perfectly well then.
Great video. First video I've watched from Feli. I like how you edited the interviews to cover different topics. All these tourists were very well spoken. I like the lady who teaches early childhood education and observing playgrounds. I'm sure pictures and her real life experiences in another country to add to her classes. Maybe she could write off trips as a business expense. Thank you when you get to go to Australia or Japan as a business trip. Hahaha
Sadly, Germany "lost its song as a result of television. ...I was stationed in Munster bei Dieburg Kaserne in pre-television days in the mid 1960s. I very much enjoyed going to beer/wine fests in the small villages surrounding my Army post. ..Hundreds of Germans would sing traditional folk songs. It was absolutely wonderful. ,,,I returned to Germany on a vacation in 1979 and found that no one sang songs anymore. Also, i noticed people in gasthauses staring at the television rather than sitting in a circle talking, and on occasion -- singing. ...Sadly, television truly transformed America as well as Germany.
This was super interesting. American here in DE since 2003. I still feel like a lazy bum that I’m not outside galavanting through the forest every chance I get, I’ve learned to get out and active more and it’s obviously worth it, but indeed we “Amis” are very sedentary compared to the average German. Also, I’m glad I raised my son here and he’s able to run around the neighborhood with his friends and from elementary school was out there on public transport alone. In fact, the government here in NRW has done campaigns to educate parents that their children should NOT be driven to school! Whereas in America people get CPS called on them if they let their elementary school kid walk through a park alone (true story).
This is part of why I do not want to have children in the US anymore. I want to move to Germany or the Netherlands to have children because they'll get to have experiences closer to what I had as a child in the US before helicopter parenting and stranger danger took so much of kids' independence.
Thank you for that great video, Feli! The tour group makes a very friendly impression. Since I am German myself, it was very interesting for me to find out what people noticed about Germany. Who would have thought that different playgrounds for children would be one of those things? Overall, it's great to hear that the American guests generally liked Germany. I also really like how you interact with people, Feli! You should continue to include such videos on your channel. And if you plan to organize a trip through the USA some day, I would definitely join the group! :)
As a brit, my first German trip (excluding Rock Am Ring) was to Baden-Baden, the thing that I noticed straight away was the calmness (along with the affluence of that particular area), cleanliness and and how much care people took in shops and bakarai
This is very regional though. The calm, cleanliness and craftsmanship are all things that the Baden and Pfalz regions are particularly known for -- Germans from other regions notice the same things when they visit Baden. The Ruhrpott for example looks and feels quite different. And in Berlin, there's always a Techno party in walking distance.
Currently living in Baden-Baden, so that mention made me smile. Baden-Baden is a "Kurstadt", a spa town, so it was built very spaciously and with representation in mind. It's also calm because the demographic is a lot of old people. It's sometimes too calm for my taste^^ it's a great place to visit, sometimes quite boring to live in
Haha yes old and affluent definitely seems the demographic, I love it though , been in Baden for Christmas the last 9 years! Though we‘re now visiting bad reichenhall every Jan… I do love spa towns :-)
As a Londoner, I went to Germany over Christmas for the first time as an adult. Apart from the insane amounts of Christmas markets (we were on the edge of the Black Forest, near the French border) and the crazy beautiful villages and towns, was how much Germans look like British people! French are different. Spanish and Italians are very different. Even dutch are different and definitely taller. But you can totally see how genetically close British and Germans are.. both (Anglo) saxon I guess
My wife and I have been to Germany several times, both on river cruises and on our own self-organized tours and I'll echo most of the comments these folks made. Last fall, however, we went to the Baltics, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. If you like Germany, you'll love the Baltics. A lot of the comments people made apply to the Baltics as well. Especially the playgrounds. :-) I was amazed at the challenging playgrounds. And it's not just for the kids. Jurmala (outside Riga, Latvia) even has a playground for adults!
I agree with so many of the points here. One thing that surprised me is how people are able to handle the heat with no AC indoors! Each day is brutal for me with the heat 🤣 I’ve been in Germany for 2 weeks and I’m now comfortable riding on the bike lane and taking those scooters. I’m currently in Berlin till Friday. I’d love to meet the group if you are all here by Friday!
German pro tip: Open your windows at night or very early in the morning. Not just tilting, opening entirely, so the cooler night air can flow inside. Keep them closed around noon and on the afternoon, maybe put up curtains or blinds if you have some. :)
I agree with the woman who discussed waiting for a Red light to turn green when no cars were coming… I also crossed the street and angered people…. People were also irritated when I did not get a basket at the grocery store and walked around with products in my arms.
To be fair, as a German I also sometimes don't bother with a basket or cart, but that's usually when I only want to grab a few items real quick (or can't find a basket). So it's not entirely uncommon, but unless you just want a bread roll and a small bottle of water, it's not super common.
I remember this too! I did a high school exchange in Germany, and while just we American students (without our partners) were hanging out somewhere, they sent me into a small market to buy water and drinks for everyone. I didn't want to look around for a basket, so I grabbed all the drinks, which were all tiny but heavy because there was a lot of glass. On my way to the checkout, like three old ladies told me in German that I needed to use a basket like a normal person.
This is a bribe! I would love it if you would review/react to a Truly Julie RUclips video. Julie is toddler with an Iranian mother and a German father. I believe mom is second generation but dad is definitely a born and raised German. His English might even be better than yours! Just kidding yours is the best but his is pretty good too. Julie's father speaks German to Julie quite a bit. You might be interested in her earlier videos as well, but what I really would like you to review are the recent ones when Julie goes to Germany to visit her grandparents. I have so many questions but I will limit myself to just one. Can you tell from Julie's expressions or reactions in the video if her father's attempts to teach Julie German are working? Also, what would your suggestions be to help him (or any parent) keep the language alive in their child.
Das is ja mal n spannendes Format! Vielleicht könntest das auch umgekehrt mit deutschen Touristen in den USA machen - obgleich das dort nicht so einfach ist wie hier, dass alle zusammen in einem bus hocken.
well she did do a few of those when her relatives (or friends?) come and visit - like tasting the "German" food in the US - thats one that came to mind. Saying this in German would take a little while so i just did it in English (könte es eben besser auf Dänish sagen, aber das kennt noch kein =)
@@TainDK I know that, i'm watching her channel for a long time. But this one was different though, because she was interviewing multiple foreign people.
What a lovely bunch of guests! Loved hearing their views :) Also how fun that you got so many different characters and ages. Makes it all so much more comprehensive.
I got to visit Munich, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, and Heidelberg when I visited in the early 1980s (school tour that started and ended in Frankfurt and included stops in Salzburg, Lucerne, and passed through Stuttgart on our way back to Frankfurt to fly home). Though I was only 15 at the time, I found Rothenburg to be one of my favorite stops in Germany... While most of the kids went to the discothèque that evening, I spent the evening walking along the old city wall (for those that don't know, the old town's wall was [mostly] laid out in the shape of a wine goblet) [and yes, I'm an introvert, or as they called it back then, shy, so night clubs were not my thing...]. Now my favorite stop on that trip was Lucerne... being Good Friday, the shops were closed, so a few of us took a cable car to the top of Pilatus and had lunch on the patio outside the hotel at the top while overlooking the snow-covered mountain (it was April and part of the snow pile between the cable car station and the hotel was at least 15'/~4.5m... despite the time of year, the sun was bright and we only needed light jackets). I still have some of my Deutschmarks from that trip... before they converted to the Euro, I'd hope to have gotten back, but now they're great souvenirs.
My trip to Germany in 2008 was a lot of fun. I think my German classes in high school 14 years earlier served me well, and I visited a lot of places that were on a planned overseas trip, but prices shot up and never got to go in 1994. I had a Bayern FC shirt on when I was walking towards my hotel in Munich, just out of the exit from the Hauptbanhof when an American asked in halting German "wo ist der Hauptbanhof?" I kind of chuckled and let him know I was American, and that the entry was just around the corner, in English of course.
We had a blast on a trip to Germany recently. We rented a car and spent several days each in Munich, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Freiburg im Breisgau, Friedrichshafen on Bodensee, and Rosenheim. Then 3 days in Vienna, Austria. We went on a lot of walking trips in the towns, and hikes in the mountains. Beautiful country and so much to see! I think perhaps the funniest event for me is when I drove into a parking garage in one of the towns. There was a sign that translated means Parking on First level was reserved for women who are alone, I assume so they have a safer quicker exit from the garage and are closer to attendants. However, my German is very very rusty and I thought it was telling me that I shouldn't take the ramp up to that level so I passed that ramp. The only other ramp was the exit ramp, and the attendant, an older man, thought I was going to drive up that ramp, so he came out and shouted at me in German. He didn't speak English, so it took a minute to sort it out. Once we were on upper floors and parked, I was able to translate some of the signs better. I think that may have been in Freiburg. We did drive to Colmar in France for a day, and we were shocked at the change in countryside. In Germany, everything was neat, well cared for and maintained. Crossing the border into France, we started seeing overgrown lawns, tall weeds and grass growing through sidewalks, roads that needed repair, trash along the roads, and other things that were very different from Germany.
