🇩🇪 8 Things we will NEVER get used to living in GERMANY (as AMERICANS🇺🇸)

[@CompassChronicleTravels]

🤗Hope you enjoyed joining us in discussing 8 things we still haven't gotten used to living in Germany! We would love to hear down below, if you've visited the US what were some fun things you had a hard time adjusting to?

[@maireweber]

The US traffic light placement only works on a 90° grid. With European medieval street layouts at weird angles it is necessary to have the light at the stopping line.

[@Anson_AKB]

yes, and you also shouldn't have too many pedestrians and bicycles on the roads ... when you look high and far above the road, you are much more easily to miss (or rather to hit) those that are on the sides (keyword "turn right on red") or that move parallel to the crossing road perpendicular to your own road (between your stop line and the crossing vehicles). there also are traffic lights for eg pedestrian crossings in the middle of a straight road, or on only one of the three or four directions of an intersection. then it makes no sense to have the traffic lights high and above the road instead of right where you have the stop lines and where you need to stop.

[@lazrseagull54]

Not true. In the UK, we have medieval street layouts and traffic lights before and across the junction.

[@Muck006]

You also need FAR STRONGER LAMPS for such a traffic light system, which costs a lot more energy. The simple solution is to NOT DRIVE ONTO THE STOP LINE ... so you have a wayyy easier way of seeing the lights. A cheat is also to look at the PEDESTRIAN LIGHTS, which go on a few seconds before the cars (but only if you arent in a lane that is making a turn).

[@maireweber]

@@Muck006 If you don't pull up to the line, you might have problems though. Modern traffic lights often stay red until they recognize a car waiting there, you need the car weight in the right spot.

[@buddy1155]

The traffic lights is not a bug but a feature, it is to prevent drivers to crawling up to the intersection, as punishment you have to watch up. If cars stop well before the intersection bikes and pedestrians have ample room to cross.

[@qualitytraders5333]

Traffic lights. Just stay a little way back. It's to prevent people stopping on the pedestrian crossings, which is a no, no.

[@SheratanLP]

1. If you don't know something, it can be confusing. But now you know that the yellow lines in a construction site mark the correct lane for the duration of the construction site. 2. European streets have grown in cities over the last 2000 years and were not designed by city planners. Therefore, European streets are much narrower and more branched. It is not possible to put the traffic lights on the opposite side. Our cities are very, very, very old. 3a. There are exceptions. A small sign with a green arrow allows turning on red if no vehicle is being obstructed or blocked from the left. The sign was introduced in East Germany before the fall of the Wall and the reunification of Germany and is not very popular in the western states (except among truck drivers) and is not seen as often as in East Germany. 3b. The significance is as follows. A policeman on the street overrides all traffic lights and give way signs. A functioning traffic light sets all priority signs (except the green arrow). 4. I can't say anything about the radio, because I concentrate on driving and not on the radio. My radio is always off. 5. The fact that shops are closed on Sundays and public holidays has something to do with justice on the one hand and religion on the other. Why should someone work on a Sunday or public holiday when people all over Germany have the day off? On the other hand, Sunday belongs to the Lord and not to a greedy shop owner. 6. I stopped smoking on April 13, 2024. :) 7. Germans have a very special relationship with their baked goods, which is why there is a bakery on every street, just as there is a burger shop on every corner in America.

[@arnodobler1096]

4:00 because of the safety of pedestrians (including children) and cyclists.

[@blaumupi]

To traffic light: Just stop at a point you can see the light! Quite easy! 😉 To radio: There are a lot of small, local radio stations with a short range. So you lost connection quite soon.

