My American Boyfriend’s First Impressions of Germany | Feli from Germany

[@FelifromGermany]

++Timestamps/chapters in the info box/KZbin timeline! / The German content in Kleo starts on JULY 7th of course, not June! 😅++ Have you ever been to Germany/the US? What were YOUR first impressions? :)

[@HH-hd7nd]

The entirety of Europe (including the non-EU countries like the european part of Russia - Europe is at 10,180,000 km²) is slightly bigger than the USA (9,833,520 km²; 18 % of that mass is Alaska btw -1,717,856 km²). I highly recommend visiting Northern Germany and the scandinavian countries. You should be a little cautious with beer in the North though - there are a few brands that have a higher percentage of alcohol like Faxe (10 % alcohol) or Elephant (7.5 % for the normal version, 10.5 % for the stronger version), both of which are danish brands. 41:00 That's actually incorrect - there's a lot of historic locations (including old ruins) in the USA that predate the country's founding by centuries. Don't make the mistake to confuse US history with American history. American history includes the Native American history as well - granted, the most spectacular native american ruins are located in South America and the southern parts of North America like Mexico, but there are examples in the USA as well like the ancestral Pueblo ruins for example. 43:25 Und der Mann hatte Recht. Einfach ungefragt andere Leute zu fotographieren oder, schlimmer noch, zu filmen ist eine ernsthafte Verletzung der Privatsphäre. Darüber hinaus ist es in vielen Bereichen Deutschlands verboten, Drohnen zu benutzen.

[@dkdilligaf4382]

I haven't been to Germany since 1993. I'm curious how much it has changed in 30 years.

[@oleharder8028]

Most Americans think that all of Germany is like Bavaria because Bavaria was the American controlled sector after WW2. I think Ben would get a real kick out of how Hamburg is basically the polar opposite of Munich when it comes to cities within Germany. A weekend getaway is definitely in order. Hopefully he will love the herring, rote gruetze, and krappen broetchen as much as he loves his schnitzel. :).

[@markoconnell804]

So you can crazy fast drive and think it nothing?

[@dirtcop11]

The only "foreign" country I ever visited was Canada. I was there for a few hours. It was not much of a culture shock.

[@nicolaheider4527]

Just googled it. Germany has more castles (25000) than the US has MCDONALD'S (14000)!😂

[@i4gotchai4gotcha57]

A NOT analcoholic beer cheer for German castles!🍻 Prosit!

[@DontPanick]

I actually couldn't believe that, but I found the same number in an article from Deutsche Welle. Although it might be worth to mention, that just about 20 % are at least somewhat intact, they called it "unter Dach" ("under roof"). 40 % are ruins and another 40 % only exist as a ground monument or are completly gone. But even if you count only those 20 % it would be about 5000.

[@hadleyscott1160]

For awhile I thought you were talking White Castle. It’s a fast food hamburger joint around the NY metropolitan area. 4/5 bites and done but melt in your mouth good. I used to start with a dozen.

[@Prophezora]

I want to visit castles in Germany.

[@rakitslaurentiu5935]

25.000 castles,yes BUT 90% of them only exist with their names,no building to be seen only ruins.Actualy just around 10% (thats around 2500) still exist and can be visited,some of them are 100% restored as they was when they been built.

[@richardsteagall9067]

It is obvious that they really care for each other. Their faces light up when the other talks

[@davidshaw8826]

totally, its super cute

[@brandanwakefield8754]

They are super cute together. And I’m sort of in love with her. But he has “boyband” good looks that I can’t compete with. I’m fairly decent looking. Rougher. More biker. He’s “purtty.”

[@theOGofREDS]

Update?

[@judithbader584]

I love how your face lights up when he talks so enthusiastically about Germany and how much he enjoyed it. Ben, your German skills are impressive after this short time! Love the videos and the podcast

[@deutschmitpurple2918]

I totally agree with you, my friend 💕💕💕💕💕💕

[@edwardcronin943]

Saw it too

[@PrimetimeBJJ]

German is probably the easiest language to learn for a native English speaker

[@charlesronk2989]

Why is a 56 year old man so entertained listening to you two. I think that it is your youthful exuberance. Brings back what it was like to be young. Whatever the reason I just want to say I enjoy your videos.

[@HollyGabrielle]

these videos are making me so excited to travel around Germany this summer 🤩🤩🤩

[@maddinek]

when my friends back from my time in London visit the city Bremen, they always love it. So, maybe you want to put that city on your bucket list :D

[@deutschmitpurple2918]

Me too, my friend 💕💕💕💕💕💕😊😊😊😊😊😊

[@kaffeebohne6231]

I am from Bremen, so just text me :)

[@scottwhitehead4467]

Feli is great, and I am sure 99% of people love her. But, I am also betting that 100% of people love Ben. He seems like the nicest, most thoughtful, and chill dude of of all time. Very fun videos.

[@allenminer6244]

I just want to say that you 2 are inspiring. Open minds, free assessments, and a bond, between yourselves that feels genuine. Rare! Exciting! Sheesh! Enjoy!

[@earlewhitcher970]

One hundred percent agree with Ben's comment about the "history" immersion that happens in Germany. The realization that you are in an area that can present a thousand years - or more - of existence can be both mind boggling and overwhelming at the same time. It brought the history lessons from school to life in a face to face way. Great experience.

[@ericostlie6487]

As a non native German speaker, who learned the language through TV and speaking with others, your boyfriend is doing great. Keep it up.

[@rickylein1581]

as a native german speaker I can approve that :-D!

