Happy Thursday- I actually pulled through- SHOCKING. Here are 5 things Germans have/do that Americans probably don't know about! Thank you for spending your Thursday with me and have a wonderful day ❤️😊
Those Getränkemärkte used to be called 'Bierverlag' and some still are. The literal translation would be 'beer publisher'. I used to have one 'round the corner from where I lived in Berlin. They sold over 100 kinds of beer in bottles (mostly) or 50L kegs, around 20 varieties of whisky and two types of lemonade.
You should have asked Mike somehow more profoundly. This CMB thing is indeed Caspar Melchor Balthasar and the "Sternsinger" are painting this after having sung in front of your door when you opened and donated. So its like a paid blessing.
@Dennis I guess I should have mentioned that the stories I am telling are from personal experience. The house I live in currently has it written in chalk and the people that own the home do it themselves (not the church). I have friends that order these: www.amazon.de/-/en/Slate-Sternsinger-Blessing-Engraved-Weatherproof/dp/B09MS9KDSV/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=sternsinger+aufkleber&qid=1659034629&sprefix=sternsing%2Caps%2C78&sr=8-5 to put on their door frame when it's the time of the year.... It is 100% a tradition for the church but a lot of people I have met do it themselves.
@@HayleyAlexis At least here in NRW, some childs from the church are coming to sing and after that they chalk it on your home. But they only sing for money.
If you think German inside shoes are somewhat extreme, try a trip to Japan, toilet shoes, kitchen shoes, balcony shoes, normal house shoes or slippers, school slippers, work slippers, temple slippers, etc. etc. I am German, moved to Japan in 2012, and even after 10 years I am not used to it ^^.
I'm gonna move there this year and got so confused when my husband wanted to get me 3 different kind of slippers, for bath, balcony, Cornershop trips^^; As a result i panic bought more shoes than i ever owned in my life..
Drivers license in Germany can be used as age verification in bars/clubs, because it's a official document with photo. But that's about all you can use it for besides proving that you're allowed or not allowed to operate a vehicle
Same in Denmark yet most of us have our licenses on our phones. Can't remember when I used a physical card in Denmark. Oh I showed my license on my phone in Berlin.
More precise: Drivers license is enough to verify name and birthday, but it doesn't have your address. So whenever an address is needed or you have to prove citizenship of a city or state it's not sufficient. You can't open a bank account or get a cellphone contract for instance.
driver's licens in germany is not an official "Ausweisdokument" (document of identification). It is sometimes accepted if you have nothing else with you. But you shouldn't count on it.
And to prove Hayleys point: You can use them for plenty of other things, that just require a verification of your identity to a reasonable degree, like picking up a parcel at the post office. When you come about something official or contractual, a proper ID is usually required. And as always exceptions confirm the rule ;)
In germany we not only have to have our id cards, but we also have a kind of „registration law“: we have to register one address as main place of residence. This is filed at the registry office of your town. One BIG advantage: Becaused it‘s filed that You exist and therefore your unique identity is clear you are automatically invited for each election taking place in your state (or: held for complete germany) - this is for free and a fundamental right. So the weird manipulation of electoral districts / „gerrymandering“ we see in the US does not occur here. You don‘t have to register for an election and you don‘t have to pay to register. Therefore this is not discriminating anyone and does not prevent poorer classes from participating in democracy.
Yeah I find it to be EXTREMELY good that this happens in Germany... It is something that once I started researching the topic I found all of the "flaws" with the American system. I do however dislike the "main" residence idea in Germany... This annoys the crap out of me because if you lets say- move out of the country for a little bit and get rid of your apartment/home they basically tell you- you have to "unsubscribe" from registering yourself... Which makes very little sense because you can still be German without having a home/place to live in Germany... I also have to do this as a foreigner and they told me once that I was not allowed to have another "prime" residence in another country if I was living in Geramny... so when I would write down my American address it would be a huge drama and I always wondered why it had to be so complicated.
if you find National identity cards in the European Economic Area on wikipedia, there are all EU ID cards and even where it is required by law for everyone to carry it with them at all times.
@@karinland8533 that‘s true, „the winner takes it all“ is annother „feature“ we don‘t have. And You are right, gerrymandering has nothing directly to do with the american registration procedures. But i thought maybe implicitely it has, because the modes of registering will not prevent all social classes symmetrically from voting - maybe somehow this can be used to plan voter turnout. Even the fact, americans cast their votes on weekdays, does not affect everybody equally. Lower class jobs usually can not choose their labor time easily.
@@HayleyAlexis I think it has to do with taxes. In USA you have to pay taxes because you are american (Citizenship-Based Taxation), no matter where you live. In Germany you pay taxes if your main place of residence is there (Residency-Based Taxation). By the way, there are only two or three countries in the world that have citizenship-based taxation, USA is one of them.
About the house blessing. It is usually done by the "Sternsinger". Groups of children, dressed up as the three wise men, go around the neighborhood and collect donations to help children in poorer countries. In exchange they write the blessings on the house. And yes it is organized by organizations of the catholic church.
Might be a catholic thing, because they also go 'round in NRW as well - maybe in evangelic states like Hesse or Lower Saxony doesn't do this. It's also not "just" a german thing, because other european countries do it as well, like austria, switzerland or the Czech republic
@@nobodx I lived in Marienheide (NRW) for 32 years. It's a small town with many catholic people due to the religious history (Marian apparition in medieval times, catholic church has been built at that specific location). These signs are all over the place but I have never seen them in other towns nearby. So yes I think it's just a catholic thing.
I am from Central EU (SK, not GE). At and after three wise men, 6. january, you can make appointment with priest and he will come bless, exorcise your household with prayer, mirth and holly water if you are Roman catholic. As he finishes, he would write over your doorframe message your household is protected. Red color is most appropriate. It came with Jew tradition,old law/order, when there was 10 Egyptian catastrophes. 10. Catastrophe: And I will take first borned of households which is not blessed by lamb blood at gate and there will be mourning and crying at first shine of next days sunrise (or something like that). Children doing it, is more in line with pagan tradition in my country and is done by white feather at St.Lucia day, before Christmas. Maybe could be more appropriate in Protestant/Evangelist… branches? I would like to know. But I find priest blessing more powerful and by children more morbid… when I was taught in Christian class, about origin of tradition (death firstborns, ugh).
The inside/outside shoe thing also kinda translates to other situations. I work at a hospital and in Germany it is the norm that there are hospital issued scrubs you have to wear and that you have shoes that you only wear inside the hospital. Like I go to work and completely change my outfit before I actually start working. Even in hospitals that don't have their own scrubs, the people who work there will bring their scrubs with them to work and change there. I've even seen doctors who do that in their own office. It always weirds me out quite a bit, when I see videos of Americans out and about in their scrubs that they were wearing while working with sick patients.
Alot of US hospitals have this also. You do have to buy your own scrubs (I prefer this. You get to choose what fits you. It isn't one size fits all. I had some cute scrub tops). I worked in the hospital and we would have our hospital clothes and shoes. We would get pee, poop, blood, vomit, and God knows what on our shoes. No one would want to wear that into their car and then inside their home. I had scrubs for out in public and scrubs at work. A lot of other employees do this also. Scrubs are more comfortable. I stopped working at the hospital and I still wear my outside scrubs when I want to be comfortable.
I also do it at work. Inside shoes are much more comfortable. And we even can get them from the company as we have special ESD shoes (for handling electronics). Independent of country, if you have snow in winter there is no reasonable alternative to changing shoes.
@@reinhard8053 you have to remember Haley is a Florida girl. She didn't experience growing up with snow. Up north where it snows people have inside/outside shoes for work. Here at my work they have a little area set up for the workers to change their shoes (I work in a grocery store so I don't work at a fancy place). At home people have an area inside their house (it's called a mudroom) and they change their shoes there. They'll either walk around in just socks, barefoot, or with slippers. Gyms (fitness studios) are beginning to require that people have outside shoes and inside shoes during the winter.
The German police is not obliged to accept a drivers license as prove of identity but may do so. The drivers license is not fully valid because it does not contain your address and until a few years ago, drivers licenses were never renewed, so at 50 years my drivers license had a picture showing me at age of 18.
Further to that, if you don't have an Personal ID-Card but an valid Passport, you often required to submit an "Meldebescheinigung" (certificate of registration/residence) which shouldn't be older than 6 months for official purposes, becaus the Passport doesn't bear your current adress and you are not obligated to renew your passport if you move into another municipal as long it's valid. If you only own an non-EU drivers license, you got to have your Passport with you where it also displays the stamp of the german imigration on date of entry. Because there are some limitations of how long are you allowed to operate an motor vehicle in germany with an foreign non-EU license.
When I got my first drivers licence we didn't have photos. Was 26 and on my second licence when I finally got a photo one. But I have to admit I would love to still have that one still had hair:)
Needed it every time when doing the registration of my car at the "KFZ-Zulassungsstelle". Once needed it at the notary and several times at the KVR to get a parking permit. I never owned an personal ID but always had a valid Passport. Also i remember when inviting my friend from abroad, the german embassy during the visa application required a copy of the front and back of my personal ID, but because I have none, I sent a copy of my Passport and a Meldebescheinigung.
That's strange. No identity document, ID Card, Passport or Driver Licence, shows the person's address in Switzerland and I was convinced this was EU standard.
I live in Hamburg and during strawberry season, there's strawberry huts all over the city - at metro stations, near bus stops, all over the place. So convenient! And so yumm! :-D
6:28 our asparagus stand next to the main street adds strawberries around the end of May - so it is mixed strawberries and asparagus, after the end of June it switches to cherries :)
Yeah, I was bracing myself when she said "and what do they sell at those strawberry shaped huts?" that the punchline would be "well, Spargel/asparagus of course", and then she actually said "strawberries" :D
In Belgium, northern France and southern England you find small tempory stalles along country roads selling produce like strawberries, cherries, asparagus, etc... depending on the season. In our region you even get vending machines selling patatoes, dairy, etc... near farms.
In Ireland also, almost always selling "Wexford strawberries" and some also sell "new season" potatoes when the crop is dug. Some operators put a sales hut/trailer each side of the road, which results in the teenage operator sprinting across the road and back to sell to customers on both sides......
