Living in Germany Culture Shocks After Three Years. How We Have Changed. American & British | Munich

After three years of living in Munich, Germany, we thought we'd let you in on our experiences as foreigners living here. Chill with us in our living room as we discuss 3 ways we've changed after living in Germany. This is our first non-travel video, so let us know what you think.
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Channel: near.fromhome
Ben: strawbennyjam
Camille: freshspringham
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[@ParthSIR.]

soo nice to know your story..I have been in Bavaria for 3 years as well, as a foreigner, I can relate to your experiences, it's soo good outside, just love it.

[@NearFromHome]

😍 Thanks. We were a little nervous to share, but I'm glad we ultimately did. Glad that other foreigners can relate!.

[@Arltratlo]

i went to Bavaria for vacations, too.... i am North German, they are different to us here in the north.... they are northern Austrians!

[@petersfluege]

@@Arltratlo HAHAAAAA DONT SAY THAT (to Bavarians or Austrians!) 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@LucasBenderChannel]

You're both very natural on camera Also: THE SETUP IS SO GOOD! Very comfortable background :)

[@NearFromHome]

I’m glad you like it, we used to shoot such stilted conclusions to our videos with a pretty boring set. So when we decided to try out this type of at home content we knew we needed to take it up a notch!

[@hassanjacoboski3743]

I have the same opinion about public transportation. I came from São Paulo, Brazil, and sometimes I spent 2 hours on the bus to get to a place that would take 30 minutes by car. So I can't complain about public transportation here and I always try to share my experience with people who complain about it here.

[@NearFromHome]

That’s exactly how we feel. I do think it’s important o always demand more from politicians, and the systems here could always be better… BUT yeah, I don’t really get all the complaining 😅

[@PowerControl]

@@NearFromHome Complaining is a popular sport in Germany. As we are not good in small talk, this is something we can rant about together with others. Gives a sense of community ;)

[@NearFromHome]

@@PowerControl I also love complaining and am terrible at small talk. Maybe we should have mentioned that a fourth culture shock in the video. ;)

[@KandiceKalai]

After living in Germany for years and moving back to the US, I totally agree with your assessment. However, some of it has to do with German culture and society, and structure that hasn't been in large cities in America or Britain for a long time. It's because we shifted our day to focus on more time at work, less on being social in the area, being focused on small stores and shops and more on huge megastores. Also, we don't have that ability and structure to have small local places for comfort community outdoor living as much, sadly. It equated to small villages life or backwater notions and not valued enough. This is a huge thing, weren't not socially set up in our culture towards that smaller and less fast paced thing, sadly. We don't have the extra good infrastructure and transportation of European cities, esp those in Germany have. It would also require prices to drop in the USA to European prices, which are typically cheaper and higher quality across the board (even for European "lower quality" goods.) Village and town life is built to be lived and shared in a way Americans esp haven't had any daily experience of with in 8 decades. Europe as a whole has the smaller town experience (even in the cities) still and its partly due to German culture, rules, and funding/taxes supporting the infrastructure. We need it, but it is difficult to get going and put into place because we chose the big car, progress and business, and independent mindset instead. I miss Germany, and Europe. Then again I miss the slower pace and community structure too.

[@YukiTheOkami]

There is a guy living in netherlands i forgot the channel name but he Talks about amarican and csnatian zoning in citys and whats wrong with it compared to european zoning and that in the us lively walkable neightborhoods where bulldozed to make them restructer them for cars (only) and how it mskes the city bankrupt and also dont really works out Its verry interesting this guy really did reserch

[@karlsonkopfspalter3127]

@@YukiTheOkami was the name of the channel "Not just Bikes"?

[@cartmann227]

@@karlsonkopfspalter3127 yes

[@NearFromHome]

I think you are talking about Not Just Bikes! I'm glad you made the connection, because this has become one of our favorite KZbin channels, and a major inspiration for the transportation and outdoors section of this video 😅

[@NearFromHome]

We LOVE that channel.

[@danielbachhofer8690]

Two hours ago, I was lucky enough, that the youtube-algorythm suggests me this video. I used this two hours to look at the other videos you made and what can I say? Wow, just wow, the drone-shots, the close-up-shots, your insights, the editing, all of this is just so beautifull. It baffles me totally that you have only 2180 "Abos". In english you would say, top notch and criminally underrated, right :-).Never hitted the "Abo"-button so fast. I look at many of these expat-footage here in, it´s always interesting to see how people from abroad experience things that are more than common for me. I was born "im Allgäu", studied in Augsburg and in Munich and now I´m back "im Allgäu" since almost 20 years, so I know all the places you refer to. In my all-day-life there are so many germans who complains about everything here and that is so annoying. In honesty we are so privileged, we have a great work-life-balance here, we are all rich in comparison, we have a beautifull landscape around us, we should thank god every day that we are lucky enough to be born here. Many germans can´t see this anymore and i´m so tired of that and so footage like yours is so refreshing and it helps to keep all things in the right perspective. Thank you for that and keep up your good work. When you want to have more viewers, do a little clickbait. I would say the phrase "shocking cultural differences" helps always, but for me, don´t do this :-). When you plan another visit to "Allgäu" sometimes, then let me know. I have a appartment for tourists here and you can get it for free for a weekend or so, no need for a expensive hotel :-)

[@NearFromHome]

Oh wow, thanks so much. This really means a lot. 😍 I agree. I understand the desire to complain, as every system can and must always be improved, but coming from the US, I really don't think people in Bavaria know how good they have it. It's so funny that you mention Allgäu, as we were just talking about how we feel totally burnt out from exploring the areas near Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Before your comment, we had agreed to make more videos about Allgäu in 2022. We have only visited once, for our Schrecksee video, but we loved it. We will definitely reach out.

[@Towelieban_]

Love your videos and thanks for sharing your story. Hope to hear more, I'm trying to convince my wife to move to Munich in the next year or two!