[@da206hbe]

In most European countries we've had RDS radios since at least 35 years. RDS stands for Radio Data System. It allows messages and rolling text, as well as displaying the name of the station (not just the frequency or frequency band). Many radios also had/have a function called AF (Alternate Frequencies). If you want to listen to a specific channel AF searches for at a minimum the 5 strongest frequencies in the vicinity, for that channel. The one with the best connection is automatically chosen. If you want to stay with the same channel all the way through a country, the AF function compares the 5 frequencies and always automatically alter to the one with the best reception quality. While you're driving new masts are found and AF choose the best 5 it can find. There's also a function called PTY (Program Type). This allows you to tell the radio to look for channels with a certain content. ROCK, NEWS, DRAMA... There's up to 31 different codes.

[@ChristianBeckerKapraun]

Also, regarding that: It sounds to me like you have disabled AF on your radio, at least it's possible. Only reason for that functionality is - IMHO - if you're a local and know for sure, that this one specific station with that specific frequency has to be it, even if it's worse if you go through a valley or something like that. I don't really see other use cases for disabling AF tuning...

[@Capt.-Nemo]

The yellow lines have priority. Solid lines may not be crossed. The position of the traffic lights is sometimes suboptimal. It's better like in the States 4:30 That's an exaggeration, there is also a traffic light on the right :) The green right arrow as a traffic light, completely normal. As a metal sign, stop, look and then drive on. The green right-turn arrow still comes from the GDR. The bad radio signal usually comes from the accessory radios, so you need an extra amplifier. Smoking and fast driving are our freedoms. It's like in the states with the guns

[@Capt.-Nemo]

Ich werde es mal auf Deutsch verfassen, da es für mich einfacher ist. Die Bäckerein in den Einkaufsläden, sind keine echte Bäckerein, sondern bekommen alles von einer Großbäckerei. Die echten Backstuben sind die kleinen Geschäfte. Aber selbst die Qualität der Großbäckerein ist immer noch besser als was man in den Staaten bekommt.

[@PEdulis]

Bread is indeed the one thing most Germans miss when they go to countries where it is hard to get anything but sandwich "bread". However, as you guessed, while the "bakeries" attached to many shops are better than "just getting sandwich 'bread'", they are also not "the real thing" for many Germans since they use frozen dough to bake whatever they bake while "real bakeries" create the dough from scratch and form the loaves by hand which makes the breads and rolls and everything they do still better than the pre-manufactured stuff you get at a gas station or such.

[@agn855]

Well, if you stop your car right before the *white* stopping line of a traffic light you definitely see it, and btw. if there’s a traffic light in front "above" you, there’s another one standing beside of your car too! Simply move your head to the right or the left - and in 80 of 100 times there’s a "Kontaktschwelle" below you to manage the traffic lights. Radio - simply use your effing mobile and stream whatever radio station you prefer to your radio via Bluetooth. That way you won’t become "victim" of overlapping radio frequencies - why not get used to that populated regions in Germany are that much closer together so "local" radio station frequencies are changing more often. One reason why your radio offers "favorite station" buttons - so you can manage a single station that is swapping its frequency with the press of a button. The "freedom" to eat at whatever time you like is forcing someone else to work at whatever time *you* like. If you would have come to Germany a decade ago every shop had closed at 6PM MO-FR, except on Saturday (plus in small towns Wednesday even nowadays) at 12AM. So shopping times have already been "liberalized" to serve, at least partially, your way of life AKA consumerism.

[@RustyDust101]

