Hallo meine Lieben, I hope you had a wonderful weekend! Mine was awesome. We went to German village in Columbus on Saturday and we spent Sunday at our friends' new house (an old farm house). What did you do? We had two main reasons to go to German village: we really wanted to see the huge book store, it has 32 rooms full of books. And David wanted to see if the Bratwurst at the German restaurant is a real German Bratwurst. It was around 1 p.m. when we arrived at the German village that's why we started our day in the restaurant. We had to wait almost an hour to get a table which was very annoying for me but pretty normal for an American like David. The played some nice music outside while we were waiting: The Ententanz and Dschingis Kahn for example. I was proud because I was the only one who knew the German lyrics. Haha.
After what seemed like ages a girl in a weird Dirndl brought us to our table and we ordered. Salad for me because Germans only eat meat according to their menu. And Bratwurst with Sauerkraut and Reibekuchen (potato pancakes in English, Grumperküschelcha in Saarländisch) for David. David said the Bratwurst was okay but not like the ones he tried in Germany. I expected that outcome because their Bratwurst didn't really look like German Bratwurst. Plus they had stuff like "Knockwurst" and "Weiner Schnitzel" on their menu. If you are a real German you know that it's "Knackwurst" and "Wiener Schnitzel". So I am not sure if they have any Germans working there, I did not hear a single German word during our day there.
Plus all the "German pastries" might be delicious but they are definitely not German. And I have to say that "fudge" is definitely not a German thing. Even when they sell it in "Schmidt's German fudge and gift house". But yeah, we had an awesome time and lots of fun....just not a very German time.
After that we walked around in German village for a while, looked at the "Hausfrau Haven" (Hausfrau means housewife) and other funny little stores and then went to the Book Loft. Which is an awesome place. 32 rooms full of books, posters and puzzles. I have no idea how long we have been there but I got completely lost and it felt more like a museum than a book store.
I looked for a vegan baking book but didn't find one. But it's definitely worth a trip because they offer all kinds of books, you just need lots of time to look at everything.
If you ever travel to Columbus you should definitely plan a visit at the Book Loft.
Only funny when you are German: Toffifee is called Toffifay in America. I wonder why they changed that. Thanks Schatz, for an awesome day!
Oh, and while we walked around in German village we saw some guys walking around with guns which was a little scary to see after all the recent shooting but it didn't stop me from taking some pictures. That was probably a bad idea, David wasn't very excited about it but we did not get shot. And I still have my left arm. Here's the proof. 2 big guns and guys completely dressed in black. Nice.
Hallo Ihr Lieben, I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend! As you all know I am a huge Fußball fan and the Euro 2012 is going on. I hope my Germans will win. Usually I sit in front of the TV or a huge screen somewhere outside with lots of people, I have my face painted with the German colors, have a beer and scream at the screen because I am so excited. This year I can't be excited. Because the UEFA (damn you, Union of European Football Associations) decided that Ukraine is one of the two hosts of this years cup. Besides other reasons that I don't want to address here on my blog Ukraine decided to "clean" the streets from stray dogs in order to make the city attractive for all the visitors. "Cleaning the streets" means that they killed, poisoned, shot the dogs, they burned them alive or beat them to death, run them over by cars. They even used a mobile cremation truck to kill as many dogs as possible. You can read about it here. Ukraine made many decisions that I can't support but this treatment of animals makes me sad, devastated and angry. I can't understand how the UEFA could make such a decision. They ruined the Euro for me...but even worse they took the lives of thousands of innocent animals that did not have the chance to survive. It is a sad time in the history of soccer. And I wish that more politicians would speak up against the saddening behavior of Ukrainian government and the UEFA. I can't support this decision and I wish that the fans would have decided not to buy the tickets for the games that take place in the Ukraine. But unfortunately lots of people just turn a blind eye on it.
