These are a few of my favorite (and not so favorite) things - Part One
We’ve reached the end of the calendar year, and the end of
my first five months at MIS, therefore I felt that now we be as good a time as any
to do a mid-year recap of some of my favorite – and not so favorite – parts of
German culture and living in Bavaria.
Let’s start with a few of my not so favorite things…
Drivers.
They’re crazy. They drive fast. Everywhere. Freeways, smaller highways, tiny, narrow streets, back alleys, parking lots. You name it. Bavarians drive fast on it. And crosswalks? They obey them, yes. But when you’re legally crossing a street, do the Bavarian drivers slowly come to a stop in front of you? No. Of course not. They speed up to the crosswalk – you, feeling like your life is about to end at the hands of a shiny BMW – then they screech to a halt – the driver totally confused that you have also come to a stop in the middle of the road.
They’re crazy. They drive fast. Everywhere. Freeways, smaller highways, tiny, narrow streets, back alleys, parking lots. You name it. Bavarians drive fast on it. And crosswalks? They obey them, yes. But when you’re legally crossing a street, do the Bavarian drivers slowly come to a stop in front of you? No. Of course not. They speed up to the crosswalk – you, feeling like your life is about to end at the hands of a shiny BMW – then they screech to a halt – the driver totally confused that you have also come to a stop in the middle of the road.
Walkers.
Bavarians don’t walk on the right-hand side of the sidewalk. They don’t walk on the left-hand side of the sidewalk. They walk on all sides of sidewalk, veering, strolling, meandering over every inch of that path. Can’t explain this one. No idea why they do it, but they do it.
Bavarians don’t walk on the right-hand side of the sidewalk. They don’t walk on the left-hand side of the sidewalk. They walk on all sides of sidewalk, veering, strolling, meandering over every inch of that path. Can’t explain this one. No idea why they do it, but they do it.
The language.
Okay, color me ethnocentric. Call me an ugly American, but I think Germans go out of their way to make English speakers’ lives more difficult. Many people speak English here, sure, but find a piece of paperwork in English, find something on TV in English, find an operator at a major German telecommunications company who speaks English, find a sign noting a famous landmark in English. It’s not easy. I'm sure they exist, but I've not seen many of them. Even products purchased in Germany supply operating directions in German only. Yes, should I be attempting to learn the language while I’m living in Germany? Of course. This one is mostly on me. Time has been in short supply since coming here, so I just haven't been able to place learning German as a top priority. Wish I could. But like I said, with so much of the population able to speak English and with Germany being a major world player, it strikes me as odd that they wouldn’t provide more visual materials in English. It must be their way of keeping their German language sacred. Or thumbing their noses at us Americans. Not sure.
Okay, color me ethnocentric. Call me an ugly American, but I think Germans go out of their way to make English speakers’ lives more difficult. Many people speak English here, sure, but find a piece of paperwork in English, find something on TV in English, find an operator at a major German telecommunications company who speaks English, find a sign noting a famous landmark in English. It’s not easy. I'm sure they exist, but I've not seen many of them. Even products purchased in Germany supply operating directions in German only. Yes, should I be attempting to learn the language while I’m living in Germany? Of course. This one is mostly on me. Time has been in short supply since coming here, so I just haven't been able to place learning German as a top priority. Wish I could. But like I said, with so much of the population able to speak English and with Germany being a major world player, it strikes me as odd that they wouldn’t provide more visual materials in English. It must be their way of keeping their German language sacred. Or thumbing their noses at us Americans. Not sure.
Alright, with a few of those “not so pleasant” issues out of
the way, let’s turn to my favorites.
Bicycling.
The Germans take care of their cyclists. Big time. Country highways and big city streets – they’re made for cyclists. Signage is everywhere. Good maps – both online and in print – are easy to come by. And even those speedy German drivers I mentioned earlier seem to have no problem moving aside to respect us cyclists. I absolutely have fallen in love with cycling here.
The Germans take care of their cyclists. Big time. Country highways and big city streets – they’re made for cyclists. Signage is everywhere. Good maps – both online and in print – are easy to come by. And even those speedy German drivers I mentioned earlier seem to have no problem moving aside to respect us cyclists. I absolutely have fallen in love with cycling here.
Eating.
I love eating out in Germany. I love especially eating out at the old, classic Bavarian restaurants. When people eat here, they take their time. They enjoy it. They talk. They have a few beers. They relax. And the waiters and waitresses leave them alone. Missing are the unnecessary, “How were the first few bites?” or the unsolicited “Can I get you anything elses.” The wait staff leaves you be. That is, unless you wave them over and ask for service. Then they treat you like kings. It’s a sweet thing.
I love eating out in Germany. I love especially eating out at the old, classic Bavarian restaurants. When people eat here, they take their time. They enjoy it. They talk. They have a few beers. They relax. And the waiters and waitresses leave them alone. Missing are the unnecessary, “How were the first few bites?” or the unsolicited “Can I get you anything elses.” The wait staff leaves you be. That is, unless you wave them over and ask for service. Then they treat you like kings. It’s a sweet thing.
Beer halls and beer gardens.
Same as above. Bavarians go to beer halls to relax. They go there to socialize. And they stay there for a very long time. There’s nothing quite like a Bavarian beer garden – a big helles in front of me, a pretzel in hand, good friends across the table, friendly locals at the other end. It’s fabulous.
Same as above. Bavarians go to beer halls to relax. They go there to socialize. And they stay there for a very long time. There’s nothing quite like a Bavarian beer garden – a big helles in front of me, a pretzel in hand, good friends across the table, friendly locals at the other end. It’s fabulous.
