German Homes: How The Germans Live | Meet the Germans

What sets German homes apart? That's what Rachel want to find out for this week's Meet the Germans. From cake forks to tiny homes and BYO kitchens - join her for a snoop around a typical German home.
Rachel moved from the UK to Germany in 2016. As a relative newcomer she casts a fresh eye over German clichés and shares her experiences of settling into German life. Every two weeks she explores a new topic - from unusual bans to meaty cuisine or haunted castles. This week: come on in and make yourself at home with the Germans.
Update: At 0:24 unfortunately a small error has crept in. This house is the famous Rietveld Schröder House and is located in Utrecht in the Netherlands and not in Germany. Sorry for that.
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Watch more Meet the Germans videos here: • Meet the Germans
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[@dweuromaxx]

How do these things compare to where you live? Any surprises?

[@Yocarisfastlike]

Why are Germans so poor ?

[@coolredpen]

Berlin rent cap has really messed with the market. Many landlords prefering to make a loss than rent out at a lower price, meaning it's really difficult to find a place at the moment

[@dougtheviking6503]

The whole Kitchen Rachel? WTH! 🤭 In America, maybe just Appliances . Thanks Rachel another great Vid 👍🤗

[@matnichol]

@@Yocarisfastlike They’re not.

[@anglogerman2287]

@@Yocarisfastlike What is your definition of "poor"?

[@smu48]

Me a German watching how Germans live: interesting

[@Sternburg]

@Farb S xD

[@Speed8reaker]

vor allem was soll dieser tiny hausscheiß. höre ich zum ersten mal. haben se versehentlich ein von der randgruppe befragt :D

[@AgrestisAnima]

@@Speed8reaker Wenn ich n Grundstück hätte würd ich mir eins holen. Günstig und minimalistisch

[@Speed8reaker]

@@AgrestisAnima :D

[@tirlio]

@@Speed8reaker in meinem Umfeld sind tiny houses seit Jahren ein Thema.

[@matis9562]

There's always a corner full of Pfandflaschen

[@m0llux]

"How would you like to pay? In cash or by card?" - "In Pfandflaschen."

[@kessas.489]

Bei mir nicht, habe keine Pfandflaschen mehr...

[@cg6511]

@@kessas.489 Which basically means that you don't buy any bottled beverages at all but only use a Soda Stream if any. ;)

[@michaelakunz7679]

Sodastream. Sparkels your own water.

[@cg6511]

@@michaelakunz7679 but if you only have hard shit, it only sparkles the calcium around ;)

[@McGuiver1601]

As a german, I often watch these "This is Germany"-Videos mostly, because I want to say: "Nein, das ist nicht wahr!" (no, thats not true!). But I can't - This Video shows the most accurate review about living in Germany.

[@itzlazyfelix1348]

du auch?

[@AberBitteMitSahne21]

I'am german and there is one thing wrong in the video: i don't know any one living in a tiny house. That is a quite unusal thing. But everything else is true :-)

[@rashabintemohiuddin]

@@AberBitteMitSahne21 You are right. I also thought the same.

[@raraavis7782]

@@AberBitteMitSahne21 Jepp. I would very much like to, but the bureaucratic hurdles are not fun. It's not, like you can just park a tiny house anywhere you like and living in a Camper is basically not allowed at all. You have to have a residence in an actual building and bullshit like that.

[@kristinar385]

@@AberBitteMitSahne21 Also ich werde mir in ca 5 Jahren ein Tiny House kaufen. Und gerade heute habe ich gelesen, daß ca. 30 km von mir eine Tiny House-Siedlung entstehen wird. Es gibt auch immer mehr Anbieter dieser Häuser in Deutschland.

[@MrRalfart]

As a German having traveled quiet some places of the world I can express with great confidence that the greatest thing about our homes among others is the windows :)

[@amywalker7515]

Luft is a thing over there. 20 below zero and they've got their babies bundled up and outside in the baby pram.

[@cg6511]

@@amywalker7515 That's the Fins. We just don't cage our kids and don't persecute parents until they end in jail just for allowing their kids to make simple experiences at the respective ages them are ready to move on their own.

[@iliepetcan1736]

:))

[@djhp1990]

And the bathrooms. With plugs and proper plumbing

[@nntflow7058]

I notice that many german houses or apartments tend to have better ventilations compared to the Dutch, Italian, French or the English. The only other comparable ones would be the nordic.

[@Cera3]

cake forks are absolutely the most important things in my kitchen! eating cake with something else - with a teaspoon or a normal fork is like drinking fizzy cold drinks from a porcellain cup instead of a glass. it works but it feels just so wrong :D

[@dweuromaxx]

😃

[@cg6511]

Back until the 1930s cake used to be eaten with a knife and fork. Then the idea came up to make things easier and get rid of the knife by combining both tools into one. Zackfertig! The Kuchengabel was invented.

[@kaidrache2395]

@@cg6511 Ooooh no! I beg to differ. During the course of the last decade we inherited a lot of cutlery from dying family members and guess what? We are now proud owners of cake forks AND cake knifes (in fact enough to feed a Bundeswehr division). Yep, Kuchenmesser. They obviously came never out of fashion after the war, but were part of the "better cutlery". "Sonntagsbesteck", anyone? ;) If I had to take a guess I would assume that they came out of fashion somewhere during the 70s as I never saw my parents or their friends owing them.

[@cg6511]

@@kaidrache2395 I honestly dunno how old your grandparents are, but if they are as old as mine they are from well before the war. ;) And you never know if they even kept this cutlery from their own parents or grandparents, so....i'm not an expert and wouldn't deny that there might have been some timewarps in certain regions regards the sale of cutlery, but nonetheless the cake fork has been invented in the 30s, which doesn't mean that there might not still have been people eating cake like it were a steak in the 50s or so... ;)

[@kaidrache2395]

@@cg6511 It's actually hard to tell because I'm missing information from the family here. First and foremost - you are right regarding their date of birth. Both sets of grandparents were born between 1914 and 1923. I assumed that these knifes went out of fashion in the 70's, because I was born in 1974 and I cannot remember using or even seeing them ever at my own parents when I was a child. But back to the topic at hand. You are probably right when you guess the 50s, reason being is that both sets of grandparents had to flee in 1945 (eastern Prussia and Prussian Holland respectively) and according to all the information I have available, none of them carried more than a single suitcase. The sets of cutlery we inherited are pretty nice, but not made of gold or silver. Even worse, it's for 24 people and stored in a specially designed bag. So I doubt that they already had it when they had to flee, just because it's a waste of space and pretty heavy. As I said, this is mostly guesswork, but if I had to flee and couldn't pack a lot of things I would go with money, documents, jewellery and that kind of stuff, but not with "worthless" cutlery. The years from 1945 to 1955 were pretty rough on my grandparents, so we can safely assume that the cake knifes were bought somewhere around 1955 to 1970. But once again, this is all pure guesswork ;)

[@Mickey-wh4di]

You also gotta bring your own "bitte keine werbung" stickers, or your mailbox will be full with advertisement papers every morning

[@vonpfrentsch]

So what? do you want the whole planet waste as much energy as the americans do? A flyer is a flyer too many in your mailbox.

