Comments for The German Way Expat Blog

Comment on Grocery Culture by HF

HF — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:05:49 +0000

I know Germans who shop at Metro in Berlin, and I have been there myself. It is bigger and maybe better than Costco. As bopper said, you have to be a member. I have also seen a few “normal” supermarkets in Berlin that approach the size and design of US markets, but my local Kaiser’s was not even close to that! It was always a much more tense experience than in the USA.

Comment on Grocery Culture by bopper

bopper — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:03:34 +0000

Actually Metro is like Costco…only bigger. It is member only so you have to find someone who is a member to go with.

Comment on Grocery Culture by bopper

bopper — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:02:42 +0000

I can tell you how to go grocery shopping in only 25 easy steps:
http://ger-seygirl.blogspot.com/2009/03/how-to-go-grocery-shopping-in-germany.html

Comment on Tricks of the trade for the metrically-challenged by Wburg, weather, etc. « Ami in Franken

Wburg, weather, etc. « Ami in Franken — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:31:34 +0000

[...] Easy metric conversion…this will be printed and carried EVERYWHERE. [...]

Comment on Tricks of the trade for the metrically-challenged by Mac

Mac — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 15:28:02 +0000

Interesting tips you have there! Now, I know more about figuring and comparing European gas mileage to American gas mileage! I have 2 easy tips that I would like to make available to anyone and they’re relatively easy, but they’re used as a reference point.

To convert from Celsius to Fahrenheit (or vice versa), I use this easy reference that I picked up from Rick Steves. 28 C is about 82 F. I just reverse the 2 and 8 around. I only use this as a reference point. If the weather is 30 C, I know it’s going to be hot.

To convert liters to gallons, I know that 4 liters is roughly equal to 1 gallon. I know this because it is usually printed on most commercial toilets. After using the restrooms at work and seeing this all the time, it becomes imprinted in my head.

Mac

Comment on Homesick? by Ruth

Ruth — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:10:44 +0000

Yes, Mac, the discount grocery stores here also drive me mad! I love the prices, hate the checkout stress. :) Thanks for your comments!

Comment on Homesick? by Mac

Mac — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:29:59 +0000

To me it is a roller coaster ride with unexpected twists, turns and falls.

When I was in living in Germany, I missed getting the morning newspaper delivered to my doorstep, so I could read it while eating breakfast. Since I didn’t get the morning newspaper there, I missed reading the comic strips. That was really tough! However, I did listened to Bayern 3 on the radio, and it made the time go by. Whenever I shopped at Lidl or at PennyMarkt, I missed the good customer service. The cashiers at these discount chains would try to make you take your goods off the cashier counter at a fast pace after they were scanned. I learned that the cashiers wanted to keep the line moving. If I took my goods off the counter at a snails pace, I would get a demeaning stare from the cashier. One of the things that I really missed was a big bookstore.

Now, that I am back home, all the big bookstores are gone because of a well known online Internet book giant has put the local and several big book companies out of business. Now, I miss the bookstores from Germany . I miss the peace and quiet of Germany. I miss walking around the neighborhood that I used to live in in Germany because there weren’t many cars and the people there drive really slow. Over here, people drive like crazy and the freeways always have traffic. In my neighborhood I don’t see many people going out for walks like I did in Germany. I missed the cheap and reasonable price of groceries in Germany.

You’re right. Home is not perfect…it’s just different.

Comment on The German Past raises its ugly head by Simon

Simon — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:28:02 +0000

This reminds of Rote Armee Fraktion of Germany back in the 60s and 70s. But things are different this time. Those neo-nazis scums are murdering innocent foreign people. No wonder German President said “Alle müssen in unserem Land in Sicherheit leben können. Das gilt für jede und für jeden. Umso stärker hat uns alle schockiert, dass rassistisch verblendete Verbrecher über viele Jahre Menschen ausländischer Herkunft geplant ermordet haben. Das haben wir nie für möglich gehalten.” during his new year speech. Never shall we witness the rise of the ghost of the ugly German past!

Comment on Don’t be Stuffy by cndrnh

cndrnh — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 21:19:59 +0000

It’s really depressing to, after feeling not quite warm enough all day (because hey, it’s winter), to FINALLY warm up to heavenly levels in the shower, only to have to get out and immediately let the freezing cold air into your apartment through all windows for a minimum of five minutes.

But, it’s the price you have to pay to live in a country with enough vacation time and reasonable health care coverage, I guess…..

Comment on Don’t be Stuffy by HF

HF — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 19:10:14 +0000

This is one advantage of forced-air heating, common in the USA: It reduces indoor moisture (which can also be a disadvantage!). Since most homes and apartments in Europe have hot-water/steam radiation heating, moisture can build up inside. I experienced this problem when I was living in Berlin: mold behind bookshelves. As Ruth says, regular airing (with wide-open windows) is important.

Comment on Don’t be Stuffy by Mac

Mac — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 16:19:20 +0000

I can vouch that the homes in Germany can be air tight! When my girlfriend and I lived in an apartment near Munich, our bathroom had no windows…only a fan. Luckily, we never had a mold problem in the bathroom. Of course, the steam evaporated and went to the main windows in the livingroom, and that’s when I then found mold around the window panes. A little bleach with water took care of the problem. As Ruth pointed out, opening the window wide open is recommended to let out the moisture and stuffy air. Just remember to close the window after a certain period of time to make sure your heat is not going out the window during this winter time.

Comment on German cuisine: a comforting constant by RenateS

RenateS — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 21:09:04 +0000

Spaetzle and lentils, the food of the gods. What else would a Schwoab want. Well may be Kaesespaetzle mit gruenem Salat.

Comment on What to do with all that junk? by Ruth

Ruth — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 16:39:18 +0000

Clothes – something else I had forgotten! The list of used things to be reused and recycled seems endless… Along with the clothes bins, generally located near the glass recycling bins, I also have found a donation center similar to Goodwill around here, where we can take used-but-still-usable clothes, toys, furniture, etc. The great thing about these places is that they also provide jobs to people re-entering the workforce. I think they exist in most towns, but there isn’t a central agency here that I know of, other than Oxfam (and they aren’t everywhere, nor do they accept everything)

Comment on What to do with all that junk? by Ruth

Ruth — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 16:35:56 +0000

Yes! Thank you – I had forgotten about the Umweltmobil (environment-mobile)! In Stuttgart you can look online and find out where the truck will be, and get rid of all your leftover paints & chemicals – also absolutely free! I chased them down a few times this summer…

Comment on What to do with all that junk? by Mac

Mac — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 15:14:22 +0000

When I was living near Munich, I would once in a while get a flyer in the mailbox and it would announce where one can drop off certain types of junk on a particular day…like paint or other types of chemicals, and this was without a fee. As for the glass recycling bins, one should be careful. The glass recycling bins had a notice saying that dumping glass in the bins is from 8am to 6pm…Monday thru Saturdays. Most of these bins are in residential areas and the neighbors don’t like the sound of glass smashing in the bins.