I understand the convenience of the traffic light placement on the other side of the road. It does make seeing it when you stand at the light a lot easier. However, like I usually say, we are constrained by our biology. Our eyeball is physically unable to focus on two objects WITH CLARITY at the same time that are more than a few meters apart on the same plane of focus. IE when your stop line is on your side of the road, but the traffic light is on the other side, you can only focus on either one of them, meaning that the other is by nature unfocussed. Meaning you can't be certain where you are in relation to the one that is out of focus. Yes, our eyes are able to refocus in roughly 1/3 of a second on average, and highly trained eyeballs are even able to accomplish it in roughly 1/10 of a second. But if you are travelling at the usual 50km/h inner city speed (roughly 30mph) that means that in the time your eyes refocus your car has already travelled on average of 4 meters. Four meters doesn't sound like much, but it is the exact distance between coming safely to a stop in FRONT of the stop line, or just behind the stop line if you did an emergency stop, if you are juuust too close. In Europe you have to know EXACTLY for which part of an intersection the light is applicable to. With intersections that often have five or even more incoming roads, that certainty takes us time to adjudicate. We can't have the uncertainty added on top of that if the light is on the other side. In the USA the size of the huge stroads (shoutout to NotJustBikes) makes this even more dangerous. At four yards wide per lane, with often three straight lanes plus one or even two turning lanes per side, you can get intersections that are a total of ten lanes wide, plus a potential central divider, plus the cross-walks, plus a little safety margin. This results in 40-45 yards wide intersections. If you start to break when it is just too late, you might slide into the intersection and come to a stop there, which is a highly unwanted circumstance. That's when the danger mounts, because often drivers now hit the gas to just make it across. However, with a little bad luck there's a driver already cruising towards the intersection from the side at normal 50 mph, sees the light turn green, and travels on believing the intersection to be clear. Nope, that's exactly the point where t-bone crashes occur at extremely high speeds. All thanks to the placement of the traffic lights on the other side of the intersection, and the huge size of the roads. So, nope, while I understand the convenience for the front line drivers, it doesn't compensate for the additional dangers of that placement. That's why I am so happy the traffic lights are on your side of the intersection here in Europe, even if that means a slight hassle some of the time when you have to strain your neck to see the light.

[@lucientruth]

Hello 🙂 The radio reception might be influenced if you live in a area where are hills an forests. Get a car radio with DAB+ system ;-) there is an app with all public holidays in your "Bundesland" for your mobile phone calendar..👍

[@drau331]

The reason for the traffic lights being on the same side of the intersection is that the replacement signs for the regulation in the event of a traffic light defect must of course also be on the same side.

[@ChristianBeckerKapraun]

Holidays: Remember, if you get your iCal-File for importing it into your preferred calendar app... you'll have to get the one for the state you're living in. Niedersachsen and Bavarian Holidays are... somewhat different ;)

[@Arch_Angelus]

Hint: You look out of the car Window on the right side and there is also the trafficlight to watch right in front of your POV clearly to see in the video. This is also for straight ahead exception is only if there is an arrow on it but than there will be more than one trafficlights one with arrow, one without. Normaly you have the streetlights not only above your head even also left or right where you can see the lights without Calisthenics. Observe that. The upper traffic lights never appear alone, at most in rare exceptional cases. And yes there will be a right turn arrow when red but this very rare. It is for safety cause of pedestrians and bikes. So ever look over your right shoulder when turning right otherwise you're in for an expensive awakening when you hit an biker or pedestrian.

[@Why-D]

With the light on your side of the intersection, you can't stop too late, so you have a certain distance, and so the pedestrians and cyclists have there space. A green arrow sign, allows that. And as there are always pedestrians, who would have the right of way, you have to stop, if it is not allowed. You car or the radia seems to be a bit old. Usually you can choose NDR1 and as long as you are in northern Germany the radio will find the best frequency for NDR1 unless you enter Hesse or Northrhine-Westfalia, where no NDR1 is. On older radios, where you choose a frequency, this lasts a certain distance, and then NDR1 is on a different frequency, as otherwise the incoming information would differ in timing. So the stations (at least those for a federal state or Deutsche Welle for whole Germany) are available for a long time, but not on the same frequency. If you have a local radio from Cologne, that will only be aired around Cologne. If you don't get a newspaper in the morning, it is most likely a Sunday or a holiday. And in the local newspaper you will see a lot on those events. It is funny, a colleague from Turkey says: "In Germany are so few smokers." Outside it is usually allowed to smoke, inside only in certain rooms. German bread culture is a World heritage. That why we have more than 3000 types of bread. The "real bakeries" are the master craftsmen bakeries. But also the bakery chains are quite good. Some chains are very cheap with a lower quality, but cheap. Inside a grocery store, the fresh baked goods area is not a bakery, but you can get fresh bread for a small amount of money. Opening hours are adjusted to the customers and if you would only get two guests between 13:30 and 16:00 you close the restaurant and open it again in the evening. You may have a look at my video on opening hours.