[@NearFromHome]

Thank you so much! Well just make sure to keep showing her these videos :) one of the best pieces of feedback I’ve ever received, from a few different people now, is that we helped ease their anxiety about moving to Munich by showing them so many great places they will be able to visit! It makes this whole project worth it :)

[@hassanjacoboski3743]

You guys should definitely do more content like this... there is so much that you can talk about... I loved it!

[@NearFromHome]

Yeah, this was a total experiment on our part, and we really didn’t know how it would go. So far though the reception seems really positive, and though I do much prefer making my travel/day trip videos, I think we will make a few more of these too! Do you have any questions or topic suggestions?

[@supermonkeywtf09]

Quality content as always!

[@NearFromHome]

thanks so much! 😍 I was actually decently worried that this would come off lower quality than my usual work considering it is so different, so hearing you say that means a lot.

[@hassanjacoboski3743]

so nice to know more about you guys!!

[@NearFromHome]

🥰

[@stevenneidert8019]

Great video guys. I noticed your Augustiner stein and it inspired me to drink a Paulaner while watching! I would love if you talked about your favorite German brews. Keep up the great work!

[@NearFromHome]

Incidentally, that's Ben's favorite beer. We just have a bunch of Augustiner Maßkrüge because we found them on the ground during Oktoberfest 😅

[@mikeloughran5196]

Sitting outside in Marienplatz (Donisl) in September with a weissbrau, weiswurst and pretzel, no rush, relax and watch the people and chat about what to do next. A perfect start to our visit to Munich. And thank-you for the video on Ehrenberg Castle, excellent stop on our trip!

[@NearFromHome]

I love the relaxed atmosphere in Munich. Glad you are enjoying it! I'm so happy you liked the Ehrenberg video. I'm pretty embarrassed by the video quality (it's one of our first videos), but it's one of my absolute favorite trips we've done. 😎

[@alyssajetmore]

Great video I’ve been considering spending a semester abroad in Germany love to see the differences and things to do!

[@NearFromHome]

Oh should! It’s very eye opening. Bavaria is a great place to be located because it’s so close to the Alps, and Austria, Italy, Czech Republic, Switzerland, and France 😎 There’s almost too much to do haha

[@Microtubui]

one of the most sympathic video about germany. thank you so much

[@NearFromHome]

Thanks! We love it here! 🥰

[@toniagrantham160]

Love you guys!

[@NearFromHome]

😍😘

[@rn3074]

I enjoyed hearing a bit of your backstory. :)

[@NearFromHome]

Thanks so much! 🥰 it was kinda nerve wracking to share, but I’m glad we did

[@frederikeberhard3722]

Love this type of content.

[@NearFromHome]

Thanks. We might make some more 😎

[@kerstinklenovsky239]

I like your spirit. So glad you love my country. 🤩

[@NearFromHome]

Thank you so much! To be honest I only expected to stay here for 2 years; but here I am with no plan for leaving any time soon after 3 years. I ended up liking it here so much more than I thought I would.

[@PhilsUnexpectedShorts]

Munich is an awesome city, also something to do and see, nice vlog 🥰✨

[@NearFromHome]

Thanks so much. We think so too 🤩

[@johncrwarner]

The speedy checkout in German stores got to me for years until I saw an old lady take her basket through the checkout and load it up and go to the very small packing station and repack into my bags there. With the pandemic they ask you to return the baskets to the pick up place so I am happy doing it and my stress is reduced. BTW I shop at least four times a week and don't have a car but we live with 200 m of a tram stop on the Strassenbahn which turns into an U-Bahn in the city centre for four or five stops.

[@NearFromHome]

The old lady figured out a grocery store hack. 😅 Glad the experience resonated with you.

[@chrisroth797]

Moin! Thank you for sharing your experiences. It’s nice to see friendly people in an actual conversation without the overhype we see these days to get views. Hope one day you make it back to DC and experience walking through Wegmans. And thank you for calling the National Mall boring. Between that and the muggy summers I’m definitely over it after 10 years.

[@NearFromHome]

Thanks so much! We try not to make our videos overhyped and obnoxious hahah. It does come with less views and slower growth though. :') So glad to hear that someone understands and agrees with our DC hot takes haha

[@brookeballengee]

Hi hello - just have to say I LOVE your channel. My husband and I just moved from Arlington (Shirlington) to Stuttgart in January. Literally used to live just near the Watergate too. So anyways these videos are SPEAKING to me haha. Found your channel researching our upcoming trip to Eibsee and love them! So informative and fun!

[@NearFromHome]

Hahaha thanks so much! That's amazing. :)

[@LaureninGermany]

This is a lovely change from the usual culture shock videos, and although different to my experience in some ways, really understandable. I will add- the trolley vs basket happens in the countryside more, maybe. But yes- I think you’re right- the internal timer of the German shopper is set to basket. We Zuagroaster experience serious anxiety at the checkout…

[@NearFromHome]

Thanks so much! We are trying to stand out by talking about things from a more systemic angle. We think it's more interesting and actionable. 😎

[@parziiich]

Omg I was thinking this is polish thing, apparently Germans has it as well :D

[@Never_again_against_anyone]

Our cashiers were even faster until the system was changed some years ago from typing codes they could have probably told you by heart if you woke them up at 3am with lightning speed to scanning codes. One can be fast enough, it is a matter of tactics: Heavy, not breakable stuff first, other stuff behind. Do not take things out of the trolley that still have a code meant to be typed (think mineral water and the likes) and if you buy several ones of a product leave all but one in the trolley; it is faster for the cashier to scan it and type in the amount than to wait until you put it all back in the trolley.

[@donqphotography]

-> I lived a year in Munich; 4 in Augsburg. U learn quickly to bring your own reusable grocery bags/sacks. Also - their cashiers are always seated and they will never place receipt and change into your hand; always placed on a little tray. Also - the best investment one could make is to buy a bike once u arrive in Germany.

[@NearFromHome]

Yes! I love not having to touch their hands lol. At this point, I have rented so many escooters, that just buying a bike is starting to make more sense.

