The holocaust memorial was built as a staircase, giving two perspectives. You can be buried away among the blocks, or you can stand on top looking down into the darkness. There's a difference between dancing on a grave, and walking on and around an art installation commemorating deaths. Art is designed to be explored from all angles. If the artist didn't want you standing on top, they'd have made it difficult or put up signs.
Really? I didn't know this. I walked between the blocks and it was so cold and dark and quiet on a warm summer day... really impression.. I would never have dared to climb those rocks.
thank you for posting this, i do feel the same that memorials should be interactive because i think the memory will stick with me longer (if that makes sense to anyone else)
Fair enough, I think the source video was mainly commenting on the playful selfies and lack of sensitivity displayed by tourists at the sites. Completely agree with your thoughts though.
I have to disagree here. Do not walk on top of the stones! It is not an art installation, and it is not a staircase - it is a memorial! It is meant to walk between the stones. The memorial is meant to create a feeling in the visitor: from the outside it looks flat and harmless. As soon as you take a few steps inside, you suddenly find yourself standing between meter-high blocks, dark, cold, without light. It expresses how quickly a society is drawn into the swamp of fascism without being able to foresee it.
I had the same experience in L.A. - an old chinese guy came to me and asked me, if I am from germany. I was so confused and later realized, there was a red traffic light moments before :D
About the deposit on bottles or cups what we call "Pfand" is actually much bigger than just at a christmas market or oktoberfest. It goes for plastic bottles that you can buy in a store as well which you bring back to the store after you finsihed them and then they are recylcled. We have specific machines for them which will count the amount of bottles you inserted and then you get a receit after that tells you how much money (deposit) you got back. Not all bottles do have a deposit tho. You can find a little icon on the bottle that will tell you if it has a deposit or not. If it doesnt you just trash it normally. It is an entire recylce system. Also every household has at least 3 bins to seperate trash. Mainly plastic, paper and bio trash such as spoiled leftovers or parts of food you dont eat.
Hi there, i would say there are many cultural differences between munich and berlin already :D. Here in Berlin we don't stop at a red light at all except if there are little kids waiting with you, so you have or should be a good role model. If you get caught doing it it costs you a lot of money as will, which can be annoying.
There is no such thing as "jaywalking" in Germany. You can cross the street wherever it is safely possible to do so and nobody will care. The law only applies to red traffic lights. Don't cross on a red light. Be a good example for kids. 😊
We Germans sometimes run through red lights, especially at night. It is important to us that children do not take this as a role model and run across the street when it is red. We simply want to protect them from the risk of an accident. The cash thing is really a German peculiarity. One of the reasons for this is that we would like to have an overview of what we can and cannot afford. When paying by card you lose it very quickly and most Germans don't want to have debts (credits).
There's absolutely nothing wrong with crossing at a red light if it's safe to do so. I think it's on the parents not to cross unsafely with their children rather than everyone taking on that responsibility.
If you are driving through red lights, then children crossing at a green walk signal are still going to be run over..the light is red becasuse the walking signal is green. Usually better to teach kids not to rely on technology and use their own senses to check for cars.
@@WildSlinkys Of course, children should also take care of themselves. However, small children often have trouble judging the distance and speed of an approaching car. Therefore they have to follow the traffic lights . In Germany, many children walk to school. That's why adults don't have to teach them that they can run on red. It's safer if they follow the traffic light rules.
I as a German do also J- walk, but ONLY if it's necessary for the sake of being punctual (e.g. for work), ONLY if there are no children or police around AND the street is clear so it's safe for me. Otherwise I'd stop at the red lights of course, like a good German does.
Yes, that is good advice. I wait at a red light in the UK if there are children (with parents) waiting to cross - I don't want to mislead the children into thinking they can cross against a red light.
In my experience it heavily varies based on the region aswell. I feel like mostly it's okay for most people to j walk if it's obviously save. Basically the only reason I will not j walk is if there are Childern in sight or a police car stopped at the light.
if you're in a hurry, you're already late. doesn't matter if you're 5 or 15 minutes late. you're late. But yes, running for a tram or bus is the only excuse for jailwalking. as a small child, my mom would always say: "never do that when you're alone." 20 years later and I am running over a red light for the bus x'D
When there are no cars coming, why waiting for the green light? It's just a waste of time btw: In some Chinese cities they intalled devices squirting water at people when they cross a red light. Would be very nice on hot summer days.
It's not that the waiter hands you the menu and waits impatiently next to your table for you to make your orders. 😂😂 Most of the time, they'll return after a few minutes and ask for drink orders first, then bring your drinks to the table and when everyone's got his/ her drink, they'll take your food orders right away. That's how it is in 99% of German restaurants. And of course they will check on you from time to time and ask if everything is fine, just not as often as in the US. If you want to place another order or ask for the bill though, it's true that YOU have to make the waiter notice you.
Thanks for that. I've been in Germany several times and I don't think I have ever experienced what the narrator of this video was saying. He made it sound like you get the menu and then have 10 seconds to order. 🙂 Nice to have my thoughts confirmed .
Yes, as far as I know (my parents work in a German restaurant) it's very important to give out drinks before ordering, because that way the conversations at the table are getting started (sometimes there might even be a second round of drinks before ordering food, or the first round of shots). Drinks are where you make the most money, and that way they sell more. And you just normally give off 'the vibe' that you want to order (closing the menu card, looking up, getting silent and waiting for the waiter, ...) And then the waiters will come to you
Another thing might be: Don't stand in the entrance area waiting for someone to assign you a seat. Find your own seat. If a table is reserved, there are usually signs on it.
@@fipsvonfipsenstein6704 I recently went to eat in a bub. Close to the entrance, there was a sign to wait to be seated, so I waited. Just to be told to find myself a seat. I suspect that was a rest of pandemic rules they hadn't cleaned up yet.
@@KaiHenningsen I mean, there might be one or two restaurants out there, which do exactly that ... but I never experienced it. So for me for example, when visiting my sister in the UK, there are usually three things I struggle within the first days: Looking mainly right when crossing a road, sitting in the front left seat of a car without pedals and a steering wheel, and waiting at the entrance of a restaurant to get seated. And btw.: Is eating in Buben not kinda pedophile? 🤔
I've been to Germany a few times and had a really good time. People definitely were friendly and also loved to practice their English, which was so often excellent. My parents used to take in German students when I was a child and we were fortunate to be invited to stay with some of their families. It's also a beautiful country, I would certainly recommend going.
As others said: We wait on the red light because of children. There are even signs sometimes, saying "Den Kindern ein Vorbild" which means "a rolemodel for children". You think twice about crossing that street on a red light with such a sign 😁
Tbh I'm waiting at a red light for myself, not for some random Child. Even if you think the streets are empty, there is probably an A hole waiting around the corner to run you over
@@ALuna813 Naw, in Germany we have special police sitting in the nearby buildings waiting for Americans that cross the streets while the lights are read and then shoot them ....
The thing about "half timbered houses" is, that most of those "My life in Germany" videos are made in the south. If one of them would move to the North, they'd "only" see houses made of brick stone with stepped gables or on the countryside thatched houses.
The memorial point really struck a chord with me, last time I was in Berlin, several idiots were posing on the piece and it made me so angry that I ended up telling someone how disrespectful they were being, and yes I'm afraid to say they were American 😞..they didn't even have the decency to look shamefaced , just walked away laughing about the 'stuck-up British' ...if having respect for the poor victims of an appalling war crime is stuck-up then I'm glad to be so!
@@Michael_from_EU_Germany Reading that article, and the main article linked from there, this does not seem to support your "The architect of the Memorial has a completely different opinion about it.". In fact, it seems to support the view that climbing and disrespectful behavior is not appreciated.
Well its a difference in perspective i guess. We germans know every evil thing from ww2 in and out because of how our system and education deal with it. So these spots are very important for us to remember to never let that happen again. For americans especially its more like visiting a victory memorial more of a celebration thing i could think, especially if they dont have the deep knowledge and understanding some people have. Id say as much as it seems wrong to take duckface instagramm pictures there it just as much helps to spread awareness about the matter. And as the memorial is meant to be expirienced from all angles standing on it is fine i guess.
For all the americans: imagine someone did something like this at Arlington Memorial. How would you feel? Or did this duckface thing at MLK's house. Or played skipping stone all over the 9/11 Memorial. Would you like *that* ? No? Then remember that anything holocaust related holds the same value to us as the mentioned above memorials hold value to you. You don't want yours defaced and we don't ours.
@@emanymton5789 It's not a memorial to the dead, it's a memorial to the living. The architect himself wants life to come to this place, this is the only way to process what has happened, because today's generation cannot change anything about the past, nor is it responsible for it, we can only accept that it is part of our country's history and learn from it, so it never happens again. There is very much a difference between an architect building a monument to which one pays homage by going there to think, and allowing history to be accepted after so many years by bringing life there. If a jewish architect say "I want the germans to bring life to the place.", why do other people come and say 'Hey you, you're disrespectful, to your history, mourn for it!' I really don't like influencers, but I understand what the architect wants us germans to do with it, it's the best way to deal with the own history, if you understand and also mourn, but also accept it, it's not today, it's the past.
"Bei Rot musst du stehen, bei Grün *darfst* du gehen". Absolute classic. Do you really want to teach children that it is ok to jaywalk? Children are terrible at judging speeds and following rules. We want our children to live. The "touristy" stuff at the camps is new to me but if this is true - these people have a special place in extra-hell reserved for them.
The small children learned in school in Germany that you can only cross the street when it is green. So there are extra traffic lessons at our elementary school in the village. A traffic light was also set it up especially for little school children. So we adults are role models for the children. Germans do a lot to commemorate our history and take seriously so it is also important to commemorate all these many victims with dignity, you visit the memorials , the concentration camps , etc.
one thing Americans don't understand is, that in Germany (or Europe) even really youg children walking on the street unattendent (e.g. when they have to go to school). Therefore it is more likely that they pick up bad habits when it comes to crossig a road.
@@petrophaga8523 Normally, the elementary school in Germany is not far from your parents house. If so, you will be taken to school by bus. As already described the children receive traffic lessons at school.They are told to drive more slowly during school hours and the children have learned the road only to cross whe the traffic light shows green. The good thing about it is that the small children learn to cycle to school independently . So far no accident were happened.
@@blondkatze3547 Nah, of course accidents happen sometimes - but when children are driven to school in a car, car crashs do also happen, so that's not safer. You can never be completely sure there will be no accident, that's life.
@@blondkatze3547 No, they don't. They get traffic lessons later, when it comes to bike training. But kids go to school with their parents until they feel safe enough top go alone or with friends. Walking to school often includes Walking over crossings, using busses and trams/trains, etc..
I was at a completely empty street in Koln - no cars at all.. only three pedestrians and we all waited.. and waited.. and waited to cross (it felt like 5 minutes with no cars at all).. It's really weird for Brits as we would just cross, but in Germany (also Austria and parts of Poland), its massively important to wait. Same goes for pedestrians straying into cycle lanes (which can be quite easy).. you will get told off.
@paul denby. I stayed a while in Frankfürt many years back. I could not get used to this bit being footpath and that bit being cycle lane. Almost no-one cycled in my home city of Bradford as the roads are so steep, so the idea that you would give way to a cyclist without giving them an earful for not watching for pedestrians was totally weird. Plus, being a northerner, I was used to giving anyone who thought they could boss me about an even bigger earful, so I had to really think and bite my tongue.