Festivals.
Fall festivals. Oktoberfest. Music festivals. Winter festivals. Christmas markets. Spring festivals. Bavarians know how to live it up, and they know how to get out of the house and party, to live life. They may work hard during the day, but they know how to party at night.
Fall festivals. Oktoberfest. Music festivals. Winter festivals. Christmas markets. Spring festivals. Bavarians know how to live it up, and they know how to get out of the house and party, to live life. They may work hard during the day, but they know how to party at night.
Cafes.
Breakfast in Bavaria never gets old. It’s usually a simple affair – some bread, some butter, jam, maybe a few slices of meat, a soft-boiled egg, some cheese. And of course… a good coffee. It’s hard to find an omelette, or pancakes, or fried eggs over easy, but I don’t mind. Those will all be back, waiting for me in the States when I return.
Breakfast in Bavaria never gets old. It’s usually a simple affair – some bread, some butter, jam, maybe a few slices of meat, a soft-boiled egg, some cheese. And of course… a good coffee. It’s hard to find an omelette, or pancakes, or fried eggs over easy, but I don’t mind. Those will all be back, waiting for me in the States when I return.
Beer. Beer. And more beer.
Did you know that beer is a big deal in Bavaria? Did you? Well, of course you did. Everyone knows that. I thought I knew that. But beer is more than a big deal here. It’s a religion. And it’s literally EVERYWHERE! If you’ve been reading my blog, you’ve seen me drinking more than a few beers. You’ve seen me drinking them at beer gardens, in the parks, at parties, at restaurants and even at school. Beer is like a God here. It’s worshipped. People drink it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and their midnight snack. Some of you out there might be saying to yourself, “Well, yeah, Bavaria is known for its beer, but it’s lager. It’s old fashioned beer. Give me a great American IPA any day of the week.” Well, not me. It is so completely freaking refreshing to go into a restaurant in Bavaria and have the choice of three different types of beer – helles, wiesbier and dunkles. That’s it. Three! And I freaking love it. I am so exhausted with going to restaurants in the States and having to thumb through page after page of sours and ales and porters and stouts and raspberry this, and chocolate that. I’m tired of it! I’ll get sick of the German lagers eventually too, I’m sure, and crave a good old Summit EPA. But for now, I’m happy.
Did you know that beer is a big deal in Bavaria? Did you? Well, of course you did. Everyone knows that. I thought I knew that. But beer is more than a big deal here. It’s a religion. And it’s literally EVERYWHERE! If you’ve been reading my blog, you’ve seen me drinking more than a few beers. You’ve seen me drinking them at beer gardens, in the parks, at parties, at restaurants and even at school. Beer is like a God here. It’s worshipped. People drink it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and their midnight snack. Some of you out there might be saying to yourself, “Well, yeah, Bavaria is known for its beer, but it’s lager. It’s old fashioned beer. Give me a great American IPA any day of the week.” Well, not me. It is so completely freaking refreshing to go into a restaurant in Bavaria and have the choice of three different types of beer – helles, wiesbier and dunkles. That’s it. Three! And I freaking love it. I am so exhausted with going to restaurants in the States and having to thumb through page after page of sours and ales and porters and stouts and raspberry this, and chocolate that. I’m tired of it! I’ll get sick of the German lagers eventually too, I’m sure, and crave a good old Summit EPA. But for now, I’m happy.
Public transportation.
Love it!!! Absolutely love it!!! Now, granted, this isn’t really just a wonderful thing about Germany alone, it’s really a wonderful thing about most of Europe in general. But for me it’s my first time living in a place with an amazingly robust, safe, clean, efficient public transportation system. Without a car, I’ve depended on it, and it’s been the rare moment that I’ve wished I owned said automobile. I take the bus and the train almost daily. The bus whisks me to school in about 10 minutes, and the S-Bahn commuter train gets me into the heart of Munich in just over 30. And on these busses and trains, I’m not alone. One of the truly great things about the German system is how much it gets used. Because it touches nearly every corner of the country – including towns the size of Bock or Pease or Glen, Minnesota (context for my MN friends out there) – people can rely on it. Kids take city buses and trains to school. Young people take the trains to the night clubs, therefore assuring themselves a safe ride home. And grandmas take buses into the city to do their shopping or meet their friends. Favorite thing, indeed.
OK, that’s enough for now. There are many more, but I’ll hit you with them another time. Perhaps after I’ve had time to discover even more favorite (and not so favorite) things about Bavaria. Tschüss!
Love it!!! Absolutely love it!!! Now, granted, this isn’t really just a wonderful thing about Germany alone, it’s really a wonderful thing about most of Europe in general. But for me it’s my first time living in a place with an amazingly robust, safe, clean, efficient public transportation system. Without a car, I’ve depended on it, and it’s been the rare moment that I’ve wished I owned said automobile. I take the bus and the train almost daily. The bus whisks me to school in about 10 minutes, and the S-Bahn commuter train gets me into the heart of Munich in just over 30. And on these busses and trains, I’m not alone. One of the truly great things about the German system is how much it gets used. Because it touches nearly every corner of the country – including towns the size of Bock or Pease or Glen, Minnesota (context for my MN friends out there) – people can rely on it. Kids take city buses and trains to school. Young people take the trains to the night clubs, therefore assuring themselves a safe ride home. And grandmas take buses into the city to do their shopping or meet their friends. Favorite thing, indeed.
OK, that’s enough for now. There are many more, but I’ll hit you with them another time. Perhaps after I’ve had time to discover even more favorite (and not so favorite) things about Bavaria. Tschüss!
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