[@MrJem357]

My story is pretty much like yours. I was born in Greece and grew up in Brisbane, Australia, before I made the move to Germany. After living in different cities, Hannover, Hamburg, Lüneburg and so on...I made the move to Munich and instantly fell in love with the city and Bavaria in general. Been here now for 32 years and although I miss Australia (a lot), I can`t imagine living anywhere else. I do use public transportation (which is excellent) to get to work, but a car is essential for me, simply because I love having the freedom to just jump in my car and drive a couple of hours and find myself in a completely different country. Hope to run into you guys some day here in beautiful Munich.

[@NearFromHome]

It's interesting to hear the experiences of other foreigners! Glad to hear that you also like the public transit. I totally get wanting to have a car. We have also had moments where we need one, but luckily, we've started using the ShareNow car rental app.

[@peruchitamolinera]

Hi @Mr Jem357, why did you move from warm Brisbane to cold Munich?. Both cities are beautiful and offer a good quality of life, in my opinion. But why did you decide to move to Munich?. After 32 years are you considering to move back to Australia?

[@sindypetronella]

Loved this

[@NearFromHome]

Thanks! 🥰

[@dariann1661]

"not just bikes " HAHA I love it!! amazing yt channel, love that more people are talking about public transportation

[@NearFromHome]

same! So many problems could be solved with a restructuring of our cities.

[@MyMerryMessyGermanLife]

Wait! You guys didn’t tell me you had a KZbin channel! 😀 Hi!! Okay so I was on my KZbin home page and your video was recommended to me! And then I saw your cool living room and saw Ben’s face and I was like, waaaiiit a second. I remember that face! How fun! It was so nice to meet you guys in Munich.

[@NearFromHome]

Ah I didn’t think to bring it up :) I was just so excited to chat with other Americans who’ve moved over here and if I’m being really honest I was also just a bit star struck having almost bumped right into you mere moments after watching your latest video. It was brilliant getting to meet you too! Your family was just as lovely off screen as they are on it.

[@MyMerryMessyGermanLife]

@@NearFromHome also you’ve got the best KZbin set up - your living room looks amazing on video. Great lightning and sound, too.

[@NearFromHome]

Thanks so much! We spent a really long time setting everything up. Though, the view outside of the frame is a disaster. 😅 If you’re ever in Munich again, please feel free to reach out. The Christmas markets are especially fun in the city. I think your kids would love them too, plus they make really great video content :)

[@hfmichel8064]

Charming couple...thanks for your impressions.

[@NearFromHome]

Yea is so much! 🥰

[@habicht6]

Ja mei....good luck...frohes Neues Jahr

[@NearFromHome]

danke!

[@thomasbarchen]

First video I have watched from your channel. You seem like a lovely couple. I am an American that escaped living in a large US city about 25 years ago and moved to Germany. I have never had a car here and I am so glad that I don't need one! Like you I love to be outside walking, biking, and eating and drinking. When I visit the US I see how great life can be in Germany and it makes me happy to know that I got the hell out of there a long time ago. All the best!

[@NearFromHome]

Thank you so much! We feel exactly the same!

[@marcofrank2082]

Very likable and watchable. But I like castle ruins a lot too. Perfect channel for me. Glad you was recommended to my by the algorithm. 😊👍🏻

[@tommysellering4224]

I am Swedish, but I lived for a few months in Munich. If I remember correctly there were some Kiosks in the Englische Garten that sold Ice-cream and such, but they also had cans of beer (quite expensive by german standards) but if you didn't bring any, you could buy some there. Either to sit at the Kiosk and drink it, or just stroll out to sit down in the park anywhere.

[@NearFromHome]

Yes! There are some kiosks in the area, especially along the Isar. It’s my favorite thing to do 😎

[@onkelpencho8609]

You have to visit the Isar in Schäftlarn near Munich.It‘s called little Canada

[@NearFromHome]

tagged in google maps!

[@hmi1750]

coming from even London, it is great how many stores there are on the doorstep in Munich... and also family owned places which makes it easier and can be an outing... but as a larger family, I do miss getting higher volume items (4 pints of milk) rather than buying 6 cartons once a week... we hate shopping for grocery daily, so a good weekly and also larger monthly shop is best. My wife is from Derby and had similar experience to you.

[@NearFromHome]

very cool. Nice to hear from another Midlander! I do see the draw to weekly shopping when you have a larger family!

[@anniefees5426]

I love this video❤️

[@NearFromHome]

Lololol Annie I specifically requested the people I know irl to not watch 😅, but thank you 🥰

[@LucasBenderChannel]

Lovely to see you drink a Gustl. Good choice ;) One of the best wheat beers.

[@NearFromHome]

Good catch! I was extra lucky though as I didn’t intend to match my beer and glass, that’s a rarity for me, but I’m glad the stars aligned for filming!

[@58678S]

Despite the fact that it's not a wheat beer...

I grew up in Germany (and, sadly, never lived anywhere else)… and I too remember the biweekly shopping outing with my Mom. I did live in a village, and the supermarket we went to was in a neighboring village. Today, there's a PENNY in my hometown, but back then there were only small supermarkets with higher prices (yup, still normal in village supermarkets) and more limited offers than in the mentioned supermarket. Oh, and… I have two siblings, so that was shopping for (at that point) up to five people.

[@NearFromHome]

The village life is so nice :)

[@sunshine2577]

Munich is very nice city, good luck guys ❤

[@NearFromHome]

Thank you!

[@anthonylambert4523]

I've lived in Germany (Dortmund /Bielefeld) for over 30 years now (originally from West Wales) and finally made it to Munich for the first time last month. Why did I wait so long !!?? Great city. Just discovered your channel. What town in the UK are you from ? I take it your guys are a couple !? Nice Videos, keep them coming..