Okay, are you still there? It's time for another part of my America vs. Germany series. Today I want to talk about a very important topic for me. And yes, I am aware of the fact that this topic might irrelevant for others. So first of all I have to tell you a little bit about myself: I make a hot water bottle before I go to bed from September to April. I wear warm socks in bed. I wear a scarf most days of the year. I have a warm blanket on that couch that I use every night, even in summer. I rarely wear short stuff because I get too cold. In winter I sometimes wear two scarves, gloves, a really warm coat, a hat (I look stupid but I don't care), I even have a little pocket heater. I have a heated blanket. When the temperatures are under 20C I get cold. And yes, I have heard the argument that this is just because I don't eat meat but that's crap. So yeah, I am an icicle. I don't like it but I live with it. But I have to say that America doesn't make it easy for people like me. I don't know if I am the only person in America who feels like that. For example: It was February the first time I went to America. February. Cold. I wore my winter coat, boots, scarves, gloves. I went to my gate at Frankfurt airport and what did I see? People with flip flops! And shirts! And shorts. I was very irritated but that was nothing compared to what I saw at Charlotte airport. More flip flops, more shorts and more short sleeves. I felt like an outsider. David only wore a hoodie but no coat by the way. So yeah, that was my first experience....Americans don't get cold. It must be something in their genes. I don't know. So I am different. I can live with that.
The first time I went to an American movie theater was quite a shock to me. It is freezing cold in there! At least for me. It seems like I am the only one who feels like that because I always see people with shorts and flip flops in the movie theaters. Even girls which is very surprising for me because most of my Europeans friends are like me and get cold very easily. Last week we went to the movie theater and it was hot outside. I mean, really hot. Like 30 degrees Celsius or 90 degrees Fahrenheit. I wore ballerinas but I took warm socks with me, a hoodie and a scarf, And I needed all of it. First I wanted to be brave and see how long I can last with my short sleeves. After 10 minutes I started to wear my hoodie....a little later the socks. And then I used my scarf as a blanket. I am weird, I know. Please tell me that I am not the only person who feels like that and brings warm clothes to the movie theater.
So America, I know that you like air-conditioning. But don't you think it's a bit too much sometimes? Last year I went to a restaurant with David, her sister and her boyfriend. It was the first time I met David's sister and I wanted to make a good impression. It was May and it was very hot outside. I wore sandals, a top and jeans. I had a coat with me but I left it in the car because it was so hot. We decided to go to a restaurant....I can't tell you how much I suffered in there. Everybody else seemed to be fine. Although David's sister said later that it was a little chilly inside. "A little chilly" was definitely an understatement. I was freezing cold! Freezing! I started to shiver like crazy but as I said, I wanted to make a good impression so I did not go back to the car to get my coat. I was brave. And almost froze to death. Every American has air-conditioning in the house. I haven't been to a house without air-conditioning. In Germany we have air-conditioning in public offices etc. That's okay. It is definitely not as cold as in American buildings. But most people don't have air-conditioning in their houses. At least I don't and all my friends don't. I would be interested to know if some of my German readers here have air-conditioning in their house? Anyway, the house we live in here in America has air-conditioning and David loves it! I always call our bedroom "The ice hell" because sometimes it is so cold in their that I have to sleep in winter clothes in summer. Okay, I admit...it is not as bad as it was anymore. When I visited the first time I was shocked because of all the cold. I think we found a compromise now and we can both live with it. I think German houses are different, that's why we don't have air-conditioning. The houses are build in a different way. I mean, I never had air conditioning in my house but it was always very comfortable in summer. At least for me. Maybe Americans would feel different about it. I don't know. How do you feel about air conditioning? Are you always cold? Or do you wear flip flops in February? Remember this post? My cats are from another planet and came to take over the world! And I recently discovered that at least one of my bunnies joined them!
Go, Tiffie! He may look harmless but he is quite a super bunny! You can't stop him! Have a wonderful Saturday! I really hope Germany will win even when I can't enjoy it. And I also hope that the team will set an example and speak out against animal abuse!
