# I say "Germany." What's the first thing you think of? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 24, 2012, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-say-germany-whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of/610507 "2012-01-24T16:24:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2012, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-say-germany-whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of/610507/161 "2012-12-09T23:11:39Z")
The Black Forest. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2012, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-say-germany-whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of/610507/162 "2012-12-09T23:35:02Z")
1st mental image of Germany for me: girls with puffy white shirts and plaid skirts holding large glasses of beer. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2012, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-say-germany-whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of/610507/163 "2012-12-09T23:40:45Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > (I assume you meant “Lederhosen.” “Leiderhosen” would mean something like “unfortunate pants.” Which word I’m now going to be looking for an opportunity to use.) “Unfortunate pants” would actually be a completely appropriate meaning for Lederhosen. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-say-germany-whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of/610507/164 "2012-12-10T00:43:59Z")
Do you know who else considered Hitler and Germany inseparable? ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-say-germany-whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of/610507/165 "2012-12-10T13:36:42Z")
National Lampoon’s European Vacation - German Festival: [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dO93OT3P30g) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-say-germany-whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of/610507/166 "2012-12-10T14:13:38Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > Ever hear of the Mediterranean? You will be surprised to discover there are beaches there, and many European countries have rather easy access to said, warm, sandy beaches year round. > There are also some nice beaches in Northern Europe as well, but perhaps more swim friendly just in the summer. > > Just sayin’… Also, some of them are nude or topless beaches. ---
**Author:** ![Hbns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hbns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hbns)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-say-germany-whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of/610507/167 "2012-12-10T14:24:59Z")
Biking in the Black Forest and Work. I work for a German company. I’ve had the both the good and bad fortune of spending a considerable amount of time there. Hitler doesn’t even crack the top 10 any more. ---
**Author:** ![taskmgr.exe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@taskmgr.exe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/taskmgr.exe)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-say-germany-whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of/610507/168 "2012-12-10T16:13:40Z")
When you say German, the first thing that springs to my mind is, as I said before, my textbooks. When you say Germans, the first thing that springs to my mind is **Polite Racists**! ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-say-germany-whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of/610507/169 "2012-12-10T16:52:54Z")
Standing in Munich looking up the Glockenspiel and being awed by the architecture all over the place. ---
**Author:** ![Atakapa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a8b319/32.png) [@Atakapa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atakapa)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-say-germany-whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of/610507/170 "2012-12-10T17:10:11Z")
Nazis, shortly followed by the image of a Teutonic Knight, then a rather attractive fraulein in lederhosen holding a beer. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-say-germany-whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of/610507/171 "2012-12-10T18:04:01Z")
Lederhosen and Oktoberfest. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2012, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-say-germany-whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of/610507/172 "2012-12-11T04:01:32Z")
My husband is retired US Army, and we lived in Germany twice. Our son was born during the second tour. So when you say, “Germany,” my first thought is of my son! ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-say-germany-whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of/610507/173 "2012-12-12T00:56:23Z")
I think of the friends I made while I was there, both Germans and American visitors like myself. I also think of the language, which is the one I know best after English. Though I’m not wholly fluent, nor do I always understand 100% of what I hear or read, it now sounds and reads familiarly enough to me that it no longer seems wildly exotic or foreign. So, “Not Hitler”, obviously. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-say-germany-whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of/610507/174 "2012-12-12T19:35:54Z")
We were on vacation there this summer, so I’m going to have to go with currywurst. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-say-germany-whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of/610507/175 "2012-12-12T19:43:52Z")
I think of beautiful landscapes. I was in Germany (Bavaria) for an afternoon once. Gorgeous place. ---
**Author:** ![Keweenaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Keweenaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keweenaw)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-say-germany-whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of/610507/176 "2012-12-12T19:49:35Z")
Bonn ist 2000 Last time I was there was before the reunification. ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-say-germany-whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of/610507/177 "2012-12-12T20:48:43Z")
> [@Atakapa](#): > > Nazis, shortly followed by the image of a Teutonic Knight, then a rather attractive fraulein in lederhosen holding a beer. Frauleins don’t wear [lederhosen](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lederhose.jpg)! Do you mean a [dirndl](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirndl)? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-say-germany-whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of/610507.md?page=8)