[@NearFromHome]

I’m originally from around Derby, specifically I grew up in one of the small towns in Derbyshire. Glad you made it down to Munich! At some point I need to make my way further north :)

[@Actionbronco1]

Cool vid! Subscribed 😁 I‘m with you, the single most greatest German invention was the beer garden and the get together outside. Keeps you sane 😄

[@NearFromHome]

Glad somebody gets it 😅

[@ceedo9703]

Subscibed too😁

[@NearFromHome]

@@ceedo9703 :D

[@daisydoe5949]

As you like castles and daytrips, for saxony and the areas around you can buy a "Schlösserkarte" which gives you free or reduced entrance in all the castles and parks. And there are many... castles over here. It's just a suggestion for future vacation. Greetings from beautiful Dresden

[@NearFromHome]

Thank you so much! We really need to get out of Munich, and see more of Bavaria. You might just have given us a video idea. 🧐 in our Turkish series, we do something similar with a card for Ruins.

[@alanharrison1142]

A very different style for you guys, but very well done, I appreciated this style of a content, of course the usual travel guide type stuff is brilliant and the quality of the work is exceptional but it’s great to see some of you in your ‘natural environment’ just awesome..!!! Keep growing your channel.. there is a lot of ‘dross’ out there and this is definitely not that..!

[@NearFromHome]

Thanks so much! 😍

[@unatedescainviaggio3973]

My parents live in a small village with no shops in eastern Germany. They do the big weekly shopping trip with a cart full of stuff. I think the basket several times a week is mostly a city thing. I lived in Leesburg, VA for a year in the late 90s and I remember the Mall runners. I now live in Munich as well, incidentally. I will check out some of your other videos.

[@NearFromHome]

I think you are right about it being a city thing as the space required for a big shop is hard to come by, but small villages simply losing their little shops also makes it that much harder. I never went to Leesburg all too often, however a bunch of my friends had jobs up there for a while so I’m a little familiar with it, funny how you are now in Munich too! I hope you find some of our other videos helpful :)

[@ravanpee1325]

@@NearFromHome Of course, when you live in a city and don't have a car you shop way more often and with a smaller bag than if you have a car and have to drive > 10 km for the next big shopping center.

[@_SpamMe]

Yepp, there's a German word for it as well, "Wocheneinkauf". Basically shopping for a week. Of course that's not strictly saying you don't do any other grocery shopping, but it's meant to get you the "main" stuff you need for a week.

[@geneviere199]

I live in a village (around 7500 inhabitants) that still has 3 supermarkets, bakeries, butcher, a weekly market etc. - but I usually just make one big supermarket haul each week with the car. I think it is just a question how you organize yourself - and yes, without a car it is difficult to carry everything in one haul.

[@lorrainemoynehan6791]

found this really interesting, being from the UK and having lived in Germany for over a years, in what now feels a life time ago. Must say that I don't totally agree with your points, but think it may depend on where you are from. I grew up in a London suburb, yes, my parents did do a 'big shop' maybe once a fortnight, but shopping was always supplemented with daily trips. I now live on the south coast. Within walking distance (2 - 5 mins) I have 3 bakeries, 2 old school one sour dough, 3 greengrocers, a butchers (it also sells eggs and some cheese) and small co op - think offy with biscuits and a 10 min walk to a small lidl. I haven't done a big shop in over a decade...and as you may have noticed I gave distances in walking speed, as I don't have a car. I don't need one. The railway station, with connection to London, Brighton and ashford is 2 mins walk and there are buses, plus I have a bike. Of course I do understand that there are many parts of the UK which have neither functioning public transport or decent shops, but I must say I find far more similarities with living in Germany than the USA. Visiting there I found New York to be the only place I could live a normal life (finance permitting of course). These are of curse my experiences, not yours

[@NearFromHome]

Yeah I mean that makes a lot of sense, I think the southern UK is decently more well off than where I was in midlands. Then again I also think Britain often tries to distance itself from the USA, rightly so though far more than warranted. That’s just me though.

[@parziiich]

I am living in Manchester and cannot say anything against the lack of transport or small shops all around- everything is here and affordable (though imo Manchester should go towards underground as well ) as it grows rapidly in every direction and the travels from one part to the opposite can take 1.5 h as well. When I used to live in Germany I remember public transport being quite expensive in comparison to carpooling (bla bla car) which was always way cheaper

[@parziiich]

Love Germany for its sweets, nice houses l/flats and clean towns- even in villages there are usually people hire to clean the streets every morning

[@lukewalker3]

Ofc we feel like we are at home in Germany we are European after I swear people in the uk seem to forget this part

[@garyparker7171]

Thanks!

[@NearFromHome]

Thank you so much! We really appreciate it!

[@jschlund3588]

in Berlin, people like me also have a full trolly.... packing at Aldi can be challanging at the register and i am doing it already since 40 years ^^

[@NearFromHome]

Ooof. I am impressed

[@LucasBenderChannel]

(I see that the other comments are complaining about you interrupting each other and I have to say... I don't mind. 😅 I'm just like that as well. It's normal in my family, so I never percieved it as rude.)

[@NearFromHome]

I’ll tell ya the comments were starting to worry me that things came off poorly. Though funnily enough, Camille is the editor and entirely shapes the content, and it never raised a flag to her when she was cutting. It’s just sorta how we communicate. Though obviously we do need to be careful, it always comes from a place of excitement and respect.

[@AjnosMitSukarm]

Same here

[@user-sm3xq5ob5d]

@@NearFromHome Well, I don't know how you are in private. Obviously you get along. But the amount of interrupting made my cringe somewhat. ("Somewhat" added for the US readers). I often notice interviewers on tv who don't let their interview partner speak to the end. Sometimes it is well deserved sometimes not. It appears to me that both speaker's content is worthwhile but it is a detriment to have one stop before finished. I considered to stop watching this vid because I couldn't stand it anymore. Try to watch the vid yourselft after some time and notice how you react.

[@hape3862]

5:35 It was the non-red-and-white cat, because the red-and-white one sleeps on the right right edge of the camera view. Greetings from Augsburg!

[@NearFromHome]

Hahah good to know. Having three cats is a little overwhelming sometimes. 😅

[@marco-monaco]

oh come on - let her speak!