Hallo Ihr Lieben, as most of you know I am a German native who is currently living in the United States of America and I guess you can imagine that there are some major differences between those two countries. I have talked about ice cubes in my drinks, driving in America and going to a restaurant. And today I want to discuss some smaller differences between my two countries.
First of all: It really is a big adventure to live in a completely strange country. I mean, everybody reads and sees things about America on the news, in books etc. And you think you know a lot about the other country. But some things are quite shocking to you when you actually live in that country. Even when you heard about it before. So there are many things I am still getting used to. There are things I like better in America and also things I like better in Germany. Personally I like to read about all the differences between countries so I hope you will enjoy reading this. 1. bank notes. It was so weird for me when I came to America for the first time. In Germany I changed some Euros into Dollars because I thought I would need it. In Germany you don't use your credit card when you go to the bakery to get a bread for 2 Euros. You pay cash. So I thought it would be better to change some money. I have seen the American bank notes before but when I actually had them in my hands it was quite a shock. They all look the same! The have the same size, almost the same color...only the number on it is different. So when I actually go somewhere and pay cash (I really feel weird when I pay 2,56 Dollars with my credit card) then I get really confused and people have to be patient with me. I have to take all the notes out of my wallet and look at them to find the one I need. It is even more confusing with the coins because I am not used to them yet. I have to look at every single one to see what it is. And the writing is so small that it takes forever to read it. So I am sure I look like a complete idiot at the check out. It is so much easier to pay with Euros. Sure I am used to them but honestly, it was much easier to get used to Euros than to Dollars. We changed our currency back in 2002 from Deutsche Mark to Euro. And it was no problem. I did not feel like an idiot (sure everybody had to get used to it but still). So yeah, most time I just pay with my credit card to avoid that people make fun of the weird European girl who can't handle her money.
Aren't they cute? Different colors, different sizes, different architecture on it. 2. trains. I don't have a car here in America. I never thought that it would be such a problem but you can't get anywhere without a car! No chance! Okay, I lived in a very small town in Germany (700 people live there) and the public transportation wasn't that great there but at least there was public transportation! The town I live in now is much bigger but: No bus! Not one single bus! No train! Not even bike lanes. Not even a sidewalk on the busiest road in town. So I take the bike to go to grocery stores. And yes, I am the only one who does that. People honk all the time. I am scared. There are so many cars and I have to drive on their road to get to the grocery store. It is more than terrifying! It is hell. Is there a bicycle stand in front of the grocery store? No. So I have to hide my bike behind some flowers and hope that it will still be out there when I come back. But I guess nobody will steal it because people don't really have a use for it. They have their cars. In Germany I took the train to go to work. I had time to read and drink a coffee and I did not have to worry about traffic jams and finding a place to park. I think the whole time here in America I have seen 2 trains. It is weird. Sure there is the subway in New York etc. But I don't live in a huge city like that. So: No public transportation.
German train station. 3. beer. I guess you knew that I have to talk about this topic. There is no doubt that German beer is better than American beer. German beer is probably the best in the world. It is a huge part of our culture. But I really don't want to get into detail. The thing I want to talk about is the drinking age. In Germany you can buy beer when you are 16, you have to be 18 to buy stuff like vodka, rum etc. In America you have to be 21 to even get a beer in a bar. That is really weird for me and I don't know what to think about it. Is it good? Or not? I mean, you can drive when you are 16 but you have to wait 5 years to be able to buy a beer. I have to admit that I sometimes feel like an alcoholic here in America. I don't drink much, a beer or two at the weekend. Or we share a bottle of wine. When I go to a party I have a couple of drinks. For me that's normal. you won't find a German party without alcohol. Most people drink responsibly. But here I am the only person in my American family who even drinks alcohol. Except of David...I am a bad influence, I really am. But there is no wine at family parties. How is that in other families?