I love those vending machines! There are bread vending machines, potato vending machines and milk vending machines that operate year round, and then there are the ones selling seasonal produce that either get set up for an individual product, or that have produce changing over the seasons. A beekeeper close to where I live has one for honey… While driving along back roads you’ll often encounter a cardboard or wooden sign announcing a vending machine and what it holds sharpied on it. When friends from another country come to visit they always exclaim how unique it is… except for people visiting from Japan where the vending machine reigns supreme. I have a whole route mapped out for when I have visitors. “Shall we go for a walk with the dogs?” Depending on the season there are four to six-ish vending machines and a couple of stalls along that route. The first one is for potatoes. After the second or third, they’ll run up to the machine to find out what it’s selling. Many a visitor has returned from such a walk with farm fresh produce. When I’m in a truly ‘evil’ set of mind I make a little detour that includes a farm where you can have a coffee, some cake, and freshly churned ice cream for a mid-walk snack. They have a little shop that sells produce from the farm (including delicious cheese) and that usually means dinner featuring that produce. If those friends stay overnight breakfast includes eggs from that farm. Free-range eggs with yolks that are deep orange. My guests love it. Makes me happy to be a Belgian living in the countryside. I love showing off my country. ☺️
The chalk on the door thing is a thing in predominantly Catholic towns. In my town, children dressed as the three wise men will knock on your door, singing for you in your living room and collecting donations. Afterwards you get the blessing via the chalk. The last blessings stay on as well so it isn't uncommon to see the drawings of multiple years on some buildings.
There are also other codes for wandering craftsmen on doors on what to expect when they are looking for temporary housing and working. I always these were the same....I guess it's just something like superstition again....
I'm from around Düsseldorf and find it very fun what you picked out! I really need to wear my house shoes indoors x'D can relate to that invisible wall! We even always had special shoes for gardening, similar in style to crocs? Funny that this is such a German thing I never knew! 🤣
These "strawberry huts" are scattered across the city I live in, on big streets near other types of stores as well as bus stops. So they're not only on the countryside!
The ones out in the country are usually next to strawberry fields where you con pick your own strawberries. You then pay by weight and it's sort of understood that while you're picking you are allowed to eat as many strawberries as you like.
11:37 Every year around the 6th of January (the day of the three holy kings-Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar) groups of children/young adults (dressed up as the three holy kings) go from door to door to sing some catholic songs and collect money for the poor. Before they leave, they write the blessing with chalk on the top of the door. It is a catholic tradition, which is very common in Germany.
I did not know that C M B could stand for something else. (I lived in Bavaria for 28 years.) I mean the children come on the 6th of January to bless the house, and are dressed as Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar. Besides, this is the holiday of the three kings.
The three wise men ("kings") don't have names in the bible, these were invented much later . It's probably no coincidence that they're fitting to the graffiti blessing from the star singers.
@@Rdlprmpf12 Oh, I was not aware of that. I simply grew up with it, so I was never aware of anything else. I'm also not someone who is very interested in it. Again what learned. :)
@@Rdlprmpf12 The Story of the three Kings is the introduction advertisement for Christianity, People at the time did understand the symbolism. The Three Kings, who are associated with the three phases of life youth, adulthood and old age as well as with the three biblical "races" of the Chamites, Semites and Japhetites as descendants of Noah's sons. In addition, the three wise men were already assigned to the continents of Africa, Asia and Europe around the year 600, which is reflected, for example, in the pictorial representations of the icons. If one looks at the meeting of shepherds, wise men, ox and donkey, it is striking that the interpretations that have emerged over many centuries are similar in one respect: they all state that the shepherd and the ox stand for the Jews and the wise men and the donkey symbolize the pagans . The Symbolism is supposed to say that the whole world will peacefully come together with Jesus. Powerful propaganda at the time.
The german citizen personal identity card / ID / Personalausweis / has the handy format of a credit card. Very easy to carry even on a party weekend. Special features are it shows a recent photo, some personal information like age, height and eye color. And the registered current residential address. In everyday use this document secures almost all transactions of daily life. Opening a bank account, taking out a loan, renting an apartment, securing a sales or job contract, identifying yourself to the authorities, becoming a member somewhere, renting something, etc. etc. all these daily transactions are secured with this single document for both sides. And it also works like a valid German passport within Europe and in many other countries worldwide. Quite efficient.
By the way, Germans are obliged, as soon as they reach the age of 16 and are subject to the general obligation to register or reside predominantly in Germany, to possess a valid identity card and to present it on request to an authority authorized to establish identity. However, there is no legal obligation to carry the ID, only in exceptional cases, for example for employees of certain industries during their working hours to prevent illegal employment. Furthermore, there is no legal obligation to identify oneself without reason when officially requested to do so.
The thing about shoes is quite simple: on the one hand it is a question of hygiene, on the other hand it is a question of respect. It is not common for us Germans to spread street dirt in our own homes or in someone else's homes or in public facilities such as kindergartens, schools or fitness studios.
@@Flugkaninchen Not for all of us tho. ^^ After breaking one of my toes by accidentally walking against the edge of the washing machine I always wear house shoes, no matter where I am. I even bring them to friend's places or to hotels. Also my feet get cold very, very fast and I hate that, so running around barefoot or only with socks is not comfortable for me at all.
What's respectful depends on where you live. In the Netherlands it's disrespectful to take off your shoes in someone else's house, unless you're very close to each other or your shoes are very dirty. You also shouldn't ask guests to take off their shoes, except for children or when someone's shoes are visibly dirty. You should even wear shoes yourself when you have visitors, unless they're close family or friends. Some people even think answering the door (for a delivery guy or such) with no shoes on is rude!
Hey Hayley, I love your content, you do a very good Job 🥰...mayby, one for the record and I hope to explain it the right way...if a person was in prison or did some sort of crime, they are not excluded from vote!! It doesn't matter, which crime or how long you spend time in prison, you're still able to vote for your favorite party, or who is going to be the next mayor in your hometown or whatever...you are a human being, with your own thoughts and opinion and you've got the wright to stay this way...I hope, I told it right 😊😊...big hug, you're really amazing ☺
Another topic in line with "Americans have never seen" is personal banking in Europe. Electronic banking, ease of wire transfers, speed of doing wire transfers, wire transfer fees, ATM fees, etc. Oh, and for something completely different: everyone is registered for voting.
Well said! I am also here to learn how to invest after listening to a lady on tv talk about the importance of investing and how she made 7 figure in 3 month, somehow the video taught me nothing and left me even more confused, I'm a newbie and I'm open to ideas on how to invest for retirement
@@ericalorraine7943Think long term, personally i ventured into the market so i won’t be stranded after i retire. A colleague of mine introduced me to CFA " Teresa Jensen White " who drew out retirement plans and they all aligned with what i wanted and had to pick one plan and with her exit and entry strategies on commodities, securities and digital assets, my portfolio has really been diversified with good ROI. I am really impressed by how much i have achieved
@@davidhudson3001Thank you, I just lookup her name online and going through her profile in her webpage, she smashed all her state certificate and accreditation🙏
In Denmark We alsohave those small street side shops too. There’s no seller though. We just pay by a phone app called Mobilpay or cash into a box. It’s everything from potatoes to strawberries to whatever greens or fruits are available. Sometimes honey and fruit sirops.
In Austria every "Lichtbildausweis" can be used as an ID card. Be it the driving license, passport, personal identity card or even your university student card - all are equivalent by law.
A university card as well? That is something that is not allowed in the USA as a valid form of ID... Sometimes you can bring a water/electricity bill to prove your identification which I find to be very strange in the USA.
that’s not really exact right - I worked in a driving school - the government don’t except the driving license as id. And when you go abroad you have to have the passport or in the EU the Personalausweis with you. Funny story - my daughter didn’t believe me when I said to her she need the passport to go to Germany. She went by train. There was no control to go out of the country. When she went back, the bavarian police wanted to see her passport. She only had her driving license with her. One of the police officers said „“Wos moch ma den hiazt?“ The other one answered: „Wüstas ghoidn?“ (What will we do now? - Do you want to keep her?) 😂 I like the Bavarians, not only they are similar with us, their humor is so epic. Love from Austria 🇦🇹
The gym shoe thing is common in Canada too. I’ve been to a variety of gyms here and most require or ask you to bring clean shoes to use in the gym to help keep the gym and equipment clean.
When I was 24 I was in the USA for an exchange semester. The first time I visited a bar I thought I leave my passport at home because it is so big and I don't want to loose it. When they ask me about my age, I can show them my ID card, I thought. Unfortunatly the bartender did not accept the ID card and I was not able to buy a beer after 8 years of legaly drinking beer and wine!😀 after that I always brought my passport with me.
One time... I went back to Florida (I was maybe 25 at the time) and I grabbed my German residency permit card instead of my drivers license- they feel very similar. I got to the bar/club and when I pulled out my residency card I thought it would be no issue to use it... When they asked for my birthdate to match I said 04/10 (April 10th) and on the German card its 10.04... They would not let me in the bar
@@l.angelina.m for people outside of the US, probably. For the average US citizen "American way is the only way possible", so I don't think they realised yet that the rest of the world writes dates differently.
@@HayleyAlexis Didn't they know that german is dd.mm.yyyy? Or google it? and what about the year? If you are clearly over 21 (?) they can't say anything? I don't know how clubs in USA work.
Hey Hayley, nice vid. Just a small things about the strawberry huts, at some of them you cannot only buy strawberries, you can also harvest them yourself on the field and pay per kilogramm.
You should have explained how the Caspar/ Melchior/ Balthasar- engraving comes to the houses. I live in Bavaria, too, and I love how the ,,Sternsinger " walk from house to house, bring the Blessing to your house and write that on your door / put a sticker with it on your door. It 's a very Catholic thing but even if you are not very religious , it 's just a very nice Tradition especially in rural Areas. I always even know the kids who come to my house Dressed like The 3 wise men , say a short Poem and bring the blessing. It happens on Januar 6th , in Bavaria a Public holiday ( ,,heilig 3 könige ").
The "inside workout shoes" and "outside workout shoes" is often mandated by the school, too and they even require that the inside shoes MUST have white soles so you don't leave black marks on the floor when jumping/running in gym. And I was wondering if the thing about americans coming to the gym fully dressed and ready to go might also be because they're a bit too prude to change there? Not just with shoes but the whole outfit.