[@Mickey-wh4di]

@@vonpfrentsch yeah, thats why you need them in Germany, also everyone has them here

[@vonpfrentsch]

@@Mickey-wh4di Are you being sarcastic? We´ve only got one planet and every superfluuous printed item is one too many.

[@Mickey-wh4di]

@@vonpfrentsch Jo WTF?? Did you smoke Smth? I said you need "no advertisement("bitte keine werbung" in English means "no advertisement") stickers on your mailbox, because its a typical thing Germans do (atleast where I live) to stop getting unnecessary advertisement in their mail every morning...

[@Mickey-wh4di]

@@vonpfrentsch like your calling me sarcastic when I'm talking for exactly the same thing your arguing for?

[@victormj23]

And don’t worry if you don’t remember your max. allowed noise level... your lovely german neighbor will remind it to you with a sweet: “HALLOOOOOOOOO?????!!!!!”

[@DerSteff9286]

Or the police will ring your bell

[@Rob_Otter]

There are several types of "Hallo" you should know 😁 "Hallo?!" first strike "Halloooo?!" second strike "Hallooohoo?!" third strike - expect a police car within 15 minutes

[@paulpuschel4665]

I miss the phrase: "Es ist Mittagsruhe, verdammt nochmal!!!"

[@frauleinbird]

Or you will hear the scary thump of a broomstick against your floor.

[@yuko273]

@@frauleinbird Or the neighbor ring your bell, to tell you, that you're making to much noise

[@Lottedbruyn]

I live in The Netherlands, and learning things about our neighbors is really nice, I love Germany and the German people.

[@BerndSpielt]

I would like to return the favor to the netherlands. I love visiting Venlo and the ocean and I like the bikes all over the place! Sadly currently we are unable to drive there because of the pandemic, I am really looking forward again to have a nice 2 weeks at Egmond aan Zee in a vacation home to wind down and just enjoy the beach there.

[@franzliebkind7612]

Ich liebe Holland und die holländische Mentalität

[@appleslover]

I Love Dutch roads and infrastructure. Also your biking culture is just the best and makes Dutch cities much more pleasant and full of life 🇩🇪❤🇳🇱

[@noworryshecancurry7454]

oh i need to look up something similiar for the netherlands. love it there as well and super friendly people :-)

[@Ja-uu9ep]

I’m from the UK, I need to visit some of my neighbours because I love new cultures and sites and touring places. The last time I visited the Netherlands was just to go to De Efteling a while ago haha, but I want to visit the Netherlands next time to take it in more and see new places.

[@ramittyagi667]

Moved to germany last week! Can't even explain how much DW has helped me into my transition and got me prepared for Germany!

[@johannesgulker8597]

Willkommen bei uns! :D

[@ramittyagi667]

@@johannesgulker8597 danke ! Dein Land ist wunderschön 😍

[@RachelStewart04]

So glad we could be helpful :) and welcome!

[@m0llux]

Welcome! Please don't make too much noise on Sundays! :D OK, I'm kidding.

[@freddyfartface9327]

dann wünschen wir dir Mal einen guten Start und herzlich willkommen :)

[@SloMo2723]

Moved to Germany from California and fell in love with my tiny apartment! Love the German people!! All the best

[@WouldntULikeToKnow.]

My husband and I just moved to Germany from California too!

[@calmondey4214]

Stay safe you too.

[@RemizZ]

@@WouldntULikeToKnow. Welcome! Please don't mind our idiots. They are not as bad as what you might be accustomed to 😅

[@Rickuo]

Hopefully you abandoned the "liberal" bad political opinions that wrecked California

[@RemizZ]

@@Rickuo US liberal = EU moderate. There are no real liberals in the US :D

[@altitudeiseverything3163]

Here I am, in the U.S., wearing my Birkenstock ‘house shoes’ (that I *never* wear outdoors). Even after 50 years here, I wouldn’t think of wearing street shoes in my home! 🤢 Good German habits stick.

[@lieselottenoldini468]

That's also something I learned to appreciate. It just creates the proper home feeling.

[@ironsugar8690]

We do the same in Russia

[@karolinkiehl4097]

If you keep your regular shoes on when you visit someone in their home, they might say something like : "Wir sind doch nicht auf der Flucht, kannst ruhig deine Schuhe ausziehen." (We aren't on the run, you can take your shoes off).

[@altitudeiseverything3163]

@@karolinkiehl4097 I love that! Some Americans feel insulted if asked to remove their shoes when visiting, but I have a strict ‘no shoes’ policy. Don’t want to remove your shoes? Then don’t come into my home! Simple. I keep clean slippers for guests, and shoe covers for plumbers, etc. And I keep a pair of slippers in my car, to use when *I* visit friends’, because wearing shoes in someone’s home is *rude!* 😉

[@user-lb6kc8yx4e]

I dont know anyone who wears house shoes just wear sockets

[@Zoeleii]

German living - you can‘t just spontaneously stop by your friends‘s house, you have to make an appointment with them 😂 all the other things are normal for Europe

[@johnwick3846]

And there is nothing wrong about that! People should let their friends know if they plan to come over. I do not live in Germany but this is the right thing to do.

[@iliepetcan1736]

:))) the same its îs Holland :)) u need to call before to go in visot at Ur friends or parents even Austria

[@iliepetcan1736]

@@johnwick3846 :))))

[@appleslover]

I wish we were like this in Turkey Because most of the times my flat isn't tidey and sometimes I'd be outside

[@nntflow7058]

That's pretty normal around the world I think.

[@anglogerman2287]

Not just any old balcony: a south-facing one is preferable for a lot of us (unless you live somewhere really sunny like Freiburg)😂

[@RachelStewart04]

I did originally have a scene on the balcony with a compass, checking the direction - will have to show that in the director's cut one day 😆

[@m0llux]

I really love my north facing balcony! You can use it throughout the summer without melting to death :)

[@cg6511]

@@m0llux yes... nowadays with all the climate change south-oriented flats can be a real pain.

[@yatendrasingh571]

@@RachelStewart04 really, that would have made the vedio better!

[@fauxamy23]

Yeah sunlight is important.

[@andreameyer-hubner1170]

Don't forget the Duschekabinewasserabzieher! Permanent feature of any German shower😂 even guests are expected to get the old wasserabzieher out after their shower! (Otherwise they can expect a stern telling off from their hosts)

[@peterderpanda2922]

Definitely! You don't want to see mold, do you? :D

[@andreameyer-hubner1170]

@@peterderpanda2922 it's not against mold. It's against the hard water stains than can build up on the glass

[@peterderpanda2922]

@@andreameyer-hubner1170 Oh, I use it on the wall tiles, since the ventilation is bad in our bathroom

[@andrewjames1366]

Und nachher abwischen, sonst kalkt es.