[@NearFromHome]

Hi, this is Camille (her). I scripted, filmed and edited this entire video, and never once got the impression I wasn't being allowed to speak.

[@marco-monaco]

@@NearFromHome No problem, that's probably the different perspectives. My impression was that Ben never let you finish. Maybe you've already got used to it, but for me, as a subscriber from the beginning, it was new to me. Anyway, I like your videos.

[@janniti5423]

Not all of Germany has beautyful mountains but there are wonderful trails and stunning landscape everywhere. 😀

[@crownjewel9602]

@@marco-monaco no you’re right, he cuts in a lot when she’s like mid-sentence. I guess he’s just a very animated speaker but it would be nice if he could reel it in some.

[@teckyify]

Fun video 😄👌

[@NearFromHome]

Thanks so much 🥰

[@calise8783]

lol with two older teenage sons I do a “big shop” every week at the large Supermarkt, plus two small shops.

[@NearFromHome]

Hahah, hmm I guess we didn't consider that factor. :)

[@dschoas]

Only the south part of the Englischer Garten is packed with people. Try to discover the northern part. Much less people, perfect for bycicling, and more natural. Ar the northern end there is a lovely Biergarten (St. Emmeramsmühle), and if you want to have some lovely pictures of a countryside like town in Munich check out St. Emmeram.

[@tyronevaldez-kruger5313]

More natural than the Southern. I'm in the South, appreciate that information and going to check the North at some point👀

[@siggilinde5623]

Psssst...why...why do you have to leak this ;) St. Emmeran is not beautiful. It is veeeeeery ugly and no parking spots and no public transport and just... do not go there! ;)

[@tyronevaldez-kruger5313]

@@siggilinde5623 Bei Osiris, say it ain't so. I'm looking confused like a German Schäferhund puppy tilting his head right now🤷🏿

[@siggilinde5623]

@@tyronevaldez-kruger5313 Ah just joking.... we can't keep the northern parts and st. Emmeran a secret forever. German Shepperd puppies are cute, so you are very welcome xD those places are indeed beautiful and easy to reach :)

[@tyronevaldez-kruger5313]

@@siggilinde5623 Thanks for clarification mate.

[@Be-Es---___]

Grocery stores. I have 3 within 3min walking distance. A drugtore and 2 restaurants. I don't live in the city centre. (that's a 30 min bike ride or 35min on public transport)

[@NearFromHome]

Glad you have amenities close by even outside the city center!

[@pashvonderc381]

Hiya guys, nice vid greetings from Haidhausen..

[@NearFromHome]

Love Haidhausen. We are actually releasing a Munich food tour video this weekend. 2/3 of the featured foods and restaurants are in Haidhausen. 😅 You'll have to tell us your opinions.

[@pashvonderc381]

@@NearFromHome sounds good 👌..

[@thecarlob_007]

The similarities between Japan and Germany is eerie. Very efficient and public-centric urban models.

[@NearFromHome]

Yes! We backpacked in Japan for a month i 2017. I can definitely see the similarities!

[@gruelichkulsheim9445]

Love Germany and oh boy I really wish I had the opportunity to live there

[@NearFromHome]

😭 well, if you can’t make living here work, you’ll at least have to visit! ❤️

[@rvdzst]

You both as "zuagroaste" (zugereiste) and day-trip-loving Münchner must absolutely visit Salzburg and its Augustiner Bräustübl Mülln with its beer halls and in summer the marvellous atmosphere of its Biergarten ! - Austria's largest. (I mean when the Covid situation is more favorable than now...)

[@NearFromHome]

We have been to Salzburg several times and even made a video on it. We haven't checked out that Biergarten though. We will have to check it out this summer.

[@YukiTheOkami]

I live on the edge of Leipzig wich is one off the more booming east german citys (exept for Leipzig and Berlin cou can't really call east.german citys booming) And I have 4 grocery stores in walkable near by and 3 others are lose enough to bike to (distance off about 4 tram stops) And one of those 3 is a big kaufland There is a Baumarkt accessable by bike and a clothing store too Multiple bakerys and food places as well

[@YukiTheOkami]

Oh wait its 6 grocerie shops by bike Wich includes a lidle and third aldi and a store tjst only sells stuff you can drink But i barely go there

[@NearFromHome]

I visited Leipzig a few years a go before we got the channel going, and I definitely got that impression. Their city center seemed very condensed, and well connect via tram.

[@chingo1543]

Nice, where in DC did you both live? I live here now and my plan is to also move to Germany in the future

[@NearFromHome]

Wow that's awesome. I would really recommend coming here if you can. The quality of life upgrade has been massive. We lived in Arlington next to the Ballston Metro. I commuted into Foggy Bottom everyday for work, and Camille commuted into Northeast.

[@matthiasscherer9270]

Public transportation is OK, in case all of your destinations are on one Line. Or if you are in such dense crowded places like Munich.

[@NearFromHome]

That is true. It does get more complicated the further you live from population densities and main lines.

[@SuperBizalz]

9:27 - Hell nah!! I could NEVER get used to that! I just want to go on ONE big shopping trip once a week or once every 2 weeks, and that’s it. AND… That would suck even more, if I couldn’t go on a Sunday, if that’s the day I felt like going. Buying in bulk is KING! Costco, baby!!

[@NearFromHome]

I guess we are enemies for life. 😭 ⚔️ ⚔️ ⚔️

[@robertbauer6468]

There is a reason why all shops closed on sunday. The family should have at least one day together. Another social thing in germany. So only needed personal for hospital, police, public transports, etc. has to work. I think this make sense. Never heard of someone starving, because the grocery was closed on sunday.

[@Rainerjgs]

Warum fahrt Ihr eigentlich nicht mit dem Fahrrad durch München? Als ich in München wohnte, bin ich die meiste Zeit mit dem Rad unterwegs gewesen und habe dies sehr genossen, da ich oft deutlich schnell als mit all den anderen Verkehrsmitteln war, wenn es nicht gerade zu weit entfernten Vororten ging.