Servus Hayley Durch Zufall bin ich auf ein Video von dir gestoßen und bekam Lust noch ein Video zu schauen und dann noch eins und noch eins... Deine Themenauswahl finde ich spannend und deine Sichtweise dazu interessiert. 😊 Mach weiter so und ich freue mich schon auf die nächsten Videos. 😊 Wünsche dir weiterhin viel Erfolg und hab eine gute Zeit. 😊 Liebe Grüsse aus Regensburg 🙋🏼♂️
I was driving 10 years from Austria to Germany without ID, only with Führerschein. Several times the police at the border told me "drivers licence is not enough, but I will allow it this time"
I have gotten pulled over with MIke with only my FL drivers license and they were not that amused by my story that in the USA you don't need an ID nor that it is required to be a passenger..
@@HayleyAlexis Grundsätzlich braucht man für einen Grenzübertritt einen Reisepass. Die Mitgliedsstaaten der EU und der EFTA haben vereinbart untereinander gegenseitig auch Personalusweise und Identitätskarten anzuerkennen. Und Einwohner von Schengenstaaten bräuchten für Reisen innerhalb des Schengenraumes theoretisch keinen Ausweis mitzuführen. Praktisch ist es einfacher wenn man einen dabei hat. So erspart man sich Diskussionen mit den Zöllnern oder der Grenzpolizei, falls man mal kontrolliert wird. Eine US Drivers License erfüllt keine der Kriterien für einen Grenzübertritt innerhalb Europas, da kann der kontrollierende Beamte schon etwas bockig werden. Vermutlich lässt er es jedoch bei einer Belehrung, wenn du mit Mike unterwegs bist, der deine Angaben bestätigen kann.
@@Andreas_42 It's more that you don't need to show the passport but you still need a way to identify yourself if you are controlled. It might also happen, that for whatever reasons border checks are intensified, then you might get in real trouble without a passport.
The strawberry hut is like the watermelon guy in the hood selling melons on the back of a pickup truck. It's not cute but it's the only place I've ever seen a white watermelon (delicious). It's usually assorted melons, not just watermelon. They are much better than what you find in the grocery store. I've only seen them in the south during the summer.
Here on the county site, groups of children called "Sternsinger" sing at the doors in the days before Jannuary 6th. You give a small donation for a good cause and the adult who accompanies them writes these letters onto the door frame. I only know the meaning of the tree kings and have never heard the other interpretation.
I spent a year in New York State when I was 24. At a liquor store, the guy didn 't believe me that I was 21 because I looked a lot younger than I actually was. After watching your Video, I finally understand why he didn't want to Accept my German ID card =Personalausweis. He thought it 's a fake ID and wanted to See a New York State driver's licence which of course I didn 't have as a foreign exchange Student. IN the end, he sold me the bottle of Baileys but it was a long Discussion 😅
Love your videos. I was already addicted to videos about differences between the US and the Netherlands. Germany and the Netherlands have lots in common, but it's also fun to notice differences. Like, we don't have stores that sell only drinks like that. I didn't know that was a thing.
13:35 "Foundation mark" We have something similar here. It is called "Foundation Stone" (Grundstein). It has (at least) the date of construction on it. Many people put additional things next to it. Very commonly: A daily newspaper, some alcoholic bottle (e.g. wine, Schnapps), you get the gist. Germans also follow this tradition on major reconstructions or extensions of buildings.
When it comes to building houses there's an additional ceremony called Richtfest. It seems to be called topping-out in English. It happens when the walls are up and the 'ribcage' of the roof is finished. It's of course celebrated with food and drinks and there for good luck. The house gets a so-called Richtkranz or Richtkrone. It's a specific wreath that is shaped a bit like a crown. Mostly it has oak-twigs and leaves in it, because oaks represent strength and steadiness - which you want for a house. Oftentimes that wreath is hung right under the roof framework to remain there forever for good luck. That goes for houses with attics. No idea what happens when that space is turned into an actual room. If folks turn the wreath down, the house will probably be doomed! 😉
5:52 You can say "never" about erdbeerständchen at the autobahn, since you are not allowed to stop (except in case of an emergency/defect) on the autobahn ;)
No way ever, as any business at Autobahns is monopolized and state regulated. ... there once was a snack stand (Imbisswagen) at a rest stop at an Autobahn in former DDR until the late 1990s, however...
The difference between the ID Card and the Driver license is that you don´t have your address and ID Card number on the Driver license, you can confirm your age and identity with both but not your address!
@@HayleyAlexis The ID -card number is recomendet when you want to make a telephone contract for example, i only knew this bc i have sold telephone contracts
@@ollyo25 In my country the ID card number is used in so many places. I work at a library and we write down the ID card number when we register new people in our system. I was also asked for it when I got a phone call from the bank to ensure they're talking to the right person.
@@tinnie75 wow, where are you from? Most of the germans can´t even tell where to find it exept your work in a field where you need to know. I´m not sure if the libary in my town need the number or just the name address and birthdate.
@@HayleyAlexis I have watched many shows based on USA, and one thing bothered me a lot, the drivers licence or other form of ID has an address on it, I live in Finland, and in my ID card does not have my address on it, not even the city where I live. It only has my name, sex, date of birth, ID code, dates of issue and expiry, my signature, and last but not least card access number.
In Berlin and it's sorrounding areas you can find strawberry huts from "Karl". It's a big strawberry empire from Northern Germany and even has its own amusement parks.
You explain the sign of the Three Wise Men (Sternsinger) very well. Yes, it's a Catholic tradition, but it's common in other parts of Central Europe as well.
Hello Haley, I love your videos. Thanks. A comment to the shoes. Depending on the structure of their soles, they will catch small and often sharp edges stones (for example those ones that are dispersed on icy ground during the winter). No indoor floor would like to be scratched by these.
Getränkequelle - in my hunble opinion - does not primarily mean drink source, but rather drink spring or drink fountain. The primary meaning of Quelle is the place where a river or a stream begins, i.e., the water comes out of the ground. With important Quellen this place often is artificially enhanced and converted to a nice fountain. And because drinks are liquid like water, this meaning of Quelle is more probable than a plain source.
source is actually the word for where a stream emerges, though there are others like spring, well (rather if it's artificially bordered), fountain (rather used if it's gushing) and more. And while Quelle in this context refers to water of course, it's just one meaning among others (cf. e.g. Quellenangabe, Quellcode). Getränkequelle does pretty well translate to drink source.
In Germany, a _Führerschein_ doesn't count as an _Ausweisdokument_ . However, that doesn't mean you can't prove your identity with a Führerschein. For instance, when you're voting, it is sufficient to produce _any_ _amtliches_ _Dokument_ with a _Lichtbild_ - which a Führerschein is - if proving your identity is required in the first place.
Funny, so I am going to present my grey monstrous one from 1986 - in which there is a photo of me at 16. No one will accept that to collect voting documents at the town hall.
Yeah they advised me to please change all my photos with long hair when I got to Germany (my passport)... they were having a hard time with my new hairdo. I had to get my mom to send in an old passport photo of me with my hair pulled back with a new application to get a new passport...
produce? or did you mean "show"? to produce any amtliches Dokument with a Lichtbild is illegal. As I know all adult Germans have to take a Personalausweis with them when leaving home. By the way: ist das ein Amiga-Ball in Deinem Profilbild?
@@sinusnovi3826 _Produce_ as in _show_ . You are misinformed about adults having to carry _a Personalausweis_ - you don't even have to carry _your_ Personalausweis (which would be impossible if you didn't possess one to begin with). Ja.
The blessing ist written by the "Sternsinger", which is a catholic oganisation. Children dressed as the three wise man go to the houses around january the 6th and collect for projects for children in the whole world. They are singing some traditional Songs and write down the blessing.
Für eine Legitimationsprüfung (Feststellung der identität einer Person), zum Beispiel bei einer Kontoeröffnung, ist in Deutschland nur der Personalausweis oder der Reisepass als Ausweispapier zulässig. Zusätzlich darf das Gültigskeitdatum nicht überschritten sein. Der Grund warum zum Beispiel der Führerschein hierfür nicht geeignet bzw. zulässig ist, liegt in der Tatsache begründet, dass der Führerschein einmal ausgestellt wird und danach nicht aktualisert wird. Beim PA oder RP erfolgt dies aber nach 5 bzw. 10 Jahren, wenn die Gültigkeit des aktuellen Dokuments abgelaufen ist und man wieder ein aktuelles Passbild zur Verfügung stellen muss für den neuen Ausweis/Pass. Es kommt durchaus vor bei Leuten, dass das Bild in ihrem/seinen Führerschein immer das gleiche ist, ca. 18 Jahre alt als der Führerschein gemacht wurde und da nach 30, 40 oder noch mehr Jahren nicht mehr viel Ähnlichkeit festzustellen ist.
Hey .. Greetings from.your Dutch expat cousin .. so glad you and Dar the traveller had a chance to have a zoom call.. I'll also be in touch soon as I am having an expat gathering in Amsterdam soon and would love to have you included if by zoom then so be it ..
Lol, we don’t have any of these in Britain either. I remember being really confused about the Getränkemärkte! I asked an owner why they exist… like is there a special reason. Probably not a terrifically tactful question.
Karls Erdbeerhof / Karls Strawberry Farm It's started out as a chain of these little fruit/vegetable vendor huts in Mecklenburg-Westpomerania, but it's gotten pretty huge over time. There are full-blown restaurants now with playgrounds etc, and I think even one or more Freizeitparks / amusement/theme parks. It's predominantly in north-eastern Germany. I haven't been there myself (yet), but my brother and his family visit them any time they can.
Citizen registration and ID cards make separate voter registration redundant and voter suppression difficult. All citizens are invited by mail to either vote by mail or in person, in advance or on election day, for local, state, federal and EU elections.
We have in Germany the tradition of the Richtfest, wenn Building a house. There are typicality a poem or es verse spoken to mark the occasion and usually to bless the house.
Hello Hayley, the C M B will be distributed by Sternsinger. Mostly they collect for a social project or something similar. But I have to admit that I didn't know that the + also had a meaning. Which means that the saying, man kann alt werden wie eine Kuh, man lernt immer was dazu,, applies again.