4. friendliness. Yes, Americans are much friendlier than Germans. At least on the outside. Germans can be grumpy, I admit it. When you go to a party as a stranger it might be difficult to start a discussion with a group of Germans. That's not because we are completely unfriendly. We are shy. We need some time to get used to the situation. We need to figure out what to say first. We are reserved. But we DO like you. Trust me. So just start a conversation with us and you will see that most of us are really nice. Americans are always friendly. In every store people smile at you, when you go to the post office the person behind you starts a conversation with you. In Germany people complain why they have to wait so long. I know. That's annoying. But we don't mean it. We don't hate everybody else who waits at the post office. Really. That's just how we are. Americans smile a lot. Germans not so much. We only smile when we mean it. I like it that Americans are always friendly. I also have to admit that sometimes it's a bit too much. It hurts to have to smile back all the time. Haha. But I do my best. Just don't hate me when I am not in the mood to smile. I can still be friendly. Even when I don't smile at you. Sometimes it is so exhausting. But Americans never get exhausted of that. How is that?
5. recycling. Well, that's really weird for me in America. In Germany I have my "Gelber Sack" (yellow sack) where I put my plastic cups, cans, aluminium foil etc. in. I have a "Biotonne" for things like plants, grass, leftover food. I have a container for white glass, a container for brown glass, a container for green glass, a container for paper, one for clothes and shoes, there is a place you can bring your old batteries, a place where you can bring oil, paint etc. And there is a trash can for everything else. Here in America I have a ton. Period. That's weird. I don't like that. At least we found one place in town where you can bring some of the stuff and sort it. Like paper and glass. But what's with my Gelbe Sack-trash? I am desperate! Help me! I feel bad just to put it in the normal trash? I want to rinse my yogurt cup and put it in a sack! I grew up with that and I feel really really really bad when I can't do that!
Oh, there are lots more differences I want to talk about. So please make sure to come back to read the next part of my little series. My song of the day is "Schwarz zu blau" by Peter Fox. A pretty cool groovy German song about Berlin.
Oh and I have the feeling that people like cute animal pictures. :) So here's a little adorable chicken for you!
You can also read about the strange fact that German movies never use the original American title here (Mein Baby gehoert zu mir, ist das klar?) and some funny facts about Germans here. (You know you're German when...) Have a lovely Wednesday!!
I think you all know that I love my home country. We have the best soccer team in the world, we have really cool cities, sometimes not so friendly people, we have mountains, we have the sea, we have lakes, we have good cars....we also have some awesome food.
And yeah, America is a pretty cool place too. As you can imagine, there are lots of differences between the two countries. And there is definitely a huge difference between the restaurants....Two different worlds of dining experiences. And that's what I want to talk about today.
1. please wait to be seated.
The first time I went to a restaurant in America I just wanted to walk right in and go to the best looking table and sit down. But no. It wasn't that easy. On my way in I saw a sign from the corner of my eye. "Please wait to be seated". Okay. That was strange for me. I have to wait for somebody to come and show me a table? I can see all the tables and I am able to pick the one I like. Thank you. But hey, I am in a strange country so I have to follow the rules. It just doesn't feel that comfortable, to be honest. I mean, in Germany, I have all the time in the world to search my table, take off my coat, sit down, get comfortable and THEN somebody comes, brings me the menu and asks me what I want to drink. I like it that way. Maybe I will get used to the other way someday. We will see. But I am not a little child who needs a leader to a free table. I want to choose. I don't want anybody else to make that decision for me. Sure, I can say that I prefer another table but that's all so complicated. It could be soooo easy! Why do you make it so hard for me? But maybe it is just polite? Maybe people don't want to make a decision and are happy that other people do it for them? I really don't know. All I know is that I have chosen my table for my whole life and I would like to stick to that. What's so bad about that? And yeah, even in Germany people come and help you take off your coat etc when you found your table. So we are not impolite. Just to make that clear.
2. selection.