[@Arltratlo]

i went to the USA 10 times, always using public transport in Philly, NYC and even Washington....but i also went to Paris Prague, Berlin, Hamburg and another 20 cities in Germany and London on public transport...but i am also German, i dont get scared to use it

[@NearFromHome]

Those US cities plus Chicago are about the only places where you could feasibly not have a car. Even then, we lived in DC and needed a car. The Metro is really only useful for tourists. Your are totally out of luck unfortunately if you live in the suburbs or rural regions. 😭

[@volkerbauer1974]

Absolutely loved ir. As I have never been to the USA, I always wondered what the Differenzen were.

[@NearFromHome]

Thanks so much!

[@carolinjoos6942]

Thank you for your videos. I'm from Germany and I've spent most of my life there. I've lived in Mexico for the last two years and I have to admit that I really miss public transport. I think most Germans are just very spoiled and they don't realize that only very few countries have such a well-developed and complex public transport system as Germany (or Europe) has. And also I was not aware of a lot of things before I moved abroad. I think that I now appreciate some things in Germany more than before. Keep on doing you videos please :-)

[@NearFromHome]

Hahaha I have noticed a lot of Germans complaining about things I feel very lucky to now have! Things always need to be reformed, but it is very funny to me

[@Kaufeetimevideo]

I lived in 2 cities Wichita, Topeka Kansas USA. Most parks have very few benches and tables. It would be cheaper to own a car. Bus fare is $2 no transfers.

[@NearFromHome]

I hope they fix their infrastructure! We firmly believe the US is more then capable of achieving these systems that are so beneficial 😎

[@tinoj9661]

i think it is worth mentioning that the Englischer Garten also has spezial paths for horse riding and there are places where nudity is allowed. that always seems to amuse tourists.

[@NearFromHome]

Hahah oh don't worry, we know ;) we actually plan on making a whole video on FKK and sauna culture

[@maal8]

Im from münchen and I love my City!

[@NearFromHome]

We love it too. 😍

[@Arltratlo]

we here have in a small village, 2500 people close to 1000years old, the people order from the local butchery and pick it up from over 80km away..

[@NearFromHome]

weird

[@linajurgensen4698]

Public transport is good in Munich, because it’s a pretty big and rich city. In the small villages, especially in northern Germany the public transport is horrible.😅

[@NearFromHome]

We have experienced this! We are very lucky though, as like you said, the public transit in Munich and to towns in the mountains is very good. 😃

[@DaxRaider]

well lets be honest 15 minute walk after using tram or bus is PRETTY normal also in a big german city xD like when i drive to work with a tram that stops in FRONT of my house, i have to walk around 15 mintues from end stop to my work, OR i can wait like 20 minutes for the bus and take it .... u see why i walk xD

[@NearFromHome]

hmmmm, interesting. That has just never been our experience. We alos, have not explored many other German cities as intensely as Munich though.

[@TrakMonkProductions]

Thanks for this video. I am also an American living in Germany, but in augsburg since 2007. I have been thinking about Munich because Augsburg sucks.

[@NearFromHome]

I like Augsburg, but it is pretty small! I can imagine living there might get a little bit old

[@Jack51971]

How about Traunstein? Looked like a nice little town to me. Close enough to Munich?

[@alihorda]

I live in Nordrhein-Westfalen and I had abyssal experience with Deutsche Bahn, even worse than my original country 's public transport, which surprised me a lot. never on time, many times didn't even come. but the buses and U-Bahn are nice

[@NearFromHome]

I have heard a lot of Germans outside Bayern complain about Deutsche Bahn. I think the coverage and service in Bavaria seems to be higher quality. We have to do more traveling when the Corona numbers aren't as high.

[@DiesdasAnanas-ku5rv]

Agree with you 100%, I live in cologne and the Bahn is the worst ever in our area, it is not useable at all. I've never been to a country with worse public transportation than here, that's why I'm always surprised by these videos 🤣

[@sascharambeaud1609]

@@DiesdasAnanas-ku5rv So basically you're saying you never left Europe? I agree though, the Bahn used to be a LOT more reliable before they had it managed by car company managers and (purposely?) ruined it.

[@florian-249]

If you want to speak more about cultural differences you could cooperate with "Understanding train station". It's a channel about cultural differences mostly between Germany and America. Josh lives in Munich like you and is from Cincinnati and Feli is from Munich and lives in Cincinnati.

[@NearFromHome]

You should let them know you’d be interested in seeing a collab ;)

[@hetd5618]

Have you visited India? Mumbai especially.. everything is so accessible...trains buses uber taxis autorickshaw ( it's a 3 wheeler) public transport..like taxi..n is dirt cheap..23INR for a km ...so if go from Munich to Garmisch..it will be hardly 30 -40 euros! So when I plan to visit Germany i feel weighed down by the thought of taking so many connecting trains n buses ..so used to taking taxi n rickshaws n you get them in under a minute most of d time ...we too have lots of local shops of grocery fruits veges etc n lots of parks in my side of town in Mumbai ...For food it's a heaven

[@NearFromHome]

No, we haven't. One day. I do hope Germany makes the trains basically free one day.

[@marycpeck]

Very informative and helpful. I'm really enjoying your videos. Can't wait to get my EU passport. Would you say that DC weather compared to Bavarian weather could be a factor for enjoyment? DC in summer sucks! The humidity! Agreed - the only reason to be on the mall is to demonstrate. When I returned from living in RSA, I stood in the cereal aisle in a market - I was so overwhelmed. That's an anxiety I'd like to avoid in the future. German shopping leads to fresher eating. Much healthier. All of your points are so valid! Just yesterday, I heard a 'birder' complain that it would take hime 2+ hours to reach a destination all within NYC (Manhattan to outer Queens). I can train into NYC from Westchester, but then Upper West Side locations are not easily reachable. I wish we could do better. Ah, Deutschland, I miss it.