I would just cross the road. It's hugely ironic that Germans are all busy busy when it comes to food ordering etc but then wait a long time to cross a road that's perfectly safe 😂
@@listey Children in Germany can be allowed to play in the streets or go to Kindergarten by themselves at a very young age, because they know not to cross a street when a car is in sight or the traffic light shows red. And as an adult we tend to be embarrassed by children telling us the rules of the road. Oh, did you ever compare number of killed or wounded pedestrians in traffic between your place and Germany ....
@@wora1111 Children in UK are taught to ignore strangers for their safety and to stick up to anyone telling them what to do. If they "gobbled off" at someone, they would be putting themselves in danger. My policeman father made sure I knew how to fight back for these reasons, but could hardly be surprised when I knocked him out aged about six. So different!
@@alansmithee8831 you can teach children many things, but often they do (and learn) just what they see from an adult. So better not show them bad behaviour.
Two more don'ts: keep conversations in public quite and don't bother other people with ringing mobile phones and phone talks, esp. in restaurants, cafes, trains, etc. The well behaved German is even going outside of the restaurant for a phone call.
I find cultural differences fascinating. In Australia we just wander across streets and dont worry too much about Walk ,Dont Walk signs and zebra crossings if there is no traffic. I wandered across a street in Nuremberg and was confronted by a group of Omas who gave me a good dressing down. There was a kindergarten across the street and I was a bad example to the children. I've learnt my lesson. When in Germany I always check for schools and kindgardens before wandering across a street.
@LisaGM Yes I agree. My own two children were raised to be self reliant and did walk or ride their bikes several kilometers to school by age 5 years. They grew up in a small Australian regional city with lots of space , not too many roads to cross and not much traffic. They both have their own familes now. I've just returned from Nurnberg and miss greatly, my son's three year old Australian/ German grandaughter holding my hand as we cross the street. My daughter lives on Mallorca with my five and eight years old grandchildren. They have an even more relaxed attitude to crossing roads than I do!Another cultural difference.
The pfand (deposit) is on glass and plastic bottles too. If you buy a 12-pack of water in a store, each bottle will attract a deposit of between 10 and 25 cents. So save them up and return them to stores, which have recycling machines which will refund your deposit as you put the bottles in the machine. This sum adds up quickly. Btw, the jaywalking thing applies chiefly at crossings. One often sees people crossing mid-block or across streets in smaller towns where there are shops both sides. Remember, at uncontrolled junctions, pedestrians take precendence over vehicles! You misunderstood one thing, Joel. On the whole, when eating out Germans take their time eating, chatting, drinking, etc. The advice given was to order soon after being offered the menu, as servers won't be visiting your table often.
The jaywalking thing: Germany is an extremely safe place. The children start going to school by themselves at 6yo, and you will see families with the tiniest kids (1,5-2yo) cycling together. The kids have to learn the rules in order to keep safe. You will see posters beside the traffic-lights: "Be a good example for the children, wait for the green light". It is true: if you show to children that nobody else jaywalk, they won't. If you show them the rule is a bit loose, they will try to cross quickly one time... and there you go. You - as an adult - may be safe 99% of the time, but a kid as small as 6 doesn't have the same instincts and experience. That is also why German drivers will hit the breakes always - *always!* - in proximity of zebra crossings. Edit to add: It is also part of their conception of society. Everybody is responsible for tbe good functioning of society and caring for the children, it's not just "their parents' business". That's why German Omas (Granny in German 😆) will scold you if you do something wrong. They feel like they are a little bit your Grandma too and they are entitled to it 😅
yeah its kinda crazy to see 6 yo old kids going to school alone e.g. when using the German Subway system which is impressive but i guess thats just a thing in Big cities like Berlin. it just stunned me because i grew up in a village and taking the school bus and everybody in the neighborhood knowing each other is very different to taking the subway train in a huge city like berlin as a kid.
The jaywalking is more being a role model. Germany has lots of apartment complexes overlooking even busy streets. You just can't be certain kids don't watch you. As kids walk to school here from grade 1 (age 6 or do) alone they should not be enticed to potentially consider it a non-dangerous behavior. Many kids can't correctly judge the speed of approaching vehicles, or how quickly they can brake in an emergency, especially not large vehicles. Yeah, theoretically you can get fined here for jaywalking but it must have been the worst day in the world for a cop to actually fine you. Unless you cause an accident right in front of them. In that case, yepp, they probably will, just to drive home the point. Edit: cash. Since the hyperinflation of 1923 there have been at least two, if not three consecutive generations that have lost EVERYTHING in their bank accounts. Once 1923, then again in 1945, then the East Germans in 1990. So a certain mistrust is warranted to banks. In addition banks levy additional fees for using credit cards, which tends to be charged directly on the average prices of a store or restaurant. That's why some places simply don't accept credit cards at all to skip this surcharge and keep prices lower and more competitive. When the society as a whole still accepts cash there is no downside to going cash only. But during the pandemic years card payment (any contactless payment) has become a lot more common.
Sometimes I feel the urge to cross the road during the red lights 😉🤣- but only if no one is watching, especially no kids, if there are NO cars approaching me and only if I want to do something forbidden lol Viele Grüße ais Deutschland.
Me, being born and raised right by the Harz mountains, absolutely melting at the mention of my beloved home as so many travel guides just completely forget about this beautiful region. Thale, Quedlinburg and Wernigerode are smaller but definitely worthy destinations to visit.
In Germany it is about efficiency, an pedestrians (crossing red light) are seen as a part of traffic and are fined the same as bicylce or car drivers. No exceptions for pedestrians! Also you are an exaple for the children. And as we are densly populated it is helpful when people follow rules, it would be chaos otherwise.
The "never walk on red" thing is a mix of a culture of following rules, traffic education that happens in elementary school and as a mix of both: Be a role model for children. You gotta keep in mind that many children in Germany other than in the U.S. walk to school on their own from the age of 6 / 7 and we all want them to be safe on their way, so we try to be the best role models possible.
the restaurant thing... normally when you get the Menu they already ask you what you want to drink (most germans know they wanna drink their 1 beer and kids get a coke or sth like that) and since nearly every restaurant got the same drinks you pretty much know your order before. Also most restaurants got different sorts of beer so you just ask which beers they have and then you can spontaneous decide otherwise and then the waiter will go and get your drinks and by that time you mostly found the food you want to order in the menu already and so you get the drinks and simultaneously the waiter takes your food order and you can calmly sit with your family without the waiter asking every 5 minutes if everything is okay... the other option is that you get the menu and its mostly in little "books" and when the waiter sees everyone on the table closed his "book" they know what food they want to order and then comes automatically and first asks if everyone knows what he wants and since you most likely do you can order without calling for the waiter but most of them see it themselves... when its about payment yeah mostly you call for the bill and then you calmly drink your beverage after paying.. other option here is all beverages are finished and the waiter asks if you need anything new and you just say you want the bill which he then brings... its quite cool since there isnt a waiter asking you permanently about anything because a restaurant visit for germans in 99% of all cases means time with family and you dont want to interrupt them during their family time where they just wanna talk and have a calm day not cooking for themselves
With regard to the service, he mainly describes the larger restaurants and breweries. Here his statement applies due to the large number of guests. This does not apply to average, smaller restaurants. Here I describe it more like this: After the first order and as part of the service, we Germans usually have the friendliness to accept someone's privacy and only approach us when the other person signals to do so. This is usually done with eye contact, a smile, a friendly nod, or raising your hand to signal a waiter, for example. Although he does appear in the meantime to clear away empty plates or glasses, he may also ask at this point if everything is ok or if you would like anything else. Only rarely, however, will a waiter offensively interrupt the conversations at the table in order to perhaps snag an order. We Germans usually find this forcible invasion of privacy or rude pressure from salespeople to be impolite. In such a case, the seller must already have a lot of charm. The waitresses usually look around the restaurant to catch those signals. Furthermore, for us, a stay in the restaurant is not just a process of eating, but primarily serves to socialize with family or friends. After the meal we sit together, talk and have a drink. It is common that you at least consume something, but there are only very few restaurants that actually work with fixed time windows and guests complimented out after the meal.
The cash thing has changed a lot, in no small part due to COVID. People were asked to avoid using cash so people wouldn‘t have to touch something that might be carrying the virus (most likely overkill), and it got even smaller stores around to accepting cards. However, debit cards are probably more popular with many places and people than credit cards. I know many people who use them because they want the money taken out of their accounts immediately. Still, I almost never have to go to an ATM to get cash anymore; I pay for almost everything by card.
Interesting, I noticed in Austria that many of the smaller places and restaurants that started accepting cards had stopped last summer. Things seem to be slowly returning to pre corona normal. I wonder if there is a noticable difference in Germany between Bavaria and the rest of the country, since Bavaria and northern Austra are so alike a lot if the time.
The distinction between debit and credit cards is really important. It may have changed, just like mobile payments are becoming more popular, but when I last checked, a lot of places only accepted debit cards.
@@haukenot3345 That‘s very true. Pharmacies here in Hamburg accept only debit cards (in my experience; there may of course be some that accept credit cards). It‘s quite common to find places that have the same policy. But before COVID, many businesses wouldn‘t even accept debit cards.
@@michaelmedlinger6399 I think in the next years this thing with the debit cards will change because of the end of Maestro. I don't get it why we Germans love the cash. At our neighbours in Denmark for example I can pay my Hotdog with credit card or mobile payment.
Very good video Joel. German food is fabulous!! It will keep your ribs apart, for sure! I love travelling in Germany and meeting the local people. I have always been spoiled in Germany by such kind, helpful folks. John in Canada
Punctuality is important. When the electrician says they will be there at a certain time they will be there. One told us 7:30 in morning and they were there. When we were looking at apartments the agent had set appointments at certain times and we were early for one of the appointments so we waited until it was the correct time.
I wonder if Germans do “no substitutions” in restaurants. This annoys me about Americans in restaurants, if you want to change your order that much stay at home.
i never saw this so clearly stated, in my experience people dont really bother with changing and reconstructing a dish. you go out, look for what appeals to you on the menu and order it as is. kindly asking for little changes is still an option though, like leaving out cilantro or something like that. for me it has to do with respect for the restaurant and the staff, like who am i to request all these things. if i want to have a personal chef, a restaurant is not the place for it.
In Germany we rather go a few meters away from the traffic lights to cross the street there instead of jaywalking😅 That's usually how we do it, when we don't wanna wait for the red light. Aim for a spot between the traffic lights and use this when there are no cars atm instead of waiting for the light to turn green🤣
the memorial thing, it is probably not only from USA but lots would be. And they would also be the ones throwing a fit if tourists did that in Arlington
small note to the "pfand": if you REALLY wanna throw away a bottle that has it on it, you can always put it next to trash cans in public, DO NOT THROW THEM IN THERE. we put them next to it so ppl that are less fortunate and need those to get some money dont have to dig in the trash and van just take them
he´s so wrong about public transport.. in theory its good.. but 90% of all trains are either delayed by at least 10 minutes or just dont come at all or go somewhere else like public transport is really messed up
We germans had 2.562 traffic death in 2022 with 84 mil residents. America 42.900 in 2021 331mil residents. The numbers for 2022 are not out just till sep. Even if we are allowed to drive as fast as we can, the US have 18 times more traffic death but just 4 times more residents . I just never think about crossing if its red becouse, traffic is a passiv. I react and not act .