I admit that I am not the easiest eater in the world. But there are other people in this world who prefer their meals without meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, onions etc. And I am always able to find something that I want to eat in a German restaurant. But I never had so many problems before than I have now in America. I mean, you would think that you are able to just pick a salad from the menu and you are fine. But NO! I went to so many restaurants, looked at the menu, saw that there are salads on the menu, looked a little closer and found out that there is meat in EVERY SINGLE stupid salad. Why is that? Can somebody explain that to me? I expect a salad to be meat-free. Or at least I expect that there is one salad on the menu that is meat-free. I don't think my expectations are that high but maybe I am a snob. I have heard that I am a beer snob (Hi Kari, my dear!) but I think this is a little different! And I really only want one meal on the menu that I like to eat! Please! So yeah, maybe I went to the wrong places, I am sure there are lots of great vegetarian restaurants in the country that would offer great stuff. But first of all, there are no vegetarian restaurants in this town. And second, it must be possible to find something that fits my needs in every restaurant. The third thing is that my husband and all my family here do eat meat etc. so they want to go to a restaurant that offers meat. But thank you, Chinese restaurant in town for having a wonderful tofu with mushrooms and peppers in pepper sauce! Thank you so much! You make it really easy for me!
Another thing is that I am usually not in a rush when I go to a restaurant so I don't have a problem to wait a little longer for fresh products. I prefer to eat things that don't come out of a can or aren't frozen. So you don't think you have to hurry to bring me my meal! I would LOVE to wait a little longer for a fresh prepared meal, don't worry!
3. refills.
Okay, okay, I realize that I am a little mean and that it sounds like I hate eating in America. That's not true! I am just making some improvement suggestions. Haha. No, seriously. I like America and I like eating here. So there is one really great thing here in America: free refills (except of all the stupid ice but we have talked about this before. here). I love being able to drink as much as I want. I mean, in Germany I order a drink and I pay 2,30 for a little 0.33l coke. That's not enough to drink for the whole meal but a whole lot of money. So yeah, I need at least 2 drinks. And maybe you want a coffee after your meal and then you end up paying more for the drinks than you pay for your food. That's just not right. So yeah, woohoo for America and free refills! You don't even have to ask for it which is really really nice! You can just drink drink drink and don't have to worry about the money. The only sad thing is that you don't get a free refill on beer but I guess you can't have everything. Plus I would not want a free refill on American beer, I am a beer snob, never forget about that.
4. plastic.
I have been to some restaurants that have plastic cups or even plates. Why is that? I am in a restaurant and not on a camping trip, okay? I can't help myself but that's a little disgusting. The restaurants with the plastic plates were those kind of places that offer a buffet. But that's not a reason to have plastic plates, right? (Saying "right" at the end of sentences is a very German thing too, I guess.) So I don't know why you do that. They just never look really clean, I don't know why. Porcelain plates are so much easier to clean and you don't see all the cuts from the knifes in them. So I can't explain why you use them, American restaurants. Get porcelain plates, please. And glasses. Not plastic cups. I mean, I always use a straw because the plastic things look so pfui (German for "icky"). But I would really prefer a nice glass. Thank you!
I have to be fair and say that I have only been to a couple of restaurants like that in America. So it's not that big deal. But I have never ever seen a restaurant with plastic cups or plates in Germany.
5. check.
That's a thing that annoys me a lot. I am still eating and the waiter brings me the check? Honestly? Don't disturb me! Leave me alone. I want to eat my meal. Maybe I will order a coffee then. And think about a dessert. But at least I want to sit there and talk to my husband, friends, family as long as I want. Without being disturbed. Sure, sometimes they say that there is no hurry to leave but what else do you think when they bring you the check? Do they want you to leave and make room for other people to spend their money? Going to a restaurant is an event for me. I want to enjoy it. I want to stay as long as I feel comfortable. Even if that means that I stay until the restaurants closes. You can do that in Germany. Nobody will kick you out or bring you the check. So yeah, I do understand that American restaurants want to make more money and they won't when you stay as long as you want because you get free refills. But the customer is king, so shouldn't you allow him to stay as long as she/he wants? I would say so. So please don't rush me. Give me the time to finish my meal and have a coffee. I would appreciate it a lot!
Thank you America! I love you a lot!
Did you ever eat in another country? What are your experiences?