I might have a reason for that event in the parking garage: first level (in german: erster Stock) means the first level above ground - so I think the US calls this the second floor. First floor in US means (in german: Erdgeschoss (grounded floor)) - I hope that was the source of misunderstanding. Greetings from Germany!
I remember when I was 6 years old going to my grandfathers house back in 1991 here in tamaqua PA, it was Christmas Eve, they used to play old German music on the radio from 1930’s but they don’t play that anymore.
I first went to Germany as a soldier, stayed for 7 years. Then went back as a civilian and lived there for another 6 years so not much your travel group had to say surprised me. I would dearly love to go again to see my German family, but at 80 and somewhat handicapped I don't see it happening.
Hi Feli! Your videos are excellent! I think you will be highly successful in life; you have taken a topic I had no clue I was interested in and made it completely captivating! One of your videos popped up on my home screen, and since I can't stop watching the channel! I just wanted to say you are doing a great job. I rarely find a topic or someone who can hold my interest for an extended period, and your channel has managed to do that!
Good luck. I'm 8 years in as a Silicon Valley retiree. It's a beautiful place to live. If you're not used to long, cold winters, find a way to really enjoy the occasional bouts of hibernation. Spring, summer, and autumn, just invest in the right clothing and play!
Vielen glück und gute reise =) A tip for using google - if you strugle to find ö and ü when typing in google to search stuff - just write oe or ue instead - glück as i used before then becomes glueck - google will give you the right answer if you do so - not sure if Germany also have the ä - but in case they do, its the same, ae. You can almost say that the ¨ can be spelled with an e after the letter its above instead of using the ¨ - you can also do that in emails, normal mail etc, but by that time, when you feel confidant to type an email in German, you would probably also have figured out how to use the ¨ above letters =) until then - use the e after, its easier in the beginning. - Welcome to Europe (soon), by a Dane
Oh - yeah, sorry for being just to the point - its a thing - straight to the points that can help without much "hey how are you, did your kids get home safe, how was the spa... etc." talking points. When you meet these interactions, its not a sign of disrespect, rather a sign of respect of your time, you dont need to worry about me, but these points i think are crucial for xyz (in my case about ä ö and ü - but you will for sure find other interactions such as mine during your stay) Once again - good luck and have a nice travel =)
THANK YOU so much to everyone on the trip for sharing their experiences on camera! 😊🙏
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IDK if you received my question about pronunciation. Is Waltz the dance and Walz -path road (new vp candidate name) . Are there German accents the say it different if there isn't a "T" in the word?
@@FreezyAbitKT7A The German name for the dance is "Walzer" ("waltz" in English). To my knowledge (I am German) there is no German word with the "t" in it, but a "z" is usually pronounced like "ts".
on the corn comment. I lived in Germany with my parents in the late 1950s. My parents gave a dinner for a German couple who were friends. They served corn and the German couple though they were being insulted because corn was only give to pigs. After some discussion and assurance no offense was intended they tried the corn. It was sweet corn not the field corn grown in Germany at the time.My parents then had to provide the German couple with cans of sweet corn for the remainder of the time we were in Germany. Nice to hear American corn is now in Germany.I would have missed it when i go to Germany next year.
@@FreezyAbitKT7A no, it would be pronounced the exact same :)
I had a great time traveling with this group of folks. We had a great time in Germany and it was terrific to experience The food, beer, architecture, the people. A waitress in Cologne was confused on how I wanted to tip her paper cash, and a German who was at the table next to me jumped in and explained to the German waitress that I wanted to compensate her for good service. Only then did she understand. I later learned that you can round off the price of the meal with a price you want to pay, but I wasn’t clear on tipping culture in Germany. I appreciate how Germans who speak English will help out non-English speaking Germans. Really friendly people. I wound up speaking with and connecting with this gentleman. Great experience!
People do tip for good service but tipping with bills probably seemed unexpectedly generous. Great you enjoyed your time in my country. People should generally travel more to better understand each other.
Regional differences are real 😂 here in the north where the payment is low and the energy prices high, you usually tip them around 15-20% (but only if the service is as good as expacted) 😅
I love that you had fun visting my country, I definitely enjoyed my trip to America very much! It's just awsome to see both countries as allies and friends and I hope it will be like that for a long time.
You're always welcome here 😊
Grüße aus Köln! Cologne is among German cities one of the friendliest places. I’ve lived here for more than two decades and just this week had a water for €3.60 in a restaurant. I felt slightly guilty for rounding it to €4 because in the US that would be incredibly disrespectful and rude. But here the servers totally appreciate it because not everyone would even tip for just a drink. Old habits die hard 😂
@@desperadox7565 Das mit dem Reisen wird leider in den nächsten Jahren nur noch der Elite möglich sein. Aber warten wir ab wann das CO2 Punktekonto kommt.
@viperpit-lr2rp bs
I love it how everybody is so positive about everything. In Germany we often tend to see things in a too negative way.
Maybe it's just American optimism and positivity that you are seeing/hearing? I think that many Americans will only be able to visit Europe or any particular country once in their lives, and I think that we look for those experiences to be positive.
Maybe they haven't been to Berlin yet ?
@@southcoastinventors6583 Well, Feli did mention they where on the way to Berlin in the beginning of the video. So this could be it.
@@johnlabus7359 You may be right. But that doesn't mean Germans are not too negative. Maybe Americans are just a bit too positive at the same time.
@@southcoastinventors6583 LOL. No kidding. I traveled to Berlin by myself and had a much different experience. I think it helps that these folks are on a structured tour.
The world would be a better place if everybody had been to at least 1 or 2 other countries and learned that there are good people everywhere and your own country isn't always better in everything.
So true
That’s all it takes!
True!
Actually, the most people which have the money for travelling have been to other countries. It's just the Americans who tend to stay in their own country all their life.
USA is the greatest country on the planet. Tell me what is better in Germany/Europe?
Nothing.
I lived in Germany from 1970 to 1973. My husband at the time was stationed there. I have not been back to Germany since then, so I loved this episode which tells me many of the things I loved about Germany has not changed! Things like prevalent bike riding everywhere, fantastic and fresh food (never went to a bad restaurant the whole time we were stationed there). I remember driving down the autobahn many times going probably 85 to 90 miles an hour in my little Volkswagen bug without a seatbelt with my 3 year old son standing (no restraints) in the back seat. God must have been looking after us! I love the German culture, the dirndl's the lederhosen and all those things. I am 78 now and will probably never get back there. It's a great place though. My grandmother's family came from near Heidelberg in the 1800s. Germany has a special place in my heart!
Wenn man hört, wie unsere Gäste aus dem Ausland über Deutschland reden, wird man sich erst wieder bewusst, wie gut es uns geht und wie schön es hier ist. Das vergessen wir leider viel zu oft. Thank you for opening our eyes, dear american friends ❤
So true! It is much easier to concentrate on (real or just perceived) problems than acknowledging all the things that are well thought out and works.
I entirely agree!
wie schön es hier NOCH ist. Das ist aber dabei, sich leider zu ändern. Das Land verkommt auch immer mehr.
@@floh667Aber du engagierst dich doch bestimmt persönlich mit ganzem Einsatz, dass es nicht so schlimm wird, oder? Schreib doch mal, was du so für dein Land tust außer meckern.
@@bonnsavant Ich hab eine Äußerung über eine Feststellung getätigt. Ist das in deinem Universum automatisch mit "meckern" und Tatenlosigkeit verkörpert?
Erwartest du nun von mir, dass ich versuche in den Bundestag zu kommen um eine Veränderung vornehmen zu können?
Ich bin es so leid diese dummen gehaltlosen Sprüche von Leuten, die nicht damit umgehen können, wenn man den verfall des Landes anspricht, ohne gleichzeitig als Retter der Nation aufzutreten.
Dir ist klar, dass eine einzelne Person hier nur sehr limitierend gegenwirken kann? Ich trage meinen Teil dazu bei, aber eben nur in dem mir möglichen Rahmen.
Being from England, (now living in the US), and serving in the British Army I was stationed in Germany twice. Both time for two years and in the same place, Fallingbostle, I loved it. this was obviously when Germeny was still split. One of the first things I notice was how people would come up to our table, we were with local girls, but they would shake hands and say hi like they knew us for years. After being there for a few months we also noticed if you were to ask or at lest try to use Germen you would be helped more. Noticed this when those new recruits who didn't even attempt it got the "EH?" from the waiter, that we knew could maybe speak better English than some of those recruits.
LOve the food, and so much of it on a large plate for a reasonable price. And people were so helpful, if you looked lost they would ask if they could help.
The second time I went, having been gone for 2-3 years. Poeple in the resteraunts and bars remembered me, like I was a member of their family. Like I said I loved it there, wish I could go back and see what it is like now.
I went to the British Zone in Northern Germany when one of our planes went down. I was amazed, all the families from the nearby town came out in the evening with gifts (mostly food and cookies). They just wanted to talk to Americans and learn about Americans. It was like they were starved for exposure.