[@timgerber5563]

Fun story about Aldi in Germany here: At Aldi there is no area behind the cashier where the goods can be pushed into which other supermarkets have. And with the speed that Aldi cashiers scan the products is often really hard to keep up. I at one point in time decided not to get hurried by the cashier and that if goods fall down because they are being pushed it’s not my fault. The Aldi cashier’s reaction: „Jetz machen se aba ma hin, junga Mann! Wir sind hia imma noch bei Aldi und nich bei Edeka und sie sind noch keene 60!“ 😂 Typical Berlin humor! Absolutely cracked me up!

[@bartolo498]

It was even more impressive 20 years ago when Aldi didnt have scanners bur thir cashiers were faster than at th shops with scanners

[@stephanpopp6210]

Translation of the cashier: "Now do shake a leg, young man! We're still at Aldi's here an' not at Edeka's (upmarket supermarket), an' you ain't no 60 years yet!" I'd appreciate if someone could put it into a good LA accent.

[@wWvwvV]

I like this concept more. At Edeka people let pile up their goods then pay and then start to collect. And sometimes then they ask if they could draw money. Embarrassing but they are oblivious.

[@_TbT_]

Pro Tip: the area behind the cashier is made to „dock“ your cart front end towards the cashier / desk. Put it there and just slide the stuff into the cart. Easy and fast.

[@ronnybehncke2453]

@@bartolo498 That's absolutely right, I remember that, too.

[@timothyodonnell8591]

You two are an adorable couple. I especially like how chill you are with each other.

[@jimih02]

The two of you are so incredible together! What a great couple! So cool! It is so refreshing to see such a young couple so full of energy so enlightened so intelligent! I wish you guys the best of everything!

[@thebunnydiaries]

We have just come back from Germany, (we are from the UK) I try and go twice a year, I love it! We go to the koblenz area, stayed in an apartment in Nuremberg. I absolutely love it! Everything Ben said is true. So clean, Germans are so polite and accommodating, my German is awful so people were more than happy to speak to me in English if needed. Schnitzel is amazing, me and my partner always get it when we are there. There are soooo many castles and everything is so beautiful. The food is great. The autobahn is a little scary, my partner always drives when we are there and we learnt quickly how differently Germans drive, you do get used to it. We have only ever been in the summer and it was hot! I would love to go in the winter. Thanks for this video, I love hearing other peoples opinions. Edit: also love the German coffee and we found that why Germans heard us talking English they were really interested and wanted to have a conversation which was nice xx

[@oleharder8028]

If you've only been in the summer, you definitely have to check it out in the winter. Go in December so you can hit the Christmas markets. Nuremberg has an excellent one.

[@hernerweisenberg7052]

I am looking forward to visit Britain soon to take a look at HMS Victory and some other historic ships, plus some of the ~4000 castles you guys have over there :)

[@spvillano]

@@oleharder8028 well, that or Oktoberfest. The food is even better than the usual delectable fare! Good luck keeping room for some beer... I've found that you just can't go wrong anywhere that there's a harvest festival. :) If it wasn't for the Army, I'd probably had needed an extra widebody airplane to come home on.

[@billgracey6369]

Ha! come to the USA, everyone here drives like a maniac! Traffic laws are only suggestions!

[@bronco5644]

Your video makes me “home sick” for Germany. I lived there for 6 years (1998 - 2002 and 2009 - 2011) and have visited a number of times since. Ben’s impressions were very memorable to me.

[@zorrothebug]

Watching the video was a lot of fun. I was caught sitting in front of the screen grinning stupidly and was asked several times what I was watching because I kept laughing. I think you two are totally adorable together. I really like Ben. I love his calm and friendly nature, his humor, his curiosity, his open-mindedness. Thanks for sharing. I'm looking forward to more videos.

[@Belfigora1102]

I like Ben too and can fully agree!

[@deutschmitpurple2918]

You are right, my friend. She is really succesful and talent 💕💕💕💕💕💕

[@KronosIV]

I remember clearly the first time I was sitting on the S-Bahn in Frankfurt, after first entering Germany. I saw a guy wearing a D&D shirt, proudly, and the train was spotless, very different to the trains I rode in Cleveland. After a few meals and a few drinks, I didn't particularly want to go back to the United States. Obviously, i didn't speak the language, and had just finished my BS, but it kind of seemed like a dream land for tech-minded, dark humored, chemistry nerds like me. I love germany. I love every time I get to go back, especially Bavaria. I would love to live there someday.

[@soziologeek3340]

Well especially if you're into tech and have a degree in that field (IT, engineering, math, statistics ...) I think it shouldn't be too hard to find a job in Germany. There's a huge need in Germany for specialists which will increase in the future because a lot of the babyboomers retire in this decade and there are just not as many younger Germans to replace them, so Migration of specialized workers is highly desired.

[@markmuller7962]

You're welcome in Germany and Switzerland 🤗 geeks and nerds always welcome!!

[@JohnnysWorld]

Of course he wears his D&D shirt proudly. D&D is great 😊. As comments before told you: Germany is in hard need for science affected nerds (best with a master grade or so) So: you are welcome! And when you are around try „Das schwarze Auge“ - it is the European equivalent to D&D 😉

[@timalverson3440]

Feli, you are AWESOME. My wife and I lived in Germany when we were children, and we LOVE what you do. Keep up the good work.

