I'm going to Germany! Who else has? What should I know/bring/do?

In My Humble Opinion
21

Hmm, probably not a wise thing to bring German Marks, considering Germany, like most of Europe, uses Euros now.

And regarding the current wave of “Bush Bashing”…now you will know how an 18 year old German kid feels when, no matter where they go in the world, some idiot people will blame him for Adolf.

Besides, if you came to my neighborhood in Las Vegas, there is a hell of a lot of Bush Bashing as well - with me leading the pack.

Just go and have a good time…we can stereotype til the cows come home, but I think you will discover some neat differences, some fun similarities and the adventure will be worth a lifetime of memories. Keep an open mind, jump into the language and culture and be sure to drop a thread regarding your trip when you come back…would love to hear your impressions!

22

Memmmmm-oh-reeees!!!
I went to Germany on a year-long exchange when I was a wee lassie of seventeen. Best thing I ever did in high school. The gift suggestion of local jam or wine or a picture book of where you’re from is 100% appropriate.

The biggest stumper I had when I went was the question: “Brauchst du eine tute?” (Do you need a bag?) I was in Germany my first week, and I had just barely enough german to be able to pay the right amount for my chocolate, then I get asked this question at a million miles per hour and I had NO IDEA what the nice lady behind the counter was asking. So when you go to the store, that’s what they’re asking.
Another funny: If you’re ordering in a restaurant, and you don’t want whipped cream on your fried banana, they will laugh at you if you say “mit keine sahne” :smiley: Ohne. Ohne sahne. Gotta remember that.
But DONT be afraid to speak and make mistakes. Even if you totally murder a sentence, they can still usually tell what you’re trying to say and you’ll learn so much more while you’re there. Promise me you’ll try. And don’t hang around other americans if you can.

Also, if you buy your train ticket while on the train, you’d better be damn good and ready when the ticket guy comes, with your money out, etc. They get real irritated if you make them stand around while you root through your backpack.

Drink all the beer you can. Warsteiner and Jever are my personal favorites, but then I did stay in the far north so I have prejudices.

You won’t be as long as you don’t assume they are Nazis or assume they are stupid. You’d be surprised at how americans can assume that people in other countries are uneducated morons, and say the most inappropriate things in all innocence. I found that most Germans are generally very smart when it comes to politics and history. Smarter than us americans, anyway. So just don’t stick your foot in your mouth, and you’ll be fine.

I’m going, too! In May I will see my host family for the first time in over six years! We are so lucky!

23

I had the good fortune in November of 2003 to be able to spend a few days in Germany. I passed through Frankfurt (just the airport), spent a day in Cologne, and a day in Hannover.

I also started this thread and one of the things mentioned was what to do with your hands during a meal. I was always taught that you should keep the hand you weren’t using in your lap under the table.

We asked a German friend while we were there. He replied that it doesn’t bother some people but it makes other people nervous (no, not because you’re an American).

In the hotels I didn’t notice anything wrong with the toilet paper.

I don’t know how you will work your finances but between my bank card for withdrawing money from an ATM and my credit card for purchaces I didn’t carry around a lot of euros. When I got back and checked my statements, both my bank and credit card company charged me within pennies of the exchange rate I had figured.

In restaurants we usually ordered water/wasser to drink and the question from the server was always: gas… no gas? Meaning do you want carbonated water or plain, but gas or not, we were served a bottle of water.

I didn’t notice any odor problems with either the tourists or the natives, or any lack of beautiful german women. I guess it depends on who you meet.

That’s all I can think of right now. Take lots of pictures. Enjoy, I’m jealous.

24

I’ve been twice, once as a teenaged exchange student like yourself, and again at 30. Loved it, both times. :slight_smile:

I’ve visited quite a few European countries, and Germany always sticks out in my mind as being most like home, similar culture, traffic, the money was simpler to convert compared to many other places, even the weather felt familiar. I predict you’ll have a great time!

The suggestions for state-specific host gifts are dead on, much more thoughtful and interesting than typical gift shop generic stuff. Also, think about stocking up on a few picturesque postcards of your hometown or state that you can immediately mail for thank-you cards before you come home, they’ll get them far sooner than the longer t-y letters you can send later and the pictures won’t be all jacked up from int’l mailing.

If you don’t want to be ‘the ugly merkin tourist’ you can always fit yourself out with lots and lots of red maple leaf logo clothing, eh! :smiley:

25

Thank you very much, everyone, for the replies.

This is just a bump to try to keep this thread alive.

26

Well, you’ve gotten some great responses. First, as has been mentioned, people will try to speak english with you, even if you initiate in German. I once had a whole conversation with a waitress where she spoke in English and I spoke in German. It was odd.

I haven’t spent too much time in the Suttgart area, but you’ve very close to the Schwarzwald, which is quite nice, and relatively close to the Alps, so if you have a means, heading to Switzerland could be a nice quick jaunt. Also, Europa Park is a great theme park about 2 hours away from Stuttgart, if you’re into that thing.