Greetings from Bad Fallingbostel, a shame you guys left. Had some great experiences with you folks at the lokal pubs !
@@prh4540 Had a great time there both times. I loved evey minute of it there. Would have loved to have stayed, or go back. But that won't happen now.
I got yelled at by a food server for taking the wrong plate of food. He set it out in front of me and I assumed it was for me. I was embarrassed and then got pissed off. It ruined my day and I am still mad
Hallo Feli, ich finde es echt interessant die Reaktionen der Amerikaner über Deutschland zu hören. Gerne mehr von solchen Videos. Grüße aus Baden-Württemberg.
Dem stimme ich zu.
Ich bin auch schon auf die "Reaktionen" gespannt, wenn es aus den schön herausgeputzten Touristenhochburgen herrausgeht und auf das Leben und Wirken in Ballungscentren, Großstädten usw. getroffen wird.
Dafür gäbe es z.B. "The Natasha & Debbie Show", die Feli auch bereits bzgl. einer kooperation angeschrieben haben und seit über einem Jahr keine Antwort erhalten haben...
Der Film ist gut geschnitten.
I am an American and it can be a bit overwhelming given the many differences. You will be happy to know I found this channel because my wife and I plan to live in Germany for 6 months upon retirement. My plan was for a year, but she insists on 6 months in Italy also. Have visited several places in Germany and lived there in the early 90's. I didn't truly immerse myself given my then youth and affiliation with the US Army. Personally, I love the structure, adherence to rules, cleanliness, orderly nature and absolute beauty of Germany. The tag on the front of my BMW has the word "Tschuss" on it. lol
I am from Germany but one culture difference I learned 20 years ago. In my free time, besides school, i did some First aid for the German Red Cross during sports events. Once there had been an icehockey Team from Michigan. IT was a youth team and they played in a small village in Niedersachsen and we had the privilige to be there when they played. One of the American Players get injured and we helped him. After some time his father came into the locker room and wanted us to stop because he wasn't sure how much IT would cost. He was shocked when he saw that we were 15-20 years old and did it for free and that the Team just pay something Like 30-50 German Mark to our local red Cross Office and that we helped as our hobby in our free time.
After the game we had a nice chat and drank some tea.
Yes, we are very accustomed to medical services being extremely expensive. I was in Scotland last October and I ended up having to go to the emergency room one night.
I was so concerned about how much it would cost because I didn't have any insurance and I didn't know how it would work with me being a foreigner.
I was seen by a doctor and received two prescription medications, and there was no charge at all. This would have cost hundreds of dollars even with insurance in the US. Without insurance, it would likely have been thousands of dollars.
It's so wrong that medical care is that expensive. Many people go without care that they need because then they wouldn't be able to afford their housing or food costs.
@@CakeCakeCakeIf one goes to germany for example, it is possible to buy an insurance for foreign tourists. I do it, when I get visitors. It is not expensive, but of course only for issues, you did not bring with you. Medicin in Germany is not free, better you have an insurance.
Yeah try to be patient. The father wasn’t trying to be rude, it’s just that Americans are more accustomed to predatory medical practices.
You could have an injury or illness (doesn’t matter what it is) and instead of fixing/curing it in 1 visit they will stretch it out to 5 visits so they can charge more money.
The trip was a blast, even getting caught out in the rain just added spice to the experience. 😅😅
Hey Scott, you did it twice! Respect! Maybe there will be a chance to buy you a beer (Kölsch) on your next trip!
What was your Berlin visit like?
@@tommay6590 👍
@@Excds It was a lot of fun.
Such nice people telling what they've noticed in a very respectful way, pointing out the positives (something a lot of germans on the internet can actually lern from, haha). Very nice that you were here! I hope everyone enjoyed their trip :)
I'm a military brat and spent 4 years in Wiesbaden as a kid and had a great time seeing the country. One of my best friends now is from Unterwössen in Bayern and I went there 7 years ago for her daughter's wedding and fell in love with the area. Spent 3 weeks with her at her mother's in Unterwössen last summer and loved it. Going for Oktoberfest in 2025.
Meine erste Reise nach Deutschland war mit dem MS Europa im Hebst 1969. (Ich nahm am Aussenstudiumprogramm von Kalamazoo College teil.) Wir stiegen ins Bremerhaven aus. Unser Programmführer sagte uns wir sollten unser Abendessen unabhängig versorgen. Ich bin um die Innenstadt herum gegangen und habe mir einen Imbißwagen gefunden. Dort kriegte ich meine erste echte Bratwurst. Ich war aber zu schüchtern als Pommes frites auch zu bestellen. Nachdem ich die Wurst erledigte, hatte ich noch Hunger. Ich bin um die Ecke gegangen und dann wiederum zur "Mobile Wurst Unit" und habe mir die Kartoffeln bestellt.
Pretty good German, Sir.
Your German is excellent--and I'm glad that I can still mostly understand it, although I've forgotten quite a bit of vocabulary. I could tell that an American wrote it, however, because you used the simple past tense throughout, which Germans almost never do. Was the snack wagon you mention like a food truck, or was it more of a pushed (or pulled) cart?
@@John-tr5hn Vielen Dank für Ihre Bemerkungen! Der Imbißwagen war eigentlich ein Anhäger, der mit Brat-und-Siedegeräte und Fritteuse ausgestattet war.
@@Eijiko1 Besten Dank!
Ich war dieses Jahr das erste Mal in Amerika. Es war ein großer Traum und ich hatte von Filmen und Dokumentation ein bestimmtes Bild geformt. Amerika, das Land in welchem du vom Tellerwäscher zum Millonär werden kannst. Das Land der unbegrenzten Möglichkeiten. Alle Menschen sind super freundlich, usw. Vor Ort habe ich schnell festgestellt, dass dies eher eine Illusion ist. Ja, die meisten Leute sind sehr freundlich. Es wirkt allerdings manchmal sehr aufgesetzt. Ich habe auch viel Elend gesehen und als ich krankheitsbedingt zum Arzt musste, verließ ich die Praxis mit einer 600 Dollar Rechnung. Das Land ist wunderschön und es leben tolle Menschen dort, aber auch dort gibt es eine Kehrseite der Medaille. Ich habe durch diesen Urlaub Deutschland mehr zu schätzen gelernt. Das Sozialsystem, das leckere Brot (😅) und das angenehme Klima. Wir meckern immer sehr viel und ja, auch in Deutschland müssen sich einige Dinge verbessern. Wir können jedoch froh sein, hier leben zu können.
US cities have turned into hellscapes. Self created by out of touch elites. I live in Southern California. There are 75,000 drug addled homeless people in Los Angeles. NY city is going back to the bad old days of the 1970’s. I live 50 miles inland of LA where it’s the normal American dream. Nice houses, people, affordable restaurants and parks to walk in. Oh yes, drug stores that don’t have to have all of the merchandise locked up.
Mir ging es ganz genauso, ich habe 1991 eineinhalb Jahre in Colorado gelebt. Dieses Gefühl von Freiheit gespürt. Aber als meine Ehe auseinander ging, musste ich schweren Herzens mit meinem zweijährigen Sohn zurück nach Deutschland, da es sehr schwer ist, alleinerziehend zu leben.
Ich dachte immer, die Amerikaner hätten einen ähnlichen Lebensstandard wie wir Deutsche, aber da lag ich sehr falsch. Wenn man durch die Army abgesichert ist, gehts einem wunderbar, ja. Aber bei uns kann man mit einfachen Jobs ein einigermaßen gutes Leben führen, in den USA schuftet man sich kaputt und bleibt trotzdem arm. Man sagte mir, meine Eltern wären "reich", nur weil mein Papa nen BMW fuhr ... Ja, ich wäre sehr gerne geblieben, hatte kein Heimweh, aber alleinerziehend mit einem kleinen Kind ist man in Deutschland besser versorgt.
My wife and I lived and met in Germany and have been back at least 6 times (most recently 4 weeks ago), so the cultural differences we notice are more about how Germany has changed over the last 40 years. Things like the incorporation of so many English words and expressions into the language, the widespread availability of electronic payment v. cash in recent years, the shift from stick shift to automatic transmission cars when renting, the superiority of kitchen equipment and the wider variety of food (including regional. vegetarian and lactose-free options) available in restaurants.
The affordable vegan food compared to the USA. That's definitely one and not one many would suspect.
I'm an American who has driven a stick shift for almost my entire life, until 4 years ago. I rented a car in Germany a year ago, reserving a stick, only to be given an automatic. I was disappointed as I really wanted to drive a stick again.
@@rjsieder Me too! The same thing happened in England as well. I guess it's an outdated skill now.
Interesting to hear your view. I find it amazing how many Germans still use cash only. It is getting less though that’s for sure.
I moved to Germany in 2012 and the amount of vegetarian/vegan food available and veggie restaurants have gone up a lot just in 12 years.
a lot of youtubers go on these trips and it's kinda fascinating hearing their opinions, especially from an older crowd! i just lived in germany teaching english for 10 months, and there were lots of culture shocks. the focus on quality rather than consumerism, dressing for the season not the weather, and the intense scams and picpocketers at hbfs jumped out to me. i also love the "grab and go" set-up that allows you to grab a cheap sammy or a pretzel and hop on your train rather than mcdonald's or something overpriced. while there, i lived in a happy little gray zone between local and tourist as an expat haha, it was a really awesome time!