[@FelifromGermany]

Danke for the support and the great feedback Tim! :)

[@noname-dy7ci]

Respekt, unglaublich gute Betonung! Mein Mann, Mexikaner, lebt mit mir seit 11 Jahren in Deutschland und hat hier Deutsch gelernt. Seine Betonung ist nicht so gut wie Ben's.

[@thecorrs_fan]

Ihr seid beide mega sympathisch 😊. Es macht echt Spass mit Deinem Kanal Englisch zu lernen 👍. Danke für Deine Arbeit 👏

[@paolamucino7842]

I was in Germany 14 years ago as an AuPair, I lived in München, but traveled to Berlin often. I loved Germany, and the thing that I took back to Mexico, and anywhere really, was apfelschorle, Lol

[@SkywalkerPaul]

Apfelschorle is the best ✌️😅

[@nobodyknows3180]

This makes me sad, because between 2010 and 2019 I got to go to Germany seven times. I had a job where I told them, my passion is for travel and every year I go to Germany for about 5 weeks a year, I don't care about your paid leave policies, you can keep your vacation pay, I will just let you know a couple of months ahead of time what my vacation window will be, and if you can't handle that, don't hire me. They hired me. Every year I would ramp up my overtime hours like crazy, and just be stacking the dough. You save the most money when traveling to Europe in three ways: 1) Book your airline tickets as far in advance as possible (2-3 months is fine, 1 week why bother), 2) Instead of traveling endlessly and staying in relatively expensive hotels, consider staying in one place by booking a "holiday apartment" - rates vary but you can often get better deals by booking for several weeks - then use local transit to see the local sites, use regional transit to see what is further afield, 3) instead of eating every meal in some restaurant or cafe, shop the local grocery stores and cook your food in your holiday apartment. Occasionally have a meal in some restaurant to enjoy the local fare. Also, if you have an American debit card, it is usable in most places in Europe, you don't have to go to a bank or exchange and 'buy Euros' to have in hand as soon as you arrive, and ATM machines will dispense Euros off your debit card (just make sure you have given your US bank a travel notification. ALSO: Have some idea of what you want to see while you are in any given location, and see if you can book tickets ONLINE in advance. In our first year we went to Paris, went to nearby Versailles Palace, and got stuck standing in a HUGE line for three hours, while people who had booked online walked right in. Same deal at Neuschwanstein Castle too, but that time we knew to book online in advance.

[@garysenn1115]

Can I just say, YOU Feli, are SOOOO Beautiful! I could listen to You talk FOR HOURS!! and You and Ben are NEVER boring! It's so much fun whenever You do videos together! Ben my friend, You are an EXTREMELY lucky man!!

[@robertgriffin9840]

Very entertaining. I was drawn-in with the observation of the reconstruction in Munich. My story, the family left Benningen am Neckar in 1862 for the Crimea. Left the Crimea for California in 1905. The local German Lutheran church sent aid to a sister church in Frankfurt am Main in the 1920s and 1930s. After WWII the Frankfurt church gathered some of its blown-out stained glass and made a stained-glass window and sent it to the church in California as a thank you for the aid sent before the war.

[@earlewhitcher970]

I can relate to Ben's observation about the central location of Germany to the rest of Europe; that was my big take away while stationed in Germany at Hahn AB - we would hop in the car and cross international boarders like we would cross state lines here in the US. It made for some great weekend trips when the places you had only heard about or read about were just a few hours drive away. Imagine this conversation between two twenty something newlyweds: "What would you like to do this weekend? Zurich or the Black Forest? Or maybe Amsterdam?" Amazing experience.

[@VJDanny1979]

I love how Ben is excited about old buildings. 😃 And yes, I‘ve been to Nuremberg a few days ago … and I‘ve seen photos of the destroyed city after WWII … they literally rebuild the entire city, absolutely fantastic. How much work this must have been! And instead of putting modern buildings there, they decided to bring back the middle age / Renaissance vibe to the city center.

[@fermisparadox01]

Ever hear of the Marshall plan ?

[@alexj9603]

Well, depending on the level of destruction, they rebuilt (most of) the iconic landmarks. But apart from this, they filled most of the space with new buildings. Take the Marienplatz in Munich as an example: The old and new town halls were reconstructed, but on the other side of the square you see mostly postwar architecture. And yes, rebuilding these cities literally took decades.

[@VJDanny1979]

@@fermisparadox01 Of course. 😉 But that provided only money, as far as I know.

[@dnocturn84]

@@fermisparadox01 Those were loans. Easy loans, with very little restrictions and paperwork, in order to provide quick help. They were paid off with an interest for the one who provided them in the first place. This wasn't a gift in any way.

[@alicemilne1444]

@@VJDanny1979 And most of that money was in the form of loans.

[@rudeboy911]

I wish you too the best. I'm an American and just ended things with my girlfriend of two years. Staying in Recklinghausen was so beautiful. Spread love, show love Andre'.

[@ArgusStrav]

He really is doing quite well considering how many days he's been studying German. His biggest pronunciation issues are just that he doesn't know what sounds certain letters represent in German-- a starting V becomes an English F, the Ä is more like an English E than an A, the German Z is a tsss sound, etc. There's a website that explicitly goes over these differences (but I don't want to give a link here, so as to avoid having my comment eaten by the spam filter.) Still, really good considering how early in the process he is!

[@ZenoLee0]

Even Germans occasionally make the same mistake in reverse, even those who know English well. Pronouncing "V" for the letter W and pronouncing "F" for the letter V.