Probably the best advice I’d give is to not try and play up any Americanisms you may have. Yes, Bush-bashing is in vogue, but more than that, I’ve noticed that if you stick out in that manner, people just roll their eyes at you and are thinking “damn Americans…” Heck, I’ve only lived there a year and a half, and I already find myself doing it when I see Americans that are unwilling to blend in with the culture at all. However, since you’re taking German, I doubt you’ll have this problem at all. Germans seem to be amazingly grateful that an American would try and learn their language, so it’s pretty neat to see that.

Be prepared for much shorter shopping hours. Stores are open from 9 or 10 till 6 or 8 on weekdays, 9 to 2 or 4 on Saturdays and closed Sundays. It takes some getting used to. Overall, just have a fantastic time. When I visited Germany and Austria after high school, it was one of the best trips of my life. Now that I live here, it’s really cool to try and integrate into the community. If you have any specific questions, I can try and help the best I can.

Jman

27

As a German in the U.S., this was one of the most enjoyable threads I have ever seen. I actually agree with much of what has been said, with the following additions/comments

Food
“German Restaurants” in the U.S. are just bad. They basically take German food and add sugar. I think you cannot cook German with American ingredients (not sure about the reverse). You will find that many things are not as sweet as they are here. Hence, I recommend

  • Try the Chocolate cake. You can actually eat a whole piece without getting a sugar shock
  • Try the dark bread and the lunch meat. Especially the lunch meat. It is really good, and what I personally miss most in the U.S.
  • In Stuttgart, in addition to Spaetzle, try “Maultaschen”, basically a large, meat-filled pasta, mostly in soup form. In Munich, try “Weisswurst”, although that’s really not everybody’s taste as it is quite fatty
  • Got to eat a Brezl in Munich
  • If you bring wine as suggested, make sure it is not to sweet. As a rule, American semi-dry wines would classify as sugarwater in most areas of Germany. Go for a dry red if you want to bring something, but be aware that many Germans honestly prefer beer.

Beer and drinking
Feel free to drink socially if you are older than 16. But do not get drunk. As Germans start drinking alcohol around that age, most are actually quite moderate drinkers. Alcohol is part of the social life, not the main reason to get together. Beerwise, I recommend Becks, Licher and Warsteiner. Try Hefeweizen - you will either love it or hate it. Stay away from Henninger. Winewise, I love the dry white wines from the Rhine valley and the Mosel, and some reds from the Stuttgart area are actually quite nice.

Sites

  • a good post earlier about Stuttgart, nothing to add
  • Go to Munich. Go to Munich, Go to Munich. Take the high-speed train to go there.
  • Do not go to Frankfurt. It is not worth it, believe me. Go to Heidelberg if you feel that you must.
  • For a look at how GErmany looked 400-500 years ago, see whether your family is willing to drive you to Nurnberg or Rothenbuth ob der Tauber (quite a way from Stuttgart, but worth it).
  • Also, if you really want to see grandious buildings that are 1000 years old, go to Speyer and Trier to see the two cathedrals there.

Germans
Oh, what can I say. We are not impolite, just open and direct. You will be told that you are “wrong”, not some euphemism for it. This also applies if you are right and the other person just wants to tell you that s/he disaggrees.

On the other hand, even I am annoyed how Germans do not appologize for stepping on yout foot, cutting in front of you when you look at a display in the supermarket, pushing and shoving in the elevator, etc. The only explanation I have is that they (we?) think it is a waste of time and inefficient. Just kidding, nobody really knows why that is.

If you have not learned the difference yet, make sure you understand quickly who you address as “Sie” (polite way), and who as “Du” (informal). Even your host parents will be “Sie”, I bet.

Present
Bring a coffetable picture book, either from your area, or from teh U.S. overall.

have fun and report afterwards!

Dorfl

28

Technically correct, but be diplomatic about it if your host parents are real Stuttgarters. They don’t like to hear that they live in the second most important city in southern Germany. It’s the truth but regional rivalries are a serious issue. :wink:

29

Freiheit, if you really get around to it: Drop me a line first, so I can compile an up-to-date list of things to see & do.

30

Weeeeee! Another Doper from Munich! That I should live to see such a sight sniffles - if Freiheit actually visits here we could have a Mini-Dope-Gettogether i.e. coffee :smiley:

31

I’m afraid my schedule is pretty strict, and I won’t be in charge of where i’ll be going. But I’ve got my itinerary here, and it tells me i’ll be spending most of my time in Stuttgard, with little visits to

Straßburg, France
Rothenburg ab der Taube
Dachau
Füssen, Neuschwannstein castle
Salzburg, Austria
Heidelberg
and Munich!

A mini-dope would be nice, but I’m sure every minute of my stay in Munich is already planned out. Thanks again, everyone, for your replies. This has been a very nice thread for me.