[@ebick77]

If you’re referring to what we call a “squeegee” in America, then some people in USA have those for their showers, too. But maybe it’s not as common as Germany.

[@LAE45]

To go along with the tiny cake forks, REALLY important: the „cake lifter“ (Tortenheber). You simply can‘t serve cake without one. Not like the flat American cake knives which will also get the piece of cake you just cut with it to the guest‘s plate, German „cake lifters“ are like trowels with a bend in the handle and you‘d never cut a piece of cake with one (that‘s crude).

[@milchbrotchen2930]

Me as a German: i stick my fork into the cake and lift it on my plate. Tada.

[@LAE45]

@@milchbrotchen2930 klappt das auch mit frischer Erdbeertorte? ;-)

[@vienna11215]

@@LAE45 Schon, aber ziezerlweise. EIne Erdebeere nach der anderen! :-)

[@paulsj9245]

@Linda I beg to differ: There are "cake server(s) with blade" - from a famous company's shop.

[@LAE45]

@@paulsj9245 You're right, just found that. Goes to show you that we Germans are also out-dated/old-fashioned!

[@moritzfesseler8460]

"If the cakes aren't mini, then why are the forks ?" Im german and my my mind is blown..

[@machtharry]

German here too. I dont own tiny forks but eating cake with big forks just feels wrong.... Not wrong enough for me to buy tiny forks but still wrong.

[@zommboss975]

Well it's not a mini fork. it's a cake fork....for cake. Makes sense to me.

[@HeyJuuu]

I use spoon for everything even noodles.

[@christopherstein2024]

@@HeyJuuu Ah yes. And cutting the Spaghetti I guess

[@christopherstein2024]

When eating cake the fork needs an edge and is only used for bite sized pieces. A real fork can be plunged into something and keep it in place with strength while you are cutting on the plate.

[@angrach6569]

Ah, the glorious Zollstock. We literally have one in every room of the house. Open a random drawer, there will be one of them

[@jenninie282]

It‘s not a Zollstock. It‘s a Gliedermaßstab mit Zentimetereinteilung. Wenn deutsch, dann aber so richtig 😂

[@Charles50Kal]

I heard that Germans, by law, must clear away snow that appears in front of their house.

[@Sedna063]

Indeed, the walkway must be cleared from 6:00 - 22:00

[@Milanesium]

And even if you rent this snow plowing service can be delegated to you. If you refuse to do it and someone slips, you are held accountable in court.

[@Mister006]

That's the same requirement for residents in some cities in the USA. Philadelphia, comes to mind.

[@GGs0815]

But many houses have a service for that. But yes you are resposible for it, so if it is snowing in the winter, you need to get up very early and clean the snow.

[@mucsalto8377]

in cities, snow plowing is a service provided by the city (you pay taxes - you get service!)

[@Porsche996driver]

You missed 2 German things “Dachwohnung” (under the roof apartment) and also the shared “stair sweeping schedule!” Don’t miss your day to sweep or else! Ask me how I know! 🤔🤣

[@ananyagupta3917]

Is the sweeping thing a rule?

[@martinafern4654]

Klar, Hausordnung! :-)

[@RetroNekoArt]

@@ananyagupta3917 not in every apartment complex sometimes professional cleaning services do it for you but it cost extra and is part of the rent, to avoid that people do it themself.

[@matejpolak6638]

I'm from Czechia and I can tell you, missing stair sweeping schedule is always the start of never-ending neighbour disputes :D

[@horsthorsti2122]

Kehrwoche

[@pwn2own23]

1:40 Alle Münchner haben bei den 17 € m² herzlich gelacht und dann geweint...

[@julianfenster6473]

Was hat ein Schwabe in Berlin was ein Berliner nicht hat? - Ne Eigentumswohnung.

[@magmalin]

Drum ziehen seit Jahren viele Münchner nach Augsburg, was sich auf die Mieten hier nicht gerade positiv auswirkt. Habe einige Münchner Nachbarn hier in meinem Viertel nahe der Autobahn. Man ist auf der A8 oder mit der Bahn sehr schnell in München. Bin auch einige Jahre lang zur Arbeit nach München gependelt.

[@jinli4787]

😂

[@TheFakeXvi]

ich aus Stuttgart hab den Kommentar gelesen gelacht, über Münchner die denken bei ihnen wärs teuer, meine mietkosten gesehen und dann geweint

[@b.k.3313]

@@magmalin Leider 😥😡😳

[@AkallabethGoth]

A lot of the things you mentioned, apply to Poland, too. Majority of people live in flats, nearly every flat has a balcony (usually excluding the ground floor flats), you do get an assigned basement space, with each flat having their closed off area, we do wear slippers/house shoes (we don't understand walking around the flat in shoes we were just walking in outside), square pillows, etc.... Haven't lived in Poland for nearly 10 years now, I keep forgetting how similar things are between a lot of different countries in Europe.

[@GraceCanadaful]

Rollshutters are not a German invention. They are more popular in tnhe hot parts of Europe.. French also use shutters but the old-fashion ones. RS are becoming more popular in North America.

[@nevazuchtaugsburg]

Naja, Polen ist unser Nachbarland und war früher auch zur Hälfte deutsch. Auch die alten Bauwerke und Städte sind sich sehr ähnlich

[@MrGlendale111]

When I lived in Germany I rented a small apt. It was a 2nd floor apt, in the owners home He constantly complained about my water useage. Which was minimal. What he really was complaining about, was I took a shower every day. Evidently water was a bill he wanted kept at the lowest cost he could get. I had to leave that apt. I could not stand being that uncomfortable, where i lived.

[@erictheshark1598]

I guess this is NOT a typical german- ist's totally normal to take a daily shower for most of the germans !

[@moinmoin7145]

That Landlord was just a pig, the most ppl take a shower daily or more often.

[@MrGlendale111]

@@ajrwilde14 I would say in his 60s.

[@dasrazzul]

@@MrGlendale111 In the owners home - I think the problem was that he made a contract with you for Warmiete inklusive Wasser - so he had no Zähler to count how much water YOU used. Normally if you rent you have the Kaltmiete (rent only for the flat, no water, heating, energy), and pay thoses extras depending on how much you actually consumed. He just wanted to keep your water use to a minimum, becuase that way he would not have lost money if you used more than he had calculated befor.

[@MrGlendale111]

@@dasrazzul The rent included the water. So yes it was an agreement, and my main useage was a daily shower. I was gone all day at work, and I lived alone. So my water useage was very little. So it was that daily shower that bothered him. I lived in Kaiserslautern. Actually others in Germany told me they had similar problems, over water useage when renting Apts. It was a very small apt on his 2nd floor. I became a nervous wreck living there every time I turned the faucet on.

[@BatMajor]

you forgot about the Kaffee for the Kuchen. one of my favorite things about living in Germany Kaffee und Kuchen

[@user-hs8de4td3v]

Hello, will you come to Germany often?