[@berlindude75]

A starting German "v" isn't always pronounced like an English "f" (e.g. "Vase" = VAH-ZUH). The rule is rather that in words of Germanic origin (the majority) the German "v" is pronounced like an English "f", and in words of Romance origin (mostly from Latin and French) the German "v" is pronounced like an English "v". German diphthongs can also be a challenge to foreigners.

[@jc3drums916]

Yeah, ignoring umlauts is a pretty common mistake.

[@ArgusStrav]

@@berlindude75 Right, I mean the website I'm thinking of goes into all that detail, but again, I don't want to link anything because I've had comments get caught by the spam filter before.

[@BCSchmerker]

+{UCu4kFwPlRydggUblJoCqpXg} *As an autistic, I'm a natural stickler for pronunciations, which habit ironically got me some heckling for alleged butchering o' words.* I've a re-signage for OMS Japanese Christian Church (Walnut Creek, CA, USA) in concept formulation: Don't know what format for the blind-Japanese texts is required under the Laws of the State of California (USA), so I'm doing three parallel contingencies: International-Phonetic Braille (for which I've revived the Esh, Ezh, and Eng); 点仮名 Botigana (a Braille syllabary for 日本語 Ōyamatonego), and 点字 Tenzi (an eight-dot Braille variant code for a subset of the 康熙字典 Kāngxī Character Catalog).

[@BigBenGermany1983]

Ihr zwei seid echt Süß! 😍Ihr solltet mehr Videos zu zweit machen! =)

[@nikkazs4424]

Thank you for talking "long" about things, I always learn a lot in an interesting way.

[@mplconsulting]

Die von Ben abgelesene Nachricht kann man wirklich sehr gut verstehen! Eigentlich müsste er jetzt nur noch viel Praxis haben, dann wird das von ganz allein etwas flüssiger! Aber ganz ehrlich, ich wünschte jeder Ausländer in Deutschland würde so gut deutsch sprechen, wie dein Freund Ben. Ich habe Ben heute das erste mal gesehen und da ich meine Lesebrille nicht so schnell gefunden habe, dachte ich eigentlich, ich würde nichts von seinem vorgelesenem Text deiner Mutter verstehen, aber ich habe alles sehr gut verstanden und ich bin sehr beeindruckt, wie gut er das gemeistert hat! Das war wirklich eine großartige Leistung von Ihm! Ganz toll!

[@Lenzid82]

I’m also learning German so these videos are fun for me. You two are compliment each other so well. I’m excited to see more couple’s videos.

[@erichoffman2908]

"I'm addicted to schnitzel". I'm with you brother. Schnitzel is aaaaaaaaamazing. Jägershnitzel with spaetzel is my favorite.

[@Belfigora1102]

You make such a cute couple, I am so glad that you found each other!

[@deutschmitpurple2918]

I totally agree with you, my friend 💕💕💕💕💕💕

[@susannabonke8552]

Oh yes. They're lucky to have found each other.

[@anouk6644]

His pronunciation of the text message from your family was really good!! As a dutchie speaking a fair amount of German could understand him as well. Great job!

[@davesadrikcole6217]

I appreciated his reaction to buildings with "1300" on them. I was never into history before my first trip overseas. I remember distinctly coming out of the Gare du Nord and being hit with the realisation that the buildings surrounding me were older than Canada. I was utterly alone, furthest from anyone I knew, tingling with wonder and excitement. At that moment, I learned to appreciate history and became a Europhile.

[@Londronable]

It's one of those things you more or less get used to. On many town squares you'll find buildings of over 500 years old here in Belgium. Went to school in Ghent and while eating lunch I had a view of like 3 big ass cathedrals, some of them holding artworks of some of the most famous artists to ever live, or we decided as a class to go have dinner together at a restaurant. Where? Ow, the rib restaurant near Gravensteen, that 850 year old castle/fort in the center of the city a few miles over.

[@denise1019]

For me as a German, Rome was next level as far as that is concerned. There are so many buildings older than 2000 years. So impressing...

[@aldozilli1293]

@@denise1019 yeah, northern europe doesn't compare to Italy and Rome

[@rebeccahanson6941]

Love how excited Ben is about it. So glad you guys had so much fun with his first trips there.

[@Gulicktheemu]

I lived in Essen/Dortmund for a while. Also Öberhausen & Leverküsen. I spent 2 years there and spoke German and I wish I could go back. I was going to return and finish my Tierarzt medicine degree bur I got married and chose to stay in the U.S. My wife does not speak Deutsch and it would not fair to force a new life culture on her. My grades (organic chemistry) we’re not good enough so it was not a sacrifice for me. It’s been 40 years and I still dream auf deutsche. I’m a conundrum as a 2nd generation Hispanic American who speaks German but not a word of Spanish.

[@fonkbadonk5370]

Hold your Umlauts there. It's Oberhausen and Leverkusen :)

[@Gulicktheemu]

@@fonkbadonk5370 my stupid keyboard starting placing them everywhere. :-(

[@fonkbadonk5370]

@@Gulicktheemu It's telling you something! =)

[@KeltenDNA]

Greetings from Bochum🖤❤️💛

[@duckedup]

So cool to hear your story! You two are the age of my girls roughly... 7 years ago, at 38, I got my passport for the 1st time(for a lady of course haha) That didnt work out, but that relationship opened my mind to the world! Before that I was just content and didnt really care about travel, but after seeing other parts of the world I am addicted! I'm going to show my girls there is more to life than this country and social media.... I wish you both the best and hope you keep posting videos to inspire young people!!!