The waiters give you time to order in the restaurant. They give you the menu and then they come back and take your order. The difference is in Germany they don’t harass you 😂
well, to be fair - as a german i can say, we (mostly) don't expect getting gifts from visitors, even when we invited them. if you don't know what you will bring, or when you get invited, it's not even a bad thing to ask if you should bring something - just look at they're reactions and what they said. Even for ordering in a restaurant - when you know what you want to drink, order it when you get the menue; you might get time until your drinks arrive for looking at the menue that you can see what they've had and you can order. if you don't understand anything ('cause it might be in german) - just ask; the most will try to explain what stands there. sometimes the restaurants even had a website where you can take a look at the menue - so that you can order right away; a few had a part of they'r menue even oit at the entrance. when you want the bill, it's normal to look out for a waiter and wink to them shortly; if they recognize you, you'll get a notice from them. what wolter (i guess walter, but i'm not sure) meant with "counting up the bill" is just adding the tip to it - 'cause it's not common here to give a tip. if you think, they're doing good service, they're always happy for the tip, 'cause it's just a bonus to they're salary. the "cash" thing is even normal here, but due to corona, in the most places can be in the meantime even be paid with card - but be careful, not all places accepts credit cards. for the cards, here they use the "chip", or, if they're contacless, that one - the magnet stripe isn't really used here (mostly just by the atm's). and just a little tip if you're planning on "flying to germany" - Don't, really DON'T fly to munich. if you're lucky, you will get away from there ('cause there's just a small regional train-Station there, where you need to go to the train-station of munich city - but the train-travelings there are really bad, so you might get stuck and need help), otherways you stay a long time or have a aventural train-ride from there. can say that, 'cause the last time i were there, i needed over 7 hours to get "as close as i can" back home - and that were normally just a 3-hour train ride. the best airport here might be in Frankfurt (callsign FRA), 'cause there's not only short-distance trains as even long-distance trains what stop there - and the airport itself isn't a bad maze (what is in munich, especially when you try to fly to america).
02:13 I remember once as a kid crossing a red line without noticing that the car actually waiting on the lights was an firetruck, so they gave me the sirens and laughed it off but I was scared none the less.
9:07 it is worth noting the minimum age to rent a car in Germany is 18, and most companies only require you’ve held a license for a day, so it’s not as restrictive as most other countries.
In regard to the "fast order your food", yes, it's done completely differently in Germany compared to the US. Please, don't forget to consider that the waiters and waitresses in USA are "working" for our tips. They have to do a "song and a dance" to make sure the tip is adequate and hopefully high, because the hourly wages are low in the US and they depend on the tips to survive. In Germany and Europe, they are paid a fair wage and therefore, they don't have to come and shmoos you. It took me forever until I figured out that is the reason, they keep coming to your table to please you, however they also want you to eat and go, because the table has to be free for the next people, who will give tips. In European restaurants you can usually linger and spent time with your friends for hours. On the other hand, that does not pertain to "tourist places." Does that make sense? As I already said it took me a very long time living in the US until I realized what is happening. It's just the way things are different in every nation. All is well!
The Germans generally are logical, efficient, honest and very professional about everything! 🧐 Deposits on mugs makes you think about what to do with it later - if you pay for something, it's worth more! Same in my family, bring a gift if you are invited to visit! 🤗 Jewish Camp Selfies, that's sick! 🤨 Your bet is probably safe! 👍 Be ready and efficient at all times! 😀 "Would you like anything more." "Yes, for you to go away"!! 😏 Autobahn, only with a really good driver! Sunday is rest day, Monday too quiet! 😌 Cash is always handy! 👍 The Bavaria region is definitely worth experiencing, it's uniquely beautiful! 😂😃
Hello Joel. It sounds like the best thing to do in Germany, when you are used to attentive customer service, is to look up things on the internet or written information, so as to know what you want before you go. Angela from Midwest Americans watched this with her sister who lives in Germany, though poor Ethan got left out. You could ask them for tips if you go?
Oktoberfest,, 🤔.... Go to, Kieler Woche,,.. In Summer... (watch :"Kieler Woche von Kiel in die Welt,).. Kiel is in the high north of Germany.. - way to scandinavian
I don't know about the jaywalking law in the US not being enforced. The LA police enjoy following Qantas pilots and crew around and telling them to "get back on the sidewalk" when they try to cross wherever they want.
Regarding restaurants, usually it works like this: You seat yourselfs or get seated, get menus, order drinks almost immediately. Then you look through the food section and when everyone knows what they want, you close the menus and that is usually the sign for a waiter to come. If you want to order dessert or the bill, you call over a waiter :) If you are often at a restaurant, it can happen that you just order everything at once. Also often closed: (doctors and) pharmacies on Wednesday afternoons
I'm living in Germany and about Jaywalking: From my experience people don't think badly about people jaywalking, it's just on the one side if kids are present people like to be strict rule followers then, for kids not to jaywalk and get into an accident, and generally it's more of people think it is risky to jaywalk
You probably remember learning in the US: "Safety First." The reason why jaywalking is a big deal is because the children, they learn from adults what to do and when we jaywalk, they will do it also. In Germany, unlike for many places in the USA, there are cars, bicyclists and pedestrians all around and it's important to mind each other. Germans take care of one another, therefore they will tell you when you are not doing what is asked of us. They mean well....Love your reactions, etc...keep it up!!!
jaywalking is not a thing. if there is no traffic light or zebra crossing you can still just cross the street. The only thing you are legally not allowed to do is cross a traffic light at red. People will of couse discourage you because it sets a bad example but it is totally legal.
I've literally just come back from Berlin (Monday). Not sure on the not crossing on the red Ampelmännchen rule anymore. I saw plenty of people crossing on red and in front of police too and to coin a British phrase....'they weren't arsed'
Berlin is special in that case. Many people still don't go with small children around though. But you can definitely cross a red light in front of the police and they don't care at all. But that's not like this everywhere in Germany.
jaywalking / walking on red lights. No, Germans definetly do so, but they watch out if there are kids around. If there are any kids, then they wait at the red light like you're supposed to do.
Though, about that cash thing ... let me try to explain it in a funny way: Sometimes you need to loose two world wars to figure out that you can't hide electronic cash under the bed or on your backyard, furthermore, it is kinda hard to deal with electronic cash if the electric grid is bombed out. The older generations growing up knowing these limits very well and gave that knowledge to the younger generations. Additionally, sometimes you also need to live in a country where all your stuff is tracked by the Gestapo (third reich secret police) or Stasi (former East Germany secret police) which is a thing with electronic cash. There are still quite a lot of Germans aware of this. Also some tech-aware Germans are watching this closely. There is a reason for the CCC in Germany - the chaos computer club - which often rips stupid things in the tech industry apart and which runs a big show every year in Berlin where a lot of people around the world join to showcase amazing tech stuff. And to come to an end: In English you have two separate words describing personal guilt and money debt, in German there is only one word based on personal guilt. In the German mind debt is mixed with guilt resulting in seeing having debt to be personal guilt. That is also a strong reason people avoid debt cards and stick to cash. If you are out of cash, you're done and managing cash is a lot easier anyway.
Wolters World recorded this video in 2016, so 6 years ago and before Covid. Especially during Covid the acceptance of payment cards has become a lot more common in Germany.
3:50 In the 1980s and 1990s there were several campaigns against jaywalking because it sets a bad example for children (who mostly can't assess the risk themselves). That campaigns where so successful it's now deeply ingrained in German minds not to jaywalk - at least not where even a small chance exists some kid could see it. And they were also some catchy phrases (some dating even back to the 1960s) by which especially older German women (and also men) remind now others to obey that rule. 7:45 Most Germans do not like offensive servility. They expect mutual respect, which includes some extent of restraint, meaning: leaving the guest alone as long as they not send a signal they need something. 9:30 The work-free Sunday is actually a constitutional right for shop employees. It was introduced in 1891 as amendment to trade law (as part of social reforms aimed at calming down socialdemocratic and socialist movements) and became part of the Weimar constitution in 1919 - and that was one of a handful of constitutional articles which were transferred to the current constitution. 10:00 The reluctance to accept credit cards was mainly due to high fees and commission rates requested by the card (and card reader) issuers and banking companies. (Which are nowadays somewhat reduced, but small businesses still prefer cash, especially for small sums.) Additionally Germany traditionally prefers debit cards to credit cards in order to avoid debt - so debit cards are more widely accepted, at least if they use the national Girocard system and/or the widespread EC / maestro system (by MasterCard). The market share of e.g. American Express is minuscule, only some international hotels will have card readers able to recognize it. Apple Pay & Co are on the rise, but mostly in metropolitan areas.
Very disrespectful to jump around the Jewish Memorial or any memorial for that matter.. Unfortunately some of the younger generations have a limited understanding of history. It's not only Americans I've seen doing such things. I'm ashamed to say I've seen too many of my fellow Australians doing similar things. I remember a Hindu cremation on the beach in Bali where a group of Australians all in brief swimwear behaved inappropriately. Generally they are young and as mentioned have limited historical and cultural knowledge. One hopes they wise up as they age.
If you want to go to the Oktoberfest in Munich you should NEVER wear lederhosen to be "hip", just wear comfortable clothes, not even real Munich people wear lederhosen, only the Munich chic (B-, C-celebrities and nouveau riche who want to show off their 1000€ dirndl).
Fun fact: See the big palace like building behind him? My grandpa used to work there somewhen in the 1950s I think. It's the Bavarian department of Justice.
Hello Im German Dont "Jay Walk " (Red light Crossing) because you could get killd by a car That Memorial thing WE are very sorry about WW2 and still get much hate because of that but Tourists are fucking disrespectful against our Memorials for jewish WTF
Actually about the "Pfand".... LEAVE IT OUT but leave it VISIBLE, dont throw the bottles away for them to get full of rain water and dirty or for them to get so wet that they cant be brought back to the store, because homeless people will just pick them up. IMPORTANT. And jaywalking is a big deal cause we have alot of kids that are going to school by themselfes from a pretty young age instead of being driven or take the school bus and this is just a thing of being a good example.
The rule is: don't jaywalk, when there are kids (3-12 yo) with you waiting at the intersection. And if you do, that gets frowned upon (for pedagogical reasons). But the police, just as in the US, is utterly uninterested in fining jaywalkers.
Compare the number of traffic fatalities in the U.S. and Germany (traffic is heavier in Germany!), then you know why we follow the rules. Why do we love cash? Because it can't be blocked and monitored. We have had bad experiences with dictatorial governments.
Well it's totally not "just a culture thing" about the traffic lights. It's a rule for safety, also something you should be a role model of it for kids to be safe. If you go on red, it means you're gonna do something which dangrous for not only yourself but other people around (the one who is driving the car and else) and disturbs the everydays flow. Though there are also many rules which are indeed kinda senseless, but those rules like red mens stop, green means go, exist to ensure we all can life without worrying about danger and have an easy life (at least for those cases)-> AS LONG as everyone stick to it. And I promisse if you still cross the street if the red light is on you gonna pay a decent fee if police is catching you. Imagine every car would just ride, no matter if green or red, imagine that huge chaos and danger especially for pedestrian it would be, you'd never be able to cross the road on a busy road. Therefore you wouldn't need any traffic lights anyway... ____________________________________________________________ The second thing about the cash, well it's partly not always true about "loving cash". But the thing is we in germany having our typical money card where you can pick up our money from the bank or else, and THIS CARD can be also used to pay in many shops and restaurants (but not every, especially on a street market). So we actually don't need credit cards after all. This so called "EC" card is exclusive in germany only.