[@Amaranth711]

I really appreciate the Fliesentisch in the WG room.

[@becsuletferfi8217]

Der Zentralrat der Rliesentischbesitzer ist empört!

[@kandelika2902]

The old, very 80s Fließentisch is one of the ugliest things on earth. The second one is unloved feet in awful Birkenstock sandals, ahaha!

[@patrickwalker8838]

Wow, ich mag wirklich, was du hier geschrieben hast

[@ysmg9010]

Leider nur ein Ein-Flieser. Im schlimmsten Fall sogar nur Folie, die Holz Hocker gab es glaube oft als 3er Set.

[@christopherstein2024]

@@kandelika2902 Get out of our Country! So redest du nicht mit uns mein Freund!

[@thomasreilly6362]

Finland is very similar except the apartments are smaller and we leave the kitchens in place when we move. You missed out the main point,everything works as it should.

[@daenemark_mark]

Finland is such a wonderful country. I feel like German cities are way overcrowded. Once I came to Finland (especially Rovaniemi and Lappenranta) I immediately felt home. The countryside is so extraordinarily beautiful and all the reindeer's who are not shy at all! I just love your country and would love to live there myself some day.

[@mucsalto8377]

@@daenemark_markA winter without any sunshine for months? Not for me.

[@daenemark_mark]

@@mucsalto8377 doesn't have to. 😉😁

[@geraldmcmullon2465]

"alles in ordnung" otherwise folk really do get upset.

[@Rebecca-vg2ef]

Beaurocracy, government officials and Deutsche Bahn would like a word

[@nicoschl5227]

You forgot our windows. The ones with the „Kipp-Öffnung“. ;-) most german home thing ever. Even more than Birkenstock.

[@Porsche996driver]

Also “Dachwohnung” under the roof apartments - which of course have these windows.

[@bannol1]

Yeah, my aunt in Germany has this balcony door that works on the same principle as the Kippfenster. If you don't push the lever all the way down the door actually unhinges, or you might find yourself locked out on your balcony in the middle of winter.

[@mstaco509]

I thought I broke the window the first time I opened it. I had already said "Tschüß" to my deposite when the landlord explained to me that German windows can be opened in two ways for "Frischluft" 😂 and I don't know where this lady is from but, where I live, houses don't have "Rollläden" 😅

[@DangeHD]

@@mstaco509 I live near the border to the Netherlands and every house or apartment has these for every window. In the evening you let them down and in the morning up again. Older ones have to be rolled down or up manualy but the norm nowadays is having a switch for it. It´s cool to be able to make a room utterly dark in the middle of the day when you want to :D

[@dweuromaxx]

Must be great when we get summer heatwaves 😁 🥵

[@amierikke6225]

I’m in the US. My husband started making our bed years ago by that double bed cover method. I didn’t like it at first because it’s not magazine picture perfect, but I’ve come to like it, it’s very practical.

[@IngebhorgdPizarroKrause]

The apartment situation in Germany is INSANE!! We live in Colgone, and they simply ask for absurd amounts of many, for very small spaces. I don't understand how they let this get so far.

[@imeldam1183]

This is the result of zero interest monetary policy (European Central Bank, Draghi, Lagarde, whatever it takes, bazooka), asset price inflation and mass immigration. Not everyone has to pay the rent out of their own earnings.

[@Freiya2011]

@@imeldam1183 nope. This isthe result of cities giving a funk who buys property and so whole streets have been sold to foreign investors ...and are left empty!

[@jacquelinej8257]

@@Freiya2011 We have this too in London, it’s forcing Londoners out of their city. And we made the place interesting. Germany used to be very sensible with rent prices, what a shame it has gone this way

[@imurt3417]

This video made me realize that I have a very german house Signed: an italian living in Italy

[@szokuspokus]

Same here in Poland :-) Actually Berlin that I visited last year, thanks to blocks spread across the city, felt like Warsaw.

[@Abcdefg25152]

@@szokuspokus Berlin isn't german. When you want to see german culture go to small towns or villages. These big cities aren't anymore what they were in the past

[@n8flieger948]

@@Abcdefg25152 really? I‘d call that permanent motion, everything changes 😝 Grüße aus Berlin

[@petarkolovrat7973]

Same in Bosnia!

[@kamilmusalat]

n8flieger nah but Berlin looks and feels very Eastern European compared to the rest of Germany, which isn’t bad, I am half polish and I love going to Poland which has a very similar flair at times due to communism and cultural influennces of course.

[@allenchristopher3117]

Great work as usual. Somehow I knew Rachel would be able to work beer into this video on German homes.

[@Emelless13]

I lived in Germany for a time as a kid and the Rolladens (blackout rolling shutters) are amazing. Wish they were commonplace in the U.S.!

[@jimmybaldbird3853]

They look tacky

[@minecrafttroller1000]

@@jimmybaldbird3853 I know this is a year old but I disagree, my cousin had them at her home in Italy and you could barely notice they were there until they were down. And the parts you did notice fit the architecture style quite well

[@jimmybaldbird3853]

@@minecrafttroller1000 meh, they look cheap. I just buy the regular shades that are meant to block out sun. Looks much nicer.

[@alexspata]

they are good, but they are pretty expensive, at least the aluminium ones they are double the price of PVC ones, which tend to deform more often from the heat / freeze cycle

[@piawirth979]

I'd say the most common type of house depends on where you live. If you live in a big city, it's mostly Mehrfamilienhäuser, but in little towns most people have an Einfamilienhaus.

[@jimlarens8882]

Ja, die Kuchengabel ist schon sehr essenziell!😂

[@nidhoggvomwalde2280]

Nie besessen 😜

[@thorbend]

@@nidhoggvomwalde2280 Barbarisch. Du trinkst deinen Kaffee auch aus Gläsern.

[@Fkp.777]

Ich käme mir vor wie ein Tier wenn ich Omas Kuchen mit ner normalen Gabel essen sollte. Hallooooo......wir sind ja hier nicht bei armen Leuten

[@SMB_Channel]

@@Fkp.777 recht hast du.. Da könnte man gleich ne Forke für nehmen. xD

[@kristinar385]

Und natürlich gescheiter Kuchen oder Torte - als Deutsche sind wir ja nicht nur Weltmeister im Brotbacken ^^

[@carolgoulart9759]

What a beautiful and cute black cat ❤️ Loved the idea that friends help each other with their move. That's really kind!

[@bradford_shaun_murray]

4:14 meow

[@MrMNRichardWright]

One thing we found very German. Was the way we calculated the amount of heat we used in a multi-family house. There was a type of gauge on the radiator. It held some kind of gel/liquid that was measured. The more heat used the less was left in the gauge.

[@user-hs8de4td3v]

Isn't there a solution to these problems?

[@christophmensch3945]

I never thought there could be so much information, education, amusement and entertainment in 4 minutes! Had to subscribe right away!

