8 Things I LIKE from LIVING in Germany

After a few years living in different parts of Germany I share here some things and little pleasures that I DO like about life in Germany:

1- Public transport

Yes, there is no need to rely on a car and you can do without it in most cases. Especially in urban centres.

Trams and buses run quite well and reach almost every corner. From the same app of the Deutsche Bahn you can consult all the municipal transports of ALL Germany.

The bike lane is very widespread, and if there is not, there is no problem in circulating on the road without being run over. Cycling is the option chosen by many Germans... even some older ladies!

2- Excellent international air and land connections

Also quite affordable in price. You can take a direct flight to any part of the world, paying less than from Spain. You can also take a train to Poland, Austria, Holland or Czech Republic or a direct plane to Hong Kong, New York, San José or Moscow.

I describe here some nice tricks to save money travelling by train in Germany.

Here I wrote how to SAVE travelling by TRAIN

3- The standard of living is not very high

Of course, always compared to salaries. It always depends on which area you live in, but this allows you to save a lot for travelling.

They also offer unpaid holidays (“unbezahlter Urlaub“) in addition to the 25 or 30 days usually contracted.

4- It is normal to go barefoot in houses

This custom is also widespread in other countries in northern Europe. For me it’s much more comfortable and I’ve always liked to take my shoes off to be at home.

When you enter a house it is not very good to wear shoes, because if you wear your street shoes around the house, the floor gets dirty very quickly, especially on humid days. It’s best to make sure by asking first…

5- The men urinate (in the houses) normally seated

In fact, it’s rude not to! This makes everything cleaner and more comfortable.

Cartel para el baño de invitados — Poster for the guest bathroom

6- In the bars each person is charged separately

The waiter arrives with the total bill and crosses out when everyone pays their own. In group it is much easier and you also avoid the typical friend which never pays.

My theory is: Since waiters are looking for tips, when they pay separately they usually make more money. The waiters expect you to round up the bill by 1 or 2 €.

Máquina para devolver las botellas — Bottle return machine

7- The Pfand recycling system

When you buy a soft drink, beer, water or any non-perishable beverage, whether in plastic bottles, glass or cans, you pay an extra for the container.

You pay 8 cents for glass and 25 cents for cans or plastic. When you return the containers, they return what you paid for.

In this way, firstly, almost all containers are recycled, secondly, there are no bottles or containers left in the parks or train stations. And third, many homeless people who would be begging for money, there they collect bottles from the street and take them to the supermarket. Many students have done it too! Mainly when returning from party to compensate 🙂

8- Beer supermarkets (Getränkemarkt)

These are beverage supermarkets, although more than half of the surface is beer. You will be able to find a multitude of types, brands, prices, formats, countries, etc.