redfred18t

iTrader: (1)

But James May loved it! At least for the first 5 minutes of that episode lol

KPLAFIN

iTrader: (1)

I've been here 11.5 months and don't even have a passport. Only time I've ever been asked for on is checking into hotels, I just give them my ID and I'm set, so I would keep it in a safe place.

Pre-paid phones are as easy as they get over here, you can buy them anywhere for next to nothing as well as the refill cards (they even have machines on the street for the cards all over the place in some cities.)

Saying Hallo (German for hello obviously) works well because while you are making it appear as though you're trying to speak German, they can tell by how you say it that you're American, and pretty much everyone loves speaking English to "practice" so you'll be fine, "Sprechen sie Englisch" has been a very commonly used phrase my last year as well though.

Pretty much all cars over here are manuals yes, but if you're staying in one city for a majority of the trip, I in all honesty wouldn't even bother getting a car until you wanna drive somewhere else. Chances are wherever you're going to be is insane to drive in (all the big cities are, one way streets everywhere, tiny/narrow streets, people don't listen to traffic lights, etc..) and the local transport is so awesome and cheap that if you're not close enough to justify walking to work from the hotel you'll be fine with a bus.

The autobahn is overrated for sure, yea its fun to just lay into it in one of the unrestricted sections but it's honestly nothing to write home about if you're driving anything less than a super car.

Don't eat with your hands! Even french fries (pommes frites) are eaten with a fork in restaurants (not places like McDonald's obviously) and it is considered rude to eat with your hands unless it's something that absolutely requires it.

All i've had for 11.5 months is my CU debit card Visa and 've yet to have any issues, I get Euro out of the ATM whenever I need it and use my card all the time, don't expect to pay for meals in smaller restaurants with a card though, just isn't going to happen most of the time.

That's all I've got for now, I'm sure I'll think of more for you, how long until you're coming over?

Joe Perez

iTrader: (8)

When they first started accepting ATM cards at retail locations (groceries, petrol, etc) it was almost universal that a transaction fee of around $1 was added to the bill. Lately, this has become relatively uncommon. Fees are still usually charged for making an ATM withdrawal from a bank other than your own, though as a perk, many banks offer to cover this fee for their customers making withdrawals at other ATMs, usually subject to some monthly limit.



Pilseners... ******* Germans still suffering the consequences of the Reinheitsgebot 500 years later...



Well, Papenburg is a fairly tiny town (pop 35,000) surrounded by a lot of other fairly tiny towns. It has a shipyard, a couple of hotels, a titty bar, a pub called "Jameson's", and... that's all I've found so far. Normally, I do prefer not to have a car when in a major city, but in this case I think it's definitely justified.


Currently scheduled to depart Oct 19, return Nov 5.

KPLAFIN

iTrader: (1)

That's not a very long trip at all, be sure to get the best out of it while you're here, I'm gonna miss this place when I'm gone.

While Pills very common, there's almost nowhere (that I've found at least) that doesn't have at least two or three different types of beer. Most all of the restaurants have one pils, one hefe-weizen and a lot of them have an alt or a bock or some other seasonal brew, you should be ok with finding something decent to drink.

Crossing the street with the little red guy showing even if nothing coming gets you some pretty shitty looks most of the time, I actually had a guy yell at me for it once, something to keep in mind if you don't like drawing attention to yourself.

Zaphod

That sounds German to me...

About the language... keep in mind that German's are traveling around the world expecting the whole world to speak German... (must have something to do with the world-ruling thing from WW1 and 2 )

If you are traveling around a bit I would be really pleased to meet you sometime...

Greets

KPLAFIN

iTrader: (1)

Personal experiences....what can I say...

Torkel

HINT: Never speak of Europa as a general: "I was in Europe once", "I like it here in Europe", "That is the euopean way", "european style" etc etc. We hate that ****. You will be in Germany, not in "Europe".

It is a bit like visiting Alabama and then, when back home again, claiming "Well, that is how things are in the US".

KPLAFIN

iTrader: (1)

What's wrong with Alabama?

redfred18t

iTrader: (1)

KPLAFIN

iTrader: (1)

Touche.

Joe Perez

iTrader: (8)

Not a problem, trust me.

I'm actually rather amused by the broad (and often deliberately stereotypical) generalizations made by, for instance, British television presenters with regard to the US. Consider the example of three middle-aged men driving from Miami, Florida to New Orleans, Louisiana, being attacked by alligators and drunken rednecks along the way, and presenting this to a BBC audience as an American Motor Holiday.