[@CompassChronicleTravels]

Awesome! Thank you so much for all the wonderful info! That’s very helpful! We will definitely have to look into the radio situation a bit more as we are currently only equipped with the am/fm set up and it seems there may be some other good options!

[@marcelmuseler6697]

There are 41.000 Mc Donalds in the world. There are 35.000 bakeries in germany. 😁

[@Why-D]

@marcelmuseler6697 and about 30.000 Döner-Läden.

[@katelynhuddleston8005]

LOVE!! Very interesting on the flowers! That’s so different and I’m sure it’s just a difference in the way of life!

[@klaus2t703]

White / yellow lines: The white lines are the permanent lines. Yellow lines are temporarily and over rule the white lines. It´s quite a simple concept ... if you know how it works. But how is it in the US? Bread / bakeries: There are the small bakeries, that just finish frozen or pre baked bread. (still seems they are better than what it is an the US) Most of them do it this way. But I as a German really like the true bakeries that make their dough from scratch, handcrafted. It´s so much better. Restaurant hours: This became worse with covid, they all try to find (good) staff.

[@nordwestbeiwest1899]

To explain car radio probes and reception technology: In Europe we have two standards, DAB+ (digital reception technology) and FM according to the old standard, which often leads to interference in reception due to less power from the transmitter (the Federal Network Agency/Bundesnetzagentur rarely approves more power because it then affects other frequencies!). New radios with DAB+ are now more common in new vehicles. What is DAB+? It is the successor to FM, the analogue radio. In addition to clear, digital sound without internet costs, DAB+ offers valuable additional services such as electronic program guides, coloured album covers, news or traffic information.And now to the traffic rules in Europe/Germany: The Americans really confuse us with their bad and not good traffic rules, which are sometimes very confusing, even chaotic, and have to be read. There are no symbol signs that explain everything because you learned them in driving school (5000 traffic signs in total) that can be recognized and understood in fractions of a second. This also applies to the road markings, which must be strictly adhered to. Perhaps you should take a closer look at the traffic lights in Europe, because if you don't drive too far into the intersection you can see the traffic lights on the left and right at eye level. But if you then drive over the white markings you are punished and only see the ones above you. If you stop too far from the white markings in front of the traffic lights, the traffic lights don't know that you are standing there waiting, because there are contact loops in the asphalt that lead to the traffic light electronics that detect a stationary vehicle.

[@pfefferle74]

Traffic lights on a pole together with traffic signs regulating right of way supersede those as long as the light is working. Only if it is off or just flashing yellow you have to adhere to the signs.

[@holgerczubka5453]

US traffic lights are weird! When your direction is green and you turn left, you have to pass the red light for the other direction. For me as a German this would be like running a red light. For the radio stations... when u listen to FM stations, there is a function at car radios that switching to the next frequency of the same station. The better solution is DAB+ (digital audio broadcasting). Each statipn has the same frequency all over Germany - so you don't have to search or "retune"

[@arnodobler1096]

Restaurants with hot meals all day are not the best. I know this because I come from the industry, believe me. Even with a large menu, the same applies.

[@Anson_AKB]

nobody can have freshly cooked food or a large menu 24/7. Who offers either of these services mostly doesn't cook it "on demand", but has precooked meals (often from big "convenience restaurant food" factories) and then only heats it up on demand.

[@arnodobler1096]

@@Anson_AKB Exactly

[@Muck006]

Ever noticed that Germany is NOT FLAT? Radio signals are "direct line" ... so mountains/hills are not helpful. You might want to try this in NORTHERN GERMANY ... which is a lot flatter.

[@michaelschuckart2217]

Color of the lines: It gets worse. Just go next door to Switzerland, there are the normal lines yellow and in construction zones they are red.