Very friendly and very nice people you traveled with. I hope you all had a pleasant time in Germany.
The crosswalk shaming is real! I stepped off right as it turned red and a little kid yelled at me. ,,Der Ampelmann ist rot!"
I live in Germany. While I have heard about it, I shall say that I jaywalk all of the time and I have never experienced it. And plenty of people jaywalk here.
That being said, people in America are far more likely to jaywalk.
There is always the conception that you should act as a good role model to kids. So that when the kids walk to to school etc without their parents, they don't jaywalk. Grownups usually can judge the risks Kids not so much. And for parents it's hard to justify why someone else is jaywalking and there Kids see that. So one strategy is to tell their child that the person they saw jaywalking is stupid. And that's how you get those reactions like that of this little child.
Yep. Traffic safety is taken seriously and adults are expected to be role models for kids...you see it is common for our 7 yr olds to walk 4 blocks or so to their school by themselves.
Actually crossing on red is an offence in Germany, while there is not exactly any definition like jaywalking. You just mustn't cross near a red light or endanger anybody.
Besides that, there are regional differences how many poeple do that or speak out.
What nice interviews these are! All these travelers from the States noticed a lot of interesting points about Germany. They are all good conversationalists and communicators. Feli, you are a great moderator. Danke!
When we were in Germany last Aug we were surprised by the great conversations we had in our AirBnB locations, even backyard neighbours for 1 evening inviting us over for beers and schnapps or table mates in Munich ( Andechser am Don) asking us how our visit was then conversing into the evening. Or at a little community festival in Seeg in the Allgau one lovely afternoon with dancing and bands and home cooked food, magical. Overall the serving staff all over Germany was better than we expected.
Man I love the American loving our fixtures and windows. Like just generally appreciating the buildings it made me crack up a little cause it's so normal to me. I love how they all had a thing that they cared about. Playgrounds, fixtures, cultrual things, pricing, food. They all took note of something and compared it to american stuff from home. They all have a kind of positive experience an open mind and I love that. It's so cool I hope they continue to have a great trip! And when they come back see even more stuff they like!
Haha -my wife and I have already decided that if we need to move back to the US, we are importing German windows and shades with us. And we need to establish a pipeline for jam to go back to the US. Our families insist on us mailing them jam care packages as often as possible. Because it was illegal in the US - and mostly still is - I had never had black currant jam until coming here and I love it. It would be so hard to go back to apple, grape, and strawberry jam and that is about it.
The older I get, the more I crave nongerman windows. I hate that I can't open my windows without moving all my plants. As a kid in my parents' house, we had Danish windows that open to the outside, and I thought that was normal. Later, I got annoyed at our normal German windows because they all open inwards. Now I understand that they can't open outward for cleaning and danger reasons... So I really want to try American windows, even when they don't have Kipp. They should be available in better options than shoddy single pane, right?
@@JonaxII Newer windows are all dual pane for insulation purposes. And when I was a kid, most windows also had an inner "storm window" that was a single pane between the normal sash windows and the screen. Window screens will be different for most Europeans since they rarely exist here but are in every American windows you'll ever see. But, if you put plants in your sill, you'll like an American window.
@JonaxII If you're used to Danish windows, then you would likely want to stick to them.
Even though American windows are double and triple pane, the structural integrity of the window itself usually doesn't compare to Danish standards, and certainly not German. Only a select few very high end ones would do so. Without knowing exactly, I'd imagine it relates to building styles, where a rough opening in Europe can be just about anything from store to wood, 2x framing in the US is very systematic, and windows rely on the wall framing around it to keep everything in place. Usually European windows do not have the nailing flange on the outside, that windows do in the US, where they practically get stitched to the wall with nails, where a European window is typically fastened with 6-8 stout screws, and the the joints are packed for support. 2 very different systems of building.
@@armyfirefighter No cherry jam ? I used to eat that if no strawberry jam was available.
I was in Germany last year. My culture shock was the joy that people have there and the way they enjoy the outside and each other. America is lied to about how other countries and how there is so much unhappiness anywhere other than the US.
This are tactics from countries that lack real democracy. For example communists countries in dictatorships. North Korea and china is telling their citizens how awful it is in other countries too.
Well, it's sort of true. Because Americans are happy and positive when they shouldn't be. Whereas Europeans are unhappy and pessimistic when they shouldn't be.
Who ever said that everyone else is unhappy. I travel to a lot of countries. I think everyone has the same problems. But everyone is equally happy.
@DavidKroff my perception is that people who do not travel believe America is the greatest country and that other countries have it so much worse and therefore unhappy. That is what I meant. Its purely anecdotal .
I visited West Germany in 1986 when I was 15. We were staying at a B&B kinda place and as we were getting breakfast, I asked for some milk and they asked back if I wanted it fresh or cold. I told them I wanted fresh, even though I was confused by the question. When it finally arrived, it was warm. And I was confused again. And then I realized that fresh milk meant THEY JUST MILKED THE COW! 😂
Best tasting milk I've ever had
I'm not sure that's even legal, but what a great experience
In 1986? Probably in some village? No problem at all 😊
@@desperadox7565 idk why it shouldnt - europeans dont make it like americans do on eggs or milk. ^^
@@thb3306 Yeah, it was somewhere in the north in some small area on our way to Legoland. Definitely had a farming community feel about it
Trying fresh milk is on my bucket list. A glass will do - don't need a bucket, lol.
Another milk/language barrier tale:
in 1994 we missed a domestic flight in the Philippines and were put on standby for 3 hours, but our child needed milk. I hiked from the airport to a bar nextdoor, where the language issue began when I asked for milk to go. Bartender: no clue. After a few minutes I remembered that Tagalog word for milk is gatas. Progress, but she handed me a glass of milk. I repeated "to go." She responded "sago?" Sago are gelatin pearls made from palm. It took me several more minutes to remember they use the phrase "take out", not "to go." Mission accomplished!
I’m currently on holiday in Frankfurt from Los Angeles. I love it here, should’ve educated myself more before traveling. Feli is right about finding parking is a nightmare. The autobahn is awesome. I’m definitely coming back more and more. This country is beautiful
I'm from Minnesota, and I have been to Germany 5 times. In December, it will be 6. I think the thing I was surprised the most about the first time is the bakeries. They are amazing.
The second thing is the windows(the tilt/vent mode) and the shutters, I definitely would love both on my own place someday here.
German windows are world class. Every time I go back to the US I can’t believe the low quality of the windows.
Awesome video, this looks like a super fun way to have fascinating conversations on die Autobahn! Safe travels!
I lived in Germany, in Nuremberg, from Feb 1980 to Jul 1982. The things I remember most were The Christmas Market (Christkindlesmarkt) which was beautiful and fun. There is a city in Washington State called Leavenworth that has a similar atmosphere to the Christmas Market. The coliseum (Kongresshalle) by the park off Bayernstrasse. No coliseums quite like that in the States that I've seen. I guess it's been restored now. I loved the castle downtown and the discos. No castles in the States! Plus, my wife and I lived in an apartment building with an elevator which was really nice! I would really like to go back. Great interviews by the way. Thanks for sharing!
It’s just so nice to see such friendly visitors!
Visited friends in Munchen during Oktoberfest. Natural foods everywhere, follow the rules, Well maintained building and infrastructure, public transport of every kind and affordable (alittle pricey for the train ride to the airport). Out and about walking, biking, etc. I just felt like I was in a more healthy environment for human urban living.
My parents met in Heidelberg back in the 1950s as American High School students. After getting married and having four kids, we were lucky enough to be stationed at Rhein Main Air Base in Germany. We were close enough to visit Heidelberg many times. We spent every weekend over an almost six year period travelling throughout Germany. I have many fond memories of Germany. Yes, Neuschwanstein (the model for the Disney Castle) was one of our trips.
I wasn't on this trip. But I have been in Germany five times now and really enjoyed it. I was surprised to discover that Frankfurt was the European city that reminded me most of Toronto where I live. Everyone I encountered in Germany was helpful. The food was great everywhere I ate. I was also amazed that even on a Sunday, the bars were open and people were out dancing before noon in some areas. The best was how friendly people were. As soon as they heard us speaking English, they would come over and ask where we were from and when we said Canada, they had to buy us drinks and had endless questions. Would go back again in a flash!