[@CchrisS90]

I like the videos with him - it's so interesting hearing a native american speak about his experiences in Germany. Thumbs up! :D

[@cgrun06]

You complement each other beautifully. Very natural and likeable! I enjoy your vlogs.

[@dalebuck7168]

I lived in Germany a little over 11 years, but the only place I saw graffiti was in West Berlin (I was living in West Germany (Budingen) when the wall came down), so you can see that was a lot of years ago so I'm sure things have changed. I was a swim coach and our team competed in the Olympic Schwimmhalle in Munich. Loved the people of Bavaria. BTW my German was bad then and it is probably much worse now, but the German people were wonderful at switching to English if I at least tried to speak the language. I also speak French, so there were times we would switch to French when I was over by the French border. My daughters both spoke fluent German so if I needed to be specific (like an auto parts store) I took one of the girls with me to translate. Great memories...Love you guys...

[@rogermoeller7350]

I was in Germany last in 1979 and there was hardly any graffiti. We were just there in July and the graffiti was everywhere. Not really a fan of it. In one of the cities they designated a place for graffiti with the understanding that the historical buildings would not be tagged.

[@jansebb]

wow... l really like you 2 together.... and the pride u show when he talks about your country.... hope u guys make more vids both from and after a visit in germany

[@DC2809]

"i am fully addicted to Schnitzel" .. direkt ins Herz geschlossen :D

[@specialistarmy2305]

I loved the schnitzel. My wife and I would go to a place called Mums in Schwabisch Gmund from 1971-1973. We had double cheese schnitzel. That was two schnitzels with cheese in between the two. Sometimes when you eat everything on the plate is she would bring you back the same order for her regulars. You eat everything when in Germany lol you dont want to upset your host! We were invited to the Stammtisch numerous times.

[@deutschmitpurple2918]

Me too, my friend. I love Schnitzel 😊😊😊😊😊😊

[@sobelou]

At first I thought, wow, 45 minutes, that's too long!! and then I started watching and enjoyed it so much! Ben's delight at discovering Europe is so genuine and you two are really so appealing and easy to watch! Thanks!!

[@hp8825]

love this video. I'm German so I can confirm to Feli that your German is really great Ben! As she said, as a German I can fully understand the text you read. And you have full meaning too. So great job! Keep going and belive in what you're doing. You do realy well! (and sorry if my english is not perfekt ;) )

[@ronh9384]

Love the smells coming from the bakeries while walking through any city/town in Germany. And there are probably more breweries in Germany than there are McDonald’s in the U.S.! 😊 Happy for you both. Have fun guys!

[@resathe6760]

Not quite. There are around 1500 breweries in Germany at the moment. But I guess almost all of these beers taste better than the American ones ;)

[@mariusmreule9236]

I think there is no country with more breweries than than the USA

[@akumasstorytime3910]

@@mariusmreule9236 and yet American beer is still comparable to pisswater.

[@ggNotSuree]

@@akumasstorytime3910lollll. Mmhm. Well. The name brand ones yes. I’m excited to try the German ones and compare them with US craft breweries.

[@sharonmclaughlin2258]

Great impressions of Germany Ben! I traveled to Berlin & Leipzig years ago and this brought back memories of my experience!

[@Microtubui]

ihr beide kommt so sympathisch rüber. es ist angenehm das es nicht gestellt oder gescriptet wirkt wie es bei anderen oft der fall ist. macht spass euch zwischendurch mal zuzuhören7sehen. danke :-9

[@jensvonbrasch1466]

A charming program delivered by you both with great flair and poise. Infinitely watchable. Congratulations! Just another reason why I go on coming back. Initially it was as a native speaker to get Feli’s great insights, and while of course that continues, what a charming fresh and straight up and down contribution Ben is making! He was a real show-stealer tonight. Well done, both of you, and I’m looking forward to future videos. 🤗

[@carln1463]

I was fortunate enough to do a small tour of Germany in June. Kind of how I found this channel. Love the energy and vibe.

[@johnfromwales6713]

I've only.been doing German for about 2 years casually on and off and I could understand what your boyfriend was saying, imo he did a pretty good job!

[@Wellch]

Glad you brought him along. Even though you might have prepared a bit beforehand on culture shock and learning the basic language,it is great to have you as a mentor too and introducing him to your friends.

[@voceumana]

For Ben, your first impressions of Germany and Europe remind me of my own, way back in the 1960s. Not to sound discouraging, but a German once told me, "Man lernt Italienisch, man lernt Französisch, man lernt Englisch, aber man versucht Deutsch zu lernen." So keep on "versuch-ing", as I do. And yes, those local bakeries do have the best bread!

[@kevinparisot3455]

Loved this. I’m an American that just got back from Munich on my first visit to Europe. Really enjoyed Munich and southern Germany was beautiful. I’m amazed at how great feli’s English and American accent is!

[@Winona493]

I am curious: you appreciated Feli's American English, but do you still hear that she's not a native? Even from Germany perhaps? In my German ears she sounds very good but I understand her better than I understand Ben. It is easier and I do not have to concentrate on it.

[@bernhardneef7996]

Felix, dein Freund ist echt ein süßer Typ. Glückwunsch

[@NikkiLee524]

These are helping me so much in my own German learning lol I can finally talk to my mom in (very basic) German with better pronunciation! She will be so happy! Thank you guys!

[@ericrabinowitz6390]

I spent the summer of 1971 with a girl from Boulder, CO, whose father was from Oberammergau. She had been there in 1970 and, as a 'local,' had taken part in the Passion Play. She couldn't say enough about the wonderful experience, the beautiful scenery, and the welcoming people there. Ben, you're brave to speak German on camera with so little experience. Many would prefer to die.