That takes me back. :-) I used to be one of those children who went from house to house, dressed up as one of the three wise men around January 6th, Epiphany. We always had a priest and another adult accompanying us, and we used to sing and pray and then the priest would write the blessing on the door frame. It's indeed the Latin one you mentioned - Christus mansionem benedicat - the priest would say it out loud while writing.
In Germany you can always buy fresh strawberries and asparagus from the fields wher they are grown between April and June it`s so delicious because It`s super fresh.😋😘💌👍
Sternsinger/carol singers: We lived in a small Bavarian village for a long time. And of course almost everyone was Catholic. But we were Protestant. And yet the Sternsinger came to us at the beginning of the year, blessed our house and collected money for a charity campaign. And even though I have nothing to do with religion, I think it's a beautiful tradition.
Krass, was Du alles weißt! Hier in Norddeutschland nicht so üblich, aber diese "Kreidezeichen" stehen auch für Psalme, Verse aus der Bibel zu bestimmten Feiertagen etc. - aber ich bin nicht gläubig und kenne mich da nicht wirklich mit aus, aber dass Du das weißt! Hammer 👍
The ID card is a thing in France too and my French friend was confused that I don't have one in the UK. Generally the first I.D. people have here is a passport or provisional driver's license
In germany you can't use your drivers licence as an id card because there is no adress on it. It only can veryfi your age but not where you live. That is the reason why you need a "Personalausweis" called personal id card. And if you change your adress you have to go to the townhall to veryfi your new adress with a special sticker and a stamp.
The reason we have year round veggies and fruits in the USA is they are picked seasonally, but then sprayed with a chemical that keeps them from ripening or spoiling, and stored in a warehouse. Then in winter they are sprayed with another chemical to ripen them. It's kind of gross. When I was little, things were seasonal here too. So many chemicals in USA!
In Austria the "20*C+M+B+22" is written by the "Sternsinger" ... Groups of kids or Grownups that walk around after christmas as the "heilige 3 Könige" (3 holy kings) and come to every house and sing songs and ask the people to donate for a special occasion (every year something different) In the end they write this over the door ... Or meanwhile they also have stickers so that they do not have to write it...
I think the point about drivers license is to confirm your identity by having your info and a photo on it, or to check if the person claiming to be 18 years or older is the one standing in front of them. In many cases the drivers license is therefore enough. But sometimes you need to prove residency and that's when you need an actual ID or passport and a driver's license is not enough. So what you say is correct in a way because it depends on the context of where you need to show the card.
In Austria, a driver's licence is the usual type of ID. People also have passports, but they are more cumbersome to carry around. There is also an ID card like in Germany, but many people don't have one.
We have beverage centers in upstate New York, one of the local brands here is Minogue’s, but there are all different independent or chain ones. Basically all kinds of beer/soda. I’ll be in Germany in two months, so will check out the Getränkemarkt and see if it’s the same.
Funny about the shoes. It will be somewhat "enforced" in regards to gyms and indoor sports arenas, whereas the main reason is that outside shoes usually have colored sole but inside, your shoe sole must have no color in it but be beige, the same as the hardwood floors in the gym. The main reason is that you do not "add colored" stripes on the floor that can never be removed to keep the floor from looking nice over time.
The shoe thing is to not drag dirt into a building, yes. It is easier to keep clean if everyone just uses "inside shoes." In school some sport shoes also were required to have a light sole because otherwise they'd leave marks on the floor. Sometimes it can get out of hand but honestly I think a lot of shoes can be used for multiple things and some people just have too much money that they get so many different pairs :D Strawberry huts are cool! Or generally speaking fruit huts if they are from local farmers. Some will let you pick your own in the field. I don't see the point in them if they just sell what a supermarket has though.
The joke with The (Getränke) or Soda and beer markets is, nearly all litle village have a small one even there is no other shop. If not, be shure, there will be a cigarette vending machine. You see the priorities.
The whole shoe thing also reminds me of the Japanese. They take it even further and offer slippers at restaurants and temples or places with tatami mats. Once I almost stepped on a tatami mat in a hotel room wearing my normal shoes, staff around me cried out in horror before I managed to put my foot on the ground 😂 It was so embarrassing 🙈
I think the most striking thing about drinks in Germany is that practically all of them (apart from liquor/spirits) are sold in multi-use bottles that you can return to any Getränkemarkt or supermarket to get a deposit back. They are then cleaned and reused. Originally that was done because glass was expensive, now we mainly do it for environmental reasons.
Could the shoe thing be more with where you grew up and lived in the U.S.? Where I live in Canada it would be considered an insult to walk in with your outside shoes. I'm like your husband. Most homes have what I call a mud-room where outside shoes are removed. I have never been in a gym that allows outside footwear on the gym floor. School gyms spectators make sure they do not walk on the play area with outside footwear. In the winter with snow no one enters the gym without taking off their shoes. I have a gut feeling this is more a climate thing.
6th January- epiphany. The Sternsinger usually go around from house to house after Xmas up to Epiphany. The writing does mean Christus mansionem benedictat. But as Caspar melchior Balthasar also fits many believe incorrectly that that's what it means. But why not, no big deal, that little misunderstanding. The writing has nothing to do with building a house, it is a yearly blessing. The Sternsinger also collect donations for charity at the same time, then leave this blessing. What you are mentioning is the tradition of Grundsteinlegung when starting to build a house, and that is an old European tradition long before the US of A even existed, and still done here as well, though not by all, i guess. Another similar tradition connected with building buildings... is das Richtfest, for example
I think, the official Personalausweis as the only and uniforely document for identification is the precondition for every social aspect here in germany. I can't imagine how anything would work without. For example: Without id, no tax. Without tax, no healtcare etc.. ... So easy.
A few more facts regarding the house blessing: The blessing is written after a group of volunteer cristian children, (costumed as the 3 wisemen in my area), sings a short religious song /chant / blessing, whichever term you feel fits best, I'm german and definitly not a native english speaker or writer. The adult supervising them is normally the one writing the sentence. The children are rewarded for this service with sweets (sometimes money) by the homeowners or residents. Like a second Halloween really, but only once per house and only for christian children volunteering (or being volunteered by their parents). I have experienced both being the costumed child singer and the supervising adult (my younger siblings were among the group I was supervising). In mainly cristian neighborhoods we went to every house, even the few not having cristian inhabitants, which we only found out if they volunteered the information. In other areas we only went to specific adresses, which registered with the church to receive a visit from us. My experience is from Baden-Würtemberg in the area around Offenburg (not the city itsself).
Is the shoe thing different in nothern us? I mean, when we have snow, I dont want to drag that into the house/appartment that will create a mess. Enter for example a small cafe where ppl come and go at winter time and you will see the issues with snow and not taking off your shoes. Or does NOONE even step outside of their cars?
In Europe, usually if you're stopped by police and asks you for your documents. You got to hand him your ID card, your driving card and your car ID's. If you don't abide you get in trouble/get a fine right away. I live in Romania (E.U.), so I think is similar in Germany too.
The chalk over the door is a Roman Catholic tradition, you won‘t find it in areas with protestant tradition like north Germany. It becomes interesting in cities with mixed catholic/protestant population. There it will appear on some houses.
Indoor and outdoor shoes are very common in cold regions, as you wouldn't go into your house with your snow boots. I guess it just becomes a habit even when there isn't any snow. We also do the same thing here in Canada. Children must have different pair of shoes at school. As you are from Florida, where it is warm most of the time, you had never experienced that before. Maybe an American from the northern part of the country will let us know if they also have different pairs of shoes at school and at home. 😉🇨🇦
In the Netherlands you can use for almost everything your drivers license. We also have IDcards and paspoorts, which the first ones are required when we visit another Europian union, which is not so common in the states. (just driving to another country) havinf a paspoort is just voor non Europian countries and it is not so fine to bring it alles the way and everywhere with yu because of de size and paper
Happy Thursday- I actually pulled through- SHOCKING. Here are 5 things Germans have/do that Americans probably don't know about! Thank you for spending your Thursday with me and have a wonderful day ❤️😊
Those Getränkemärkte used to be called 'Bierverlag' and some still are. The literal translation would be 'beer publisher'.
I used to have one 'round the corner from where I lived in Berlin. They sold over 100 kinds of beer in bottles (mostly) or 50L kegs, around 20 varieties of whisky and two types of lemonade.
Hey Hayley do ever visit other European countries and maybe you can give your thoughts about these countries compared with Germany.
You should have asked Mike somehow more profoundly. This CMB thing is indeed Caspar Melchor Balthasar and the "Sternsinger" are painting this after having sung in front of your door when you opened and donated. So its like a paid blessing.
@Dennis I guess I should have mentioned that the stories I am telling are from personal experience. The house I live in currently has it written in chalk and the people that own the home do it themselves (not the church). I have friends that order these: www.amazon.de/-/en/Slate-Sternsinger-Blessing-Engraved-Weatherproof/dp/B09MS9KDSV/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=sternsinger+aufkleber&qid=1659034629&sprefix=sternsing%2Caps%2C78&sr=8-5
to put on their door frame when it's the time of the year.... It is 100% a tradition for the church but a lot of people I have met do it themselves.
@@HayleyAlexis At least here in NRW, some childs from the church are coming to sing and after that they chalk it on your home. But they only sing for money.
If you think German inside shoes are somewhat extreme, try a trip to Japan, toilet shoes, kitchen shoes, balcony shoes, normal house shoes or slippers, school slippers, work slippers, temple slippers, etc. etc. I am German, moved to Japan in 2012, and even after 10 years I am not used to it ^^.
I'm gonna move there this year and got so confused when my husband wanted to get me 3 different kind of slippers, for bath, balcony, Cornershop trips^^;
As a result i panic bought more shoes than i ever owned in my life..
As a german, that actually sounds lovely.
Drivers license in Germany can be used as age verification in bars/clubs, because it's a official document with photo. But that's about all you can use it for besides proving that you're allowed or not allowed to operate a vehicle
Its equivalent to the passport in Austria. We do not use id cards. We can have it but nobody bothers.
Same in Denmark yet most of us have our licenses on our phones. Can't remember when I used a physical card in Denmark. Oh I showed my license on my phone in Berlin.