If you want to read how an American feels about the German dining experience, go over here to lovely Amanda's blog: Overseas Adventures
My song of the day is "Write about love" by Belle & Sebastian.
I don't really have a story about it...it's just a very cute song.
I can't get enough of movies. I prefer to watch the original (English) version of a movie or a show because the German dubbing is terrible most of the time. Plus the voices sound really weird. I remember that I started to watch Friends in German. Then I watched it in English. And now I just can't watch it in German anymore. Most of the jokes are just not funny or they are translated in such a bad way that it doesn't make sense anymore. And the voices sound really really weird. I don't know why but they just don't fit to the characters.
I will never understand why some German movie titles are completely different to the original title. Sometimes they even use an English title but not the original one. That doesn't make any sense to me. You just have to shake your head because it's so weird.
That's why I want to tell you about some really strange German movie or tv show titles today.
Okay, first I want to start with an expression you all know. At the end of Dirty Dancing Johnny Castle says "Nobody puts Baby in the corner". I think that's the most famous line from the movie. In the German version he says "Mein Baby gehört zu mir, ist das klar?" which means "My Baby belongs to me, is that clear?". Hmmm. Why do they do that. I just don't get it. You can see the scene here:
At least the German title is Dirty Dancing too.
Another weird one: I guess you all know the show "Saved by the bell". In German it is called "California High School". I guess Saved by the bell was too complicated for Germans.
I always watched a show called "Eine starke Familie" (A strong family). In America it is known as "Step by step". Why, Germany? This title is not very complicated. You can just translate it into German.
And why is the German title of the movie "The Departed" just "Departed"? Because Germans can't say a "th"? I am not sure.
"Pirates of the Carribean" is called "Fluch der Karibik" (Curse of the Carribean).
One of my favorite movies is "The Boondock Saints". Its German title is "Der blutige Pfad Gottes" which means "God's bloody path". Hmm.
The TV show "Boy meets world" is called "Das Leben und ich". "The life and me". Okay, Germany. Good job.
There is also a German show called "Mein Leben und ich", "My life and me".
I love to watch "The Holiday" every December. It is the perfect Christmas time movie. The German title is "Liebe braucht keine Ferien", "Love doesn't need a holiday". Germany, you could just use the easy title.
I would love to show you videos of all the Phoebe Buffay songs in German but I just can't find any. That's sad because they are really weird in German. And don't make any sense.
Sheldon and Penny's "Soft Kitty" song from The Big Bang Theory is "Das Katzentanzlied" (The cat's dance song) in German. You can listen to it here.
So yeah, a completely different song with completely different lyrics. Why is that necessary?
"Meet the parents" is called "Meine Braut, ihr Vater und ich" (My bride, her dad and me).
"Meet the Fockers" is "Meine Braut, ihre Schwiegereltern und ich" (My bride, her parents-in-law and me).
I guess Germans like long titles.
"Braindead" is called "Braindead - Der Zombierasenmähermann". (Braindead - The zombie-lawn-mower-man). Hell yeah.
"Evil dead" is "Tanz der Teufel" (Dance of the devils).
"Bend it like Beckham" is called "Kick it like Beckham" in German. I can't explain it.
And "Spongebob Squarepants" is called "Spongebob Schwammkopf" (Spongebob spongehead). That makes a lot of sense.
Okay, I could go on like that forever. But what is the weirdest movie title you have ever heard?
Hallo Ihr Lieben, it's me again. Talking about the differences between my two favorite countries. The topic I want to talk about today is "driving". I have never thought that there would be so many differences. It starts with the car. As a German I am used to drive a car with a gearshift and a clutch. I have never driven an automatic car before. You should think that it is easier to drive an automatic car but NO. It isn't. At least not for me. It was hard to get used to an automatic car. And it still is. I feel so redundant because I don't really need to use my right hand, I don't need to use my left foot. It drives me crazy. I mean, every time I stop I want to use my left foot but then realize that I don't need to do that. I want to change the gear all the time. But I don't have to. I think I will never get used to it. I love driving a German car because I feel like I am needed. I have to do things. It keeps me entertained. Another thing that freaks me out is that it seems like there is no such thing like "Rechts vor Links" (left yields to right) in America.
