We were able to stop in Hildesheim for just a few hours on our way to Hamburg, Germany in August 2016, although the lovely city certainly deserved more of our time. I had developed a deep wanderlust for German cities that were full of half-timbered houses and so Hildesheim had quickly risen to the top of my must-see list. Walking along the rose route in Hildesheim was a bit inadvertent, however. I had planned a walking tour for our visit and it just […]
Category: Visiting Germany
Grocery Shopping in Germany (Compared to the USA).
Going grocery shopping in Germany has always been a stressful event for me. On my first visit to Kaufland, a few days after moving to Germany, I unintentionally made a cashier very angry because I didn’t weigh my bananas before checking out. Even after living in Germany for 13 months, it seemed like I always managed to do something wrong on each trip to the grocery store. So I’m sharing 20 ways that grocery shopping in Germany is different so that you can be […]
How the German Restaurant Experience Is Different Compared to the US.
I was a bit overwhelmed the first time we went out to eat at a restaurant in Germany. The combination of having a language barrier, not being able to translate all the words on a non-English menu, and my lack of understanding about the process in general resulted in an intimidating situation. We still experience confusion sometimes when we go out for a meal, but we’ve definitely got a better idea of how to act and what to do after […]
The 9 Worst Things About Neuschwanstein Castle.
Note: This post has become quite popular lately and I feel that it is necessary to state that this is my opinion. I’m sharing it on my blog because there isn’t very much negative information out there about Neuschwanstein Castle and I think that people should have both sides of the story when planning a visit. If this castle is near and dear to your heart, perhaps you should skip this post (because I will not be bothering with any […]
8 Ways to Prepare for a Visit to Germany.
Last weekend we visited Munich and I couldn’t help but notice all the ways that a big German city is different from an American one. We’ve been living in Germany for three months now and these are my tips for adapting to the cultural differences during your visit here. 1) Expect to be pushed around – especially if you are in a bigger city. The average German will attempt to cut in front of you, push past you, or otherwise […]
9 Ways to Say Goodbye in German.
I was reflecting on my post about how to greet in German and having a good laugh about it, because we rarely get the opportunity to greet Germans properly. Usually we are greeted by a string of words or sentences as if we were already mid-conversation with someone. The cashier will start rambling along about something (I have no idea what) while ringing up my groceries or I’ll open the door to the cleaning ladies and my “Guten Morgen” is drowned out […]
4 Details About German Greetings.
Last Wednesday evening a personal language tutor showed up on our doorstep. We spent an hour and a half learning German from him and will see him almost weekly over the next year because Mr. Meena’s company graciously provided us with 100 hours of language training. I thought that the one-on-one language teaching scene was for rich kids and motivated scholars. We are neither. We have Rosetta Stone and some cool phone apps to help us along in this German adventure, but […]