[@NearFromHome]

That is a good point. I never really thought to compare the summers. We tend to go all out May-September here, but in DC, we generally stayed inside all summer. It's impossible to enjoy the warm weather. :O

[@SportcockActionshit]

also, done the same as you , came from england, moved to the harz mountains although bayern is my first love, we spend 4 weeks give or take in bayern, although i do also find the harz beautiful, i would have to say everyone here,from the rathaus, to the arzt, zahnartz, ausländer behorde ,even to the cows and deer we speak to, everyone has always been so helpfull and friendly....but i have to say its the best decision weve ever made, eventually i would like a place in bayern but for now germany is my home and it feels like it,and thats a big thing

[@NearFromHome]

Very cool! We have been meaning to get out to the Harry mountains! So glad to know there are other foreigners here with similar experiences. Glad you have settled in so nicely.

[@sonjamarx385]

I moved to a small town a few kilometers outside of Vienna, Austria, and I also decided not to buy a car. Using the public transportation is cheaper, reliable and just as fast. Taking the train, ittakes me 45 minutes to drive to Vienna. By car, it takes just as long, but only when the highway is free. During peak hours and within the city, it even takes longer. Not counting the time until you find a parking space. In Vancouver or Seattle you couldn't do that. You absolutely need a car there. It's very different in Europe. The second point is shopping. It's true, I go to the grocery store almost every day. I love buying my food fresh and prefer to get bakery, ham and fruits on the day or a day before I eat it. Yeah, you have to be quick at the cashier in the supermarket. It can be really irritating if you're not used to it. Thanks for the video, I enjoyed it a lot.

[@NearFromHome]

Thanks so much! Very happy to hear you're enjoying your new life. I'm shocked that no car is working well for you. I assumed that those living more than 30 minutes outside a major city would need one. It's very encouraging to hear!!!

[@privatevendetta]

You can buy the MVG card for the whole year in advance and only pay for 10 months.

[@NearFromHome]

That’s a pretty brilliant deal!

[@StefanSulistyo]

In case you need to cancel it, you even get the excess payment back

[@OldCarger]

Omg.. i used to live in Fort Belvoir. I`m sure you know it.

[@NearFromHome]

We do! :D

[@elainemcgovern2144]

Sounds like LIDL and ALDI regarding the speed of checkout etc But what if you have a family and need to do big shops - are there out of town superstores?

[@NearFromHome]

We go to REWE and Edeka. 🤷🏼‍♀️ Hahah I think there are large superstores outside of the city, but we do t have a car, so we don’t have much experience.

[@karinland8533]

We do have bigger supermarkets mostly out side of the city centers but not like superstores. The closest would be a ‚Real‘ with a bunch of different products, groceries cloth, electronics... but more common are outdoor malls (Einkaufszentrum). Different stores next to eachother and still walkable

[@helgaioannidis9365]

I'm German and I live on a Greek island and I don't really understand your question. Why do you need superstores if you have family? We don't have superstores where I live and it never occurred to me I would need them and I have family. I live about 3 minutes bicycle ride from the farmers market, which is held every Wednesday and Saturday and you get fresh seasonal vegetables and fruit, honey, olive oil, bread cheese, eggs and herbs. Takes me about 30 minutes to do that shopping. Then I have two small supermarkets at walking distance, one's on my way to the office, so I often stop by on my way home from work. I can find all groceries needed there and stuff like tupperware, cleaning products, stuff for personal hygiene. Then there's about 3 minutes walking distance a shop that sells all the stuff you need for office work, crafts and school. There are 4 bakeries at a walking distance of maximum 7 minutes, where we buy bread and sweets. There are different butchers in the area where I buy fresh local meat, the one I usually go to is 7 minutes by car from my home, I usually pass there on my way home from work or when I drive one of the kids to some activity. For cloths we have shops that sell clothes in the centre and a few in other parts of our town. When we need new clothes we usually go to the center, have a stroll through the shops there and in-between sit down in one of the street cafes. All together in one week I need about 80 minutes a week for my usual food shopping.

[@michaelplunkett8059]

@@helgaioannidis9365 Try to imagine only having to go to 1 store, do 1 pack up, 1 transaction and then take 200 lbs. of provisions home. Oh, and the prices are lower since the do it in bulk. Imagine all the extra time you would have. Would love to see someone waiting around and hauling 50 lbs. of dog food and 30 lbs. of kitty litter on sacred public transportation.

[@helgaioannidis9365]

@@michaelplunkett8059 I'd really miss riding my bike to the local market. It's so nice to have a chat with the farmers, choosing from 40 stands the fruits and vegetables I like best, being offered a slice of water melon or orange before I buy. It's about quality, not about speed. Quality of products, quality of time. I don't need a gym to stay healthy, I ride my bike and walk to the store and carry my shopping and stay in shape. I like having a chat with someone on public transport, I like going to my local store and running into a neighbor or the parent of my children's classmates and see how they are. Life isn't a time race, it's about experiences. My children on their way home from school pass at the bakery and pick up bread and anything else we want from there. I can send them to the local supermarket and they can walk and bring what's needed. They learn how to interact in a shop properly, they learn to take responsibility, to handle money and they know the nice feeling of contributing. At age 6 they can move around without a grown-up safely. The money one thinks to be saving by buying in a superstore will be spent on fuel, the maintenance and price of a big car, the need to replace things more often due to worse quality and maybe even medical bills due to an unhealthy lifestyle. I don't know what lbs is, is that a weight measure? We use kg here.

[@Al69BfR]

You can measure Germans frustration of waiting at the cashier by how fast they move after the store opens a new lane. 😉

[@NearFromHome]

hahah. I'm not going to lie, I have become one of those poepls 😅

[@monikadeinbeck4760]

when I saw you drink Augustiner Hell you got me

[@NearFromHome]

It's my one of my favorites!

[@ericwilson8199]

Nice couple

[@NearFromHome]

Thank you! 🥰

[@maireweber]

You stroll by a small store on your way home from work and see 50% off some fruit or veg. "Oh riiiight, it's the hight of the local season for that! Now they're the most fresh and ripe, let me get some for tonight!"