More precise: Drivers license is enough to verify name and birthday, but it doesn't have your address. So whenever an address is needed or you have to prove citizenship of a city or state it's not sufficient. You can't open a bank account or get a cellphone contract for instance.
driver's licens in germany is not an official "Ausweisdokument" (document of identification). It is sometimes accepted if you have nothing else with you. But you shouldn't count on it.
And to prove Hayleys point:
You can use them for plenty of other things, that just require a verification of your identity to a reasonable degree, like picking up a parcel at the post office.
When you come about something official or contractual, a proper ID is usually required. And as always exceptions confirm the rule ;)
In germany we not only have to have our id cards, but we also have a kind of „registration law“: we have to register one address as main place of residence. This is filed at the registry office of your town.
One BIG advantage: Becaused it‘s filed that You exist and therefore your unique identity is clear you are automatically invited for each election taking place in your state (or: held for complete germany) - this is for free and a fundamental right.
So the weird manipulation of electoral districts / „gerrymandering“ we see in the US does not occur here. You don‘t have to register for an election and you don‘t have to pay to register. Therefore this is not discriminating anyone and does not prevent poorer classes from participating in democracy.
Yeah I find it to be EXTREMELY good that this happens in Germany... It is something that once I started researching the topic I found all of the "flaws" with the American system.
I do however dislike the "main" residence idea in Germany... This annoys the crap out of me because if you lets say- move out of the country for a little bit and get rid of your apartment/home they basically tell you- you have to "unsubscribe" from registering yourself... Which makes very little sense because you can still be German without having a home/place to live in Germany... I also have to do this as a foreigner and they told me once that I was not allowed to have another "prime" residence in another country if I was living in Geramny... so when I would write down my American address it would be a huge drama and I always wondered why it had to be so complicated.
Gerrymandering would not make sense in Germany because we don’t have ‚the winner takes it all’ but representation by percentage
if you find National identity cards in the European Economic Area on wikipedia, there are all EU ID cards and even where it is required by law for everyone to carry it with them at all times.
@@karinland8533 that‘s true, „the winner takes it all“ is annother „feature“ we don‘t have. And You are right, gerrymandering has nothing directly to do with the american registration procedures.
But i thought maybe implicitely it has, because the modes of registering will not prevent all social classes symmetrically from voting - maybe somehow this can be used to plan voter turnout.
Even the fact, americans cast their votes on weekdays, does not affect everybody equally. Lower class jobs usually can not choose their labor time easily.
@@HayleyAlexis I think it has to do with taxes. In USA you have to pay taxes because you are american (Citizenship-Based Taxation), no matter where you live. In Germany you pay taxes if your main place of residence is there (Residency-Based Taxation).
By the way, there are only two or three countries in the world that have citizenship-based taxation, USA is one of them.
About the house blessing. It is usually done by the "Sternsinger". Groups of children, dressed up as the three wise men, go around the neighborhood and collect donations to help children in poorer countries. In exchange they write the blessings on the house. And yes it is organized by organizations of the catholic church.
Might be a catholic thing, because they also go 'round in NRW as well - maybe in evangelic states like Hesse or Lower Saxony doesn't do this.
It's also not "just" a german thing, because other european countries do it as well, like austria, switzerland or the Czech republic
@@nobodx Girl from Hessen here ;) Pretty common for us as well! I even did this a couple of times when I was a kid.
@@nobodx I lived in Marienheide (NRW) for 32 years. It's a small town with many catholic people due to the religious history (Marian apparition in medieval times, catholic church has been built at that specific location). These signs are all over the place but I have never seen them in other towns nearby. So yes I think it's just a catholic thing.
@@nobodx My mom lives in a Catholic neighborhood in Lower Saxony, and they have the blessing as well.
I am from Central EU (SK, not GE). At and after three wise men, 6. january, you can make appointment with priest and he will come bless, exorcise your household with prayer, mirth and holly water if you are Roman catholic. As he finishes, he would write over your doorframe message your household is protected. Red color is most appropriate. It came with Jew tradition,old law/order, when there was 10 Egyptian catastrophes. 10. Catastrophe: And I will take first borned of households which is not blessed by lamb blood at gate and there will be mourning and crying at first shine of next days sunrise (or something like that). Children doing it, is more in line with pagan tradition in my country and is done by white feather at St.Lucia day, before Christmas. Maybe could be more appropriate in Protestant/Evangelist… branches? I would like to know. But I find priest blessing more powerful and by children more morbid… when I was taught in Christian class, about origin of tradition (death firstborns, ugh).
The inside/outside shoe thing also kinda translates to other situations. I work at a hospital and in Germany it is the norm that there are hospital issued scrubs you have to wear and that you have shoes that you only wear inside the hospital. Like I go to work and completely change my outfit before I actually start working. Even in hospitals that don't have their own scrubs, the people who work there will bring their scrubs with them to work and change there. I've even seen doctors who do that in their own office.
It always weirds me out quite a bit, when I see videos of Americans out and about in their scrubs that they were wearing while working with sick patients.
Alot of US hospitals have this also. You do have to buy your own scrubs (I prefer this. You get to choose what fits you. It isn't one size fits all. I had some cute scrub tops). I worked in the hospital and we would have our hospital clothes and shoes. We would get pee, poop, blood, vomit, and God knows what on our shoes. No one would want to wear that into their car and then inside their home.
I had scrubs for out in public and scrubs at work. A lot of other employees do this also. Scrubs are more comfortable. I stopped working at the hospital and I still wear my outside scrubs when I want to be comfortable.
I also do it at work. Inside shoes are much more comfortable. And we even can get them from the company as we have special ESD shoes (for handling electronics). Independent of country, if you have snow in winter there is no reasonable alternative to changing shoes.
@@reinhard8053 you have to remember Haley is a Florida girl. She didn't experience growing up with snow. Up north where it snows people have inside/outside shoes for work. Here at my work they have a little area set up for the workers to change their shoes (I work in a grocery store so I don't work at a fancy place). At home people have an area inside their house (it's called a mudroom) and they change their shoes there. They'll either walk around in just socks, barefoot, or with slippers. Gyms (fitness studios) are beginning to require that people have outside shoes and inside shoes during the winter.
Same here, though I do not work in a hospital but in the steel industry ;-)
The German police is not obliged to accept a drivers license as prove of identity but may do so. The drivers license is not fully valid because it does not contain your address and until a few years ago, drivers licenses were never renewed, so at 50 years my drivers license had a picture showing me at age of 18.
Further to that, if you don't have an Personal ID-Card but an valid Passport, you often required to submit an "Meldebescheinigung" (certificate of registration/residence) which shouldn't be older than 6 months for official purposes, becaus the Passport doesn't bear your current adress and you are not obligated to renew your passport if you move into another municipal as long it's valid.
If you only own an non-EU drivers license, you got to have your Passport with you where it also displays the stamp of the german imigration on date of entry. Because there are some limitations of how long are you allowed to operate an motor vehicle in germany with an foreign non-EU license.
@@popogie22 Where do you need the "Meldebescheinigung" ? I remember only using it when moving or when getting a new passport.
When I got my first drivers licence we didn't have photos. Was 26 and on my second licence when I finally got a photo one. But I have to admit I would love to still have that one still had hair:)
Needed it every time when doing the registration of my car at the "KFZ-Zulassungsstelle".
Once needed it at the notary and several times at the KVR to get a parking permit.
I never owned an personal ID but always had a valid Passport.
Also i remember when inviting my friend from abroad, the german embassy during the visa application required a copy of the front and back of my personal ID, but because I have none, I sent a copy of my Passport and a Meldebescheinigung.
That's strange.
No identity document, ID Card, Passport or Driver Licence, shows the person's address in Switzerland and I was convinced this was EU standard.
Our drink market here is called "Zisch". 😀 So the sound when you open a softdrink.
I live in Hamburg and during strawberry season, there's strawberry huts all over the city - at metro stations, near bus stops, all over the place. So convenient! And so yumm! :-D
And Spargel in spargel season
6:28 our asparagus stand next to the main street adds strawberries around the end of May - so it is mixed strawberries and asparagus, after the end of June it switches to cherries :)
Yeah, I was bracing myself when she said "and what do they sell at those strawberry shaped huts?" that the punchline would be "well, Spargel/asparagus of course", and then she actually said "strawberries" :D
@@silkwesir1444 I've also seen strawberry huts, where they only sold tomatos.
(strawberrys were out of Stock and Asparagus too)
@@ElektrischInkorrekt Netherlands?
@@berndhoffmann7703 South-East Bavaria
@@ElektrischInkorrekt so quite Austria? 🤣
In Belgium, northern France and southern England you find small tempory stalles along country roads selling produce like strawberries, cherries, asparagus, etc... depending on the season. In our region you even get vending machines selling patatoes, dairy, etc... near farms.
In Ireland also, almost always selling "Wexford strawberries" and some also sell "new season" potatoes when the crop is dug.
Some operators put a sales hut/trailer each side of the road, which results in the teenage operator sprinting across the road and back to sell to customers on both sides......
I love those vending machines! There are bread vending machines, potato vending machines and milk vending machines that operate year round, and then there are the ones selling seasonal produce that either get set up for an individual product, or that have produce changing over the seasons. A beekeeper close to where I live has one for honey…
While driving along back roads you’ll often encounter a cardboard or wooden sign announcing a vending machine and what it holds sharpied on it. When friends from another country come to visit they always exclaim how unique it is… except for people visiting from Japan where the vending machine reigns supreme.
I have a whole route mapped out for when I have visitors. “Shall we go for a walk with the dogs?” Depending on the season there are four to six-ish vending machines and a couple of stalls along that route. The first one is for potatoes. After the second or third, they’ll run up to the machine to find out what it’s selling. Many a visitor has returned from such a walk with farm fresh produce. When I’m in a truly ‘evil’ set of mind I make a little detour that includes a farm where you can have a coffee, some cake, and freshly churned ice cream for a mid-walk snack. They have a little shop that sells produce from the farm (including delicious cheese) and that usually means dinner featuring that produce. If those friends stay overnight breakfast includes eggs from that farm. Free-range eggs with yolks that are deep orange. My guests love it.
Makes me happy to be a Belgian living in the countryside. I love showing off my country. ☺️
Uk too
The chalk on the door thing is a thing in predominantly Catholic towns. In my town, children dressed as the three wise men will knock on your door, singing for you in your living room and collecting donations. Afterwards you get the blessing via the chalk. The last blessings stay on as well so it isn't uncommon to see the drawings of multiple years on some buildings.