I was in Berlin December of 2023. Three things have stayed with me since then. One of the first things I noticed was the pace of German people. For them, I'm sure that this was there normal speed, but to me it seemed like they were race walking. Second, the bathroom in the hotel was like wow. An entire wall of shelving for the mirror and sink, the fantastic showers, heated towel rack. I was truly amazed (I think this was like a 2.5 star hotel). Finally, form truly does follow function. The built in kitchen had no wasted space (whoever thought of putting a cutlery draw below a cooktop, genius!) Oh yeah, the carbonated bottled water :)
Well my father was German and came to America at age 19 as a master mechanic to teach ppl in America how to work on Volkswagens. He moved to upper east Tennessee, met my mother and decided to stay. He started his own business here and couldn't get away as much as he'd have liked but he went home to see everyone more than we all went as a family due to travel costs, a death in the family and he did fly back to help my Opa with his business once after a heart attack. Gosh his story alone is so long and fascinating, I'd love to tell it to you one day. But I have been to Germany twice. Once at age 6 and next aged 12. I can vividly remember both and both were so different. The first time was end of summer and being so young, my brother and I fell ill from prob the plane lol but we started running high fever and my Oma called her doctor that came to the house to see us. We toured a few castles and towns. My grandparents town was so beautiful with even a small carnival like park in the middle with kiddie rides. There was also the town butcher, cheese shop or dairy, and bread shop. I also love a German table setting for meals. It was always so awesome, the bread and everyone had a cutting board and all the meats, cheeses, and ppickles, onions you name it. That was just lunch lol. Dinner was so nice, the food like the lady said all fresh and girl I remember these potatoes Oma used to make❤️ they were great! Breakfast same with the cute lil egg holder and special spoon lol.. Family times were great but then to they hadn't met us nor even my mother until that trip. Well some hadn't, my dad had 5 brothers so some had flown to America. But at age 12 we came over for a German Christmas, my father loved Christmas and wanted us to experience Germany in the winter. I love the architecture, the fact they appreciate their old buildings and don't just tear all of them down for new. There was an underground mall we went to that rocked! I can remember my Aunt was the Mgr for a rather large cosmetic/perfume store and she always dressed in the most amazing clothes, jewelry, makeup, and fragrance. Oh and get shoes I loved. But she had told me, now this was in the late 70s that America is always 1yr behind Europe in most things. And they were!! I was blown away by a lot of things being so much more modern as well as ancient. Oh and let me say the butter over there❤❤❤ you can NOT find the same here! I've tried lol. Oh and a few days b4 we were supposed to leave, we went to bed with 0 snow and woke up 2ft of snow. That was crazy, we have quite a bit of snow here but I don't think we had ever gotten so much snow. We did get some moon boots for Christmas which are snow boots and those were no where here in the states. All my friends were dying for a pair😂
I just fell in love with Germany. It is so beautiful, I love my family there. Only one of my dad's brothers is still living now. Daddy passed away 5 yrs ago. It is hard. Oh and so is genealogy over there🤦♀️🤦♀️ my goodness. My last name is Weiberg, there's even a town named Weiberg 😂. send me a pm some day and I can fill you in on sl my father's life... take care and God Bless 🙏🏼❤️
VERY long post. I understand if you skip it. An experience from Kiel back when I was in the Navy:
Our ship was there for Kieler Woche (a huge international regatta held once a year) circa 1982. Apparently the U.S. sends a navy ship for Kieler Woche every year. I had duty the first day in port, but after a while the word was passed for anyone who has sailed before to report to the Quarterdeck. There was a miscommunication between the Squadron Command and our ship, because we didn't know the Kieler Woche officials expected us to provide a crew for one of the boats racing in the regatta the first day. I had been on the Thames River in Connecticut as a boy with family friends and manned one sail at the time, so I reported to the Quarterdeck. WHAT could go wrong? 😬
As the only crew onboard when the need for a regatta crew was discovered were "on duty" (everyone else was already ashore on liberty), only about 1/4 of the crew heard the call for experience with actual sails. We were able to muster 8 enlisted plus the 1st Lieutenant, but the total regatta experience amongst our small contingent was an anemic 0 hours and 0 minutes. WHAT could go wrong? 😦
We're given permission to go ashore in our "civvies", but it was still considered a work detail rather than "liberty" and we reported to the regatta officials. Our 1st Lieutenant takes charge and gets the race details from the regatta officials. We understand the course, but we are embarrassingly ignorant of regatta strategy. Our first objective is to get to a large round buoy in the distance and make a hairpin turn around the buoy in a counterclockwise direction. The starting line is relatively perpendicular to the course we'll need to take to the first buoy and it's a timed start - a starter pistol sounds prior to the start, synchronizing everyone's watches, then at the specified time after the first shot, the actual start is shot. The strategy we DID understand was we need to be as close to the starting line as possible without being over and at max speed when the second starter pistol sounds. We ACED IT! All those other "fools" to our right were up on the other (upwind) side of the starting line stealing each other's wind, while we were on the downwind end of the starting line and crossed the start perfectly - or so we thought. Those of you with sailing experience can already see our problem. Draw a right triangle with the starting line making up one side, the 90° angle of the triangle is at the upwind end of the starting line, and the first buoy to the 90° angle makes the second side. All those "fools" had to travel along the upwind side of the triangle to get to the first buoy. Because we picked the downwind side of the starting line we were effectively traveling along the hypotenuse of the triangle to get to the first buoy. Our path - by definition - was going to be longer than the "fools". As I said, we crossed the start perfectly and quickly gained an apparent lead. However, our course to the first turn forced us to steer more into the wind in order to keep heading towards the buoy, lowering our speed. Additionally, wind pushing your sails from the side also pushes your boat to the side. The closer we got to the first turn, the more we had to turn into the wind to pass around the correct side of the buoy. By the time we finally reached the turn, the rest of the racers had already made the turn and were halfway to the next turn.
I estimate we crossed the finish line a half-hour after the rest of the racers did and in all likelihood delayed the start of the next race. Embarrassing. 😞
⛵ ⛵ 👍thx for sharing
Never mind. By this people had something to laugh. Just laugh about it, too. You were strong fighters, so no need to be ashamed.
You know, I remember one internal championship of my son's then swimming club. There was one boy who was, well, bad. On the larger sider and much slower than the others. No chance at all. But, you know, participation was not obligatory. He could have dropped out, stayed at home. He didn't. He completed every part of the whole competition. And I respect that. It shows sportsmanship/honour/a sense of duty, pick your favourite trait. On that day, so did you. In spite of not having experience you went ahead. OK, you did not actually have a choice. Still no reason to be embarassed.
I have one! Literal strangers will walk up to you and ask you if you will watch their stuff for them, even expensive stuff... like when they go to the bathroom or whatever. And another is people will let strangers borrow their expensive stuff here. There is a level of trust and safety here that is not in the USA.
That is refreshing and great to hear!
I've had that happen in airports in America
I visited Germany in 2012 and was struck by the beauty of it, the little villages surrounded by green countryside, not suburban sprawl like the US, the beauty and history of the cities, and just a general feeling that quality rather than quantity is valued. I loved it so much and that surprised me for some reason!
Tours? Interesting. Glad to see you share the German/European experience with others. That is one of my favorite things when travelling with first timers. Love it!
Shout out to Greg at 1:42 sporting my hometown baseball shirt! Well done and way to rep over in Germany! Same for the couple actually from Milwaukee!
Yes, at 6:30, one of the big things that I had noticed was how difficult it was for the disabled. A very good friend suffered from MS. He had a very difficult time navigating as there were no "kneeling busses" or ramped sidewalks, even the apartments were not set up to get into for someone with limited mobility. That said, people were always there to help him with either getting home or getting on a bus, shopping, just everyday life. So the German people do see the need for something to be done to assist disabled folks.
@@Luv2tickt I am actually from Milwaukee. So, I still support all of the home teams.
Feli, I love this video. Very well done. It is very interesting, insightful, and and pleasant as usual. I especially love when Nancy had to say. I am on the same page that she is. I'm a very pleased by the fact she is teaching others who will be teaching young children. She appears to be from my generation. And I noticed that she originally came from Chicago, as I was born and raised in Chicago. We've probably had very similar experiences growing up. I couldn't be more agreeable with her point of view, how children's learn about themselves, what they can do and their limits, how to watch out for oneself and the people that are around you. And probably most important your sense of personal responsibility. God bless her.
And I'd like to do a shout out to that nice couple from Milwaukee. I've never met a person from Wisconsin that I did not like. And I've met plenty. From the countless times I've been in Wisconsin, to those I've met in the United States Air Force. I cannot say enough good things about Wisconsin people.❤
This is not just Germany but Europe overall. The prices in the grocery store are so much lower and for much higher quality produce and foodstuffs. Special to Germany (and Austria) is the hot food available in the store, as well as the cheese and cured meat selection at just a regular Rewe or other grocer. It’s just spectacular!
Also, you can get groceries more easily in smaller portions to fit one person. In the US, everything is portioned for a family.
I wish we took the European approach to our food more. We would be so much happier and healthier.
Food in the US isn't portioned for a family. It's portioned with the expectation that you will not finish and will take the leftovers home (not throw it away).
I lived in Landsberg am Lech from 1979-1984 and in Frankfurt am Main-Harheim from 1984 to 1991. To this day I miss Germany deeply. While living in Frankfurt my landlady became like my grandmother. My neighbors were all very friendly and helpful and I felt more part of a community than here in my own country.
Loved the video. I hope, there will be more content like this. (I loved how many generations shared their different experiences.)