Point 9 - Cash is King Yeah, mostly in german this is true but its not that people dont like to give this service, its a huge amount of behind the scenes: Sometimes you have a little shop, where u just can pay with card, if its over 10€. It is because, you have fees on every transaction, so most shops want to make a good profit out of their sells. An example: You have a shop for cigarettes etc. The Shop owner will make maybe 8-10 Cent per package he sells... BUT, if he now allows every from this customer to pay with cards, there isnt 8 cent, its more likely 2-3 cent left from this Sell. And thats not worthy if you see, how much your personal cost you per Hour. A long story, but we germans would love too, just use cards, but not possible at this moment :/
The jaywalking thing is highly exaggerated. You can cross a street as you want. Just NOT at the traffic light. Respect the traffic light! Especially when children are present.
about #2 crosswalks / lights and jaywalking. Sometimes in the 80' Germany made an effort to combat traffic accidents - especially with pedestrians, especially especially with school kids walking to school. One of the actions taken was the campaign 'Stand when red, walk when green - be an example for the children'. This and a lot of other things like volunteer guides for school children, speed limits on certain ways and so, did the trick and made streets a lot safer for kids (and adults obviously). So yes. When you walk over a red light - it's pretty unlikely a cop will show up to fine you - but the scorn of every parent and elderly person in the vaccinity will burn directly into your soul. edit: Some clarification.
German here. this guy in the video replaces a negative steriotype with a positive steriotype... depending on the place, many people j-walk (not old ppl, no). It's not that much of a big deal, really. I...never brougth flowers....wine..or candy when I went to a friends house. ...first time I'm hearing about this. Is he living in Baveria? If so, that's quite a diffence to the rest of germany. Ice cream restaurants tend to have open on sunday, but be closed on a different day :) (I'm working at one) Cash is sloooowly dying out. but it's still very much existant, thats true. I prefere card pay honestly, it's so much more comfy...I heard all the reasons pro cash and I'm just not on that side.
As a small kid I was running on top of that momorial in Berlin, at that time I didn't know what it was. My Parents got me of that quite quickly. I think the fact that so many kids are walking and running on top of that has to do something with how easy it is to get on top because they start at a very low high
"germans will stay with you till the end and they are very helpful"... either no, or i just almost all the people i ever talked from germany were exception... (yes i have few REALLY good friends in germany but still)
The thing with the jaywalking/red lights: Yes the Autobahn is wild and scary sometimes...but also very useful I think Germans learnt the hard way that cars can be very dangerous (when you slam into another car at 200 km/h or get crushed by a 30 ton truck that just randomly stops...you see this daily in Germany) So we really obey to the traffic rules because we know the consequenses! Also: When a car hits you while you cross the street and its red light... No insurance will pay your bills You got to pay the damaged car And if you are not dead you can reckon with some medical bills that you have to pay off by yourself Maybe not the surgeries but for example your health insurance can deny you things like a wheelchair or nursing care And all this just because you wanted to cross the street 10 seconds earlier So stay safe guys And greets from Deutschland
Same rules in Switzerland 🇨🇭 and Austria! But never call Swiss oder Austrians German! They really dislike it. Be friendly ! In Switzerland 🇨🇭 for example it is normal to greet people by enterning a restaurant or a store. Do it and you get a better service than in Germany. Do it not and don't wonder about unfriendly reactions and bad service. Same in Austria.
Most Germans don't own a Credit Card (only about 20% of adults) because Germans don't tend to spend money they don't have. Paying with Debit Card (electronic cash) is quite common, tho. One mayor reason why paying with mobile apps and that stuff is not common (yet) is the bad infrastructure in Germany when it comes to internet and the mobile/wirelesse network. No matter how progressive Germany may be in many aspects - politics (especially the Conservatives that were in charge for many years) overslept many, many years in this one. This might have changed a bit in the last years but in the meanwhile when it comes to paying, the Germans have probably just gotten used to cash.
Some tips more from a German view: 1.) In a Restaurant, as long as you read the menu, you are not ready to order... the waiter knows. When you put down the menu search for eye contact with the waiter and he comes. 2.) "Bei Rot musst du stehen, bei Grün darfs du gehen." Indeed it is so in almost entire countries, ruled by a law, called Straßenverkehrsordnung. Except in Berlin, nobody cares about that. And to be honest, the stupidest thing on earth waiting on a red robber without any traffic for the next hour... pedestrians just go. Germans would not do but so what.
J-walking --- depends on the city, in Würzburg you don't get around without j-walking or you'll be standing around until St Nimmerleins Tag (for a long time). In Aschaffenburg I never really j-walk because the roads are just built different. You hardly ever have to. Restaurant etiquette --- the waiter is not going to hover over you like a fly around the shit pile, but don't worry, when they'll see you, they'll come over to bring you menus, when they see you're set to order (close the menus to signal you're ready), they'll come by - or they might come by whenerver they have time, or they might come by when they realise you're hard stuck with the menu and need some help deciding. --- Either way, at some point, they're going to take your order. After which they will come to your table in four situations: 1 - when your food is ready; 2 - with the bill after you asked them for the bill; 3 - when you signal them to come by making eye contact, giving them a friendly wave or perhaps asking "Entschuldigung?" (Excuse me) to get their attention; 4 - tey might check up on you to see if everything is okay, mainly if you need water, bread or have any other desires. You will not be rushed out of the restaurant, they will not harass you, they will not put the bill next to you so you know it's time to free the table. In difference to a French restaurant, it is okay to just walk in and sit at a table in a German café, I wouldn't advise it, because I think there's just something respectful when you enter a restaurant to wait for the waiter to seat you, and in most places they will seat you, but it's not usually a requirement. Also in beergardens you just sit your ass down, perhaps ask kindly if there'S any space on a table if all tables are taken, but you're not seated by the waiter in beergardens usually, but a beergarden is not a restaurant, so as long as you're aware of that, you should ge by fine.
I'd say his video is mostly accurate. The jaywalking honestly depends on the age of the people seeing you when you do it. Younger people don't care and do it themselves, the older generation will scold you for it. I have personally never seen anyone getting fined for it, but I would imagine that mostly would happen in the big, high traffic cities, where behavior like this could more easily end in bad accidents etc. And the other thing is the cash thing. It's actually no longer the case that all Germans prefer cash, I'd say that was mostly true up until the millennials came around, because my parents for sure pay nearly 100% cash while I nearly 100% don't, but credit cards are not super common in Germany. When we pay not cash, we usually use our "EC cards", which is our bank account card we also use to withdraw money from the ATM, but it's basically working like a debit card to your account. Credit card acceptance has gone up a lot though.
Jaywalking/Redlights: Of course you're an idiot for crossing at 1pm at a busy road while granny Greta and her 6 g-children watch you doing the dodge dance. If you really have to directly jaywalk, do it past 11 in the evening. There is a very high chance noone is out and remember: Those lights only purpose is to regulate traffic. If there is NONE they become useless and you might as well cross street anywhere else. Its also the reason non-main road lights get turned off at night.
3:59 No, jaywalking is basically not a thing in germany.. But it is considered to be respected around children.. So, you are basically free to cross the street as you wish. But if children _may_ be around, you are supposed to show discipline how to safely cross the street, which means if you're near to a crosswalk or a traffic sign, you should preferably use that in the correct manner.... But eventually, if you ignore that .... and there is no harm created for any party... you are free to walk as you like. ;) (Actually, you can even walk freely on streets if you want to ....... only on roads and motorways you could get into problems ....... while "landstraßen" (rural roads) are a different thing there again... ;))
Why not Jaywalking? Germans are rule followers, so car drivers expect others to generally follow the rules as well, so when they have green, they expect crossing pedestrians having red. And they will drive. Yes, with increased awareness of the pedestrians, but don't forget, most Germans drive manuals, so specially when starting up after the lights just turned green, there's a lot going on in the driver seat, making an accident more likely to happen when you then decide to ignore your red light. Oktoberfest mugs are deposit free, because you are not allowed to take them out of the tents anyways. Ordering in a restaurant: Usually as soon as you sit down, the waiter will come with the menu, ideally asking for your orders to drink right away. And then you have time until they come back with the drinks to look through the menu to be ready to order your foods. That's the ideal flow of things. And they respect privacy a lot. They look around to see if there's something to be taken away from the table, but generally they'll leave you alone. If you want something, including the bill, you have to signal them to come over. Cash versus Credit Cards: It's a pure mentality thing. Germans are likers of the real thing. And psychologically it even should be preferred. You give away something, you get something else in return. With a credit card, you get something, and the thing you're supposed to give in return... somehow stays with you? Oh, now I have more! Might lead into a greed trap. But things have changed in the past 3 years, people and places more and more accept the fact that contactless payment methods increase health security, so paying with credit cards gets more common compared to the video dated back 2016.
Ignore the "don't cross the streets and never walk over a red lights" rule. Everyone does that here regularly. BUT, you never EVER do that while there is a child around that sees you. No THAT is gonna be a cardinal sin if you do that! It's all about being a good role model for the children. But if no child is there and you're not hindering anyone, just cross the street whenever...
I live in the Czech republic and I'm happy we don't have this extreme tendency to stick to rules no matter what. I'd rather live in a country where you can jaywalk and nobody thinks anything much of it.
You don't get the cash is king concept? Germans value privacy. They own credit and debit cards, but do not want themselves monitored. For the same reason, employees in stores will usually not approach you, but if you want assistance, you go and ask for it. Exceptions might be special offer booths, wer someone might adress you to pronote a product, but those stick to their booths. This is also why there are no greeters ir baggers in supermarkets. Oh... and don't ask "how are you" if you do not want an honest answer. A German won't respond "fine" if that is not the case. And yeah, we do consider many other cultures quite superficial because they would.
The holocaust memorial was built as a staircase, giving two perspectives. You can be buried away among the blocks, or you can stand on top looking down into the darkness.
There's a difference between dancing on a grave, and walking on and around an art installation commemorating deaths. Art is designed to be explored from all angles. If the artist didn't want you standing on top, they'd have made it difficult or put up signs.
Really? I didn't know this. I walked between the blocks and it was so cold and dark and quiet on a warm summer day... really impression.. I would never have dared to climb those rocks.
thank you for posting this, i do feel the same that memorials should be interactive because i think the memory will stick with me longer (if that makes sense to anyone else)
Fair enough, I think the source video was mainly commenting on the playful selfies and lack of sensitivity displayed by tourists at the sites. Completely agree with your thoughts though.
I have to disagree here. Do not walk on top of the stones! It is not an art installation, and it is not a staircase - it is a memorial! It is meant to walk between the stones.
The memorial is meant to create a feeling in the visitor: from the outside it looks flat and harmless. As soon as you take a few steps inside, you suddenly find yourself standing between meter-high blocks, dark, cold, without light. It expresses how quickly a society is drawn into the swamp of fascism without being able to foresee it.
That's just wrong. Sometimes there are even security guards which will ask you to get down if you climb on the memorial
Malta, 1 o'clock in the night, 4 people waiting in front of a red light... First question "So you are from Germany too?" And yes, we are :D
Wie geil😂😂
I had the same experience in L.A. - an old chinese guy came to me and asked me, if I am from germany. I was so confused and later realized, there was a red traffic light moments before :D
I had that kind of experience at daylight in London.
