8 Things We Hate About Living in Germany as Americans 🇩🇪😡

As Americans living in Germany, there are things we love and hate about living abroad in Germany. In this video, we are focusing on the things we HATE about living in Germany as Americans.

⏩ CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
0:14 Number 1
0:59 Number 2
1:55 Number 3
2:21 Number 4
3:02 Number 5
4:07 Number 6
4:53 Number 7
6:12 Number 8

📹 OUR GEAR

👩🏽‍💻👨🏼‍💻 CONNECT WITH US

🤔 WHO IS MY TRAVEL BF?
We are Mike and Becca, two passionate travelers who love traveling deep and experiencing a place through its food, history, and culture.

#germany #expat #livingabroad

[TimurundseinTrupp]

There is no such thing as "bad weather" - there are only the wrong clothes. [german proverb]

[Keno]

I think the main reason some places are closing early is because they don't currently have workers to work more than 8 hours. I know restaurants that are fully booked when half the restaurant is full because they don't have enough cooks and servers. The question arises as to whether it is profitable to keep the shop open for one or two customers in the evening. In Spain it is often dead during the day (during the peak heat) while life comes to life in the evening. There are no smoking bars here in Saarland, anyone who wants to smoke has to go outside. And if it happens again (which I don't think it will), I won't enter the restaurant. According to the StVO, every driver must pay attention to pedestrians who want to cross the street when turning, even when leaving a roundabout. So the pedestrian has priority even without a pedestrian crossing. This is also the case in Hanover. However, there are pedestrian crossings at almost every intersection and/or busy street with pedestrian traffic.

[hape]

Drinking fountains: The government has already passed a law this year implementing the EU directive for a "right to public drinking fountains." So one less thing to hate!

Smoking pubs: You live in the wrong state, there are none here in Bavaria. The whole issue was constitutionally very controversial in terms of competition law between small and large pubs, restaurants, etc. - As a smoker and at the same time an anti-alcoholic I would say: "Chose your poison" (without affecting others, of course – but drunks do affect others, don't they?).

[thomaskingschillerlein]

4:07 „We miss the street noise!“ LOL YouTube‘s smartest at work again!

[vomJupiter]

You missed street noise?? 😅
We definitely enjoy quietness 🙏☺️

The smoking thing depends on the state! In most it's mostly totally forbidden. You were happy chosing a state were it's apparently still allowed under certain circumstances.

Everybody hates the DB 😅
But it has become worse the last years and fortunately they are awarene of this and doing lots renovations. Hopefully in a decade or so we get more trains on time. (And even more connections!)

Also finding it funny that usually people are amazed by german cars, but then city's are to car friendly?
I think one reason for the success of the automotive industry is exactly this. (Same in USA)
Citys made for cars. All people by cars.
But fortunately there's definitely a shift going on as you mentioned.
But its helerous how many people are still fighting to get their car lanes back (lucky mostly without success)

So yeah, Let's hope the most turn to a better in the future - there's potential. 💪

So long, welcome and enjoy 😉

[joeaverage]

I think balconies mainly being out back is definitely a privacy thing. You don't want random pedestrians on the street looking at you on your balcony all the time (also, Germans don't like traffic noise, even if they are living right in the middle of downtown).

So instead of random pedestrians, you'll have the same neighbors watching you from their balconies day in, day out. Because, logic. 😅

[alexamurawski]

as a German, I don't think many of us would use waterfountains for drinking. We don't drink tabwater that much, but sparkeling water ...I don't think there could be foutains with sparkeling water 😎. - the little Bars/cafes that choose to still alow smoking, did this because of the customers are mostly smokers, if there is a change in the average they will change or not ...they really had to fight for this choice, because otherwise they would have closed long time ago. - there are far more options for non-smokers than for smokers

[verohavre]

I think, drinking is not such a big thing here, we don't live in a desert, we wouldn't die of thirst. When I grew up (in the 60s), you got a cup of milk for breakfast, a cup of milk at school, nothing to drink for lunch – otherwise "you have no appetite" – and a cup of tea or milk in the evening. And I still struggle with drinking more than 1, 5 l a day.

[kallek]

7:00 I was wondering what year this video was taken. Up until the mid 2000s it was allowed to smoke inside, basically anywhere. You went to a restaurant or pub or so, you could bet that your clothes smelled of smoke afterwards and had to be washed. Not anymore, smoking indoors is basically banned, with very few exceptions. I haven't had clothes that smelled of smoke since the mid 2000s. So it's not true that nothing has been done about it.

[dark_s]

I'm a bit surprised about the smoking topic?! It is not allowed to smoke in a restaurant or public building or restaurant since I don't know. Only if you are outside in a restaurant e.g. it is allowed, but not inside. I vaguely remember the polotical discussions about it and e.g. that smokers have to leave their desk at work and go outside to smoke. Because of this there is also a discussion about the time they take for the smoke compared to non-smokers who then work more because they don't leave their desk for a smoke.🤔

[ClaudiaIhl-rm]

Absolutely on the smoking. When I visit Germany, the very first thing I notice when stepping out of the airport is the stench. People there stink. Everywhere you go, some arsehole is blowing cigarette smoke in your face. You can't sit outside at a nice restaurant and enjoy a meal because the people on the table next to you blow their smoke your way and that'll make you want to gag. You can't enjoy your meal. Zero consideration. Gross. Half of them stink of cigarettes, and the other half of too much perfume. And before you get all over me, I am German- I grew up there. And I still love the place for other reasons. But the stench of the people? Ugh. I think smoking should be categorically outlawed in all public places.

[Leecher]

Train situation would bother you even more If you had grown up with DB being reliable and punctual. This had been so 25 years ago, but it went downhill from there.

[kirstenheidelberg]

I live in Heidelberg and we have lots of restaurants and bars. There must be around 600. You can smoke in maybe ten of them. But you can smoke outside. Smoking inside is very rare.

[melangellatc]

My wife and I lived in Bamberg for 5 years and loved it. Listening to this vid validates all of my German friends' complaints about Americans being so whiney!!! Damn, man up or move!

[awesomeplaces_bln]

Hi! I think balconies are very common in Germany. Might be only a regional thing in your case because of the old architecture!

And yes i also hate smoking here but in all restaurants smoking was banned and on the more popular bars it's also quite uncommon to smoke inside. However, you are right it's talk embarrassing

[Allyana-lfij]

The weather in Germany varies greatly depending on the region. The same applies to the opening hours. It depends on whether you live in a small town or not. The DB is terrible

[Nithrade]

All good points. I think it is very helpfull to hear an outside perspective once in a while.

[danielmeyer]

Hey, great video! But regarding the pedestrian thing: Even if there is sign but only the markings on the street: Cars DO have to stop. Always. Pedestrians first. Always. I always did not know that before making my driving license.

[ericHHII]

I was prepared to be mad at you for saying something like, “they drive too fast on the autobahn” but you didn’t! Great video with legitimate critique!!

[EFT-tkph]

Munich is renowned for its more than 60 public fountains that provide free drinking water.

Additionally, when evaluating railway usage, it’s essential to consider passenger numbers relative to the population. Here are some key figures:
India: 8, 439 million passengers per year with a population of 1, 450 million.
China: 3, 660 million passengers per year with a population of 1, 419 million.
Germany: 2, 938 million passengers per year with a population of 84 million.
USA: 535 million passengers per year with a population of 345 million.

Germany has an extremely high number of passengers relative to its country size and population.