Thanks everyone, this was so fun to watch!
I'll be visiting Germany for the third time in 18 months two weeks from now. I agree with all of the observations your tour group made. I'm especially fond of the Euro-style windows and doors and wish those were available here in the US. It looks like you had a great group for this year's edition of the Feli tour.
The biggest shock for me was how chill everyone was about the stunning architecture. My German friends and I went to some bars in Heidelberg last April and everytime we went outside I’d audibly gasp at the castle lit up on the hill and no one else seemed to notice. Haha they thought it was a funny reaction. Same for the old pinkish looking church in the middle of town.
I visit regularly and have for a while, and I still get excited about beautiful churches in little Dorfs or those old half timber houses. My friends tease me about it every time.
If you see it all the time, it's normal. There are 25,000 castles, palaces and ruins in Germany. I like Heidelberg too, I live in the same state but further south. I like watching videos like this, with the view from the outside, you learn to appreciate it more, thank you.
I've been to Germany a bunch of times starting in the mid 1970's. Things that have changed over the years: timeliness of public transportation, cleanliness, and perspective of Americans. Those also pertain to the rest of Europe too. In the seventies train departures were to the second and I don't remember one ever being late. A few years ago we missed a connection in Frankfurt due to a 20 minute delay from Heidelberg, and other trains were a minute to five minutes late fairly regularly. There is way more graffiti now than there was in the 70's. I also remember the pride people had in washing and sweeping their entryways daily (almost seemingly hourly). Another change is back then before Schengen the US passport was golden, and being an American (an perhaps being an unconscious student) we were treated extremely well by the German people. Now, and perhaps because I'm older there is less grace granted for my stupidity. What hasn't changed is what a lovely country Germany is and the rich history it has, like most countries, including the USA, both good and bad chapters...an opportunity to learn.
Graffity in the modern form was copied from the US 😂
Yeah the train system has really gone downhill to the point the majority of DB trains are late. They’re now finally investing in fixing it but it’s gotten really really bad.
Fun fact: Deutsche Bahn only considers a train to be late if there's a delay of at least 6 minutes
These Americans on the bus are the nicest Americans I've ever met and I have lived in the US now for 6 years!!!! ❤️❤️❤️
I agree that the quality of food in Europe is really good. Everything in Europe is small, like car, hotel room, elevator, etc...If you go to Europe, get the best shoes as you can, because you need to walk a lot
You can hear that Hannes know German when he said Heidelberg and Baden-Württemberg
him talking about that there are more corn on the fields this is because it is used for bio gas production.
As a german i can't stop smiling about the us visitors experiences. Only one thing i would like to mentioned. German playgrounds are NOT build to be dangerous! in no way. There are strict rules of hights and material... but they shouls give the kids the possibility to be active, make decisions and try again if one try didn't work.. I'm sorry for my bad english.
American playgrounds got overly safe. Way too safe. Part of the fun of climbing something tall is being up high in the air and having a little bit of fear.
I want to say that we have bike paths all over Los Angeles and what it has done is taking away a lane for cars and gets used almost never by bikers because Los Angeles is huge. They do get used on the weekends when there is very little traffic, but when there's a lot of traffic during the week the cars get screwed out of a lane
I was one of the folks in the video that mentioned this, and while "dangerous" may have been going too far, I watched a mini-documentary while on my visit there that specifically said they are designed with small risks, to help children develop safe decision making skills.
My daughter is a safety officer at the kindergarten (German). She is annoyed about the rules for the play equipment, which she has to comply with by law. She thinks they are too strict.
@@RalfDieter playgrounds definitely do not need a safety officer. Is a place to play. Which by definition does not have a safety officer
Dankeschön für das teilen der Eindrücke, ich finde das sehr spannend 🇩🇪♥️🇺🇲
ich mag Feli's videos, es ist immer ein Highlight, wenn ein neues Video auf der RUclips-Startseite erscheint. 👍
So random but i literally met her at the mall where i work today, and omg she's so sweet and humble for such a popular person. Just became an even bigger fan now ❤❤
Growing up here in the US, most of our playground equipment was wood. But that was the 90s and into the very early 00's. They definitely overstepped with the "safer" stuff
I wonder how much of that is due to marketing from the makers of plastic playground equipment?
It really more about liability than anything else since around that time they really went lawsuit crazy of safety proofing everything due to minors being around.
@@southcoastinventors6583 also why most fast food places have opted to remove playgrounds. Liability insurance is insane. I understand it, but dang at what cost?
The playground at 6:02
Whoever designed this, just from a purely visual standpoint, chef's kiss.
I'm not sure how accurate this is, but it looks as if the wood they had at hand played a major part in the design of the structures.
I really love the look.
das ist ja cool, dass Du so einen Trip organisiert hast! ich hoffe, es hat allen gefallen :)
Just watching this video brought back so many memories of my 2 week trip in March 2010. This was an educational trip arranged by the school where I was working on my Master's degree. We spent a few days in Wittenberg, Dresden, and Berlin. Here's my biggest cultural impression of each.
Wittenberg: I loved this adorable town that was steeped in history! The first thing I noticed was the cobblestone streets. The architecture is simply gorgeous! And I was amazed at the Castle Kirche (church) where Martin Luther had nailed his 95 Theses and the City Kirche where he preached. I had never before been inside buildings that were literally hundreds of years older than the United States! Talk about the saying, "If these walls could talk"
Dresden: I was so fascinated with the Old City. This was where I saw the biggest cultural difference between the US and Germany. It had been leveled during WWII. If this was the US, we'd have mourned the dead, cleared the rubble, maybe erected a memorial, and built a brand new city in its place. But Germany... they sifted through the rubble and put the city back together again like a giant jigsaw puzzle! I can't imagine the literal decades it took to catalog each stone and figure out how they all fit together!
Berlin: Crossing some bricks where the wall had once stood and seeing the stark difference between the East and West sides. And the holocaust memorial park was very sobering. It looks to be hundreds of marble caskets which is sobering enough, but as you walk through, the ground slopes downwards while the top of the caskets stay at the same level, so eventually you are surrounded by these huge pillars of marble and you have this feeling of claustrophobia until you find your way out.
In general: "I'm sorry, my English isn't too good..."
I'm thinking, "You've just said more to me in my language than I can say in yours, and I'm in your country. I should apologize to you, except that I literally don't know how!"
I could go on and on and on. I've also been fully converted to the German style of Kaffe, instead of American coffee. It's so much darker and richer! Germany is a beautiful country that I'd love to see more of, and I'll definitely learn more of the language next time!
Neat.
On my trips there, I love being surrounded by centuries of history as soon as yo get out of the (Frankfurt) airport; the local bakeries everywhere (yes, some are chains) and pastry shops; the welcoming service in small shops in cities. We lived in Manhattan for 9 years in the '70s and 80s, which was hardly welcoming. Or clean.
I think you’re Amazing Feli !… I think you are an Amazing Ambassador for the Germany of Today …. Love your content … keep it up
Feli standing up in a moving vehicle is making me anxious haha! Also, it's interesting how much more of an accent she has after having been in Germany for a while!
Ja ist mir auch aufgefallen!
It's very interesting to hear the various views of people with obviously very different professions and therefore different perspectives. Vielen Dank, Feli.
Thank you for this video, liebe Feli! It-s always interesting to hear what people from other countries are telling. Most of the experiences were positive, I‘m so glad and thankful for that. I expected to hear more disappointed reaction to be honest.
Hope you enjoyed your visit in Berlin too, it‘s such an exciting and vivid city.
Thanks for all you're doing Feli. I look forward to visiting Germany soon. You're a great ambassador and now we Americans are blessed to have you.
I had to check my passports to see how many times I was in Germany-primarily Berlin. The first trip was in 1968. It was the first trip for me and our two preschool children and the first trip back home for my wife. We flew from Cleveland to New York, to Newfoundland, to Frankfort and finally Templehof in Berlin. The 4 of us lived with my mother-in-law and father-in-law in a one-bedroom apartment. All of our sightseeing was done with public transportation. Mutti only knew "hello" and "goodbye" in English, but Vatti was pretty good at it. In 2022 My son and I made a trip (the 12th one) and this time we flew into the new BER airport and stayed at a hotel. We relied on public transportation and only got lost once.
So interesting! Everyone in this video was so nice about Germany. 🥰
Will you upload more videos from this trip? I would love to see your visit to Heidelberg, cause that's where I am living. Would have been cool if I would have run into your group while you were there 😄
I was also curios from which little town near Heidelberg Hannes in your video is from 😉
Its pretty cool how many different things different people notice about places
I spent eight years in Germany in the service period and I loved it there someday I will make it back
Go to Wisconsin where there are bike paths and walking paths and in winter snowmobile trails. There are also brew pubs where you can hang out with people.
Sounds like a great trip. When we were stationed in Erlangen we went to Rothenburg ob der Tauber often for Christmas shopping year-round.
Great video, individual observations is refreshing to hear, compared to current avenues of information delivery. Keep up the good work Feli and Ben!