Nur wenn Autos da sind, sonst wird gelaufen 😂
lmao
About the deposit on bottles or cups what we call "Pfand" is actually much bigger than just at a christmas market or oktoberfest. It goes for plastic bottles that you can buy in a store as well which you bring back to the store after you finsihed them and then they are recylcled. We have specific machines for them which will count the amount of bottles you inserted and then you get a receit after that tells you how much money (deposit) you got back. Not all bottles do have a deposit tho. You can find a little icon on the bottle that will tell you if it has a deposit or not. If it doesnt you just trash it normally. It is an entire recylce system. Also every household has at least 3 bins to seperate trash. Mainly plastic, paper and bio trash such as spoiled leftovers or parts of food you dont eat.
In Germany when you put that mutch foam on a beer, that's called a "Vergewaltigung fürs Bier"
Hi there, i would say there are many cultural differences between munich and berlin already :D. Here in Berlin we don't stop at a red light at all except if there are little kids waiting with you, so you have or should be a good role model. If you get caught doing it it costs you a lot of money as will, which can be annoying.
There is no such thing as "jaywalking" in Germany. You can cross the street wherever it is safely possible to do so and nobody will care. The law only applies to red traffic lights. Don't cross on a red light. Be a good example for kids. 😊
We Germans sometimes run through red lights, especially at night. It is important to us that children do not take this as a role model and run across the street when it is red. We simply want to protect them from the risk of an accident. The cash thing is really a German peculiarity. One of the reasons for this is that we would like to have an overview of what we can and cannot afford. When paying by card you lose it very quickly and most Germans don't want to have debts (credits).
Yes, I've seen it more in busy places like Berlin (I don't think it was just tourists either) 😂😂
that makes a lot more sense
There's absolutely nothing wrong with crossing at a red light if it's safe to do so. I think it's on the parents not to cross unsafely with their children rather than everyone taking on that responsibility.
If you are driving through red lights, then children crossing at a green walk signal are still going to be run over..the light is red becasuse the walking signal is green. Usually better to teach kids not to rely on technology and use their own senses to check for cars.
@@WildSlinkys Of course, children should also take care of themselves. However, small children often have trouble judging the distance and speed of an approaching car. Therefore they have to follow the traffic lights . In Germany, many children walk to school. That's why adults don't have to teach them that they can run on red. It's safer if they follow the traffic light rules.
I as a German do also J- walk, but ONLY if it's necessary for the sake of being punctual (e.g. for work), ONLY if there are no children or police around AND the street is clear so it's safe for me. Otherwise I'd stop at the red lights of course, like a good German does.
Yes, that is good advice. I wait at a red light in the UK if there are children (with parents) waiting to cross - I don't want to mislead the children into thinking they can cross against a red light.
In my experience it heavily varies based on the region aswell. I feel like mostly it's okay for most people to j walk if it's obviously save. Basically the only reason I will not j walk is if there are Childern in sight or a police car stopped at the light.
if you're in a hurry, you're already late. doesn't matter if you're 5 or 15 minutes late. you're late. But yes, running for a tram or bus is the only excuse for jailwalking. as a small child, my mom would always say: "never do that when you're alone." 20 years later and I am running over a red light for the bus x'D
When there are no cars coming, why waiting for the green light? It's just a waste of time
btw: In some Chinese cities they intalled devices squirting water at people when they cross a red light. Would be very nice on hot summer days.
It's not that the waiter hands you the menu and waits impatiently next to your table for you to make your orders. 😂😂
Most of the time, they'll return after a few minutes and ask for drink orders first, then bring your drinks to the table and when everyone's got his/ her drink, they'll take your food orders right away. That's how it is in 99% of German restaurants.
And of course they will check on you from time to time and ask if everything is fine, just not as often as in the US.
If you want to place another order or ask for the bill though, it's true that YOU have to make the waiter notice you.
Thanks for that. I've been in Germany several times and I don't think I have ever experienced what the narrator of this video was saying. He made it sound like you get the menu and then have 10 seconds to order. 🙂 Nice to have my thoughts confirmed .
Yes, as far as I know (my parents work in a German restaurant) it's very important to give out drinks before ordering, because that way the conversations at the table are getting started (sometimes there might even be a second round of drinks before ordering food, or the first round of shots). Drinks are where you make the most money, and that way they sell more. And you just normally give off 'the vibe' that you want to order (closing the menu card, looking up, getting silent and waiting for the waiter, ...) And then the waiters will come to you
Another thing might be: Don't stand in the entrance area waiting for someone to assign you a seat. Find your own seat. If a table is reserved, there are usually signs on it.
@@fipsvonfipsenstein6704 I recently went to eat in a bub. Close to the entrance, there was a sign to wait to be seated, so I waited. Just to be told to find myself a seat. I suspect that was a rest of pandemic rules they hadn't cleaned up yet.
@@KaiHenningsen I mean, there might be one or two restaurants out there, which do exactly that ... but I never experienced it.
So for me for example, when visiting my sister in the UK, there are usually three things I struggle within the first days: Looking mainly right when crossing a road, sitting in the front left seat of a car without pedals and a steering wheel, and waiting at the entrance of a restaurant to get seated.
And btw.: Is eating in Buben not kinda pedophile? 🤔
I've been to Germany a few times and had a really good time. People definitely were friendly and also loved to practice their English, which was so often excellent. My parents used to take in German students when I was a child and we were fortunate to be invited to stay with some of their families. It's also a beautiful country, I would certainly recommend going.
As others said: We wait on the red light because of children. There are even signs sometimes, saying "Den Kindern ein Vorbild" which means "a rolemodel for children". You think twice about crossing that street on a red light with such a sign 😁
And the kids (and other adults) will have some words for you if you ignore the red light.
Tbh I'm waiting at a red light for myself, not for some random Child. Even if you think the streets are empty, there is probably an A hole waiting around the corner to run you over
@@ALuna813 Naw, in Germany we have special police sitting in the nearby buildings waiting for Americans that cross the streets while the lights are read and then shoot them ....
The thing about "half timbered houses" is, that most of those "My life in Germany" videos are made in the south. If one of them would move to the North, they'd "only" see houses made of brick stone with stepped gables or on the countryside thatched houses.
The memorial point really struck a chord with me, last time I was in Berlin, several idiots were posing on the piece and it made me so angry that I ended up telling someone how disrespectful they were being, and yes I'm afraid to say they were American 😞..they didn't even have the decency to look shamefaced , just walked away laughing about the 'stuck-up British' ...if having respect for the poor victims of an appalling war crime is stuck-up then I'm glad to be so!
@@Michael_from_EU_Germany Reading that article, and the main article linked from there, this does not seem to support your "The architect of the Memorial has a completely different opinion about it.". In fact, it seems to support the view that climbing and disrespectful behavior is not appreciated.
Well its a difference in perspective i guess. We germans know every evil thing from ww2 in and out because of how our system and education deal with it. So these spots are very important for us to remember to never let that happen again. For americans especially its more like visiting a victory memorial more of a celebration thing i could think, especially if they dont have the deep knowledge and understanding some people have.
Id say as much as it seems wrong to take duckface instagramm pictures there it just as much helps to spread awareness about the matter. And as the memorial is meant to be expirienced from all angles standing on it is fine i guess.
For all the americans: imagine someone did something like this at Arlington Memorial. How would you feel? Or did this duckface thing at MLK's house. Or played skipping stone all over the 9/11 Memorial. Would you like *that* ? No? Then remember that anything holocaust related holds the same value to us as the mentioned above memorials hold value to you. You don't want yours defaced and we don't ours.
@@emanymton5789 It's not a memorial to the dead, it's a memorial to the living. The architect himself wants life to come to this place, this is the only way to process what has happened, because today's generation cannot change anything about the past, nor is it responsible for it, we can only accept that it is part of our country's history and learn from it, so it never happens again.
There is very much a difference between an architect building a monument to which one pays homage by going there to think, and allowing history to be accepted after so many years by bringing life there.
If a jewish architect say "I want the germans to bring life to the place.", why do other people come and say 'Hey you, you're disrespectful, to your history, mourn for it!'
I really don't like influencers, but I understand what the architect wants us germans to do with it, it's the best way to deal with the own history, if you understand and also mourn, but also accept it, it's not today, it's the past.
"Bei Rot musst du stehen, bei Grün *darfst* du gehen". Absolute classic.
Do you really want to teach children that it is ok to jaywalk? Children are terrible at judging speeds and following rules. We want our children to live.
The "touristy" stuff at the camps is new to me but if this is true - these people have a special place in extra-hell reserved for them.
The small children learned in school in Germany that you can only cross the street when it is green. So there are extra traffic lessons at our elementary school in the village. A traffic light was also set it up especially for little school children. So we adults are role models for the children. Germans do a lot to commemorate our history and take seriously so it is also important to commemorate all these many victims with dignity, you visit the memorials , the concentration camps , etc.
one thing Americans don't understand is, that in Germany (or Europe) even really youg children walking on the street unattendent (e.g. when they have to go to school). Therefore it is more likely that they pick up bad habits when it comes to crossig a road.
@@petrophaga8523 Normally, the elementary school in Germany is not far from your parents house. If so, you will be taken to school by bus. As already described the children receive traffic lessons at school.They are told to drive more slowly during school hours and the children have learned the road only to cross whe the traffic light shows green. The good thing about it is that the small children learn to cycle to school independently . So far no accident were happened.
@@blondkatze3547 Nah, of course accidents happen sometimes - but when children are driven to school in a car, car crashs do also happen, so that's not safer. You can never be completely sure there will be no accident, that's life.
I agree with you.👍@@annkathrinhanamond2982
@@blondkatze3547 No, they don't. They get traffic lessons later, when it comes to bike training. But kids go to school with their parents until they feel safe enough top go alone or with friends. Walking to school often includes Walking over crossings, using busses and trams/trains, etc..
I was at a completely empty street in Koln - no cars at all.. only three pedestrians and we all waited.. and waited.. and waited to cross (it felt like 5 minutes with no cars at all).. It's really weird for Brits as we would just cross, but in Germany (also Austria and parts of Poland), its massively important to wait. Same goes for pedestrians straying into cycle lanes (which can be quite easy).. you will get told off.
@paul denby. I stayed a while in Frankfürt many years back. I could not get used to this bit being footpath and that bit being cycle lane. Almost no-one cycled in my home city of Bradford as the roads are so steep, so the idea that you would give way to a cyclist without giving them an earful for not watching for pedestrians was totally weird. Plus, being a northerner, I was used to giving anyone who thought they could boss me about an even bigger earful, so I had to really think and bite my tongue.
I would just cross the road. It's hugely ironic that Germans are all busy busy when it comes to food ordering etc but then wait a long time to cross a road that's perfectly safe 😂
@@listey Children in Germany can be allowed to play in the streets or go to Kindergarten by themselves at a very young age, because they know not to cross a street when a car is in sight or the traffic light shows red. And as an adult we tend to be embarrassed by children telling us the rules of the road. Oh, did you ever compare number of killed or wounded pedestrians in traffic between your place and Germany ....
@@wora1111 Children in UK are taught to ignore strangers for their safety and to stick up to anyone telling them what to do. If they "gobbled off" at someone, they would be putting themselves in danger. My policeman father made sure I knew how to fight back for these reasons, but could hardly be surprised when I knocked him out aged about six. So different!
@@alansmithee8831 you can teach children many things, but often they do (and learn) just what they see from an adult. So better not show them bad behaviour.
Two more don'ts: keep conversations in public quite and don't bother other people with ringing mobile phones and phone talks, esp. in restaurants, cafes, trains, etc. The well behaved German is even going outside of the restaurant for a phone call.
