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5 Things You Might Not Know About Germany

5 Things You Might Not Know About Germany
Carly Jacobs
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had never been to Germany before this trip but I always knew I’d like it. I value efficiency very highly and I have heard that Germany is a mecca for the organised. Everything I heard about Germany was true and I love it. Trains run on time, ticket machines are quick and easy to figure out, supermarket cashiers work at the speed of lightening and you can actually grab a quick meal in Germany which is something the rest of Europe haven’t quite grasped yet. Here’s a few observations about Germany.

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1. Germans don’t fuck around

It wasn’t unusual to spend at least 45 minutes waiting for a meal in Italy but in Germany, everything happens very quickly. Germans are also quite blunt which I really enjoy. I asked in a shoe store if they had a particular style in my size and the shop assistant said ‘No’. She wasn’t being rude she was just answering my question in the most efficient way possible. I like it.

2. Standard drinks ours are enormous

A standard drink pour in Australia is about 125ml. In Germany it’s 200ml and it’s half the price. I love you Germany.

3. Food portions are also enormous

In Italy, the portion sizes were perfect. You get a delicious handful of food and you can still function as a normal human after a meal. In Germany, there’s much button loosening. It’s not quite as bad as America where you could last for a week on one meal but they certainly do love a hearty dinner here.

4. Double beds in hotels come with 2 single doonas

It’s a weird thing but every hotel and AirBnB we’ve stayed in has had two single bed doonas instead of a double. I can’t say if it’s better or worse it’s just different you know?

5. A lot of shit went down here

Germany has a very complicated and not so flattering history. You’d have to have lived in a bubble to not be aware of it but it’s an important thing to keep in mind. I debated mentioning it but when you visit areas where there are prisoner of war camps it’s very confronting and I didn’t realise just how much it would affect me. As a country, it’s handled very diplomatically and honestly though. Every country has stuff they aren’t proud of and there’s no point in pretending like it didn’t happen and Germany does this very well.

Also they don’t really understand the concept of cold drinks. Most drinks I’ve had here have been room temperature at best. Which is fine but weird because it’s summer. Aussies are pretty fanatical about our frosty cold ones on hot summer days so that’s taken some getting used to.

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Have you ever been to Germany? What did you think?

 

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10 Comments

  1. JessB 8 years ago

    I went to Germany in April 2015, and LOVED IT! I found it really welcoming and familiar, and I loved the language too. I would love to go back.

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs-Smaggle 8 years ago

      I thought it was wonderful! I’d love to go back and live there for a while.

  2. I have been to Germany on a Contiki trip in 2002 and I was so excited to bust out some of my classroom German and be responded to in kind! I found the warm drinks thing all over Europe, bottles of soft drink served after sitting on shelves, yuck. Since then I’ve learned I have ancestors from Germany that I didn’t know at the time, so would love to return and check those places out.

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs-Smaggle 8 years ago

      The warm drinks man – I’m not into it! Just put it on ice people. Put. It. On. Ice.

  3. Missy D 8 years ago

    Hahaha, the two single doonas made me laugh… but might be a good idea considering my partner is a total blanket stealer! Germany, you’re giving me ideas! 🙂

    POW camps are very confronting. I visited one in Austria many years ago and it just makes you want to cry.

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs-Smaggle 8 years ago

      I wasn’t prepared for how confronting it would be. And yes – we’re actually considering getting the single bed doona thing going on. It might just be the greatest thing ever.

  4. Liz @ I Spy Plum Pie 8 years ago

    The two single doonas thing isn’t just Germany, it seems to be a thing throughout central Europe. So weird!

    I find the way the Germans (particularly in Berlin) have dealt with their past really impressive – they don’t shy away from what has happened, nor do they get defensive (or worse, celebrate it). Instead they focus on not repeating the mistakes of the past.

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs-Smaggle 8 years ago

      That’s true – It wasn’t in Italy but it was in Germany and Denmark. I totally agree that’s why I brought it up. It’s horrific but they’re like yeah, we can’t take it back but let’s talk about where we wrong and stop other countries from doing that also.

  5. Claudia 8 years ago

    I grew up in Germany, but have spent the last years in the USA. You are so right on in your observations!
    Two mattresses (I think that is what doonas are, right?) are common and a real pain sometimes, because the “crack” is no fun to sleep in. Warm beverages? In northern Germany they usually are cold, but definitely will not include ice cubes.I still order almost everything without ice just out of habit (here we get an extra shovel of ice in everything). I heard that further south drinks are consumed at a warmer temperature, but I am not sure why. Hey, but at least they are being served pretty swiftly, right?
    The country’s history sure had down’s and all Germans learn about that in school (many, many times over). That kind of hatred must never happen again. Hopefully it will also not happen in other countries.

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 8 years ago

      Ha actually no – ‘donnas’ are like bed spreads or blankets. There were two of those as well! I think doona is an Australian thing – I don’t think anyone says it anywhere else!

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