Germany

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Original post by Chokki I've been hoping a long time to make it out to Germany sometime, and since about a month ago I found out on June 7th I'll be landing in Berlin [smile] This will begin my 3 week tour of Germany, 2 weeks of which I'll be spending with a host family (this is a school trip). To anyone that's traveled between the states and Germany, or anyone that can help at all, what are some customs/aspects of the culture I should know about before I arrive? Things I can say or do to blend in (I don't want to stand out like a tourist.. obviously a little humility goes a long way in this regard)? Well, thanks for any advice!

I do alot of traveling, and I lived in Germany for two years. You wont have many problems and most people speak English. If you get in trouble, just ask a younger kid (more likely to speak English).

As far as blending in...take up smoking.

I was born in Augsburg, Germany. My parents were in the American military and they were stationed there when I was born. We left when I was 2 or 3.

oh, i should also point out that my host sister and brother are communist(or as close as i can tell, at least members of ,,Die Linkspartie''). Not that I'm alarmed that OMG COMMUNISTS or anything like that.. I'm just sure it will make for some interesting stories.

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Original post by Chokki oh, i should also point out that my host sister and brother are communist. Is this an oddity, or is there still a lot of socialist sentiment in eastern Germany? Not that I'm alarmed that OMG COMMUNISTS or anything like that, I'm just curious.

in eastern germany it's more like "it was all much better bach then", but not necessarly real communism. although i guess communism/socialism is more widespread here than in the US...

apart from that: don't run around showing hitler salut or anything. should be obvious, but some tourists seem to think it's funny (*points at an isle*).

also don't be suprised if people are not so helpfull/grumpy. if you need to ask a stranger for the way (in english), look for somebody young, somewhat alternative/student-like looking.

you should tip in restaurants and taxis.

btw, where are you going? i advise giving dresden a visit. no, berlin isn't worth it.

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Original post by Chokki I've been hoping a long time to make it out to Germany sometime, and since about a month ago I found out on June 7th I'll be landing in Berlin [smile] This will begin my 3 week tour of Germany, 2 weeks of which I'll be spending with a host family (this is a school trip). To anyone that's traveled between the states and Germany, or anyone that can help at all, what are some customs/aspects of the culture I should know about before I arrive? Things I can say or do to blend in (I don't want to stand out like a tourist.. obviously a little humility goes a long way in this regard)? Well, thanks for any advice!

I spent some time in Germany last summer. I thought the people were great. Right when I got off the train I pulled out a map to find where I was. A group of about 5 8-10-year old boys ran up to me and started helping me find my way, without me even asking. Just about everyone speaks at least some English. For things in German, if you are mildly intelligent you can make a good guess at what it is.

I always have a great time when I at least take a stab at the language. Most of the time (like in German) it's just learning words that can get me around, order food, etc. Plus people are much more willing to speak in English rather than hear you butcher their language. [smile]

Oh yeah, WC is the toilet.

Yes, we'll be in Dresden for a day or so after Berlin. Berlin won't be so exciting to me, I pretty much only wanted to go visit Der Tor. Anywhere in Dresden that you would reccomend? I'll see if they're on our itinerary.

Also, clothes and such.. I don't want to come off as being a hipster or any social group that carries negative connotations, either. I'll have to be in school while with my host family, so this is somewhat important.

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Original post by Chokki Anywhere in Dresden that you would reccomend?

if you're into some culture just go into the inner city. there are a plenty of things to visit.
for clubs and such, the neustadt quarter could be wothwhile.
additional info here: www.dresden.de [smile]

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Also, clothes and such.. I don't want to come off as being a hipster or any social group that carries negative connotations, either.

i think there's nothing special to watch there...
ok, american tourists seem to like short pants, t-shirts, basecaps and the cam put on their neck - maybe avoid this [grin]

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Original post by maximAL ok, american tourists seem to like short pants, t-shirts, basecaps and the cam put on their neck - maybe avoid this [grin]

Lol. I hate people like that, so don't worry about that. I was just told by an exchange student from Denmark that she could tell tourists by the kind of shoes that they wore, so I was curious if there was something like that.

I'm packing things like track-jackets (from what i can tell they're getting popular everywhere), typical blue jeans, a few witty tee-shirts.. some more typical european garb wouldn't hurt, though.

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Original post by ChokkiI'm packing things like track-jackets (from what i can tell they're getting popular everywhere), typical blue jeans, a few witty tee-shirts.. some more typical european garb wouldn't hurt, though.

hmm...there isn't. germans don't dress much different than americans or british (especially no lederhosen [sick] )

I perceived Americans to be overly and artificially friendly and perhaps superficial. So conversely: When Germans appear unfriendly or grumpy to you, they most likely aren't - they just want to get on with it without any unnecessary smalltalk to strangers. That doesn't mean they won't help you, it's just that they won't be interested in any chatter besides what's absolutely necessary. On the other hand, if you meet younger people in a place where you stay longer, like on a train, you may well be in for some interesting discussions.

Don't expect to get refills in restaurants, and do tip.

I disagree about Berlin not being worth it, for a city anyway. It may be overrated, but so are all the popular cities I've ever been a tourist in (can you tell that I'm not a big fan of sight seeing?).

Don't take things to personal. What you consider 'common courtesy' isn't the same in germany...ie people will bump into you, race to be first in line, and in general won't be helpful sales people. It isn't everyone, but if you take it too personal you will get the feeling germans are just rude.

take things in stride...don't be suprised if you meet quite a few people who want to tell you about america based off what they see on tv...just avoid being rude and getting into deep personal conversations


oh and try the food. Quite good if you are a 'meat and potatos'(and beer) person.
I recommend the jaegerschnitzel.