I find cultural differences fascinating. In Australia we just wander across streets and dont worry too much about Walk ,Dont Walk signs and zebra crossings if there is no traffic. I wandered across a street in Nuremberg and was confronted by a group of Omas who gave me a good dressing down. There was a kindergarten across the street and I was a bad example to the children. I've learnt my lesson. When in Germany I always check for schools and kindgardens before wandering across a street.
On the bright side, it might’ve been good for any children watching to see an adult get yelled at for the same thing they do. :)
@LisaGM Yes I agree. My own two children were raised to be self reliant and did walk or ride their bikes several kilometers to school by age 5 years. They grew up in a small Australian regional city with lots of space , not too many roads to cross and not much traffic. They both have their own familes now. I've just returned from Nurnberg and miss greatly, my son's three year old Australian/ German grandaughter holding my hand as we cross the street. My daughter lives on Mallorca with my five and eight years old grandchildren. They have an even more relaxed attitude to crossing roads than I do!Another cultural difference.
The pfand (deposit) is on glass and plastic bottles too. If you buy a 12-pack of water in a store, each bottle will attract a deposit of between 10 and 25 cents. So save them up and return them to stores, which have recycling machines which will refund your deposit as you put the bottles in the machine. This sum adds up quickly. Btw, the jaywalking thing applies chiefly at crossings. One often sees people crossing mid-block or across streets in smaller towns where there are shops both sides. Remember, at uncontrolled junctions, pedestrians take precendence over vehicles! You misunderstood one thing, Joel. On the whole, when eating out Germans take their time eating, chatting, drinking, etc. The advice given was to order soon after being offered the menu, as servers won't be visiting your table often.
Love Germany...been there twice...he's absolutely correct about everything. One of the most outstanding things is how friendly everyone is.
We’re you in Berlin as well ? 😂
Cash culture is very important in Germany, also because many old people don't trust the banks
Hey, ich bin nicht alt!
You should never trust a bank
The jaywalking thing: Germany is an extremely safe place. The children start going to school by themselves at 6yo, and you will see families with the tiniest kids (1,5-2yo) cycling together. The kids have to learn the rules in order to keep safe. You will see posters beside the traffic-lights: "Be a good example for the children, wait for the green light". It is true: if you show to children that nobody else jaywalk, they won't. If you show them the rule is a bit loose, they will try to cross quickly one time... and there you go. You - as an adult - may be safe 99% of the time, but a kid as small as 6 doesn't have the same instincts and experience. That is also why German drivers will hit the breakes always - *always!* - in proximity of zebra crossings.
Edit to add: It is also part of their conception of society. Everybody is responsible for tbe good functioning of society and caring for the children, it's not just "their parents' business". That's why German Omas (Granny in German 😆) will scold you if you do something wrong. They feel like they are a little bit your Grandma too and they are entitled to it 😅
yeah its kinda crazy to see 6 yo old kids going to school alone e.g. when using the German Subway system which is impressive but i guess thats just a thing in Big cities like Berlin.
it just stunned me because i grew up in a village and taking the school bus and everybody in the neighborhood knowing each other is very different to taking the subway train in a huge city like berlin as a kid.
The jaywalking is more being a role model. Germany has lots of apartment complexes overlooking even busy streets. You just can't be certain kids don't watch you.
As kids walk to school here from grade 1 (age 6 or do) alone they should not be enticed to potentially consider it a non-dangerous behavior. Many kids can't correctly judge the speed of approaching vehicles, or how quickly they can brake in an emergency, especially not large vehicles.
Yeah, theoretically you can get fined here for jaywalking but it must have been the worst day in the world for a cop to actually fine you. Unless you cause an accident right in front of them. In that case, yepp, they probably will, just to drive home the point.
Edit: cash. Since the hyperinflation of 1923 there have been at least two, if not three consecutive generations that have lost EVERYTHING in their bank accounts. Once 1923, then again in 1945, then the East Germans in 1990. So a certain mistrust is warranted to banks. In addition banks levy additional fees for using credit cards, which tends to be charged directly on the average prices of a store or restaurant. That's why some places simply don't accept credit cards at all to skip this surcharge and keep prices lower and more competitive. When the society as a whole still accepts cash there is no downside to going cash only.
But during the pandemic years card payment (any contactless payment) has become a lot more common.
Sometimes I feel the urge to cross the road during the red lights 😉🤣- but only if no one is watching, especially no kids, if there are NO cars approaching me and only if I want to do something forbidden lol Viele Grüße ais Deutschland.
German food is great and some of the funniest people I have met have been German. Stereotypes are often misleading.
Me, being born and raised right by the Harz mountains, absolutely melting at the mention of my beloved home as so many travel guides just completely forget about this beautiful region.
Thale, Quedlinburg and Wernigerode are smaller but definitely worthy destinations to visit.
In Germany it is about efficiency, an pedestrians (crossing red light) are seen as a part of traffic and are fined the same as bicylce or car drivers. No exceptions for pedestrians! Also you are an exaple for the children. And as we are densly populated it is helpful when people follow rules, it would be chaos otherwise.
The "never walk on red" thing is a mix of a culture of following rules, traffic education that happens in elementary school and as a mix of both: Be a role model for children. You gotta keep in mind that many children in Germany other than in the U.S. walk to school on their own from the age of 6 / 7 and we all want them to be safe on their way, so we try to be the best role models possible.
the restaurant thing... normally when you get the Menu they already ask you what you want to drink (most germans know they wanna drink their 1 beer and kids get a coke or sth like that) and since nearly every restaurant got the same drinks you pretty much know your order before. Also most restaurants got different sorts of beer so you just ask which beers they have and then you can spontaneous decide otherwise and then the waiter will go and get your drinks and by that time you mostly found the food you want to order in the menu already and so you get the drinks and simultaneously the waiter takes your food order and you can calmly sit with your family without the waiter asking every 5 minutes if everything is okay... the other option is that you get the menu and its mostly in little "books" and when the waiter sees everyone on the table closed his "book" they know what food they want to order and then comes automatically and first asks if everyone knows what he wants and since you most likely do you can order without calling for the waiter but most of them see it themselves... when its about payment yeah mostly you call for the bill and then you calmly drink your beverage after paying.. other option here is all beverages are finished and the waiter asks if you need anything new and you just say you want the bill which he then brings... its quite cool since there isnt a waiter asking you permanently about anything because a restaurant visit for germans in 99% of all cases means time with family and you dont want to interrupt them during their family time where they just wanna talk and have a calm day not cooking for themselves
100% the same in Belgium.
With regard to the service, he mainly describes the larger restaurants and breweries. Here his statement applies due to the large number of guests. This does not apply to average, smaller restaurants. Here I describe it more like this:
After the first order and as part of the service, we Germans usually have the friendliness to accept someone's privacy and only approach us when the other person signals to do so. This is usually done with eye contact, a smile, a friendly nod, or raising your hand to signal a waiter, for example. Although he does appear in the meantime to clear away empty plates or glasses, he may also ask at this point if everything is ok or if you would like anything else. Only rarely, however, will a waiter offensively interrupt the conversations at the table in order to perhaps snag an order. We Germans usually find this forcible invasion of privacy or rude pressure from salespeople to be impolite. In such a case, the seller must already have a lot of charm. The waitresses usually look around the restaurant to catch those signals. Furthermore, for us, a stay in the restaurant is not just a process of eating, but primarily serves to socialize with family or friends. After the meal we sit together, talk and have a drink. It is common that you at least consume something, but there are only very few restaurants that actually work with fixed time windows and guests complimented out after the meal.
Exactly. Staying for hours is common. The guests choose when to leave.
Genauso so - a very good description !
German food is the best. You have never tasted food until you have tasted German food. But then being German, I'm pretty biased. lol
The cash thing has changed a lot, in no small part due to COVID. People were asked to avoid using cash so people wouldn‘t have to touch something that might be carrying the virus (most likely overkill), and it got even smaller stores around to accepting cards. However, debit cards are probably more popular with many places and people than credit cards. I know many people who use them because they want the money taken out of their accounts immediately. Still, I almost never have to go to an ATM to get cash anymore; I pay for almost everything by card.
Interesting, I noticed in Austria that many of the smaller places and restaurants that started accepting cards had stopped last summer. Things seem to be slowly returning to pre corona normal. I wonder if there is a noticable difference in Germany between Bavaria and the rest of the country, since Bavaria and northern Austra are so alike a lot if the time.
The distinction between debit and credit cards is really important. It may have changed, just like mobile payments are becoming more popular, but when I last checked, a lot of places only accepted debit cards.
@@haukenot3345 That‘s very true. Pharmacies here in Hamburg accept only debit cards (in my experience; there may of course be some that accept credit cards). It‘s quite common to find places that have the same policy. But before COVID, many businesses wouldn‘t even accept debit cards.
@@michaelmedlinger6399 I think in the next years this thing with the debit cards will change because of the end of Maestro. I don't get it why we Germans love the cash. At our neighbours in Denmark for example I can pay my Hotdog with credit card or mobile payment.
@@MrPhotofan I insisted on cash only in my store even during Covid - its a myth that the virus can be transmitted via cash. Also Frakk mobile payment.
Very good video Joel. German food is fabulous!! It will keep your ribs apart, for sure! I love travelling in Germany and meeting the local people. I have always been spoiled in Germany by such kind, helpful folks. John in Canada
Germany is great, I go there for work alot. The people and food are amazing. I never have had a bad experience.
Punctuality is important. When the electrician says they will be there at a certain time they will be there. One told us 7:30 in morning and they were there. When we were looking at apartments the agent had set appointments at certain times and we were early for one of the appointments so we waited until it was the correct time.
Please react to "This is Germany" by Dr. Ludwig!
Yes I can definitely see you visiting Germany Joel . It does seem a lovey place. With very sensible rules! 😁👍
I wonder if Germans do “no substitutions” in restaurants. This annoys me about Americans in restaurants, if you want to change your order that much stay at home.
i never saw this so clearly stated, in my experience people dont really bother with changing and reconstructing a dish. you go out, look for what appeals to you on the menu and order it as is. kindly asking for little changes is still an option though, like leaving out cilantro or something like that. for me it has to do with respect for the restaurant and the staff, like who am i to request all these things. if i want to have a personal chef, a restaurant is not the place for it.
In Germany we rather go a few meters away from the traffic lights to cross the street there instead of jaywalking😅
That's usually how we do it, when we don't wanna wait for the red light. Aim for a spot between the traffic lights and use this when there are no cars atm instead of waiting for the light to turn green🤣
Sometimes we say "Grüngänger leben länger. Rotgänger: Totgänger." which means "Green walkers live longer. Red walkers: Dead walkers."
the memorial thing, it is probably not only from USA but lots would be. And they would also be the ones throwing a fit if tourists did that in Arlington
small note to the "pfand": if you REALLY wanna throw away a bottle that has it on it, you can always put it next to trash cans in public, DO NOT THROW THEM IN THERE. we put them next to it so ppl that are less fortunate and need those to get some money dont have to dig in the trash and van just take them
In one way I really like getting asked for directions while abroad.
It means I don't look or behave like a (pause) tourist (shudder).