[@arnodobler1096]

Public holydays and vacations vary from state to state.

[@johnlabus7359]

When I was in Berlin a several years ago, I thought it was really interesting that Germans were incredibly adamant about following rules around crosswalks, bike lanes, being on time, etc., but that didn't seem to apply to smoking at all. I saw folks smoking in all sorts of No Smoking places. As for the inclined moving shopping cart ramps, we have those in the USA. My local Publix had one for 20 years but it's now being replaced with the side by side escalators: one for people and one for the cart. Those seem to be more common than the moving ramps in the USA.

[@Opa_Andre]

In the past we had 2 frequency spectrums, AM (amplituded modulation) and the more known FM (frequency modulation). FM is still popular, but the stations locally broadcast on specific channels which differ alot from area to area. Some of those just broadcast within city limits, so you might not find another frequency for your favorite station when leaving the particular city. In order to receive better quality streams, later on a Digital Audio Broadcast (in short DAB or DAB+) was established. The channels on DAB are mostly either receiveable within a whole state or the whole country. If you are a talented handyman, you can buy such radio with DAB+ in your local electronics store and replace your current radio which doesn't have DAB+. Most of them are standardized (normed size) and easily replaceable. If you are unsure, go to your local car dealer and ask for replacing your current radio with a DAB+ one. (a lot less hassle) After setting up your preferred stations, as long as there is any broadcast frequency available, they automatically switch to the best frequency , so you won't have to do it manually anymore.

[@docugraf]

and don't hazzle to get rid of the put-on-glass antenna, get one with a magnetic foot or install one on the roof of the car for better recieving

[@Patschenkino]

4:33 Don’t you see the traffic light on the right side??

[@McGhinch]

When you're hungry, go to your kitchen and cook. Your kitchen is open 24 hours each day. 🙂

[@volkhardhenschel1863]

Old car radio is frequency modulated called FM. Today it is DAB+ - we do not search stations by numbers, but by their names. Frequency change is done by the radio, not the driver. And don't get a vibe while driving in Germany, stay concentrated.😊

[@NicholasCorvin]

*Info ( for anyone who wants to know ) : DAB+ is the abbrevation for Digital Audio Broadcasting Plus. This is the actual standard and successor of DAB. [ The + means : More stations & more variety. More comfort, better sound and more stability.]* 🎵📻🔊

[@maylinde986]

Hi, Radio: Every region has got their own station. So the news, the weather!, traffic, conzerts and so on are from the area. If you live in the south f.e. SWR1 could be a good 'beginner' station.

[@michaeldoebler4351]

If you live close to a inner state border it could be that the station changes if you travel in an other Bundesland.

[@yasminesteinbauer8565]

Smoking is regulated in Germany at federal state level. In Saarland, Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia, stricter rules apply than in the other federal states and smoking is generally prohibited in public buildings such as restaurants. It therefore depends on where you are in Germany. Overall, however, the influence of the tobacco lobby has meant that Germany is lagging behind in the EU.

[@teotik8071]

I see the difficulty with the traffic lights. My solution is to keep a bit more distance to the stopping line.

[@dannyf359]

To number 8 about Restaurants closed at 12 midnight is because it is a law here they must close them Restaurants in Germany at 12 midnight

[@xasanth6318]

you do know that there are some trafficlights on your hight at the side? you don't need to stick out your head Oo as for the music... well there are regionbased stations with lesser range and some with huge ranges - but there is always the ability to add your phone and use your phone for music - also depends a lot on your radio in your vehicle get kids - you'll never miss a holiday again... or a better calendar :P hmm smoking... I offer my bank account for everyone who is burning his money anyway... so I like the restrictions :P bakeries are sadly rare now these days... :( most are only a shadow of a real baker and quality is far less even though far more cheap which has nothing to do with the orignial craft... so... go to the real bakeries how long restaurant have open depends on where it is and how many customers they get to certain times - makes no sense to keep open if noone wants to eat there... right? in the bigger cities they are nearly open all the hours...