[@matnichol]

I take all this for granted these days but it was all a bit of a shock moving from the UK. Taking a fitted kitchen with you is odd. Ruhezeit in the middle of the day is an odd concept at first but can be a welcome break if somebody is refurbishing an apartment and you’re home during the day. I’ve heard that if you live in an Einfamilienhaus then you are responsible for clearing any snow that falls on the pavement directly in front if your house.

[@rkibele6666]

The snow thing is correct. ;)

[@manub.3847]

Sometimes even the street, you can be obliged to clear your (small) street. or Spielstr., and not just the pedestrian of snow and ice by the city or municipality code.

[@m0llux]

Even when you live in a Mehrfamilienhaus, sometimes landlords like to delegate the sweeping task either to the occupants of the apartment on the ground floor or have an actual "sweeping plan" posted that states on which days each tenant is responsible for sweeping the sidewalk. Often, this includes cleaning the common areas of the house, too

[@paulsj9245]

To clear the snow is a responsibility of the owner/landlord. It may be delegated to renters by clause of the rental contract.

[@AndersHenke]

Legally, it’s the responsibility of the municipality, but they’re able to (and normally do) declare that to be the property owners job - who in turn does shift that job to their renters. With apartment buildings, it’s technically the same: the city declares the property owner to be in charge of clearing the walkway from snow and excessive leaves, and the owner(s) do decide if they do have their renters alternate turns (say: every x weeks) or spend the money on some professional janitor service to take care of “winter service”. Of course, landlords do recover those fees from renters as part of their rental fee. And, as a bonus tip: the final one (renter or owner of a home) paying for the fees for handymen, gardeners, janitors or the like can reclaim some percentage of their labour costs when filing your taxes.

[@gurdevsingh5637]

A thought popped in my head like it's been over 2 weeks and there hasn't been another video of meet the germans then this video popped in my feed.

[@dweuromaxx]

@Gurdev Singh Only It's Rachel's telepathic powers...😉

[@michaelwray1034]

German mam. I visited every two years from 1962. I love the german way of life greetings from england

[@elefant2865]

I am living in Germany qnd i can say that this clip is 100% true...even with the small forks. We also have them

[@AdrianSchwizgebel]

As a neighbour of Germany, I'm still amazed that you take your kitchen appliances with you when you move out. This is unimaginable for me.

[@BlauerBooo]

Yes, not always the best idea, maybe, as a kitchen is often linked to a room's measurements... so moving with those shelves and surfaces is annoying and always requires some new investments then. Also a kitchen as a whole is a quite large investment for your first rented flat.... in WGs (the shared appartements) you usually keep the former renter's kitchen or look for a (partly) furnished appartment.

[@EgoRaptorLP]

I was also surprised that this is supposed to be the norm. I'm from Germany and everyone I know didn't have to buy a kitchen or left it there if they bought a new one (The next renter paid some money for the kitchen)

[@pwp8737]

In Quebec it's common to move out and in with stove and refrigerator

[@nevazuchtaugsburg]

​@@EgoRaptorLPja, wie du sonstige Möbel verkaufen kannst, kannst du auch eine Küche an den Nachmieter verkaufen. Wenn du ihn überhaupt kennen lernst. Manchmal stellt der Vermieter auch eine. In der Regel nimmt man seine Küche mit und passt sie neu an. Meine hat 10.000 € gekostet vor 12 Jahren und ist zweimal mit umgezogen in meine dritte Wohnung jetzt. "Was nicht passt wird passend gemacht" Ehrlich gesagt fühle ich mich damit auch wohler zu wissen was hinter der Küche ist und nichts vom Vorbesitzer zu nutzen.

[@DrGlynnWix]

My German house has everything on your list, including the folding ruler and the weird square pillows!

[@taker800]

Those square pillows are the work of the devil! Not a fan of the small duvets either!

[@johannasophia8989]

@@taker800 I agree, I hate them so much 😭 I take my memory foam pillow with me whenever I stay at my friends' or family's place overnight because I literally cannot sleep on those lumpy sacks that have the audacity to call themselves pillows

[@YukiTheOkami]

This Ruler is called Zollstock

[@harmsarah]

@@YukiTheOkami Actually it is called a "Gliedermaßstab" ;-)

[@lyaneris]

@@taker800 I have a large duvet :) It's your choice what to buy and you can totaly get both.

[@mdam1977]

its nice to know the concept of house shoes in Germany as this is something that is very common in Asian countries where you dont bring in your outside shoes into your home and store them somewhere near your house entrance and either walk indoors with out shoes or have designated home slippers.

[@e.eckert9468]

It's so weird to watch it as a german person 😂 These are just normal things/ buildings 🤷‍♀️😂

[@cocob.6150]

Ja, aber echt interessant, dass so viele Dinge für andere "weird" sind :-)

[@Kenrp11]

A "Sitzpinkeln" sign is not out of place, especially in a WG.

[@nidhoggvomwalde2280]

I have one saying: even ladies can stay... I think it has the same effect 😅

[@joachimsaxer4812]

How true, how true!

[@carmenschumann826]

I have a sign: "Pinkeln im Sitzen 0 EUR, Pinkeln im Stehen: Männer 20 EUR, Frauen 50 EUR"

[@colloidalsilverwater15ppm88]

Separate trash cans or bags for paper, metal, glass etc...

[@cookiekiller8563]

That doesn't exist everywhere?!

[@sparklingdaisy3169]

@@cookiekiller8563 No, we put everything in one trash bag.

[@isabelmartin40]

@@cookiekiller8563 In civilized countries, yes of course! We are trying to NOT destroy thr Planet completly, aren't we??

[@cookiekiller8563]

@@isabelmartin40 yes, we are

[@colloidalsilverwater15ppm88]

@@cookiekiller8563 not necessarily. There are companies for recycling waste. Othervise, we are doing their job.

[@SchrecklichDeutsch]

As for the small forks: When, for some reason, there are no small forks available, you often receive a small spoon instead of a big fork. It seems to be very important for some Germans that the cutlery is small ...

[@johnappleby405]

Always amazed at how much interesting information Rachel Stewart can condense into a highly entertaining few minutes!

[@dweuromaxx]

@JOHN APPLEBY So, make sure you subscribe and never miss Rachel's Videos 😉 bit.ly/DWEuromaxx_Sub

[@andrewwilson287]

Always really interesting videos many thanks 😊

[@volkerfriedritz8149]

I'm really amazed by your perfect pronunciation of the German language. I used to work in England for half a year and tried to teach my colleagues a few German words, but not the really difficult ones. Nobody managed to pronounce any of the words correctly. You must be very talented. Respect! 👍

[@arminius301]

Agreed! I've lived in California since 1987 (was 20 years old when I immigrated from Germany right after the Bundeswehrdienst). Many people can't tell that I'm German since I tried to wipe out that silly accent from the getgo. Btw how much practice does it take to lose the inability to pronounce the "th" properly, good grief? Yeah her German is outstanding, I'm guessing she has either a German mom or dad to speak German this fluently.