Bring some nice cloths to go clubbing in. It will be a lot of fun.
If you get the chance the alps and munich are great.

Different customs-> You often have to pay to go to the bathroom at public places. Take some changes to pay to go to the bathroom in a train station. That being said every backpacker knows to find a mcdonalds to go to the bathroom in.

You have to pay for water. Get used to it.

They usually don't drink their drinks with ice.

Water with bubbles is the normal. Make sure you get 'without gas' unless you want to drink really nasty bubble water.

Everyone says they tip in germany...Not like america. Waiters get higher pay in germany..you don't have to tip 20%.

Need to know->
'Prost' is cheers.

It is summer so the beergartens are open. Yeah.

Use public transit. It is expensive but good. Check for pricing. In bavaria you can get an all bayern pass for 22 euro for five people?? unlimited travel in bavaria. Check for deals like this. These deals are really good. There are weekend deals too.
You have the U-bahn, S-bahn, ICE...and other trains. Learn about them if you are going to travel on your own.

I've been to Austria and am going to make wild and probably innaccurate generalizations. Specifically if it comes in sausage form its going to taste like a little sausage shaped portion of heaven. Mmmmm...

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Original post by stakeoh and try the food. Quite good if you are a 'meat and potatos'(and beer) person. I recommend the jaegerschnitzel.

having a döner kebap is also a must. takeaways are everywhere, but look for a good (not cheap) one. or a good turkish restaurant - eg "dürüm kebap haus" in dresden.

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Original post by stake take things in stride...don't be suprised if you meet quite a few people who want to tell you about america based off what they see on tv...just avoid being rude and getting into deep personal conversations

Let me elaborate on this a bit. Unfortunately, there are a lot of prejudices about USians: they're fat, arrogant, stupid rednecks who all voted for George W. Bush. Which also leads to the mine field of politics. Sadly, many Germans are utterly ignorant of politics. But among those who are interested in politics, a very large majority is convinced that Bush is a complete moron and that US foreign policy from Kyoto to Iraq is unacceptably arrogant. Don't expect to hear kind words about your government.

This can make conversations awkward. On the other hand, you are an ambassador for your country. Judging from your posts so far chances are that when you do get into a longer conversation, you'll make a favorable impression. Just remember that being careful in what you say can't hurt and you should be fine. Take that as a chance to reduce prejudice and improve our countries' relationship. And besides, you can always learn interesting new things while talking to strangers (just don't take candy ;)).

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You have to pay for water. Get used to it.

On the other hand, tap water is drinkable and **unchlorinated** as a rule.

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Everyone says they tip in germany...Not like america. Waiters get higher pay in germany..you don't have to tip 20%.

Nobody knows how much to tip. It's one of those mysteries that will never be solved. You may hear 10% as a rule, but I personally just take that as a very rough guideline to round up the bill - it often ends up being less than 10%. As long as you don't look filthy rich or go to really noble places you shouldn't worry too much about it.

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It is summer so the beergartens are open. Yeah.

Definitely a must see, especially in Bavaria. There are also some great routes for bicycles. There's nothing like going on a bike tour, stopping at beergardens along the way and maybe camping for the night.

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Use public transit. It is expensive but good. Check for pricing. In bavaria you can get an all bayern pass for 22 euro for five people?? unlimited travel in bavaria. Check for deals like this. These deals are really good. There are weekend deals too.

Agree. You need to be careful with those deals though, as many are only valid for regional trains (i.e. not IC/EC/ICE). You can travel across Germany in those regional trains, but you'll obviously have to change often. Don't worry though, the system is well organized, you should quickly get the hang of it, and it's the same throughout the country.
Also worth mentioning is that the DB night trains are very pleasant compared to night trains in other European countries, and there are very good deals for them.

Wow, getting some great advice here. Much appreciated, thanks!

As far as politics.. seeing as i will be spending a lot of time with teenagers, I'm sure politics will be an unavoidable subject. I'm fairly well acquainted with how most of Europe views America's politics, so I won't get to riled up if all I hear is "Fuck Bush." My standpoint is not to argue on a particular president, but to say that American people as a whole are good people, it is just our government.. or agree with them that Americans suck only because people as a whole suck, there are bigots and hypocrites no matter which country you go to.

At some point I'll post what all I'm packing, and it would be great to get some pointers on that. I'm not really sure what will be important as far as bringing my own entertainment (I'm only bringing an iPod shuffle, digital camera, and cellphone for electronic devices, also an electronic dictionary if i find one that isn't too pricey) so I'm looking at a few books, and a hacki-sack. My goal is to rough it a little bit, because i tend to over pack.

Just don't mention the war!

John B

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Original post by Chokki At some point I'll post what all I'm packing, and it would be great to get some pointers on that. I'm not really sure what will be important as far as bringing my own entertainment (I'm only bringing an iPod shuffle, digital camera, and cellphone for electronic devices, also an electronic dictionary if i find one that isn't too pricey) so I'm looking at a few books, and a hacki-sack. My goal is to rough it a little bit, because i tend to over pack.

Be aware that power outlets in Germany provide 230V (or was that 240V? I forget...) and look different from US outlets, so check any devices you take for compatibility. You'll also need some kind of adapter.

Oh, and make sure you have enough storage space for your digital camera :)