Hello, I was stationed in Schweinfurt West Germany, January 1989 to November 1991. I was there for the fall of the wall to Berlin in August 1991. That was a great time to go there. Then in October 2019 went to Berlin for a week and I could not believe how Americanized Berlin was. Still a beautiful city, but definitely Americanized to go back again. I’d like to even go check out Schweinfurt again.
It wasnt "americanised" ... it was "Bonn-i-fied" thanks to the TERRIBLE (small-town-minded) BUREAUCRATS which came from Bonn and completely ruined the city[1]. Also: INVESTORS are the bane of the city ... because they still buy what is left of OLD and BEAUTIFUL BUILDINGS ... to let it rot, tear it down and replace with UGLY BLAND BLOCK ARCHITECTURE.
Apart from that the most annoying "americanisation" is GRAFFITI ... because there is no will to punish the "artists".
We always had a really ANNOYING clubbing scene, which seems to have grown bigger.
[1] I was in university in '89 and a friend of mine and I created a rule that "anyone with a car numberplate of more than two letters should be forced to park at the edge of the city and stick to public transports". German numberplates have 1 to 3 letters denoting the city ... and three-lettered cities are small, i.e. they DONT KNOW HOW TO PROPERLY DRIVE!
Your videos are great! This is very cool you showing off Germany to Americans. I’m divorced and our kids are grown so my last couple of trips to Germany was solo. I’m going back in April and a friend from work is coming with me. I’m looking forward to sharing this country that I love so much. Ich liebe Deutschland!
I moved to Bavaria near the Czech border in January. Perhaps it is the fact that I am older but other than learning the language - which is an ongoing thing to be sure - I did not have a lot of culture shock.
But - a big part of that is because at least in this area, a lot of the cultural practices are the way things were for me growing up in the rural American Appalachians. I remember everything from how a cash economy worked and our small town bakery to even things that seem quite odd to many Americans now like Easter Egg trees. Even closing shops on Sunday here is exactly the same as my childhood and what Americans called "blue laws" back then that governed shopping. The level of smoking is something I have had to readjust to, and the lack of AC on 30+ degree days.
Do you struggle with the local dialect and the harsh winter☃? I grew up in that region (Tirschenreuth) , but moved to Munich 30 yrs ago.
@joergvader Funny you should say that. My landlord is a linguist. And he warned be careful of of the Palentine dialect/ accent here and that it would be difficult not only for me to understand others but also other Germans have difficulty with the accent. (He used the example of how many English speakers struggle with a Scots accent.) He has told me that my American accent isn't that bad really, but to stick as much as I can to my German classes and the more north and west accents. I'm still new enough not to hear a lot of the difference but I was in Frankfurt last week and the folks at the airport immediately knew what area I lived in even with my Anglicized pronunciation of some words.
Winter isn't bad for me at all. When I was in the Army I was stationed in Colorado, Utah, and Montana through various parts of my career. Meter plus blizzards and temps -40C or lower in some nights every winter. At least this past winter was damp but mild compared to those.
My family lives in Furth im Wald and Weiding. I live up here in Berlin, have lived in Leipzig and stayed a long time in Bremen. I went from living in Sunny SoCal to the PNW and then spent 7 years in Buffalo, NY, survived blizzard of 2022 and 7 feet of snow. There's nothing Germany can throw at me that I'm not prepared for.
@@armyfirefighterlast winter indeed was damp and cold, the next winter metereologians exspect to be very cold. Climate change did a lot since I was in Arzberg, but still it might get cold and snowy.
Btw. Palatine is (Rheinland-) Pfalz in the west, but you are in Oberpfalz which is a part of Bavaria.
With the dialect: They consequently exchange d and t, g and k, p and b. Additionally they might replace j by g. I can't pronounce it even though I lived in Arzberg for 2 years. I guess that's how they knew where you are coming from. Additionally there are regional words that won't be understood elsewhere.
@himmel-erdeundzuruck5682 Thank you. I had to look it up as I was sure I heard him correctly. But I did mistype it. The term for the dialect he used was "Upper Palatinate" which I guess is the English name for Oberpfalz region. I live in Weiden and see the term all the time but never connected that English term with the German. Still much to learn, lol.
Anyway, with that overview, I started thinking and I have started to pay attention. That may very well be the reason I have difficulties with understanding German spoken to me here, while I have much less difficulty reading and much less speaking compared to understanding what I hear. I thought most of it was me with American pronunciation but those sort of transpositions between the German I learned / am learning and local speech would be part of it. To help my conversational, I am doing what a lot of Spanish speakers do in the US to learn English- watch evening television. I have a much easier time understanding those shows than live speaking here and this may be the reason.
My landlord is helping me too as he is helping me with German in exchange for me helping him with gym workouts and learning American idiom. I guess unless you all have a specific need, Germans all learn British English. This close to Britain makes sense. But there is enough difference in word choice between the US and UK to cause issues.
Example- getting summer tires put on my car in Amberg this Spring. The clerk asked for my cars documents and if I brought the tires. (In English). I said yes, the paperwork was in the dashboard and the tires were in the back seat and trunk.
She looked up totally confused and then it clicked. "Papers in the glove box and tires in the boot." She understood perfectly well then.
Great video. First video I've watched from Feli. I like how you edited the interviews to cover different topics. All these tourists were very well spoken. I like the lady who teaches early childhood education and observing playgrounds. I'm sure pictures and her real life experiences in another country to add to her classes. Maybe she could write off trips as a business expense. Thank you when you get to go to Australia or Japan as a business trip. Hahaha
Sadly, Germany "lost its song as a result of television. ...I was stationed in Munster bei Dieburg Kaserne in pre-television days in the mid 1960s. I very much enjoyed going to beer/wine fests in the small villages surrounding my Army post. ..Hundreds of Germans would sing traditional folk songs. It was absolutely wonderful. ,,,I returned to Germany on a vacation in 1979 and found that no one sang songs anymore. Also, i noticed people in gasthauses staring at the television rather than sitting in a circle talking, and on occasion -- singing. ...Sadly, television truly transformed America as well as Germany.
So true. 🙁
Such an amazing trip truly memories that will last my lifetime! Great food, conversations, sites and just a wonderful experience! Hope to come again!
This was super interesting. American here in DE since 2003. I still feel like a lazy bum that I’m not outside galavanting through the forest every chance I get, I’ve learned to get out and active more and it’s obviously worth it, but indeed we “Amis” are very sedentary compared to the average German. Also, I’m glad I raised my son here and he’s able to run around the neighborhood with his friends and from elementary school was out there on public transport alone. In fact, the government here in NRW has done campaigns to educate parents that their children should NOT be driven to school! Whereas in America people get CPS called on them if they let their elementary school kid walk through a park alone (true story).
This is part of why I do not want to have children in the US anymore. I want to move to Germany or the Netherlands to have children because they'll get to have experiences closer to what I had as a child in the US before helicopter parenting and stranger danger took so much of kids' independence.
🇩🇪🤝🇺🇸❤️
Thank you for that great video, Feli! The tour group makes a very friendly impression. Since I am German myself, it was very interesting for me to find out what people noticed about Germany. Who would have thought that different playgrounds for children would be one of those things? Overall, it's great to hear that the American guests generally liked Germany. I also really like how you interact with people, Feli! You should continue to include such videos on your channel. And if you plan to organize a trip through the USA some day, I would definitely join the group! :)
As a brit, my first German trip (excluding Rock Am Ring) was to Baden-Baden, the thing that I noticed straight away was the calmness (along with the affluence of that particular area), cleanliness and and how much care people took in shops and bakarai
This is very regional though. The calm, cleanliness and craftsmanship are all things that the Baden and Pfalz regions are particularly known for -- Germans from other regions notice the same things when they visit Baden. The Ruhrpott for example looks and feels quite different. And in Berlin, there's always a Techno party in walking distance.
Currently living in Baden-Baden, so that mention made me smile. Baden-Baden is a "Kurstadt", a spa town, so it was built very spaciously and with representation in mind. It's also calm because the demographic is a lot of old people. It's sometimes too calm for my taste^^ it's a great place to visit, sometimes quite boring to live in
Haha yes old and affluent definitely seems the demographic, I love it though , been in Baden for Christmas the last 9 years! Though we‘re now visiting bad reichenhall every Jan… I do love spa towns :-)
@@dragonheartstudio i *adore* the Baden-Baden Christmas market. We always stop by after work
@@MydieLy it’s also such a great base to explore from :-) with Königssee , Schwarzwald … I’m missing it, I might have to book a flight haha :-)
As a Londoner, I went to Germany over Christmas for the first time as an adult. Apart from the insane amounts of Christmas markets (we were on the edge of the Black Forest, near the French border) and the crazy beautiful villages and towns, was how much Germans look like British people! French are different. Spanish and Italians are very different. Even dutch are different and definitely taller. But you can totally see how genetically close British and Germans are.. both (Anglo) saxon I guess
The egde of the Black forrest...
Near Freiburg ?? 😊
@@jurgenhodapp2973 indeed
Die Holländer sind die größten Menschen im Durchschnitt in der Welt.