[@dieteroffermann3880]

The green Arrows are rare, cause we have many cyclelanes at the side, and so it´s very difficult for the driver to look for two or three things in a short time.

[@axelplate9080]

Ther eis a little country called the Netherlands nearby, maaaybe thats why there are so many flowers ? (and other agricultural products). Also, have you seen "Gartenzwergen" Gardengnomes?

[@Dutchbelg3]

What I like about this video is that you take a humble perspective. You tell us what has struck your attention. Not like other US-guys that tell other cultures they are weird. I like your stand point being humble and not like "the USA is the world standard" 😜 That saying the Germans are a bit funny 😛 They are very tight in laws and order 🙂 They like things to be organized as in their expectations. That's why opening hours are limited and days off are for EVERYone. And they will tell you you are crossing the lines 🙂 And as you said: Maybe it is not a bad thing.. The USA slavery - at - work does not exist in Europe ( Not like the USA, Japan, South Korea where people are working and working and working..)

[@AnNi1492K]

I do not understand the problem with the traffic lights - they are at the top and on the side, you can always see one 🤷🏻‍♀️ Even in your video you can see them perfectly on the right-hand side 😅

[@volkhardhenschel1863]

If you cannot see the traffic light while behind your mirror - MOVE YOUR HEAD and the traffic light appears. Magic!!😂😂😂

[@DASPRiD]

Or don't stop too close to the stopping line ;)

[@connycatlady7429]

Hi. Long time no see. Did you convert your driving License ? Just stop comparing, because you can't compare. About the holidays: lots oft them are religious. In north of Germany they don't have them. Right in May we had some. And yes all shops are closed in those holidays. Get yourselfs a German calendar, on paper. Old fashioned, but it works. All holidays are in. Talking about closed shops you just have to structure your week. Last week we had a holiday on thursday. So we know we have to do our shopping tour on wednesday. About events I guess you could have a newspaper ,which you don't pay for, called Wochenspiegel. There you find all die special offers from shops "Sonderangebote" ans events. Smoking is not allowed everywhere in Germany. We have laws about it. See you next time. 🌹

[@TrumpFanClubDeutschland]

10:29 Mr. Körschgen once said: So lange man lebt, soll man rauchen (as long as you live, you should smoke) U can look it up on KZbin

[@synthplayer1563]

Very nice video. The bakeries in the supermarket or other shops are definitely more mediocre. Most Germans usually try to avoid them.

[@CompassChronicleTravels]

Thank you very much! Ah ok that’s what we were sort of wondering. Though, it’s a guarantee the bread is still far superior to ours 🤣

[@walterelliothayes]

Download the Eurovision station! I'm jealous of all your holidays...

[@volkhardhenschel1863]

If you know how to use GOOGLE find the traffic rules and signs for Germany and Europe. Study them and then use your knowledge while driving, its easy. 😊

[@PeterSchmidt-l4p]

The yellow lines are merely temporary markings that show the course of the road during construction work and will be removed again after construction work is completed! The NORMAL road markings are ALWAYS white and of course permanent - unless the course of the road itself is changed by road construction work, THEN of course the white road markings are also removed and redrawn! I've also never had to turn my head up to look through the windshield or ask someone to lean out the window to pay attention to the traffic lights! Normally there are traffic lights to the left of the left lane and to the right of the right lane! In the video clip you can clearly see that the traffic light on the right was RED. WHY did you have to lean so far out the window just to see the traffic lights? Well, if you don't see the holidays on your phone, get a good old paper calendar - there are A LOT of variations and especially at the end of the year, during the holiday season, companies give away large quantities of them as corporate gifts! What is IMPORTANT is that not EVERY federal state has the same public holidays and the NUMBER of public holidays varies from state to state! For example, Bavaria and Saxony have the MOST public holidays in Germany! You can hang it either near the entrance/apartment door, in the kitchen or, if you have an office at home, above the desk!