[@TheQuickSilver101]

I'm pretty new to the channel but I have to say I enjoyed watching you two interact as much as I liked hearing his take on the time he spent with you in Germany. It was a fun watch, thanks!

[@Jonas-kr5du]

I love hearing genuine impressions by people experiencing different cultures for the first time. In Germany, I would always advice tourist to visit smaller cities as well. Sure, go see Munich, Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg and so on. But take at least as much or even more time to see cities like Würzburg, Heidelberg, Göttingen, Münster, Rotenburg ob der Tauber, and so on. And try to visit the countrysides and wine regions. :-)

[@Joschka77]

Yeah, for an american that is into history or historic buildings seeing a complete medieval city like Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a must!

[@taedaenextrea9300]

I'm on the same journey as Ben! I'm a Canadian with a German partner and will be moving to Germany to live with her in late August. I've been using a few different apps and websites to learn German (and my partner helps me out, too). Getting my tongue around some of the pronunciations is a challenge sometimes. The one word I can't seem to get even remotely close is 'Gurke' (cucumber). I can do the light 'R' roll in any other word, but going from the 'U' to the 'R' in that one is a STRUGGLE for me 😂 I was in Germany for the first time back in late May, and I also love it there so much! We went from Munich to Leipzig to Düsseldorf. We even went to Frankfurt (Oder) and popped literally five minutes over to Poland for pizza. I love the scenery, the culture, the language. I'm so excited to live there soon. Thanks for sharing Ben's journey! I've been a viewer of your videos for over a year and look forward to your future content!

[@barnoslogik]

i'm english, but was born in germany, but only lived there until i was 6, but have revisited since having a german GF from berlin, one thing i will say, is germans are brilliant, when you make the effort, like 99% of the the time, they will have a laugh (yes germans have a sense of humour) at you with you pronunciation but they will help you and try to help you with how to actually say the word. a trick i had was to put post-it notes on things like the fridge etc with german version and a phonetic version of things i would have in the fridge. same with cupboards, and I got my GF to do the same in her apartment, so i could just about go to a supermarket and find everything if I wanted to cook dinner etc.

[@ingridvonschoenholtz4455]

So nice . 😊❤❤❤🎉

[@kelliescraftythumb]

I loved hearing his experience! I'm big into history too so I would love to see all the history Europe has. I want to go very badly to see more of the world.

[@sethmorgenroth6784]

Do it! It’ll be so worth it. I’ve lived in Germany for over a decade and it’s truly beautiful.

[@allenminer6244]

I like the integrity of your interactions. Fun.

[@th.burggraf7814]

Had a fun time viewing this video and will definitely stopping by again. 👍🏻 Here's another word for Ben to practice : Oachkatzerlschwoaf. 😉

[@viertouchdownsineinemspiel]

If you like to have a chat in the gas station or every other place, you have to come to the Rheinland. Here in Düsseldorf or in Köln or elsewhere, you will allways have a quick chat at the counter, a laugh in the line, or mini conversation. Even my friend from Hamburg was very surprised of the way, that waiters and guests laugh and often almost „flirt“ with each other. 🤩👍🏻 What we‘re definitly not good at, is small talk, one on one. I feel uncomfortable doing that. Perhaps, because we don‘t „beat about the bush“, as you say. 😅 Liebe Feli und Ben, macht weiter so. Alles Gute für Euch zwei, Ihr jungen Hüpfer! Viele Grüße aus Düsseldorf und nicht vergessen: Et hätt noch äwo joot jejange. 😍

[@feedingravens]

We made use of the 9 Euro-ticket this year to get to Salzburg (from Munich). That was cheaper and faster than by car. Haven't been there since decades. We went to the city palace, the Altstadt, and the giant fortress on the hill. Really nice.

[@timothygormley1305]

What a happy dorky couple. Wonderful young people.

[@andrear.5536]

Ich bin durch Zufall auf dieses Video gestoßen und finde Euch sowas von absolut sympathisch. Ich genieße euch zuzuhören und lernen tut man auch noch was dabei! 👍🏼 👍🏼👍🏼

[@anjapostruschnik]

You guys need to check out the northern part of Germany as well! I grew up in Münster wich is a beautiful city not very far away from the Dutch border. And you definitely have to travel to Amsterdam! It's really worth the trip 🇳🇱 😍!

[@trinaroach2832]

I live in the Münsterland, too. Only 6 km from the border, and can definitely 2nd that!

[@nikibordeaux]

Groningen in the Netherlands is really nice also, it looks similar to Amsterdam, though it is much smaller and all the tourists are from Germany only. 😀 Can easily be combined with a trip to Hamburg or Bremen or the North Sea.

[@lifelikeatob]

Wat fürn entspannter Typ! Superangenehme Vibes 🌸

[@leDespicable]

Munich is pretty tame when it comes to Graffiti, he should take a look around Berlin :P

[@fonkbadonk5370]

Or the entirety of the Ruhrgebiet.

[@numivis7807]

Or Hamburg 😄😄

[@SuperVali111]

Hut ab Ben!!!! Finde er macht das richtig gut mit dem Deutschquasseln :D Gruß aus Minga und danke für das neue Video !!! Greetings from Munich :)))

[@HH-hd7nd]

21:47 It should be mentioned though that such high prices are not common for Germany as a whole; Munich is the most expensive place to live in Germany, followed by Frankfurt (which is also the only city in Germany that is known for Skyscrapers). There are other expensive cities like Düsseldorf, Köln or Hamburg, but once you leave the largest cities and go to smaller ones (let alone the rural areas) prices are a lot more affordable.