[@kailars]

That presenter is German...I thought, and checked linkdIn. Astonished she is a Brit 😮

[@nevazuchtaugsburg]

​@@kailarsich dachte auch sie ist Deutsche als Deutsche 😅

[@foolmetuljakut3052]

I have to say, your points about a very german home were oddly specific, yet super accurate. Even the damn pillow. My neck always hurts from sleeping on them, but I keep finding them at every house I sleep over. I hate these pillows.

[@dweuromaxx]

We need a whole video on the horrors of the German pillow tbh

[@foolmetuljakut3052]

@@dweuromaxx make it a short, 15s metal video called Nackenschmerz about a dude trying to get up in the morning. That'd be phenomenal.

[@alexspata]

haha when we moved in in our ap. in Nuremberg we found two pillows exactly like that, they are not so bad

[@dr1311]

The pillow thing is spot on. I had a huge trouble to make people understand why I needed 2 pillows, the soft type found or one sturdy one. 6 yrs later they understood perfectly my requirements.

[@GGs0815]

This would be so cool with multiple countries.

[@blankiki]

I lived 10 years in Germany. When I married my German husband I moved into his bachelor apartment for two weeks until we moved to a bigger one. It was an “ Altbau” an old building literally, which is a pre-war builduing. The builduing had only 4 appartemnt one on each floor. It was a huge apartment with high ceiling wooden floors and big doors. But I was shocked to see that there werent even light bulbs or a sink in the bathroom or kitchen , there’s were only the electric cables coming out of the ceilings. The kitchen was an empty room so we had to buy a new whole kitchen and by that I mean the cabinets and sinks etc. I just saw the pipes on the wall. No closets, nothing. I lived out of my suitcases for three months until out wardrobes got delivered. Moving from Canada that was a tremendous shock for me. My husband was laughing and me in a good way, I was totally appalled that we needed to buy a new kitchen and batch rooms cabinets, sink and mirrors, etc he did a great job in explaining to me many things about his country. Either tenants sell their kitchen to next tenant or they take it with them. I’m now live in NY and we sold our gorgeous kitchen to the next tenant. I live there for 10’years. Germans don’t move from their flats very often. Interesting video. It reminded me a lot of my time there. It’s a lovely country.

[@nevazuchtaugsburg]

Wenn ich umziehe finde ich es schön in die neue Wohnung beue und alte Dinge zu vereinen. Es muss aber nicht unbedingt das des Vormieters sein, so wie du geschockt warst eine leere Wohnung vorzufinden wäre ich es wohl eine Möblierte zu beziehen. Es hat ja auch den Vorteil dass man sich alles selbst nach Wunsch einrichten kann. Und wie war es beim Umzug Bach NY?

[@blankiki]

@@nevazuchtaugsburg Well that’s what I’m saying for me it was a shock , for you it’s normal. We come from different worlds. NY is amazing. I love my apartment. Modern, walk-in closets, more than one bathrooms, doorman, air conditioning in summer, I can’t complain. As a Montrealer, I’m glad to be back in this side of the pond, feeling like at home. Especially with the mentality and above all, the language.

[@Semmelein]

Rachel! ❤️ Doing a great job as always! 😄

[@ivancamacho7668]

So brief but so informative! Vielen Dank!

[@cidercik]

Kip fenster. Having a rota for people to clean the treppenhaus. Ecksitzbank. Hausschuhe.

[@n8flieger948]

being German, I have no idea what a „Rota“ is 🤔

[@evaundele123]

@@n8flieger948 Es bedeutet, dass es eine Liste gibt, wer wann mit der Säuberung des Treppenhauses dran ist und das passiert eben in einer rotierenden Reihenfolge.

[@katrinm9286]

Rota for cleaning is very common in Schaben :)

[@anastylos2812]

Kehrwoche nennt sich das.

[@schnickschnackschnuck541]

Rota= Kehrwoche. Und die ist heilig ! 🤣

[@shysri089]

90 quadratmeter im Durchschnitt für 2?! Pfft Munich has entered the chat xD

[@m0llux]

"Ja, so für 500€ kalt können wir Ihnen diese heruntergekommene Beaenkammer anbieten" - "OK, es wird dann doch eher Cottbus."

[@michaelakunz7679]

Die Quelle würde ich dazu auch gerne sehen...

[@pedram.mp4]

In Munich you should expect 1000 euro cold for a 60m apartment in a medium neighbourhood 😭

[@carinapusteblume9039]

@@michaelakunz7679 de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/36495/umfrage/wohnflaeche-je-einwohner-in-deutschland-von-1989-bis-2004/ Da gibts verschiedene Statistiken auf dieser Seite. Diese hier zeigt z.B. das durchschnittlich pro Person 45m² Wohnfläche anfallen

[@julianreverse]

Ich hätte unsere Besenkammer für 250€ warm in Auxburg für arme Münchner anzubieten. 2 Minuten mit der Tram zum Hauptbahnhof.

[@WannabeG00D]

Watching your videos as a german is a pure delight. Such small little nuances I never really bet an eye on, simply because I grew up learning them :-P

[@ahmedkhalil8264]

Thank you for this nice video :) it was awesome to watch

[@tarponmonkey39]

I can definitely relate to the, "retro-looking wooden measuring sticks." :D

[@cookiekiller8563]

We have so many at home. Even in different sizes

[@TR4zest]

As a rule, I like them too.

[@bradbraun6851]

I would not let an American use the ruler- they have a talent for breaking them. Most have never seen one.

[@dannyallegra]

The windows are pretty impressive and the lack of privacy between Einfamilienhäuser. When we are in our garden, our neighbours can see everything we do and viceversa.

[@colasalz2]

well, when you have windows, you can look out, what is the difference to english homes her?

[@Anika6.91]

@@colasalz2 probably the fact that most windows can be opened completely. Not the norm in every country.

[@shelbynamels973]

@@colasalz2 In the US and UK, the windows mostly are slide windows (primarily horizontal, some vertical), so you only benefit from half the window opening for ventilation. Also, no tilt windows (Kippfenster).

[@leDespicable]

Planting a hedge works wonders privacy-wise :P

[@shelbynamels973]

@Ching Chong I have no idea. It's one of those particular traditional British home features, like open fire places or doors that hinge away from the corner. At least two of those architectural details have found their way across the Atlantic and are standard in the majority of US homes.

[@Roberto-REME]

Love your videos! I think you're en excellent presenter, your narration is superb (you're not monotone, you enunciate very well, and your production is creative). Really well done! Plus you're very pretty.

[@user-hs8de4td3v]

Your praise is very beautiful, and I believe you are also a very respected person in your life.

[@peterkoller3761]

Austrian/German housing compared to Ireland where I used to live for a while: rectangles are actually 90°; walls are vertical; doors close without a gap; floors are flat so that doors need not be an inch off the ground or would otherwise get stuck when opening them - and they are mounted in a way they stay in any angle you open them; air tight windows; gaps between cupboard doors are identical width top and bottom and edges and corners are flush; tubing and wiring is *inside* the walls only, one water tap for both hot and cold water... and I am talking about newly and professionally built housing here!