[@houghi3826]

Traffic is something that people learn. So why not to an online drivers test, so you know what rules you do know and more important what you do NOT know. The example you gave with the light too high, there was a light at the right as well. No right on red is because of cyclists and pedestrians. It is also to NOT have any exceptions. Again, something people learn during driving lessons and will be asked during tests. Changing the station happens automatically for a LOT of years. Called RDS. Holidays are known YEARS in advance, they might be different from area to area, so find a website that says what the holidays are. And concerning events. Just go and have a drink in your local kneipe and talk to people. Yes, learning the language is a big plus, but they will tell and know. Smoking is mostly allowed outside. So if you sit outside, people will be allowed to smoke. Even when they are restaurants. So sit inside if it bothers you. There will still be some localities that allow smoking inside. Just go elsewhere if that bothers you. I know I do. Efficiency is not always the case. They pretend to be efficient, but are not really. There still is a ton of paperwork needed for many things. Bakeries? Yes! Best in the world. There is a HUGE difference in the US and European gardens. In many locations you are only allowed to have grass. That is not the case in Europe. People put a lot of their individuality in the gardens. Opening hours is indeed way more structure. But also the eating culture is different. People often go to eat because of the social aspect, not because they are hungry. You also do not get rushed out, like they do in the US. If they put the bill on the table here, it means you are not welcome anymore. And even then they will perhaps say 7 times that are closing, but you STILL need to ask to pay.

[@anonymundnichtkauflich1653]

In Germany you can buy Cars with Digital Radio called DAB in german. If u got one of these Radio Channels u can hear them in better Sound Quality and everywhere. :)

[@docugraf]

not really. there are nationwide services (like Deutschlandfunk / -Radio, SunshineLive for example) but there are also statewide and regional radio staions on DAB. But fur sure either you hear the selected station or not, there's no noisy part inbetween

[@martinjunghofer3391]

The heading doesn't match the explanation, or why will you NEVER get used to the fact that there are more bakeries or flowers here? Different countries, different customs! On point 1: the horizontal line on the traffic lights is a traffic sign, a traffic rule that must be followed! If you drive over it, you can't see the traffic lights, but if you stop in front of it - as you must - you can see the traffic lights! The way you describe your behavior in the construction zone: that's not reckless, it's potentially fatal! Before you get into a car and drive on the road in a foreign country, you have to familiarize yourself with the other traffic rules first!

[@CompassChronicleTravels]

For us, we will never get used to the flowers or bakeries. It’s so different from the US as there is almost zero true bread culture and you have to really seek out locations for such things. As for the flowers, as someone who gardens (which feels much less prominent in the states depending on where you live), I am in awe of attention to detail even on people’s doorsteps. So when we say we will never get used to it, we are saying when we walk by we will always marvel and be amazed and never truly be able to pass by without it grabbing our full attention. Maybe that’s our love of gardening but it’s something we are glad to feel this way about. As for the driving, we are of course very careful drivers. We did testing even prior to moving here. However, the way things are marked are VERY different and still doesn’t feel the same through a test as it does in practical application. There is a first experience for many things here and it simply caught us off guard seeing it in real time. We have, of course, adjusted after being able to see it now.

[@KeysundKreisPlaylists_Colt]

Never had the Problem with the radio (in Berlin)

[@JTerburg-hm6tk]

Hope you enjoy living in Germany! Yeahh, I know.... living in another country (or even: in a completely different part of the world even!!)... Remember: there are different rules than in the US... That's the charm of it! That's what you want, to explore the world!

[@CompassChronicleTravels]

Thank you so much! We are absolutely loving it so far! And we couldn’t agree more. Learning, exploring, and trying to immerse ourselves in the culture is definitely our goal and we are grateful to have lovely people in the comments teaching us so much as well.

[@kayatwood5183]

I would think it is difficult to adjust.