There are also other codes for wandering craftsmen on doors on what to expect when they are looking for temporary housing and working. I always these were the same....I guess it's just something like superstition again....
I'm from around Düsseldorf and find it very fun what you picked out!
I really need to wear my house shoes indoors x'D can relate to that invisible wall! We even always had special shoes for gardening, similar in style to crocs? Funny that this is such a German thing I never knew! 🤣
These "strawberry huts" are scattered across the city I live in, on big streets near other types of stores as well as bus stops. So they're not only on the countryside!
Bunner
The ones out in the country are usually next to strawberry fields where you con pick your own strawberries. You then pay by weight and it's sort of understood that while you're picking you are allowed to eat as many strawberries as you like.
Getränkemärkte are the best. They have all the good stuff. :D
11:37 Every year around the 6th of January (the day of the three holy kings-Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar) groups of children/young adults (dressed up as the three holy kings) go from door to door to sing some catholic songs and collect money for the poor. Before they leave, they write the blessing with chalk on the top of the door. It is a catholic tradition, which is very common in Germany.
I love those strawberry carts, and the strawberries are sooo good. Greetings from your neighbour from the Netherlands 😜
I did not know that C M B could stand for something else. (I lived in Bavaria for 28 years.) I mean the children come on the 6th of January to bless the house, and are dressed as Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar. Besides, this is the holiday of the three kings.
The three wise men ("kings") don't have names in the bible, these were invented much later . It's probably no coincidence that they're fitting to the graffiti blessing from the star singers.
@@Rdlprmpf12 Oh, I was not aware of that. I simply grew up with it, so I was never aware of anything else. I'm also not someone who is very interested in it. Again what learned. :)
@@Rdlprmpf12 The Story of the three Kings is the introduction advertisement for Christianity, People at the time did understand the symbolism.
The Three Kings, who are associated with the three phases of life youth, adulthood and old age as well as with the three biblical "races" of the Chamites, Semites and Japhetites as descendants of Noah's sons. In addition, the three wise men were already assigned to the continents of Africa, Asia and Europe around the year 600, which is reflected, for example, in the pictorial representations of the icons.
If one looks at the meeting of shepherds, wise men, ox and donkey, it is striking that the interpretations that have emerged over many centuries are similar in one respect: they all state that the shepherd and the ox stand for the Jews and the wise men and the donkey symbolize the pagans . The Symbolism is supposed to say that the whole world will peacefully come together with Jesus. Powerful propaganda at the time.
The german citizen personal identity card / ID / Personalausweis / has the handy format of a credit card. Very easy to carry even on a party weekend. Special features are it shows a recent photo, some personal information like age, height and eye color. And the registered current residential address. In everyday use this document secures almost all transactions of daily life. Opening a bank account, taking out a loan, renting an apartment, securing a sales or job contract, identifying yourself to the authorities, becoming a member somewhere, renting something, etc. etc. all these daily transactions are secured with this single document for both sides. And it also works like a valid German passport within Europe and in many other countries worldwide. Quite efficient.
By the way, Germans are obliged, as soon as they reach the age of 16 and are subject to the general obligation to register or reside predominantly in Germany, to possess a valid identity card and to present it on request to an authority authorized to establish identity.
However, there is no legal obligation to carry the ID, only in exceptional cases, for example for employees of certain industries during their working hours to prevent illegal employment.
Furthermore, there is no legal obligation to identify oneself without reason when officially requested to do so.
The thing about shoes is quite simple: on the one hand it is a question of hygiene, on the other hand it is a question of respect. It is not common for us Germans to spread street dirt in our own homes or in someone else's homes or in public facilities such as kindergartens, schools or fitness studios.
Just like in the Nordic countries.
also for school we need shoes with white soles :-)
It's also a question of comfort. Running around barefoot or with socks at home is much more comfortable.
@@Flugkaninchen Not for all of us tho. ^^ After breaking one of my toes by accidentally walking against the edge of the washing machine I always wear house shoes, no matter where I am. I even bring them to friend's places or to hotels. Also my feet get cold very, very fast and I hate that, so running around barefoot or only with socks is not comfortable for me at all.
What's respectful depends on where you live. In the Netherlands it's disrespectful to take off your shoes in someone else's house, unless you're very close to each other or your shoes are very dirty. You also shouldn't ask guests to take off their shoes, except for children or when someone's shoes are visibly dirty. You should even wear shoes yourself when you have visitors, unless they're close family or friends. Some people even think answering the door (for a delivery guy or such) with no shoes on is rude!
I always learn something new from you Hayley. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
@@HayleyAlexis You’re very welcome.
Hey Hayley, I love your content, you do a very good Job 🥰...mayby, one for the record and I hope to explain it the right way...if a person was in prison or did some sort of crime, they are not excluded from vote!! It doesn't matter, which crime or how long you spend time in prison, you're still able to vote for your favorite party, or who is going to be the next mayor in your hometown or whatever...you are a human being, with your own thoughts and opinion and you've got the wright to stay this way...I hope, I told it right 😊😊...big hug, you're really amazing ☺
Another topic in line with "Americans have never seen" is personal banking in Europe. Electronic banking, ease of wire transfers, speed of doing wire transfers, wire transfer fees, ATM fees, etc. Oh, and for something completely different: everyone is registered for voting.
Well said! I am also here to learn how to invest after listening to a lady on tv talk about the importance of investing and how she made 7 figure in 3 month, somehow the video taught me nothing and left me even more confused, I'm a newbie and I'm open to ideas on how to invest for retirement
@@ericalorraine7943Think long term, personally i ventured into the market so i won’t be stranded after i retire. A colleague of mine introduced me to CFA " Teresa Jensen White " who drew out retirement plans and they all aligned with what i wanted and had to pick one plan and with her exit and entry strategies on commodities, securities and digital assets, my portfolio has really been diversified with good ROI. I am really impressed by how much i have achieved
Financial management is a crucial topic that most tend to shy away from, and ends up haunting them in the near future
Investment now will be wise but the truth is investing on your own will be a high risk. I think it will be best to get a professional👌
@@davidhudson3001Thank you, I just lookup her name online and going through her profile in her webpage, she smashed all her state certificate and accreditation🙏
In Denmark We alsohave those small street side shops too. There’s no seller though. We just pay by a phone app called Mobilpay or cash into a box. It’s everything from potatoes to strawberries to whatever greens or fruits are available. Sometimes honey and fruit sirops.
In Austria every "Lichtbildausweis" can be used as an ID card. Be it the driving license, passport, personal identity card or even your university student card - all are equivalent by law.
A university card as well? That is something that is not allowed in the USA as a valid form of ID... Sometimes you can bring a water/electricity bill to prove your identification which I find to be very strange in the USA.
that’s not really exact right - I worked in a driving school - the government don’t except the driving license as id.
And when you go abroad you have to have the passport or in the EU the Personalausweis with you.
Funny story - my daughter didn’t believe me when I said to her she need the passport to go to Germany.
She went by train. There was no control to go out of the country. When she went back, the bavarian police wanted to see her passport.
She only had her driving license with her.
One of the police officers said „“Wos moch ma den hiazt?“ The other one answered: „Wüstas ghoidn?“
(What will we do now? - Do you want to keep her?) 😂
I like the Bavarians, not only they are similar with us, their humor is so epic.
Love from Austria 🇦🇹
@@p.f.5718 Brilliant. And for some reason I was reading it with Hans Söllner's voice.
@@cobba42 OMG Söllner is epic - I saw him live in Vienna. 🤯
@@p.f.5718 Within Austria the driving licence is accepted to proof your ID . A drivers licence is never a travel document.
Have a good trip Hayley!
Thank you! 😃
The gym shoe thing is common in Canada too. I’ve been to a variety of gyms here and most require or ask you to bring clean shoes to use in the gym to help keep the gym and equipment clean.
When I was 24 I was in the USA for an exchange semester. The first time I visited a bar I thought I leave my passport at home because it is so big and I don't want to loose it. When they ask me about my age, I can show them my ID card, I thought. Unfortunatly the bartender did not accept the ID card and I was not able to buy a beer after 8 years of legaly drinking beer and wine!😀 after that I always brought my passport with me.
One time... I went back to Florida (I was maybe 25 at the time) and I grabbed my German residency permit card instead of my drivers license- they feel very similar.
I got to the bar/club and when I pulled out my residency card I thought it would be no issue to use it... When they asked for my birthdate to match I said 04/10 (April 10th) and on the German card its 10.04... They would not let me in the bar
Almost the same happened to be at a liquor store, I was 24, too.
@@HayleyAlexis realy? I mean isn't it common knowledge by know that Americans switch months and days?
@@l.angelina.m for people outside of the US, probably. For the average US citizen "American way is the only way possible", so I don't think they realised yet that the rest of the world writes dates differently.
@@HayleyAlexis Didn't they know that german is dd.mm.yyyy? Or google it? and what about the year? If you are clearly over 21 (?) they can't say anything? I don't know how clubs in USA work.
Hey Hayley, nice vid. Just a small things about the strawberry huts, at some of them you cannot only buy strawberries, you can also harvest them yourself on the field and pay per kilogramm.
You should have explained how the Caspar/ Melchior/ Balthasar- engraving comes to the houses. I live in Bavaria, too, and I love how the ,,Sternsinger " walk from house to house, bring the Blessing to your house and write that on your door / put a sticker with it on your door. It 's a very Catholic thing but even if you are not very religious , it 's just a very nice Tradition especially in rural Areas. I always even know the kids who come to my house Dressed like The 3 wise men , say a short Poem and bring the blessing. It happens on Januar 6th , in Bavaria a Public holiday ( ,,heilig 3 könige ").
The "inside workout shoes" and "outside workout shoes" is often mandated by the school, too and they even require that the inside shoes MUST have white soles so you don't leave black marks on the floor when jumping/running in gym.
And I was wondering if the thing about americans coming to the gym fully dressed and ready to go might also be because they're a bit too prude to change there? Not just with shoes but the whole outfit.
I remember the drink store when I was in Germany. I had forgotten about that. Thanks for mentioning it
Thank you Hayley. Nice video. :)
Servus Hayley
Durch Zufall bin ich auf ein Video von dir gestoßen und bekam Lust noch ein Video zu schauen und dann noch eins und noch eins...