[@Nerple]

Ben’s description of driving on the Autobahn was so spot on! It was always somebody in an Audi that was on your tail within two seconds of pulling into the left lane. Just driving along in the right lane I would see all makes of cars but the moment I pull into the left lane to pass someone an Audi appeared out of thin air to push me back into the right lane once I made the pass.

[@altpsychshow]

You guys are cuter than shit and I absolutely love the content! She is such a great teacher and he is such a great student. Topics are always fascinating. The world needs more people like you 👍

[@shelbym822]

Feli and Ben, you have such wonderful chemistry and work so well together. I am of German and Irish descent, so I am very interested in learning about my heritage. I love your fresh perspectives, and how open and honest you are. The closest I have ever come to visiting Europe is exploring the international pavilions at Epcot. I hope to change that in the near future!

[@andreaelisa5303]

Ihr zwei seid ein super süßes sympathisches Paar🥂

[@wardkrause9022]

Love that Ben is as excited about the history, culture, and architecture of Germany! My wife and I have come to take so much of that for granted as we have seen much if the east and west by train and by car. The fact that so many Germans speak English and are comfortable with using it is something we enjoy too. My wife taught German and my travel German is decent enough that we can get along pretty well, but there's nothing to me funnier than when I open my mouth and speak German to a German and then they answer back in English even though they are German. Something seems kind of wrong there but it's just because the Germans are trying to be helpful and many of them like to practice their English I've found. I only lived in Salzburg for 5 months when I was in college so I haven't really lived in Europe but I have visited multiple times during the summer as my wife and I were both teachers and we had summers off. As so many other people have said in the comments, you two make a wonderful come couple and I'm so thrilled that Ben loves your country and that will not be a source of contention in your lives. This was a lot of fun to watch because it brought back wonderful memories of how I have felt when I was young traveling in Europe for the first time. The appreciation of other cultures makes us better human beings!

[@keith_jones]

Bravo Ben! You have made great progress. Most Germans I have met are appreciative of the effort to speak German with them. However, the innate desire for efficiency, will cause them to speak English with you. You will get it. Remember that German is a picture language. Break the long nouns into there parts and you will have a good guess at the word.

[@chrishanneman1298]

Just discovered this channel today. I am very much enjoying the content.

[@michaelmedlinger6399]

It's amusing that the word for those furry little rodents is especially difficult for non-native speakers in English, German AND French! (squirrel, Eichhörnchen, écureuil).

[@lindamaes6454]

Try it in Dutch/Flemish: eekhoorn, eekhoorntje

[@therewillbecatswithgwenhwyfar]

@@lindamaes6454 the Dutch word actually seems easy! But it’s funny that it would be obnoxious words in each language! Lol 😂 🐿

[@lindamaes6454]

@@therewillbecatswithgwenhwyfar I'm not even going to try to pronounce anything in Welsh. 😉

[@Jetrider_Austria]

Austria: Oachkatzlschwoaf (the squirrels tail)

[@chitlitlah]

I was going to make a comment about the French word if nobody else already had. Squirrel must be the word that when you can pronounce it in any language, you know you're doing well.

[@donnas9599]

This video was charming, and brought back so many fond memories of my time in Vaihingen back in the 80s. Thanks for sharing your perspectives, and the travel times made me chuckle. Even here in New England (the region of small states), it takes 6 hours to drive from one end of Maine to the other! Tschüß!

[@ericminton6084]

I've been to Trier, Germany twice and enjoyed my time there. First time I was part of a Sister Cities program and became good friends with the student I stayed with. Second time was when I went to visit him and the friends I made after I graduated high school. We had a blast and one of the more humorous things was I knew very little German and my host student had a friend who knew very little English and my host student would be laughing his ass off as me and his friend would be trying to communicate with gestures. Oddly enough me and his friend became friends and exchanged gift before I came home. People think you guys don't have a sense of humor, but I saw that Germans do indeed have a good sense of humor and enjoy time with their friends joking around and making weird observations.

[@twothreestickstravel344]

Feli and Ben, thank you so much for posting this video! You both are a lovely couple! Based on this video, I hope to travel to Germany soon! :)

[@tmaravola]

I, along with a wife and three kids, lived in Germany (or as it was called West Germany) from 1980 to 1984. I was an officer in the U.S. Army stationed in Schwaebisch Gmuend. When we arrived, there were no apartments available on base so we elected to take a very nice townhouse in a little community called Boebbingen. We were the only Americans in the neighborhood. My children played with the kids in the neighborhood. We shopped at the local bakery and butcher shop. ( know the correct German words but my computer thinks I am crazy). When it came time to shop for school clothes we just went to Schwaebisch Gmuend and shopped while all the other Americans were going to the PX in Stuttgart. After all these years, I still miss Germany even though my German friends with whom I have stayed in touch say there have been so many changes. I love your channel. Your youth and bubbly personality takes me back to my younger days.

[@williamhitchcock6265]

Enjoyed hearing about your experiences, Ben. For you, its discovery, for me reminiscence. The best part of travel is the people and participating in what they do. Bagging a lot of sights doesn't give the thrill of doing activities with the locals. My fondest memories are of things that were common to locals. The amazing sights just happened to be in the background. Du hast eine gut ausspreche. Sei stolz !