32

Viel spass in Deutschland! Schreibst du uns, wann du zuruck kommst?

*apologies for misspelling, etc. I never learned to write german, so this is mostly phonetic.

33

Yay! I was just about to post a note on here that you should definitely visit Neuschwanstein. It’s absolutely beautiful, and there’s a really yummy German restaurant at the bottom of the mountain (don’t recall the name) - I got the “deer ragout” - and haven’t been able to forget it since! Actually the castle is mostly spectacular from the outside - as you don’t get to see very much of the inside. Still, it’s awesome to see this castle in person (since you’ve no doubt seen many photos of it), and the views from the castle are absolutely stunning! The story behind it is quite interesting too. There’s a neighboring castle (Hohenschwangau, something-or-other -->quite sure I butchered the spelling there) that is very beautiful as well, but not as popular. You’ll see it when you get there.

As for you, enjoy yourself!! Take an obscene amount of pictures! Appreciate it with all your soul - I find that when I am in another country, I tend to get so exhausted that I don’t appreciate it as much as I do after I get home. So be sure to take back lots of little things that you can flip through over the years to remember your trip! Cos after it’s all over, all you will have are the memories. (sniff sniff)

Good luck to you!

Logan.

34

I’ve been to Germany twice, and will be back.

Germany has exceptional museums, efficient transportation, great scenery, good hostels and pulsating nightlife (in the cities).

I found the people blunt, very forward, good-looking and somewhat neurotic. Grossly generalizing, I found people helpful, honest, pedantic, officious, fun-loving, somewhat slow to get jokes and friendly.

It’s hard to dislike a country where most people own a dog, like outdoorsy activities, and beer, hot pretzels and sausage is available all over the place. I found the nightlife in Berlin very enjoyable and accessible – and most eclectic. I do not care for many traditional German foodstuffs, however. I find the German language quite harsh.

35

That makes three of us

36

[QUOTE=Freiheit]

Straßburg, France
Rothenburg ab der Taube
Dachau
Füssen, Neuschwannstein castle
Salzburg, Austria
Heidelberg
and Munich!

Dachau is basically in Munich (just outside the center). Worth visiting. Neuschwannstein in 1.5 hours south-east of Munich. You decide whether you really want to go there - it is NOT an old castle, just the dream of a crazy king mid of the 19th century. {/action= dorfl hides to avoid stone throws from true Bavarians}.

Now, the Rhine valley, there you find some truly old castles. Some in ruins. A lot of them in ruins, actually. But the ones who are still there are worth visiting.

Dorfl

37

Now, I will take this bait

Neurotic! We are not neurotic. We just see things as they are. And if you don’t see them as we do, you are just WRONG. You hear me? There is no grey zone. We are the most helpful people in the world, but if you do not LISTEN to us, we will honestly tell you that you are an ignorant. And we are also not pendantic, but if we tell you to do something in a certain way, you better stick to our way. Do not deviate, because our way is the RIGHT way.

And if you do not recognize this post as a joke you are not German because we get them very quickly. We just choose not to laugh immediately at simple jokes because that would be impolite to the joke teller

38

Hijack:

Einmon, great idea!

Let’s round up all Munich (and catchment area) Dopers - there must be some more - and meet.

“Atzinger”, “Brezn”, anywhere.

Up to now it’s you, silkie and me. Any others?

39

I spent a week in Germany in '92, and I’ve always wanted to go back. Someday I will. Before I went a girl I know had lived there for a few years in the mid 70’s had some advice. Thus saith she “always start a conversation in german. If the first words out your mouth are english, then your command of german had better be good, because you won’t hear any english from that citizen.” And also, “even worse than correcting your german grammer, they will also correct your english.”

I didn’t run into the second half of her words of wisdom, but I did the first.

By the time I got to Germany I hadn’t spoken a word of german in over 15 years (last spoken in Frau Mach’s class). I tried brushing up before I went, but I knew it wasn’t going to be enough. After arriving in Bad Kreuznach (don’t go here unless you’re over 80 and don’t ask how I got stuck here), I went to the train station to buy a rail pass for the week. I tried my feeble german on the poor bastard behind the counter. After suffering for a couple minutes he took pity on me and finished the transaction in perfect english. Feeling relieved, I walked to the car rental place across the street. I walked up to the desk and asked about renting a car for the week end. In english. The girl looked up and said (more or less) “Können Sie wie ich helfe Ihnen?” Aaauuuggghhh! Boy, did I struggle to get through that conversation.

But I’ll tell you something. By the end of the week I could talk to somebody without embarrassing myself.

One other thing, in Germany the trains do run on time. And you don’t need a car to get around.

40

:smiley: I’m useful! Only a German 2 here.

Haben Sie vielen Spaβ im Deutschland! When Sie zurück kommen, schreiben Sie uns!

Am I right?