Deine Themenauswahl finde ich spannend und deine Sichtweise dazu interessiert. 😊
Mach weiter so und ich freue mich schon auf die nächsten Videos. 😊
Wünsche dir weiterhin viel Erfolg und hab eine gute Zeit. 😊
Liebe Grüsse aus Regensburg 🙋🏼♂️
I was driving 10 years from Austria to Germany without ID, only with Führerschein. Several times the police at the border told me "drivers licence is not enough, but I will allow it this time"
I have gotten pulled over with MIke with only my FL drivers license and they were not that amused by my story that in the USA you don't need an ID nor that it is required to be a passenger..
@@HayleyAlexis Grundsätzlich braucht man für einen Grenzübertritt einen Reisepass. Die Mitgliedsstaaten der EU und der EFTA haben vereinbart untereinander gegenseitig auch Personalusweise und Identitätskarten anzuerkennen. Und Einwohner von Schengenstaaten bräuchten für Reisen innerhalb des Schengenraumes theoretisch keinen Ausweis mitzuführen. Praktisch ist es einfacher wenn man einen dabei hat. So erspart man sich Diskussionen mit den Zöllnern oder der Grenzpolizei, falls man mal kontrolliert wird.
Eine US Drivers License erfüllt keine der Kriterien für einen Grenzübertritt innerhalb Europas, da kann der kontrollierende Beamte schon etwas bockig werden. Vermutlich lässt er es jedoch bei einer Belehrung, wenn du mit Mike unterwegs bist, der deine Angaben bestätigen kann.
@@Andreas_42 It's more that you don't need to show the passport but you still need a way to identify yourself if you are controlled. It might also happen, that for whatever reasons border checks are intensified, then you might get in real trouble without a passport.
The strawberry hut is like the watermelon guy in the hood selling melons on the back of a pickup truck. It's not cute but it's the only place I've ever seen a white watermelon (delicious). It's usually assorted melons, not just watermelon. They are much better than what you find in the grocery store. I've only seen them in the south during the summer.
5:11 Getränkequelle am Schlachterhof. Which means Drink source by the slaughterhouse.
I added that for another little laugh... This is something you will NOT find in the USA.
Here on the county site, groups of children called "Sternsinger" sing at the doors in the days before Jannuary 6th. You give a small donation for a good cause and the adult who accompanies them writes these letters onto the door frame. I only know the meaning of the tree kings and have never heard the other interpretation.
We had " The Pop Shop" for buying soft drinks in bulk for the baby boomers growing up in Canada.
I spent a year in New York State when I was 24. At a liquor store, the guy didn 't believe me that I was 21 because I looked a lot younger than I actually was. After watching your Video, I finally understand why he didn't want to Accept my German ID card =Personalausweis. He thought it 's a fake ID and wanted to See a New York State driver's licence which of course I didn 't have as a foreign exchange Student. IN the end, he sold me the bottle of Baileys but it was a long Discussion 😅
Yeah it has happened to me trying to use my German residency card in the USA... some people won't accept it
Love your videos. I was already addicted to videos about differences between the US and the Netherlands. Germany and the Netherlands have lots in common, but it's also fun to notice differences. Like, we don't have stores that sell only drinks like that. I didn't know that was a thing.
13:35 "Foundation mark" We have something similar here. It is called "Foundation Stone" (Grundstein). It has (at least) the date of construction on it. Many people put additional things next to it. Very commonly: A daily newspaper, some alcoholic bottle (e.g. wine, Schnapps), you get the gist.
Germans also follow this tradition on major reconstructions or extensions of buildings.
When it comes to building houses there's an additional ceremony called Richtfest. It seems to be called topping-out in English. It happens when the walls are up and the 'ribcage' of the roof is finished. It's of course celebrated with food and drinks and there for good luck. The house gets a so-called Richtkranz or Richtkrone. It's a specific wreath that is shaped a bit like a crown. Mostly it has oak-twigs and leaves in it, because oaks represent strength and steadiness - which you want for a house. Oftentimes that wreath is hung right under the roof framework to remain there forever for good luck. That goes for houses with attics. No idea what happens when that space is turned into an actual room. If folks turn the wreath down, the house will probably be doomed! 😉
5:52
You can say "never" about erdbeerständchen at the autobahn, since you are not allowed to stop (except in case of an emergency/defect) on the autobahn ;)
Maybe at a "Rasthof" if a farmer's field is very close 😄
No way ever, as any business at Autobahns is monopolized and state regulated.
... there once was a snack stand (Imbisswagen) at a rest stop at an Autobahn in former DDR until the late 1990s, however...
The difference between the ID Card and the Driver license is that you don´t have your address and ID Card number on the Driver license, you can confirm your age and identity with both but not your address!
I read someone elses comment about this first and when I tell you.. I was shocked.... I honestly never knew this.. My mind has been blown
@@HayleyAlexis The ID -card number is recomendet when you want to make a telephone contract for example, i only knew this bc i have sold telephone contracts
@@ollyo25 In my country the ID card number is used in so many places. I work at a library and we write down the ID card number when we register new people in our system. I was also asked for it when I got a phone call from the bank to ensure they're talking to the right person.
@@tinnie75 wow, where are you from? Most of the germans can´t even tell where to find it exept your work in a field where you need to know. I´m not sure if the libary in my town need the number or just the name address and birthdate.
@@HayleyAlexis I have watched many shows based on USA, and one thing bothered me a lot, the drivers licence or other form of ID has an address on it, I live in Finland, and in my ID card does not have my address on it, not even the city where I live. It only has my name, sex, date of birth, ID code, dates of issue and expiry, my signature, and last but not least card access number.
you also get strawberry huts in cities. there's a corner at a street close to where I live in berlin where one always pops up every year.
In Berlin and it's sorrounding areas you can find strawberry huts from "Karl". It's a big strawberry empire from Northern Germany and even has its own amusement parks.
Das Bild vom internal watch dog barking at him fand ich sehr erfrischend 😀
I saw that equation in my parent in law's town and wondered what it was! Thanks for the info!
You explain the sign of the Three Wise Men (Sternsinger) very well. Yes, it's a Catholic tradition, but it's common in other parts of Central Europe as well.
Hello Haley, I love your videos. Thanks.
A comment to the shoes. Depending on the structure of their soles, they will catch small and often sharp edges stones (for example those ones that are dispersed on icy ground during the winter). No indoor floor would like to be scratched by these.
Interesting story about building and foundation inscriptions.
Getränkequelle - in my hunble opinion - does not primarily mean drink source, but rather drink spring or drink fountain. The primary meaning of Quelle is the place where a river or a stream begins, i.e., the water comes out of the ground. With important Quellen this place often is artificially enhanced and converted to a nice fountain. And because drinks are liquid like water, this meaning of Quelle is more probable than a plain source.
source is actually the word for where a stream emerges, though there are others like spring, well (rather if it's artificially bordered), fountain (rather used if it's gushing) and more. And while Quelle in this context refers to water of course, it's just one meaning among others (cf. e.g. Quellenangabe, Quellcode). Getränkequelle does pretty well translate to drink source.
In Germany, a _Führerschein_ doesn't count as an _Ausweisdokument_ . However, that doesn't mean you can't prove your identity with a Führerschein. For instance, when you're voting, it is sufficient to produce _any_ _amtliches_ _Dokument_ with a _Lichtbild_ - which a Führerschein is - if proving your identity is required in the first place.
Funny, so I am going to present my grey monstrous one from 1986 - in which there is a photo of me at 16. No one will accept that to collect voting documents at the town hall.
@@berndhoffmann7703 Which is exactly why the photo should resemble your actual current appearance.
Yeah they advised me to please change all my photos with long hair when I got to Germany (my passport)... they were having a hard time with my new hairdo.
I had to get my mom to send in an old passport photo of me with my hair pulled back with a new application to get a new passport...
produce? or did you mean "show"? to produce any amtliches Dokument with a Lichtbild is illegal. As I know all adult Germans have to take a Personalausweis with them when leaving home.
By the way: ist das ein Amiga-Ball in Deinem Profilbild?
@@sinusnovi3826 _Produce_ as in _show_ .
You are misinformed about adults having to carry _a Personalausweis_ - you don't even have to carry _your_ Personalausweis (which would be impossible if you didn't possess one to begin with).
Ja.
Looks like the Edeka beverage store in the Isar Center in Ottobrunn 😉 Seems we are living quite close to each other
One important thing about shoes for gyms / fitness centers as well as for boats is that they do not leave ugly black lines on the floor or boat
I remember my elementary shoes and day care socks 😅
The blessing ist written by the "Sternsinger", which is a catholic oganisation. Children dressed as the three wise man go to the houses around january the 6th and collect for projects for children in the whole world. They are singing some traditional Songs and write down the blessing.
I've seen the same chalk marks in Thuringia.
Für eine Legitimationsprüfung (Feststellung der identität einer Person), zum Beispiel bei einer Kontoeröffnung, ist in Deutschland nur der Personalausweis oder der Reisepass als Ausweispapier zulässig. Zusätzlich darf das Gültigskeitdatum nicht überschritten sein. Der Grund warum zum Beispiel der Führerschein hierfür nicht geeignet bzw. zulässig ist, liegt in der Tatsache begründet, dass der Führerschein einmal ausgestellt wird und danach nicht aktualisert wird. Beim PA oder RP erfolgt dies aber nach 5 bzw. 10 Jahren, wenn die Gültigkeit des aktuellen Dokuments abgelaufen ist und man wieder ein aktuelles Passbild zur Verfügung stellen muss für den neuen Ausweis/Pass. Es kommt durchaus vor bei Leuten, dass das Bild in ihrem/seinen Führerschein immer das gleiche ist, ca. 18 Jahre alt als der Führerschein gemacht wurde und da nach 30, 40 oder noch mehr Jahren nicht mehr viel Ähnlichkeit festzustellen ist.
Hey .. Greetings from.your Dutch expat cousin .. so glad you and Dar the traveller had a chance to have a zoom call.. I'll also be in touch soon as I am having an expat gathering in Amsterdam soon and would love to have you included if by zoom then so be it ..