[@NearFromHome]

Exactly! It’s a wonderful, spontaneous, and very simple/enjoyable way to live.

[@Desihairstylebarber]

Very beautiful

[@NearFromHome]

Thank you! 🥰

[@Desihairstylebarber]

@@NearFromHome you are welcome 🤗

[@juliettpapa]

Wow, you said Eisbach, not Icebuck.... ;-)

[@NearFromHome]

We really try not to be *those* Americans. 😅

[@MrsMia2703]

Ok. Du trinkst helles Bier und kein Weizenbier aber dein basecap hat ein Edelweiß…i ove it 💜💜💜

[@NearFromHome]

Ich integriere komplett! 😀

[@brittube]

nice video. I just wish he would let her finish at least one sentence without jumping in.

[@NearFromHome]

This was our first ever of this format, so yeah it was a little rougher around the edges. A lot of the interruptions were not so subtle reminders or inclusions for things we had practiced. I like to think we’ve gotten better, so I hope you check out some of our others videos :)

[@Stadtpark90]

really nice video. can’t wait for the criticism video in a year :-)

[@NearFromHome]

Hahahah thanks! All of our criticisms are such little deals, so idk if it would even be worth doing. But, you never know. Maybe something really annoying will come up. :D

[@MrBenedictus25]

Cat sounds in the background. Insta sub

[@NearFromHome]

You are gonna love a video we have in the works then ;)

[@Jack51971]

Your videos might be a little better if you mentioned the names of Hotels, where to shop, costs? How to save money? You have nice videos but you give little specific advice on the issues visitors need. It is your channel and I would never tell anyone what to post..just a thought? Example? LIDL? Is Lidl the best? Cheers!

[@NearFromHome]

My goal is to be a bit more timeless than hotel recommendations, which I find a little presumptive and in the weeds for my help. That kind of content, to me, seems helpful but actually isn’t. It’s the illusion of help. Hotels and accommodations especially rely on a balance between budget and comfort, which every traveler has a different opinion on. So if I spend precious time describing a hotel, someone will find it useful, but many more will find it a waste. So I do so sparingly. Whereas ultimately I hope my content works for anyone, no matter your budget, I’m trying to show people where to go and why you might want to go there. The level of comfort you require to accomplish those tasks, I’ll leave that to you. - As for Lidl, I’ve never been. No clue what it would be best at? What is best? For whom is it best? These are questions I find a bit too boring to waste my weekends answering. I have a full time job, and these videos take a ton of effort to make, so I’m not spending my weekend in a grocery store :) I want to do something fun and I want to take you along for the ride so that you can have a fun vacation too! I’ll leave the bread and candy reviews for everyone else.

[@peter_meyer]

There's more beauty in Germany than the mountains. Have a look at Lauren in Germany's channel.

[@NearFromHome]

We hope to cover more of Germany in the future, and have traveled to quite a few cities outside of Bavaria(Berlin, Frankfurt, Düsseldorf, Leipzig), but we started this channel about six months before the pandemic. 😓 We thought it might be good to stay on the safe side, and deep dive Bavaria.

[@peter_meyer]

@@NearFromHome Ah, ok. Thanks.

[@stefangunther8594]

I used to live in the US and one of the worst thing for me was, when a retired person offered to carry my groceries to my car. I always refused until I learned that I'm ruining their tips. Strange country...

[@NearFromHome]

I know what you mean. There are so many daily examples of poverty in the US that could easily be fixed.

[@RustyDust101]

When it comes to clothes, butchers, shoe stores, Germany has seen a trend for the large company stores to spread out as well. Dito for most groceries. But when it comes to bakeries you will probably have to nuke every German to have only large scale bakeries everywhere. There usually are at least several small bakeries within your town. Germans really LOVE their bread, so bakeries will always be around in Germany everywhere.

[@NearFromHome]

Yes! We have seen this as well! I really appreciate their love for high quality baked goods.

[@garyholley3476]

We do little shopping too, seems the food spoils faster, guessing Germans use fewer preservatives? Plus the fresh backed bread, NEVER get tired of that lol.

[@NearFromHome]

We have also noticed that about the food! I think they don’t wash the produce as much either. I’ve noticed way more dirt, and sometimes bugs too 😬

[@shortbird774]

Irgendwie habt ihr ein bisschen weggelassen, dass man mit dem Radl auch ganz gut vorwärts kommt in München. Aber gut, wenn ihr persönlich nicht radelt, gehört's auch nicht ins Video.

[@NearFromHome]

Yeah, that is definitely true. We don't cycle much, but have rented escooters to get around. the bike paths are pretty good.

[@chancemiller9340]

QUESTION: How does Camille live and work for 3 years in Germany? I understand how Ben does, but are you two married? Is that how Camille qualifies for a work & residence visa? Thanks

[@chancemiller9340]

Re: National Mall in DC You also had to deal with traffic, parking, then lugging things or mass transit and lugging things much further. It's made for tourists, it isn't made for locals to loiter.

[@chancemiller9340]

I was going to ask about Christmas Markets, but thought that I should check to see if you had any videos about them first, and you do. Two. I'm hoping to visit Germany, check out markets, and be around somewhere (Munich, Stuttgart, Mannheim) for a World Cup match since this year strangely allows people to experience both at the same time.

[@chancemiller9340]

PS- YOU DEFINITELY NEED TO DO A WORLD CUP PREVIEW VIDEO!! -Shop Windows -Billboards -Souvenir Shops -Restaurant/Pub Decorations -People in the streets -Game watching in the park/platz...

[@NearFromHome]

We are married, so I am granted the rights of the EU citizen. It makes things a lot more easy. :D

[@NearFromHome]

We have a lot more coming up too, so stay tuned!

[@sgschmidt]

woohoo munich 🏔

[@NearFromHome]

😍 I am currently editing a Munich food tour video, so there will be plenty more Munich content. 😎