Cash is a freedom you have! Paying with a card is collecting data, everyone knows what you bought or ate, when and where. this is not good
he´s so wrong about public transport.. in theory its good.. but 90% of all trains are either delayed by at least 10 minutes or just dont come at all or go somewhere else like public transport is really messed up
We germans had 2.562 traffic death in 2022 with 84 mil residents. America 42.900 in 2021 331mil residents. The numbers for 2022 are not out just till sep. Even if we are allowed to drive as fast as we can, the US have 18 times more traffic death but just 4 times more residents . I just never think about crossing if its red becouse, traffic is a passiv. I react and not act .
If you like to react to german videos try this is germany by dr. ludwig. It’s made by done shots and gives some impressions
The waiters give you time to order in the restaurant. They give you the menu and then they come back and take your order. The difference is in Germany they don’t harass you 😂
well, to be fair - as a german i can say, we (mostly) don't expect getting gifts from visitors, even when we invited them. if you don't know what you will bring, or when you get invited, it's not even a bad thing to ask if you should bring something - just look at they're reactions and what they said. Even for ordering in a restaurant - when you know what you want to drink, order it when you get the menue; you might get time until your drinks arrive for looking at the menue that you can see what they've had and you can order. if you don't understand anything ('cause it might be in german) - just ask; the most will try to explain what stands there. sometimes the restaurants even had a website where you can take a look at the menue - so that you can order right away; a few had a part of they'r menue even oit at the entrance. when you want the bill, it's normal to look out for a waiter and wink to them shortly; if they recognize you, you'll get a notice from them. what wolter (i guess walter, but i'm not sure) meant with "counting up the bill" is just adding the tip to it - 'cause it's not common here to give a tip. if you think, they're doing good service, they're always happy for the tip, 'cause it's just a bonus to they're salary.
the "cash" thing is even normal here, but due to corona, in the most places can be in the meantime even be paid with card - but be careful, not all places accepts credit cards. for the cards, here they use the "chip", or, if they're contacless, that one - the magnet stripe isn't really used here (mostly just by the atm's).
and just a little tip if you're planning on "flying to germany" - Don't, really DON'T fly to munich. if you're lucky, you will get away from there ('cause there's just a small regional train-Station there, where you need to go to the train-station of munich city - but the train-travelings there are really bad, so you might get stuck and need help), otherways you stay a long time or have a aventural train-ride from there. can say that, 'cause the last time i were there, i needed over 7 hours to get "as close as i can" back home - and that were normally just a 3-hour train ride. the best airport here might be in Frankfurt (callsign FRA), 'cause there's not only short-distance trains as even long-distance trains what stop there - and the airport itself isn't a bad maze (what is in munich, especially when you try to fly to america).
02:13 I remember once as a kid crossing a red line without noticing that the car actually waiting on the lights was an firetruck, so they gave me the sirens and laughed it off but I was scared none the less.
9:07 it is worth noting the minimum age to rent a car in Germany is 18, and most companies only require you’ve held a license for a day, so it’s not as restrictive as most other countries.
In regard to the "fast order your food", yes, it's done completely differently in Germany compared to the US. Please, don't forget to consider that the waiters and waitresses in USA are "working" for our tips. They have to do a "song and a dance" to make sure the tip is adequate and hopefully high, because the hourly wages are low in the US and they depend on the tips to survive. In Germany and Europe, they are paid a fair wage and therefore, they don't have to come and shmoos you. It took me forever until I figured out that is the reason, they keep coming to your table to please you, however they also want you to eat and go, because the table has to be free for the next people, who will give tips. In European restaurants you can usually linger and spent time with your friends for hours. On the other hand, that does not pertain to "tourist places." Does that make sense? As I already said it took me a very long time living in the US until I realized what is happening. It's just the way things are different in every nation. All is well!
The Germans generally are logical, efficient, honest and very professional about everything! 🧐 Deposits on mugs makes you think about what to do with it later - if you pay for something, it's worth more! Same in my family, bring a gift if you are invited to visit! 🤗 Jewish Camp Selfies, that's sick! 🤨 Your bet is probably safe! 👍 Be ready and efficient at all times! 😀 "Would you like anything more." "Yes, for you to go away"!! 😏 Autobahn, only with a really good driver! Sunday is rest day, Monday too quiet! 😌 Cash is always handy! 👍 The Bavaria region is definitely worth experiencing, it's uniquely beautiful! 😂😃
Hello Joel. It sounds like the best thing to do in Germany, when you are used to attentive customer service, is to look up things on the internet or written information, so as to know what you want before you go.
Angela from Midwest Americans watched this with her sister who lives in Germany, though poor Ethan got left out. You could ask them for tips if you go?
In America, everything is Cities. In Europe there are also villages and hamlets. Make sure you don't miss them.
jaywalking is bad if children see it and might adapt. this is simply it
Cash means no one has power over me. No one can just cut me of my bank account.
Oktoberfest,, 🤔.... Go to, Kieler Woche,,.. In Summer... (watch :"Kieler Woche von Kiel in die Welt,).. Kiel is in the high north of Germany.. - way to scandinavian
I don't know about the jaywalking law in the US not being enforced. The LA police enjoy following Qantas pilots and crew around and telling them to "get back on the sidewalk" when they try to cross wherever they want.
Regarding restaurants, usually it works like this:
You seat yourselfs or get seated, get menus, order drinks almost immediately.
Then you look through the food section and when everyone knows what they want, you close the menus and that is usually the sign for a waiter to come.
If you want to order dessert or the bill, you call over a waiter :)
If you are often at a restaurant, it can happen that you just order everything at once.
Also often closed: (doctors and) pharmacies on Wednesday afternoons
I'm living in Germany and about Jaywalking: From my experience people don't think badly about people jaywalking, it's just on the one side if kids are present people like to be strict rule followers then, for kids not to jaywalk and get into an accident, and generally it's more of people think it is risky to jaywalk
You probably remember learning in the US: "Safety First." The reason why jaywalking is a big deal is because the children, they learn from adults what to do and when we jaywalk, they will do it also. In Germany, unlike for many places in the USA, there are cars, bicyclists and pedestrians all around and it's important to mind each other. Germans take care of one another, therefore they will tell you when you are not doing what is asked of us. They mean well....Love your reactions, etc...keep it up!!!
jaywalking is not a thing. if there is no traffic light or zebra crossing you can still just cross the street. The only thing you are legally not allowed to do is cross a traffic light at red. People will of couse discourage you because it sets a bad example but it is totally legal.
I've literally just come back from Berlin (Monday). Not sure on the not crossing on the red Ampelmännchen rule anymore. I saw plenty of people crossing on red and in front of police too and to coin a British phrase....'they weren't arsed'
Berlin is special in that case. Many people still don't go with small children around though. But you can definitely cross a red light in front of the police and they don't care at all. But that's not like this everywhere in Germany.
Where you can drinking Canada and you're not that far from the border. Perhaps a weekend drinking trip to Canada?
jaywalking / walking on red lights. No, Germans definetly do so, but they watch out if there are kids around. If there are any kids, then they wait at the red light like you're supposed to do.
Will sounds perfect for me, I'm a slow eater too! Any chance he is into older men? ☺️
Though, about that cash thing ... let me try to explain it in a funny way: Sometimes you need to loose two world wars to figure out that you can't hide electronic cash under the bed or on your backyard, furthermore, it is kinda hard to deal with electronic cash if the electric grid is bombed out. The older generations growing up knowing these limits very well and gave that knowledge to the younger generations. Additionally, sometimes you also need to live in a country where all your stuff is tracked by the Gestapo (third reich secret police) or Stasi (former East Germany secret police) which is a thing with electronic cash. There are still quite a lot of Germans aware of this. Also some tech-aware Germans are watching this closely. There is a reason for the CCC in Germany - the chaos computer club - which often rips stupid things in the tech industry apart and which runs a big show every year in Berlin where a lot of people around the world join to showcase amazing tech stuff. And to come to an end: In English you have two separate words describing personal guilt and money debt, in German there is only one word based on personal guilt. In the German mind debt is mixed with guilt resulting in seeing having debt to be personal guilt. That is also a strong reason people avoid debt cards and stick to cash. If you are out of cash, you're done and managing cash is a lot easier anyway.
You're absolutely right! Thanks for pointing it out. I always live with the motto "Nur Bares ist Wahres", but I could never really point out why.
Wolters World recorded this video in 2016, so 6 years ago and before Covid. Especially during Covid the acceptance of payment cards has become a lot more common in Germany.
3:50 In the 1980s and 1990s there were several campaigns against jaywalking because it sets a bad example for children (who mostly can't assess the risk themselves). That campaigns where so successful it's now deeply ingrained in German minds not to jaywalk - at least not where even a small chance exists some kid could see it. And they were also some catchy phrases (some dating even back to the 1960s) by which especially older German women (and also men) remind now others to obey that rule.
7:45 Most Germans do not like offensive servility. They expect mutual respect, which includes some extent of restraint, meaning: leaving the guest alone as long as they not send a signal they need something.
9:30 The work-free Sunday is actually a constitutional right for shop employees. It was introduced in 1891 as amendment to trade law (as part of social reforms aimed at calming down socialdemocratic and socialist movements) and became part of the Weimar constitution in 1919 - and that was one of a handful of constitutional articles which were transferred to the current constitution.
10:00 The reluctance to accept credit cards was mainly due to high fees and commission rates requested by the card (and card reader) issuers and banking companies. (Which are nowadays somewhat reduced, but small businesses still prefer cash, especially for small sums.) Additionally Germany traditionally prefers debit cards to credit cards in order to avoid debt - so debit cards are more widely accepted, at least if they use the national Girocard system and/or the widespread EC / maestro system (by MasterCard). The market share of e.g. American Express is minuscule, only some international hotels will have card readers able to recognize it. Apple Pay & Co are on the rise, but mostly in metropolitan areas.
Very disrespectful to jump around the Jewish Memorial or any memorial for that matter.. Unfortunately some of the younger generations have a limited understanding of history. It's not only Americans I've seen doing such things. I'm ashamed to say I've seen too many of my fellow Australians doing similar things. I remember a Hindu cremation on the beach in Bali where a group of Australians all in brief swimwear behaved inappropriately. Generally they are young and as mentioned have limited historical and cultural knowledge. One hopes they wise up as they age.
I am Bulgarian. My neighbors are Greeks, Turks, Serbs... The food in Germany is disgusting from our point of view.
If you want to go to the Oktoberfest in Munich you should NEVER wear lederhosen to be "hip", just wear comfortable clothes, not even real Munich people wear lederhosen, only the Munich chic (B-, C-celebrities and nouveau riche who want to show off their 1000€ dirndl).
You could react to Geography Now Germany
Fun fact: See the big palace like building behind him? My grandpa used to work there somewhen in the 1950s I think. It's the Bavarian department of Justice.
Hello
Im German
Dont "Jay Walk " (Red light Crossing) because you could get killd by a car
That Memorial thing WE are very sorry about WW2 and still get much hate because of that
but Tourists are fucking disrespectful against our Memorials for jewish WTF
Actually about the "Pfand".... LEAVE IT OUT but leave it VISIBLE, dont throw the bottles away for them to get full of rain water and dirty or for them to get so wet that they cant be brought back to the store, because homeless people will just pick them up. IMPORTANT. And jaywalking is a big deal cause we have alot of kids that are going to school by themselfes from a pretty young age instead of being driven or take the school bus and this is just a thing of being a good example.
The rule is: don't jaywalk, when there are kids (3-12 yo) with you waiting at the intersection. And if you do, that gets frowned upon (for pedagogical reasons). But the police, just as in the US, is utterly uninterested in fining jaywalkers.