[@Uapa500]

Address is the same format as Italy, same as for names on doorbells. Also rented houses are not always furnished (sinks are in there though!) and for the noise you're allowed to make and at what time 🙂

[@natalieeis9284]

One of the first things I organised after moving to the UK was cake forks from Germany. My flatmates loved them. The Queen owns some as well by the way.

[@Romiman1]

That's because she has German ancestors (original name of Windsor-family: "Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha"). 😉

[@chrisschultz8598]

Isn't she descended from German lineage?

[@observeirene]

I am digging those roller blinds!! Great for Saturday sleeping in for a person sensitive to light

[@Lozerentini81]

Felt pouches full of felt slippers for guests who forgot to bring their 'house shoes'. Not just separate duvets but separate mattresses and special bed frames (if that's the English word for Lattenrost - I don't even know anymore!) that can be adjusted to support the sleepers individual sleeping preferences. Water meters inside the flat. Mixer taps, or rather the complete lack of a separate hot and cold tap - which, in fairness is a good thing - especially in the bathroom. Thanks for all the great videos!!

[@distortionpedal]

This was a good reminder of my grandmother who immigrated to Australia back in the day . She always missed Germany 🇩🇪.

[@magmalin]

My family migrated to Australia and I grew up there. The only thing I missed was the snow I remembered when living in Germany as a small child. My parents even took those lovely, cosy, square pillows and covers filled with feathers with them. There were only houses, no appartments, so the washing machine was always in the laundry at the end of the house, in a mostly wooden construction called "backout". The windows were horrible though, You had to slide them up to open them and could never be sure that they wouldn't come down again and behead you if you stuck your head out. But it wasn't an Australian habit to open the windows because of the flies. The front and back door had additional fly wire doors, the windows didn't. Well I suppose one can easily get used to different ways in different countries. As for cake forks, I've got some but hardly ever use them. They were just part of a set of cuttlery I bought at Ikea, a Swedish not German company. Australia was okay but I prefer living in Germany again and don't miss anything from Australia, especially not the snakes and goannas in our garden, red back and funnel web spiders under the roof and other creepy crawlies.

[@Melisbloodysaweome]

My husband and are are going to move to Germany next summer for 4 years so this was very helpful 👌🏼

[@jinli4787]

This is only 1%

[@LeRoi715]

As a Canadian traveling through Germany I like to see how the Bachelor/ Studio unit look alike and the bathroom/balcony/living area ? any films? and the Lady spoke so fast and showed all in super speedy way! Cheers from Toronto! I love Berlin!

[@bagermany5284]

You can set the PLAYBACK speed ot 0.75 or .5.........or just stop it at certain points. Rachel does a great job of explaining and using the GERMAN words when necessary to make her point. SPOT ON!

[@lazymusician10]

This was just recommended to me & this was very informative. 👀😊

[@pradeepjames408]

Good coverage, hope this tips helps for new entrants hunting for houses at Germany!

[@taunusjunge3383]

I even have two pairs of slippers (Pantoffeln/Hausschuhe). One pair for inside the house (my apartment and the basement), the other for outside the house (for instance when I bring out the Müll or pick up my mail).

[@christopherglen2229]

I have the same - and I am British. I also use the outdoor pair to get things out of the car, take out rubbish etc: the indoor pair is used strictly for inside the house.

[@karthiksankaran9514]

Thanks, Rachel. Insightful

[@louarmagno515]

One thing I loved (perhaps in moderately newer apartments) is the window open 2 or 3 ways for easy cleaning and a ring the bedding. Wunderbar!

[@dweuromaxx]

We love it too :)

[@ceedoubleyou]

the shutters seemed to be a continental thing, windows opening inwards and the multi catch exterior doors

[@appleslover]

The noise rule is much needed here in Turkey 😂😂 Loved the video 😄❤

[@nidhoggvomwalde2280]

Well, sometimes the police is ringing the door bell, because u have been too loud after the nine o'clock pm. That is regulated by the german law...

[@appleslover]

@@nidhoggvomwalde2280 as long as the police is civil with me, I have no problem

[@SRBOMBONICA86]

@@nidhoggvomwalde2280 omg ,that's crazy ,no freedom

[@megapangolin1093]

Facinating video, interesting idea about the rent freeze in Berlin. Good for all I would suppose. Everything stablilises out in the end.. Love your clipped, business, informative presentation.

[@UHF43]

Those roller blinds have been the de facto standard here in Spain for over 5 decades.

[@PaulJWells]

Noooo, Rachel! You're wrong about the square pillows! I hated them at first but now I can't sleep without one. Basically, you're sleeping on it wrong ;-) Just scrunch it up into a slight wedge with the thick bit at your head.

[@moinmoin7145]

It must be real feather's inside. Stuffed plastic pillow's are junk. 80 x 80cm pillows, 80% the Germans have.

[@slouberiee]

In the Czech Republic (for those not good at geography, cough US people cough, the country bordering Germany in the East), it's same: - the house shoes - little forks - two duvets, square pillows - balcony as a prefered feature - wooden doors to (some) cellar units Other things are not so common here or aren't here at all.

[@davidwood62]

A really great video. Thank you.

[@SVanHutten]

A thing I have noticed a few times visiting Germany is the bathroom floor being slightly lower than the adjacent floor of the house/flat. This, to keep any flooding inside the bathroom. Never seen this outside Germany. Being a foreigner, I do not know how common is this practice, but would like to know!

[@babelhuber3449]

I guess these are older houses, new ones have a flat floor. Up to the 1950s/ 60s a lot of households lacked even a washing machine, so washing your clothes was a mess and the water needed to stay in this room. If somebody asks, those were "the good old days" 😅

[@cg6511]

@@babelhuber3449 I would guess it's just the other way round actually and even a rather modern thing. With the rise of the concept to have barrier-free flats and especially bathrooms with walk-in showers (no more shower tubs etc in order to avoid having to step up into the shower and so on) it's simply essential that the bathroom floor is slightly tilted inwards. Otherwise you would ínevitably flood the whole apartment.

[@magmalin]

@@babelhuber3449 Well, there weren't even bathrooms, only toilets, in most houses built in the 50ies. And right, hardly anyone had a washing machine. There was a room in the cellar called Waschküche = laundry. There you would have a copper basin you could fill with water and heat it by making a fire underneath in a sort of oven. You would put your laundry into the basin and stir it, then rinse it in another tub. After you had finished your laundry, you would heat more water in the copper basin, fill it into the tub = Zinkwanne, and the whole family would take their weekly bath.

[@ruqeeadey7967]

This is quite interesting!

[@paulsmith2188]

I'm from Canada and when I was in Germany the toilets NEVER got blocked. In 7 years I never had to use the plunger, in Canada you use one about every other day!