I actually have several friends here in CA from various places in Europe (One from the UK, another from France, and a couple from Norway) and they seem to give each other more grief than a California liberal at a truck stop in Arkansas.


I'm not sure how likely it is that we will be travelling out in your direction. I am flying into Dusseldorf, and will be heading straight up to Papenburg from there. The first week or so will likely be spent working my *** off at the shipyards, and if I do have a few days' leisure time, I'll most likely catch a flight from Bremen to London and spend some time there.

KPLAFIN

iTrader: (1)

Not that this has ever actually happened or anything...

I honestly think that was the single greatest episode of any show ever aired on television.

redfred18t

iTrader: (1)

agreed. I absolutely lost it when the guys rolled into the gas station in the back of the pickup truck lol

hustler

iTrader: (6)

Cover your anus.

Torkel

Do they accept the French in the group? Openly? Where others can see them?

I lived 2 years in a small town in NC and I must admit that the cultural differences within the US did surprise me. That and that fact that my English skills (which I consider to be excellent, honestly) made sure everyone understood ME everywhere, but not vice versa. "Yaall talk all correct an aall! Yaall aint from around here aare yaa?". I was a bit lost for the first 2 weeks.

And try to buy some "Aluminium profiles" at Loves in Kinston, NC. They don't have it. They have no idea what "Aluminium" is. My colleagues had a laugh at that one.

magnamx-5

iTrader: (7)

just be yourself joe if you are chill and try to just blend in no one will notice that the only **** that spouts from your mouth is english. It's not like you are traveling to Arizona or somewhere you would have to deal with a hostile enviroment. The majority of Germans speack enough english to interact with on simple tasks, its pretty much a grade school requirement over there.

Joe Perez

iTrader: (8)

Yeah, I loved that one. And while I understand that it was parody, I think that there is a kernel of truth in it. We colonials seem to have managed to earn a reputation not just in Western Europe but in the world at large as being boorish, ignorant children. I can't say that it's entirely undeserved.

What I find really interesting is that one group which, by and large, does not seem to hold this prejudice are the Taiwanese. And I'd never have expected it, to be honest. But we've done a fair bit of work with a couple of Taiwanese groups, and whenever they come over here to our lab (presumably to steal our technology), they just can't seem to get enough of the US. There's one fellow in particular I recall who had never had french fries (chips, for y'all across the pond) and just became instantly addicted to them. Every place we went he had to have a big plate of french fries.


However, as much as I think Jamie Oliver is a smug little turd, I must admit that "Jamie's American Road Trip", while a bit campy in parts, was every bit the equal of "Steven Fry in America" or "Oz and James' Big Wine Adventure" in terms of looking past the stereotypes and really delving deep into the small pockets of regional culture that make this country interesting.


Yes, but with prejudice. For example, I honestly have no idea what the man's name is. Everyone just calls him François. (Yes, I know that François is a common name, it's just not his name.)



The US is a surprisingly diverse place. For the most part, we all nominally speak the same language, but with variations in accent, dialect, and regional meanings which rival those between all of the other English-speaking countries of the world.

But it's more than that. There's such an incredible diversity of geography. Even just on the mainland, we have tropical wetland, Caribbean-style beach, fog-covered mountains, dense forest, several different types of desert, immense flat plains, steamy jungle, and whatever the hell you call the shitty weather in Massachusetts and Maine. You'd have to visit every country in Europe and half of Africa and Asia and see the same sort of landscapes.

And the food, such incredible diversity of food. And the music...

But I digress...


I'm surprised they knew what "profile" was. It's called extrusion here.



Haha. Honestly, it's not as bad as the ACLU is making it out to be. I was just in Phoenix last month, and nobody asked me to show proof of my citizenship. You really have to be doing something like running across the desert at night to attract that sort of attention.

jayc72

iTrader: (14)

If you are in a German brothel make sure to keep your eye on your drink at all times. Seriously.

GTRicky

this is very true. the first year i lived in Germany I had a hard time getting directions to anywhere since i was ignorant and just started asking people "Excuse me, can you help me?" I would get the shoulder shrug and they would walk away. Right before I left Germany I was able to speak German enough to go into a bar, buy a drink, hit on a girl, ask her how much she costs, then call her a ***** after she slaps me and walks away.

I actually had several people thinking i was German or Austrian since I learned german in Bavaria and devoloped the accent.

Yea, check out the FKKs if you want to experience a sex club. Just make sure that you go to one that has an open bar. 50-80 Euro gets you in and free beer, and then just talk to and haggle with the girls. typically 50 or so euros for a go lay.