My wife and I have been to Germany several times, both on river cruises and on our own self-organized tours and I'll echo most of the comments these folks made. Last fall, however, we went to the Baltics, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. If you like Germany, you'll love the Baltics. A lot of the comments people made apply to the Baltics as well. Especially the playgrounds. :-) I was amazed at the challenging playgrounds. And it's not just for the kids. Jurmala (outside Riga, Latvia) even has a playground for adults!
13:56 i know this Background. It's on the A9 near Weißenfels :)
Very good jounalism, stable camera work as well, interesting angles, well done.
I agree with so many of the points here. One thing that surprised me is how people are able to handle the heat with no AC indoors! Each day is brutal for me with the heat 🤣
I’ve been in Germany for 2 weeks and I’m now comfortable riding on the bike lane and taking those scooters.
I’m currently in Berlin till Friday. I’d love to meet the group if you are all here by Friday!
They just can't afford the electricity rate ever since they shut down the nuclear power plants.
@@southcoastinventors6583 BS
German pro tip: Open your windows at night or very early in the morning. Not just tilting, opening entirely, so the cooler night air can flow inside. Keep them closed around noon and on the afternoon, maybe put up curtains or blinds if you have some. :)
@@Sketchblopp I figured that out the hard way! Thank you :)
Brings back lots of memories. Thanks for posting. New subscriber after only watching 2 of your videos.
I agree with the woman who discussed waiting for a Red light to turn green when no cars were coming… I also crossed the street and angered people…. People were also irritated when I did not get a basket at the grocery store and walked around with products in my arms.
To be fair, as a German I also sometimes don't bother with a basket or cart, but that's usually when I only want to grab a few items real quick (or can't find a basket). So it's not entirely uncommon, but unless you just want a bread roll and a small bottle of water, it's not super common.
I remember this too! I did a high school exchange in Germany, and while just we American students (without our partners) were hanging out somewhere, they sent me into a small market to buy water and drinks for everyone. I didn't want to look around for a basket, so I grabbed all the drinks, which were all tiny but heavy because there was a lot of glass. On my way to the checkout, like three old ladies told me in German that I needed to use a basket like a normal person.
This is a bribe! I would love it if you would review/react to a Truly Julie RUclips video. Julie is toddler with an Iranian mother and a German father. I believe mom is second generation but dad is definitely a born and raised German. His English might even be better than yours! Just kidding yours is the best but his is pretty good too. Julie's father speaks German to Julie quite a bit. You might be interested in her earlier videos as well, but what I really would like you to review are the recent ones when Julie goes to Germany to visit her grandparents. I have so many questions but I will limit myself to just one. Can you tell from Julie's expressions or reactions in the video if her father's attempts to teach Julie German are working? Also, what would your suggestions be to help him (or any parent) keep the language alive in their child.
Das is ja mal n spannendes Format! Vielleicht könntest das auch umgekehrt mit deutschen Touristen in den USA machen - obgleich das dort nicht so einfach ist wie hier, dass alle zusammen in einem bus hocken.
well she did do a few of those when her relatives (or friends?) come and visit - like tasting the "German" food in the US - thats one that came to mind. Saying this in German would take a little while so i just did it in English (könte es eben besser auf Dänish sagen, aber das kennt noch kein =)
@@TainDK I know that, i'm watching her channel for a long time. But this one was different though, because she was interviewing multiple foreign people.
It´s interessting to me how different people see different things. Great video.
Sounds like your trip is going splendidly! Never a doubt! I've added a trip with you and Ben to my bucket list! 🙂
What a lovely bunch of guests! Loved hearing their views :)
Also how fun that you got so many different characters and ages. Makes it all so much more comprehensive.
I got to visit Munich, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, and Heidelberg when I visited in the early 1980s (school tour that started and ended in Frankfurt and included stops in Salzburg, Lucerne, and passed through Stuttgart on our way back to Frankfurt to fly home). Though I was only 15 at the time, I found Rothenburg to be one of my favorite stops in Germany... While most of the kids went to the discothèque that evening, I spent the evening walking along the old city wall (for those that don't know, the old town's wall was [mostly] laid out in the shape of a wine goblet) [and yes, I'm an introvert, or as they called it back then, shy, so night clubs were not my thing...].
Now my favorite stop on that trip was Lucerne... being Good Friday, the shops were closed, so a few of us took a cable car to the top of Pilatus and had lunch on the patio outside the hotel at the top while overlooking the snow-covered mountain (it was April and part of the snow pile between the cable car station and the hotel was at least 15'/~4.5m... despite the time of year, the sun was bright and we only needed light jackets).
I still have some of my Deutschmarks from that trip... before they converted to the Euro, I'd hope to have gotten back, but now they're great souvenirs.
My trip to Germany in 2008 was a lot of fun. I think my German classes in high school 14 years earlier served me well, and I visited a lot of places that were on a planned overseas trip, but prices shot up and never got to go in 1994. I had a Bayern FC shirt on when I was walking towards my hotel in Munich, just out of the exit from the Hauptbanhof when an American asked in halting German "wo ist der Hauptbanhof?" I kind of chuckled and let him know I was American, and that the entry was just around the corner, in English of course.
We had a blast on a trip to Germany recently. We rented a car and spent several days each in Munich, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Freiburg im Breisgau, Friedrichshafen on Bodensee, and Rosenheim. Then 3 days in Vienna, Austria. We went on a lot of walking trips in the towns, and hikes in the mountains. Beautiful country and so much to see! I think perhaps the funniest event for me is when I drove into a parking garage in one of the towns. There was a sign that translated means Parking on First level was reserved for women who are alone, I assume so they have a safer quicker exit from the garage and are closer to attendants. However, my German is very very rusty and I thought it was telling me that I shouldn't take the ramp up to that level so I passed that ramp. The only other ramp was the exit ramp, and the attendant, an older man, thought I was going to drive up that ramp, so he came out and shouted at me in German. He didn't speak English, so it took a minute to sort it out. Once we were on upper floors and parked, I was able to translate some of the signs better. I think that may have been in Freiburg. We did drive to Colmar in France for a day, and we were shocked at the change in countryside. In Germany, everything was neat, well cared for and maintained. Crossing the border into France, we started seeing overgrown lawns, tall weeds and grass growing through sidewalks, roads that needed repair, trash along the roads, and other things that were very different from Germany.
I might have a reason for that event in the parking garage: first level (in german: erster Stock) means the first level above ground - so I think the US calls this the second floor.
First floor in US means (in german: Erdgeschoss (grounded floor)) - I hope that was the source of misunderstanding.
Greetings from Germany!
Wait 4-5 years and you'll have your french experience in Germany too. Government ist working on it.
I remember when I was 6 years old going to my grandfathers house back in 1991 here in tamaqua PA, it was Christmas Eve, they used to play old German music on the radio from 1930’s but they don’t play that anymore.
Hast du den trip organisiert?
Wenn ja muss das echt Premium gewesen sein so begeistert wie die alle sind 👍😄
Ja hat sie getan mit einem Reisebüro! Das war schon die 2. Fanreise! Letztes Jahr war Premiere!
I just noticed that the sweater is in the style of the "Frasier" title card - love that show 🙂
I first went to Germany as a soldier, stayed for 7 years. Then went back as a civilian and lived there for another 6 years so not much your travel group had to say surprised me. I would dearly love to go again to see my German family, but at 80 and somewhat handicapped I don't see it happening.
Hi Feli! Your videos are excellent! I think you will be highly successful in life; you have taken a topic I had no clue I was interested in and made it completely captivating! One of your videos popped up on my home screen, and since I can't stop watching the channel! I just wanted to say you are doing a great job. I rarely find a topic or someone who can hold my interest for an extended period, and your channel has managed to do that!
This is perfect as I am leaving tomorrow to live in Germany as an American!
Willkommen!
Welcome!
Nice
Good luck. I'm 8 years in as a Silicon Valley retiree. It's a beautiful place to live. If you're not used to long, cold winters, find a way to really enjoy the occasional bouts of hibernation. Spring, summer, and autumn, just invest in the right clothing and play!
Vielen glück und gute reise =)
A tip for using google - if you strugle to find ö and ü when typing in google to search stuff - just write oe or ue instead - glück as i used before then becomes glueck - google will give you the right answer if you do so - not sure if Germany also have the ä - but in case they do, its the same, ae. You can almost say that the ¨ can be spelled with an e after the letter its above instead of using the ¨ - you can also do that in emails, normal mail etc, but by that time, when you feel confidant to type an email in German, you would probably also have figured out how to use the ¨ above letters =)
until then - use the e after, its easier in the beginning.
- Welcome to Europe (soon), by a Dane
Oh - yeah, sorry for being just to the point - its a thing - straight to the points that can help without much "hey how are you, did your kids get home safe, how was the spa... etc." talking points.
When you meet these interactions, its not a sign of disrespect, rather a sign of respect of your time, you dont need to worry about me, but these points i think are crucial for xyz (in my case about ä ö and ü - but you will for sure find other interactions such as mine during your stay)
Once again - good luck and have a nice travel =)