It is confusing. I mean, in Germany the blue car is allowed to drive first in that case because there is no car on its right. Then the yellow car can drive and finally the red one. But how is it in America? I asked David about it but it really seems like there is no rule. So is the biggest car allowed to drive first? The most expensive car? The fastest car? The driver who can yell really loud? I really don't know. But no, I never had an accident. And I really hope it won't happen because of all the confusing rules.
It drives me crazy that cars are allowed to pass other cars on the right. It is forbidden in Germany. The slow cars drive on the right and then you can pass them on the left. In America everybody drives the way she/he wants and you have to be careful not to run into another car when you change the lane. Dangerous.
I am allowed to drive as fast as I want on the German Autobahn.
(By the way, David has the exact same shirt. He got it from his Dad who went on a business trip to Germany a couple of years ago)
As far as I can see you are allowed to drive 65 miles per hour on most highways in America (I have seen 75 mp/h in Colorado). That is only 104 km/h. So slow! I have to admit that on some German Autobahnen you are only allowed to drive 120 km/h. But that is still a lot faster than on every American highway. Most times I drive around 130-140 km/h on the German Autobahn and I am definitely not the fastest driver. But 65 mp/h on a road that is completely straight and has 4 lanes? Come on! Maybe you think that the Autobahn is more dangerous than the American highways and that there are more accidents but I don't think so. I have read that the Autobahn is pretty safe.
And why are your traffic lights on the other side of a crossroad? That's confusing for Germans.
Here is a German traffic light.
And here one in America.
And why do some of the American cars look like they are not able to drive 2 more miles? In Germany we have an institution called "TÜV" and they check your car every two years. If something is wrong you are not allowed to drive that car until you have fixed the problem. But it seems that something like the TÜV doesn't exist in America. Some cars are just rust on wheels. I'd say that's not safe at all! We are allowed to drive fast in Germany but at least we have secure cars. I guess that's why you are only allowed to drive 65 mp/h in America.
At least there is right-hand traffic in both countries. I think left-hand traffic would overcharge me.
I have been living in America for a while now and I still discover lots of differences (big and small ones) between the two countries. Some are funny, some are just weird.
There is one (not very important) difference between the two countries that is very hard for me to understand. David and I have talked a lot about it. We have completely different opinions on it. I have already read about it on other blogs. I will never understand the American way. But please, please help me.
I am talking about.......ICE-CUBES.
When you order a drink in Germany you get maybe one or two ice-cubes in your glass. That is fine for me. To be honest, most times I order my drinks without ice (except for cocktails). I just don't understand why I need dozens of ice-cubes that only water down my drink. I mean, when my glass is half-full with ice then there is no space for the drink. Plus my coke tastes like nothing but water after a minute. Why do you Americans want that? I just don't understand it. But I really want to. Maybe I drink to slow. As I have said, David and I have talked about it a lot. He always wants ice in his drinks. He wants his drinks to be cold. For me, they are cold enough when they come out of the fridge. Why isn't that cold enough? I really need your help, guys. I need more opinions on this.
I will never forget the first time I went to a movie theater in America. We ordered a huge Dr.Pepper (and I really mean 'huge'. In German movie theaters, you don't get a cup with 2 liters of a drink.). And David told me not to forget the ice. I was confused but I added 3 or 4 ice-cubes to the drink. I guess that wasn't enough. But come on, it takes a while to drink such a huge amount of fluid. And it really just tasted like water at the end. For me that's weird.
But there is one great thing that I would like to have in Germany too: free refills. It's awesome. I mean, you can drink as much as you want and you only have to pay once! Amazing! In Germany you even have to pay for a tiny cup of water. So yay for free refills!
(On the other hand, it is a little annoying that the waitress comes every 2 minutes and asks me if I want more water....but that's another topic. I guess you will read about this soon...)