Let's not forget Turnschläppchen 😂 huge thing in Kindergarten when I was little 😄
Lol, we don’t have any of these in Britain either. I remember being really confused about the Getränkemärkte! I asked an owner why they exist… like is there a special reason. Probably not a terrifically tactful question.
Think about the deposits we have on bottles. Too much hassle to return your empties in a regular shop. Much easier in the specialised getränkemarkt.
Karls Erdbeerhof / Karls Strawberry Farm
It's started out as a chain of these little fruit/vegetable vendor huts in Mecklenburg-Westpomerania, but it's gotten pretty huge over time. There are full-blown restaurants now with playgrounds etc, and I think even one or more Freizeitparks / amusement/theme parks. It's predominantly in north-eastern Germany. I haven't been there myself (yet), but my brother and his family visit them any time they can.
4:52 Hairdressers in my area are even more creative. "Schnittstelle", "HairZstück", "Haarmonie", "Haarscharf", "Haar-le-queen", ...
"Schnittstelle" gefällt mit am besten! Genial! - Bei mir heißt ein Frisör "Hair-Gott" 😂!!
There's a second hand clothing shop that goes by the name of "Dr. Jacket and Mrs. Kleid" 🤣
Citizen registration and ID cards make separate voter registration redundant and voter suppression difficult. All citizens are invited by mail to either vote by mail or in person, in advance or on election day, for local, state, federal and EU elections.
So Germany having voter ID laws is ok, but voter ID laws in America would be racist?
We have in Germany the tradition of the Richtfest, wenn Building a house. There are typicality a poem or es verse spoken to mark the occasion and usually to bless the house.
Hello Hayley, the C M B will be distributed by Sternsinger. Mostly they collect for a social project or something similar. But I have to admit that I didn't know that the + also had a meaning. Which means that the saying, man kann alt werden wie eine Kuh, man lernt immer was dazu,, applies again.
Strawberry stands usually also sell (white) asparagus
That takes me back. :-) I used to be one of those children who went from house to house, dressed up as one of the three wise men around January 6th, Epiphany. We always had a priest and another adult accompanying us, and we used to sing and pray and then the priest would write the blessing on the door frame. It's indeed the Latin one you mentioned - Christus mansionem benedicat - the priest would say it out loud while writing.
We have a "Trink gut" in our town, a "drink well"
not so much to learn this time, but entertaining none the less.I enjoyed
In Germany you can always buy fresh strawberries and asparagus from the fields wher they are grown between April and June it`s so delicious because It`s super fresh.😋😘💌👍
Sternsinger/carol singers: We lived in a small Bavarian village for a long time. And of course almost everyone was Catholic. But we were Protestant. And yet the Sternsinger came to us at the beginning of the year, blessed our house and collected money for a charity campaign. And even though I have nothing to do with religion, I think it's a beautiful tradition.
Krass, was Du alles weißt! Hier in Norddeutschland nicht so üblich, aber diese "Kreidezeichen" stehen auch für Psalme, Verse aus der Bibel zu bestimmten Feiertagen etc. - aber ich bin nicht gläubig und kenne mich da nicht wirklich mit aus, aber dass Du das weißt! Hammer 👍
The ID card is a thing in France too and my French friend was confused that I don't have one in the UK. Generally the first I.D. people have here is a passport or provisional driver's license
Thank good the UK doesn't get anal with IDs like they do in most of Europe.
In germany you can't use your drivers licence as an id card because there is no adress on it. It only can veryfi your age but not where you live. That is the reason why you need a "Personalausweis" called personal id card. And if you change your adress you have to go to the townhall to veryfi your new adress with a special sticker and a stamp.
The reason we have year round veggies and fruits in the USA is they are picked seasonally, but then sprayed with a chemical that keeps them from ripening or spoiling, and stored in a warehouse. Then in winter they are sprayed with another chemical to ripen them. It's kind of gross. When I was little, things were seasonal here too. So many chemicals in USA!
In Austria the "20*C+M+B+22" is written by the "Sternsinger" ... Groups of kids or Grownups that walk around after christmas as the "heilige 3 Könige" (3 holy kings) and come to every house and sing songs and ask the people to donate for a special occasion (every year something different)
In the end they write this over the door ... Or meanwhile they also have stickers so that they do not have to write it...
I think the point about drivers license is to confirm your identity by having your info and a photo on it, or to check if the person claiming to be 18 years or older is the one standing in front of them. In many cases the drivers license is therefore enough. But sometimes you need to prove residency and that's when you need an actual ID or passport and a driver's license is not enough. So what you say is correct in a way because it depends on the context of where you need to show the card.
Ah ja... Getränke... im Ruhrgebiet gibt es auch die "Trinkhallen" (oder auch "Büdchen")... die werden wohl immer weniger... such mal danach :-)
I always love Hayley
In Austria, a driver's licence is the usual type of ID. People also have passports, but they are more cumbersome to carry around. There is also an ID card like in Germany, but many people don't have one.
We have beverage centers in upstate New York, one of the local brands here is Minogue’s, but there are all different independent or chain ones. Basically all kinds of beer/soda. I’ll be in Germany in two months, so will check out the Getränkemarkt and see if it’s the same.
Funny about the shoes. It will be somewhat "enforced" in regards to gyms and indoor sports arenas, whereas the main reason is that outside shoes usually have colored sole but inside, your shoe sole must have no color in it but be beige, the same as the hardwood floors in the gym. The main reason is that you do not "add colored" stripes on the floor that can never be removed to keep the floor from looking nice over time.
The shoe thing is to not drag dirt into a building, yes. It is easier to keep clean if everyone just uses "inside shoes." In school some sport shoes also were required to have a light sole because otherwise they'd leave marks on the floor.
Sometimes it can get out of hand but honestly I think a lot of shoes can be used for multiple things and some people just have too much money that they get so many different pairs :D
Strawberry huts are cool! Or generally speaking fruit huts if they are from local farmers. Some will let you pick your own in the field. I don't see the point in them if they just sell what a supermarket has though.
Hast du den selber schon mal Sternsinger gesehen? Weil die machen das mit dem Datum über die Tür
The joke with The (Getränke) or Soda and beer markets is, nearly all litle village have a small one even there is no other shop. If not, be shure, there will be a cigarette vending machine. You see the priorities.
The whole shoe thing also reminds me of the Japanese. They take it even further and offer slippers at restaurants and temples or places with tatami mats. Once I almost stepped on a tatami mat in a hotel room wearing my normal shoes, staff around me cried out in horror before I managed to put my foot on the ground 😂 It was so embarrassing 🙈
I think the most striking thing about drinks in Germany is that practically all of them (apart from liquor/spirits) are sold in multi-use bottles that you can return to any Getränkemarkt or supermarket to get a deposit back. They are then cleaned and reused. Originally that was done because glass was expensive, now we mainly do it for environmental reasons.
It's also more economic. Melting glass requires less energy than melting sand
Could the shoe thing be more with where you grew up and lived in the U.S.? Where I live in Canada it would be considered an insult to walk in with your outside shoes. I'm like your husband. Most homes have what I call a mud-room where outside shoes are removed. I have never been in a gym that allows outside footwear on the gym floor. School gyms spectators make sure they do not walk on the play area with outside footwear. In the winter with snow no one enters the gym without taking off their shoes.
I have a gut feeling this is more a climate thing.
6th January- epiphany. The Sternsinger usually go around from house to house after Xmas up to Epiphany. The writing does mean Christus mansionem benedictat. But as Caspar melchior Balthasar also fits many believe incorrectly that that's what it means. But why not, no big deal, that little misunderstanding. The writing has nothing to do with building a house, it is a yearly blessing. The Sternsinger also collect donations for charity at the same time, then leave this blessing.
What you are mentioning is the tradition of Grundsteinlegung when starting to build a house, and that is an old European tradition long before the US of A even existed, and still done here as well, though not by all, i guess. Another similar tradition connected with building buildings... is das Richtfest, for example
I think, the official Personalausweis as the only and uniforely document for identification is the precondition for every social aspect here in germany. I can't imagine how anything would work without. For example: Without id, no tax. Without tax, no healtcare etc.. ... So easy.
A few more facts regarding the house blessing: The blessing is written after a group of volunteer cristian children, (costumed as the 3 wisemen in my area), sings a short religious song /chant / blessing, whichever term you feel fits best, I'm german and definitly not a native english speaker or writer. The adult supervising them is normally the one writing the sentence. The children are rewarded for this service with sweets (sometimes money) by the homeowners or residents. Like a second Halloween really, but only once per house and only for christian children volunteering (or being volunteered by their parents). I have experienced both being the costumed child singer and the supervising adult (my younger siblings were among the group I was supervising). In mainly cristian neighborhoods we went to every house, even the few not having cristian inhabitants, which we only found out if they volunteered the information. In other areas we only went to specific adresses, which registered with the church to receive a visit from us. My experience is from Baden-Würtemberg in the area around Offenburg (not the city itsself).
Is the shoe thing different in nothern us?
I mean, when we have snow, I dont want to drag that into the house/appartment that will create a mess.
Enter for example a small cafe where ppl come and go at winter time and you will see the issues with snow and not taking off your shoes.
Or does NOONE even step outside of their cars?
In Europe, usually if you're stopped by police and asks you for your documents. You got to hand him your ID card, your driving card and your car ID's. If you don't abide you get in trouble/get a fine right away. I live in Romania (E.U.), so I think is similar in Germany too.
The chalk over the door is a Roman Catholic tradition, you won‘t find it in areas with protestant tradition like north Germany. It becomes interesting in cities with mixed catholic/protestant population. There it will appear on some houses.
We have here in Australia a Liqueur Sore that call "The thirsty Camel".
Indoor and outdoor shoes are very common in cold regions, as you wouldn't go into your house with your snow boots.
I guess it just becomes a habit even when there isn't any snow.
We also do the same thing here in Canada. Children must have different pair of shoes at school.
As you are from Florida, where it is warm most of the time, you had never experienced that before.
Maybe an American from the northern part of the country will let us know if they also have different pairs of shoes at school and at home. 😉🇨🇦
In the Netherlands you can use for almost everything your drivers license. We also have IDcards and paspoorts, which the first ones are required when we visit another Europian union, which is not so common in the states. (just driving to another country) havinf a paspoort is just voor non Europian countries and it is not so fine to bring it alles the way and everywhere with yu because of de size and paper