Compare the number of traffic fatalities in the U.S. and Germany (traffic is heavier in Germany!), then you know why we follow the rules.
Why do we love cash? Because it can't be blocked and monitored. We have had bad experiences with dictatorial governments.
Well it's totally not "just a culture thing" about the traffic lights.
It's a rule for safety, also something you should be a role model of it for kids to be safe. If you go on red, it means you're gonna do something which dangrous for not only yourself but other people around (the one who is driving the car and else) and disturbs the everydays flow. Though there are also many rules which are indeed kinda senseless, but those rules like red mens stop, green means go, exist to ensure we all can life without worrying about danger and have an easy life (at least for those cases)-> AS LONG as everyone stick to it.
And I promisse if you still cross the street if the red light is on you gonna pay a decent fee if police is catching you.
Imagine every car would just ride, no matter if green or red, imagine that huge chaos and danger especially for pedestrian it would be, you'd never be able to cross the road on a busy road. Therefore you wouldn't need any traffic lights anyway...
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The second thing about the cash, well it's partly not always true about "loving cash". But the thing is we in germany having our typical money card where you can pick up our money from the bank or else, and THIS CARD can be also used to pay in many shops and restaurants (but not every, especially on a street market).
So we actually don't need credit cards after all. This so called "EC" card is exclusive in germany only.
Point 9 - Cash is King
Yeah, mostly in german this is true but its not that people dont like to give this service, its a huge amount of behind the scenes:
Sometimes you have a little shop, where u just can pay with card, if its over 10€. It is because, you have fees on every transaction, so most shops want to make a good profit out of their sells.
An example:
You have a shop for cigarettes etc. The Shop owner will make maybe 8-10 Cent per package he sells... BUT, if he now allows every from this customer to pay with cards, there isnt 8 cent, its more likely 2-3 cent left from this Sell. And thats not worthy if you see, how much your personal cost you per Hour.
A long story, but we germans would love too, just use cards, but not possible at this moment :/
The jaywalking thing is highly exaggerated. You can cross a street as you want. Just NOT at the traffic light. Respect the traffic light! Especially when children are present.
about #2 crosswalks / lights and jaywalking.
Sometimes in the 80' Germany made an effort to combat traffic accidents - especially with pedestrians, especially especially with school kids walking to school. One of the actions taken was the campaign 'Stand when red, walk when green - be an example for the children'.
This and a lot of other things like volunteer guides for school children, speed limits on certain ways and so, did the trick and made streets a lot safer for kids (and adults obviously).
So yes. When you walk over a red light - it's pretty unlikely a cop will show up to fine you - but the scorn of every parent and elderly person in the vaccinity will burn directly into your soul.
edit: Some clarification.
German here.
this guy in the video replaces a negative steriotype with a positive steriotype...
depending on the place, many people j-walk (not old ppl, no). It's not that much of a big deal, really.
I...never brougth flowers....wine..or candy when I went to a friends house. ...first time I'm hearing about this. Is he living in Baveria? If so, that's quite a diffence to the rest of germany.
Ice cream restaurants tend to have open on sunday, but be closed on a different day :) (I'm working at one)
Cash is sloooowly dying out. but it's still very much existant, thats true. I prefere card pay honestly, it's so much more comfy...I heard all the reasons pro cash and I'm just not on that side.
As a small kid I was running on top of that momorial in Berlin, at that time I didn't know what it was. My Parents got me of that quite quickly. I think the fact that so many kids are walking and running on top of that has to do something with how easy it is to get on top because they start at a very low high
"germans will stay with you till the end and they are very helpful"... either no, or i just almost all the people i ever talked from germany were exception... (yes i have few REALLY good friends in germany but still)
The thing with the jaywalking/red lights:
Yes the Autobahn is wild and scary sometimes...but also very useful
I think Germans learnt the hard way that cars can be very dangerous (when you slam into another car at 200 km/h or get crushed by a 30 ton truck that just randomly stops...you see this daily in Germany)
So we really obey to the traffic rules because we know the consequenses!
Also:
When a car hits you while you cross the street and its red light...
No insurance will pay your bills
You got to pay the damaged car
And if you are not dead you can reckon with some medical bills that you have to pay off by yourself
Maybe not the surgeries but for example your health insurance can deny you things like a wheelchair or nursing care
And all this just because you wanted to cross the street 10 seconds earlier
So stay safe guys
And greets from Deutschland
Another Don't is those two flags you have behind you in that vid.
Major Big red flag in Germany...
Germans are straight forward with you, don’t jaywalk ☠️, they are nice asf but stubborn, I’m going to be living here for 3 yrs lmaoo
Same rules in Switzerland 🇨🇭 and Austria! But never call Swiss oder Austrians German! They really dislike it. Be friendly ! In Switzerland 🇨🇭 for example it is normal to greet people by enterning a restaurant or a store. Do it and you get a better service than in Germany. Do it not and don't wonder about unfriendly reactions and bad service. Same in Austria.
Most Germans don't own a Credit Card (only about 20% of adults) because Germans don't tend to spend money they don't have.
Paying with Debit Card (electronic cash) is quite common, tho.
One mayor reason why paying with mobile apps and that stuff is not common (yet) is the bad infrastructure in Germany when it comes to internet and the mobile/wirelesse network. No matter how progressive Germany may be in many aspects - politics (especially the Conservatives that were in charge for many years) overslept many, many years in this one. This might have changed a bit in the last years but in the meanwhile when it comes to paying, the Germans have probably just gotten used to cash.
Some tips more from a German view:
1.) In a Restaurant, as long as you read the menu, you are not ready to order... the waiter knows. When you put down the menu search for eye contact with the waiter and he comes.
2.) "Bei Rot musst du stehen, bei Grün darfs du gehen." Indeed it is so in almost entire countries, ruled by a law, called Straßenverkehrsordnung. Except in Berlin, nobody cares about that. And to be honest, the stupidest thing on earth waiting on a red robber without any traffic for the next hour... pedestrians just go. Germans would not do but so what.
J-walking --- depends on the city, in Würzburg you don't get around without j-walking or you'll be standing around until St Nimmerleins Tag (for a long time). In Aschaffenburg I never really j-walk because the roads are just built different. You hardly ever have to.
Restaurant etiquette --- the waiter is not going to hover over you like a fly around the shit pile, but don't worry, when they'll see you, they'll come over to bring you menus, when they see you're set to order (close the menus to signal you're ready), they'll come by - or they might come by whenerver they have time, or they might come by when they realise you're hard stuck with the menu and need some help deciding. --- Either way, at some point, they're going to take your order. After which they will come to your table in four situations: 1 - when your food is ready; 2 - with the bill after you asked them for the bill; 3 - when you signal them to come by making eye contact, giving them a friendly wave or perhaps asking "Entschuldigung?" (Excuse me) to get their attention; 4 - tey might check up on you to see if everything is okay, mainly if you need water, bread or have any other desires.
You will not be rushed out of the restaurant, they will not harass you, they will not put the bill next to you so you know it's time to free the table.
In difference to a French restaurant, it is okay to just walk in and sit at a table in a German café, I wouldn't advise it, because I think there's just something respectful when you enter a restaurant to wait for the waiter to seat you, and in most places they will seat you, but it's not usually a requirement.
Also in beergardens you just sit your ass down, perhaps ask kindly if there'S any space on a table if all tables are taken, but you're not seated by the waiter in beergardens usually, but a beergarden is not a restaurant, so as long as you're aware of that, you should ge by fine.
I'd say his video is mostly accurate. The jaywalking honestly depends on the age of the people seeing you when you do it. Younger people don't care and do it themselves, the older generation will scold you for it. I have personally never seen anyone getting fined for it, but I would imagine that mostly would happen in the big, high traffic cities, where behavior like this could more easily end in bad accidents etc.
And the other thing is the cash thing. It's actually no longer the case that all Germans prefer cash, I'd say that was mostly true up until the millennials came around, because my parents for sure pay nearly 100% cash while I nearly 100% don't, but credit cards are not super common in Germany. When we pay not cash, we usually use our "EC cards", which is our bank account card we also use to withdraw money from the ATM, but it's basically working like a debit card to your account.
Credit card acceptance has gone up a lot though.
Jaywalking/Redlights:
Of course you're an idiot for crossing at 1pm at a busy road while granny Greta and her 6 g-children watch you doing the dodge dance.
If you really have to directly jaywalk, do it past 11 in the evening. There is a very high chance noone is out and remember: Those lights only purpose is to regulate traffic. If there is NONE they become useless and you might as well cross street anywhere else. Its also the reason non-main road lights get turned off at night.
3:59 No, jaywalking is basically not a thing in germany..
But it is considered to be respected around children.. So, you are basically free to cross the street as you wish. But if children _may_ be around, you are supposed to show discipline how to safely cross the street, which means if you're near to a crosswalk or a traffic sign, you should preferably use that in the correct manner....
But eventually, if you ignore that .... and there is no harm created for any party... you are free to walk as you like. ;)
(Actually, you can even walk freely on streets if you want to ....... only on roads and motorways you could get into problems ....... while "landstraßen" (rural roads) are a different thing there again... ;))
yes...the selfies with the jewish memorial and climbing and jumping around them
would you do this on a graveyard?
Why not Jaywalking? Germans are rule followers, so car drivers expect others to generally follow the rules as well, so when they have green, they expect crossing pedestrians having red. And they will drive. Yes, with increased awareness of the pedestrians, but don't forget, most Germans drive manuals, so specially when starting up after the lights just turned green, there's a lot going on in the driver seat, making an accident more likely to happen when you then decide to ignore your red light.
Oktoberfest mugs are deposit free, because you are not allowed to take them out of the tents anyways.
Ordering in a restaurant: Usually as soon as you sit down, the waiter will come with the menu, ideally asking for your orders to drink right away. And then you have time until they come back with the drinks to look through the menu to be ready to order your foods. That's the ideal flow of things. And they respect privacy a lot. They look around to see if there's something to be taken away from the table, but generally they'll leave you alone. If you want something, including the bill, you have to signal them to come over.
Cash versus Credit Cards: It's a pure mentality thing. Germans are likers of the real thing. And psychologically it even should be preferred. You give away something, you get something else in return. With a credit card, you get something, and the thing you're supposed to give in return... somehow stays with you? Oh, now I have more! Might lead into a greed trap. But things have changed in the past 3 years, people and places more and more accept the fact that contactless payment methods increase health security, so paying with credit cards gets more common compared to the video dated back 2016.
Ignore the "don't cross the streets and never walk over a red lights" rule.
Everyone does that here regularly.
BUT, you never EVER do that while there is a child around that sees you. No THAT is gonna be a cardinal sin if you do that!
It's all about being a good role model for the children.
But if no child is there and you're not hindering anyone, just cross the street whenever...
I live in the Czech republic and I'm happy we don't have this extreme tendency to stick to rules no matter what. I'd rather live in a country where you can jaywalk and nobody thinks anything much of it.
You don't get the cash is king concept? Germans value privacy. They own credit and debit cards, but do not want themselves monitored. For the same reason, employees in stores will usually not approach you, but if you want assistance, you go and ask for it. Exceptions might be special offer booths, wer someone might adress you to pronote a product, but those stick to their booths. This is also why there are no greeters ir baggers in supermarkets.
Oh... and don't ask "how are you" if you do not want an honest answer. A German won't respond "fine" if that is not the case. And yeah, we do consider many other cultures quite superficial because they would.