[@alred3600]

Well, to adjust to another culture can be quite a challenge, especially in Europe, where almost every village has it's century old do's and dont's and even locals moving from one side of the village to the other can feel like foreigners in a completely different land, with a completely different culture, values and even language... So my best advice is, don't compare, forget where you came from, open to the new place, stay there at least for two or three hundred years, watch and try to adept, without beeing' to visible as a stranger, best marry a local and hope his or her enlarged family likes and accepts you, your children and greatgra children, as complete integration takes at least 4000 years, but only if you don't move again...at least it can feel like this sometimes. And no,,that's mostly nit meant offensive or even racist, it's simply Europe is extreme diversity on a very limited place, where you aren't free to move when things go wrong but have to arrange, simply because there's not much space to go, or - even worse - no social scene, where you and your family isn't known or related to somehow, so it's almost impossible to escape and start again on a blank canvas. Also, because this age, diversity and very limited space and resources, wich somehow has to be distributed and divided to and between masses and masses of people, all belonging to very distinct groups with very different interests, everything has to be done in the most effective, practical, sustainable and less conflicting way for a very long and reliable amount of time, with pretty much the same people around for generation after generation...so there's not much place for individuality or any kind of experiment, untested novelties or emotions, as thjngs simply have to work smoothly and without causing to much tensions. So better don't ask why, don't compare, dint complain and please, never ever try to change things, until you're completely understand why things are dine in the way, they are done, includi g all exceptions, loopholes, dangerously fine calibrated relations and equilibras of power and pitfalls behind, as nothing is simply done because someone likes to do it this way in Europe! Which maybe is the biggest culture shock most Americans never get used to, life in Europe is never ever about You, your feelings, your achievements or comfort, it's about making sure your community will survive and doesn't vets in too much conflict with others, so quite often the question isn't, if something is possible, but much more what will and could happen, if things are done differently, as almost every thing and every single gesture has a difficult past of mutual negotiation and symbolic meaning far beyond function...So please, for the first 400 or so years, simply watch, try to adept and don't move, and then try to understand and find allies for the next 2000 years...and then maybe get the trick...or not, as everything starts again when somebody's moving or changes things...At least it can feel like this sometimes, and maybe the aim of the whole game is simply not to get to sure and comfy at all, as thzs wlukd mean, much of Europe's unique diversity and culture would disappear, as all of thus is based on a lot if hard work, not for yourself, but fkr ylur community and group, wich only kasts if things are done pretty much in the same sometimes not to logic and -sorry to blur the myth - highly inefficient and old fashioned way, they always where done... Or simply stay the outsider and enjoy the strange huzzle and buzzle, as outsiders do have the privilege not to be expected to function very well in this game, which unfortunately comes with the price, not to know, what exactly is going on around you, as you are the strange person of unknown descent and aspirations, noone knows something about and noone knows, how many centuries he'll stay (aka if it is worth the effort to integrate and trust...).

[@jptv5726]

inside all public area's smoking is prohibeted everywhere in the EU.

[@andyx6827]

Bull💩

[@LythaWausW]

I hope you can get used to 7 of those things, especially the driving rules. The cigarette smoke, you'll never get used to, especially since you admitted you're allergic. I wonder what sad part of America you are from where the flowers aren't as pretty: )

[@itskrim1817]

Would you say the american dream is real?

[@mattesrocket]

I am German and hate all these smokers, the ruthlessness where they smoke, and that they are too many. And the hours of restaurants make me 😡😡😡

[@arnodobler1096]

Restaurants, an industry in which 12-hour working days are normal, and WITH these hours.

[@UwevanWilligenburg]

Try to spell correctly

[@johnveerkamp1501]

YOU MUST GO TO THE NETHERLANDS ,IT MATS BETTER,AND THE PEOPLE ARE MAST NICER. !!!!!!

[@teotik8071]

Unfortunately you don't seem to be one of those.

[@NicholasCorvin]

*Across Europe an enormous variety of bread is available. Germany alone lays claim to over 1,300 basic varieties of breads, rolls, and pastries, as well as having the largest consumption of bread per capita worldwide.* 🍞🥐🥨🥖🫓