[@cg6511]

That's because your drain pipes in North America are so narrow. ;)

[@sksaddrakk5183]

well if you live on a diet of moose-steak, poutine and Tim Hortons, that is to be expected... just kidding... Germany is very good at engineering, this stretches also to the sewer system/plumbing... whereas I get the impression that in NA 'good enough' will do... Germans do not accept that, it has to be engineered to perfection...

[@cg6511]

but it's still far from perfection *lol*

[@sksaddrakk5183]

@@cg6511 okay as close to perfection as humanly possible (and affordable maybe)

[@tmgarcia2002]

I love these Meet the Germans shorts! I moved here last year, pre -covid during autumn. And yes most of the flats i checked only has a toilette! But i found one already furnished, lucky. The addresses weirded me initially, since in most places the unit /house number is included.

[@seanmcerlean]

I noticed all of this when i was working in both Düsseldorf then Vienna last year Rachel. I agree renting is expensive as i was looking to rent outside Vienna before being made redundant in February this year. So miss that way of life over in Europe as well as the public transport & the bakeries. Then again i am half swiss from the Graubunden so naturally am more comfortable in Europe. Tschüss und liebe gruße aus London.😊

[@shelbynamels973]

(voice of Al Murray) 'So what's your name, Squire?' 'Sean McErlean' 'Beautiful Swiss name'

[@seanmcerlean]

@@shelbynamels973 ,well if you read the comment i said half swiss,the other half is Irish.

[@shelbynamels973]

@@seanmcerlean 'Beautiful Swiss-Irish name, squire'.

[@seanmcerlean]

@@shelbynamels973 thank you.

[@shelbynamels973]

@@seanmcerlean Just out of curiosity, do you know who Al Murray is?

[@Sarah83_metalhead_4ever]

We live in an "Einfamilienhaus" since 2010 over here in Germany, I came from Belgium and there were only some things that were different 👍 First we lived in a flat from 2008 to 2010 and it was common to have a list in which week you had to clean the stairwell ("Treppenhaus") an to sweep the sidewalk 😅🙈 And in winter you always had to shovel the snow in front of the house (but only one day, than it changed so you weren't the ONE to clean the sidewalk from snow for a whole week, but in our case it was Monday and Thursday 🤣🤷🏻‍♀️)

[@nevazuchtaugsburg]

Jeder im Haus hat seine regelmäßigen Aufgaben. Deutsche sind fleißig und sparsam. Wer zusammen wohnt teilt sich auch die Pflege rund ums Haus. Außerdem ist Schneeräumen gesetzlich vorgeschrieben Räum-und Streupflicht 😅

[@n1msu]

The house moving part is definitely something we do in England. I've not heard of the kitchen furnishings being moved here, but it's a smart move if one is moving into a similar sized house!

[@beccismith4454]

Hi there! I am a US American and have been living in Germany for wow, over 25 years! Most of that time in the eastern part of Saxony, so former east Germany. But also for some time in western Germany, and I’ve had friends from all over. I’ve seen basically everything that you mentioned. 🙂 One thing that really surprised me in Germany that you didn’t mention was spoons being served with cake! The small coffee spoons for stirring sugar into your coffee, like what we would consider baby spoons in the states, probably. I have experience cake forks as well, but more often it seems spoons with cake! I hadn’t thought about the names on the doorbells as being strange, but I guess maybe. I guess in the US I had so little experience with rental properties that I didn’t notice the difference! Lol. On homes in the states you also have a name on the door :-) One nice thing when you are hanging up pictures in your new home is that the electrical wires all go from any outlets or light switches directly up, so you know never to put it in the mail directly above an electrical socket or light switch. And to the left or right of that, you will never find a live electrical cord. Very practical. 😊👍🏼 I am fortunate to live in a region with very good tapwater, and I don’t do the bottled water thing. Even after living here so long, there are things that I just do my way. I’m also not as regular or thorough about airing the place out as most Germans would be, probably. Cleaning the communal stairwell, or your part of it, is another part of many rental agreements!

[@emilybray543]

Interesting! A lot of these things are really similar in Italy - except the cake forks and two duvets!

[@HughBbbb]

Great video, Rachel. Just one little thing: there are aspects where it's not so much a matter of Germany vs the rest of the world, but UK vs most other countries, e.g. the structure of an address: Germany follows the same structure as (nearly?) all the other European countries, while the UK follows the same pattern as (nearly?) all Anglophone countries. But this is a minor point. It's an excellent series, full of insights that ring true for anyone who has lived in Germany for a while! :-)

[@mucsalto8377]

allow me a small point: all Anglophone countries follow the same UK-invented pattern. Britannia rules.

[@Jcremo]

This video was a lot more fun than I thought it was going to be.

[@oust4260]

I don't know why, but when I was younger, shows from this network (DW) from Germany is broadcasted in the Philippines. It just got recommended to me and i feel nostalgic.

[@cma6812]

As an immigrant, the most wonderful things I find about German homes: 1. Quality & Longevity of the buildings 2. The tilting/ swinging windows ❤️ The worst things: 1. Non fixed kitchens 2. The layout - usually, main door gets you into the kitchen instead of the living room.

[@dweuromaxx]

The tilted window seems to be a big love of foreigners!

[@ImportedFromSerbia]

@@dweuromaxx there’s a funny expression, a jaw dropping to the floor when brother showed to sister during their visiting Croatia the ways, cool, to open windows. They were from California. It was hilarious.

[@mopfmopf]

Well, maybe I have to paint the walls in the end but I can also make as many holes in them as I please ;P You always hear about how you can't even hang a picture frame in your rental? I could bolt the couch to the wall if I wanted to

[@Hope-un5wv]

The thousand and one recycling bags.Milk in plastic bags. The utterly fantastic cycle lanes, after the people, I miss those most. The weird spring clean. Loved the basements. How could I forget the inspection pit loo.

[@SusanneBreul]

I´m a German living in the UK and LOVE your videos, Rachel! Some fun facts and details i noticed: At 0:24 is the Rietvield/Schröder-Schräder house :) This Unesco listed architectural icon is actually in the Netherlands and it was the first house I had to draw as an architceture intern before I started university. A notable differende about the windows is that i need to have a wondow cleaner now in the UK (which I love :)) while the Geramn windows can be cleaned from inside the house or flat. We used to drink tap water while still in Germany (with a swiss water filter installed though) and although Pfandflaschen in a corner is a kitchen design challenge waiting to be tackled and solved, water from glass bottles simply tastes so much better. Funny also, that the "retro-looking wooden measuring stick" is commonly called a "Zollstock" although it´s metric (Zoll is the German word for inch). Needless to say, i took mine with me when we moved to the UK (and I even have a left-handed one). We have swapped the square 80x80cm pillows for the now popular 40x80cm a long time ago and now have those plus some English 50x75cm ones and I found that IKEA UK now offer their pillow cases large enough, they fit both.

[@lauramark883]

How is UK today???

[@h2okopf415]

Zollstock für Linkshänder😂