[@zorrothebug]

I must say I am very impressed by Ben. Very good pronunciation and really good understanding of the text. However, I do have one suggestion for improvement: he still pronounces the German Z very softly, American-style. Maybe it will help him when he thinks the Z is pronounced like "ts" in German. So "zusammen" => _"tsusammen"_

[@tomriley5790]

Never think it's important to have perfect pronounciation, he's american he'll likely never perfectly pronounce German, the main point is to be able to communicate and be understood.

[@leDespicable]

@@tomriley5790 It's not that unlikely he'll nail the pronunciation at some point. I mean, look at Josh, he basically sounds like a native.

[@Englandfan91]

I just admire the fact that Ben is trying to learn German. He already experienced that a lot of Germans will speak English if he doesn't understand enough German yet. I'm also intrigued that Ben likes history and is really interested in Europe. My prejudice would be that most Americans try to see Europe in three days. It was interesting to hear what he noticed in Germany or even liked. I'm a coffee drinker myself and I can relate to the comments about coffee. Looking forward to more videos.

[@matchaeylle]

so it’s basically ц (ts but sometimes sounds like z)

[@berlindude75]

It would actually be pronounced TSU-ZAM-MEN because the German "s" before vowels is almost always pronounced softly like the English "z". When it is followed by a consonant, it will be pronounced like the English "s" (e.g. "Skandal" = SKUN-DAHL), but there are a few notable exceptions: When "s" is followed by a "p" or "t", the "s" becomes a "sh" sound (e.g. "Stadt" = SHTADT / "Sport" = SHPORT) and when followed by "ch" (e.g. "Schule" = SHOO-LUH), the entire "sch" will be a "sh" sound.

[@ronh9384]

I’ve lived in Germany 3 times and visited another time. Every time I was there I could not walk by a bakery without at least going in. The 4th visit it had been several years since I had been there. I walked in and bought one of favorite pastries. So good.

[@jonteske4267]

In Eastern Wisconsin (where I'm from, originally) we use "Semmel" for a type of hard hot dog (or more usually Bratwurst) and hamburger bun. These are unobtanium in metro Washington DC where I've lived for the last 58 years. This is a VERY Germanic area.

[@TheDivayenta]

Oh ja! I’ll bring you a covered hot dish !

[@reesofraft4166]

even in germany a ‚Semmel‘ can mean different types of bread rolls. in some areas it just a standard bread roll. in some areas it‘s a double (2 rolls stuck together before baking it so you got a double bread roll)…

[@steveth1000]

I have been learning German online for 10 months and I understood most of that note your Mum wrote, Grüße aus Australien Greetings from Australia.

[@robetheridge6999]

What I love about Europe is that so many areas area very walkable. I leave lived in Germany, Cyprus, Romania, and Moldova. I rarely use public transport. BTW as a kid,my favorite dish was Jaegerschnitzel mit Spätzle.

[@vincem3748]

You had me at Spätzle 😍

[@scary_carrie]

Dein stolzes Gesicht, als Ben die Nachricht deiner Mutter so gut vorgelesen hat. Mega cute

[@holger_p]

I summarize this as, Americans always underline how hard they work, Germans just hurry up, to have more free time. It's much more nonverbal conversation, it's faster than smalltalk. So effiency and less posing.

[@MsNewgirl]

The German work ethic is actually something Americans tried to bring to the United States. Not a joke. The terrain of the United States required extremely hard work to settle. There are towns that started as English and Dutch but we're abandoned because they got sick of the weather and terrain. So, the Germans moved in. Wilhelmina, Missouri is one, Victoria, Kansas is another. My father in his 80s cleared 20 wheelbarrows of rocks out of the ground by hand to make a garden. I know someone who went back to work at 70 so two kids he didn't know could go to a religious school. That work ethic has had a good impact on the United States. Sadly, it's slowly being lost. Although some of the Hispanics seem to have a pretty good work ethic. They will go to work to help out someone else.

[@margaretqueenofscots9450]

My community of Amish and Mennonites still has this in large measure.

[@holger_p]

@@margaretqueenofscots9450 what? The german or the american? Are they in a hurry and do they want time to enyou live?

[@tommywolker5787]

Crazy! I'll never get to Germany, so thank you for taking me there! Really enjoyed it!

[@matt47110815]

Wow, he really pronounced the tongue twister pretty well, considering! I am impressed. :-)

[@ricardobrands9736]

Beside all the language and Germany stuff let me tell u you guys have such a cute loving chemistry going between you! Keep that up. Its def rare

[@sylviahocherl9665]

Hallo, mein Vorschlag für Deinen Freund wäre Regensburg. Die Stadt hat den 2. Weltkrieg ziemlich unbeschadet überstanden und dort gibt es sehr viel Historisches zu sehen. Die Stadt ist von den Römern gegründet worden und egal wo gegraben wird, man stößt auf sie. Ich finde es sehr gut das sich dein Freund so für unsere Historie interessiert, so kann man vieles besser verstehen. Liebe Grüße aus der Oberpfalz :)

[@darth8156]

Regensburg ist eine sehr schöne Stadt. Liebe Grüße auch aus der Oberpfalz.

[@PEPPER2323]

Lived in Munich in 1966 and worked for Spaten for the summer. Then again, for 2 years in 2010. I loved it. Lived near Shakesteare Plaza. A beautiful part of Munich. Everyone spoke English, so I never had a problem. Even children..

[@skellnehausen]

You two are just adorable, I love the videos you do together.