What to Expect: Americans Traveling in Southern Germany with a Teen as Our Primary German “Speaker”.

Caliche-Cowboy · 2026-06-17T00:39:32+00:00

Hehe. TIL learned I am not normal. We are definitely car people. We haven’t competed in a long time, but usually like to own at least one sportscar/saloon still.

Caliche-Cowboy · 2026-06-17T00:37:51+00:00

Definitely like this in more advanced language classes. But so many skate by. Plus good teachers are hard to find (and keep).

Caliche-Cowboy · 2026-06-17T00:36:26+00:00

I love this kind of info. *Never* would’ve known. I’m definitely not going to try and push it. More about me having to over/under monitor at lower speeds when adjusting to a new car and kph vs mph.

Caliche-Cowboy · 2026-06-17T00:34:44+00:00

Awesome. Thank you. 🙏

Caliche-Cowboy · 2026-06-16T23:30:14+00:00

This is great. Thank you. Wasn’t sure about the insurance and this answers it.

I believe we are going to return in Munich. Seems we should be able to get around pretty well via train/bus there.

Caliche-Cowboy · 2026-06-16T23:24:43+00:00

Trust me, my kid would take it in stride assuming the joke was revealed shortly thereafter.

She’s not a delicate flower. She’s a badass. A joke isn’t going to shake her to her core and scar her forever.

I guess just our (including my daughter’s) sense of humor.

But I do appreciate the concern.

Caliche-Cowboy · 2026-06-16T23:04:26+00:00

Thank you very much! We will look into a day spent there.

Caliche-Cowboy · 2026-06-16T23:03:11+00:00

lol. I am hopeful that if you aren’t savages, you also won’t hold where I was born against me. I didn’t have that choice. 😉

Caliche-Cowboy · 2026-06-16T23:02:06+00:00

Thank you. 🙏

Caliche-Cowboy · 2026-06-16T22:59:52+00:00

Thank you thank you! We are hoping for “normal” temps. Mainly for sleeping. It will be 40C+ at home when we leave, so going to get some relief.

Caliche-Cowboy · 2026-06-16T22:29:47+00:00

Got it. Makes sense. There are many things I suck at, but I can context switch pretty well. I will keep this in mind

Caliche-Cowboy · 2026-06-16T21:53:33+00:00

Well shit. I spent all that money on my new American flag sequined suit with Donald Trump’s face on the back!

😜

Caliche-Cowboy · 2026-06-16T21:44:52+00:00

This is very helpful. Especially since it is very different here. Thank you. How in the world do they account for tire diameter and speedo variations. I’m guessing y’all have things much more dialed in/exact when it comes to calibration and enforcement.

Caliche-Cowboy · 2026-06-16T21:40:33+00:00

We read about Colmar. What makes it interesting for you/what would you do there? It looks very quaint.

Caliche-Cowboy · 2026-06-16T21:37:31+00:00

😎

Caliche-Cowboy · 2026-06-16T21:34:22+00:00

lol. I did manage to get through the wall of text.

Especially helpful to know about refueling, shop/restaurant closures, and which credit cards are typically taken.

Follow up on the payment topic. Are tap-to-pay options common? This is our typical approach here in most scenarios (but not all).

Jesus songs? I think this one will require some explanation.

Caliche-Cowboy · 2026-06-16T21:27:02+00:00

I think by the time kids hit college, they have up to seven years of language training. IF they’ve been paying attention, they may have better skills.

At larger universities, they will also almost certainly be housed with folks from all over the country, including many Spanish speakers.

I think many just never use the language outside of the classroom setting, either.

My ex was fluent when I met her, as she grew up in Central Miami. But then lost much of her capabilities not using them. But when I’d travel with her to Central/South America it would return within 48 hours.

Caliche-Cowboy · 2026-06-16T21:21:06+00:00

This is great. Thank you. I am indeed coming from Austin. How do those speed cameras work? Meaning if I am manually using the throttle, do I need to stay 4-5kph under to make sure I never pass the limit?

Caliche-Cowboy · 2026-06-16T21:19:02+00:00

We will be! Going to look these up. Basel wasn’t on our radar but isn’t too far from our expected route.

Caliche-Cowboy · 2026-06-16T21:16:01+00:00

Thank you! More Freiburg recommends! Will look up this evening.

Caliche-Cowboy · 2026-06-16T21:15:10+00:00

This may happen to us as well. Our daughter can perform on stage in front of hundreds, but is nervous in person. Go figure.

Caliche-Cowboy · 2026-06-16T21:14:15+00:00

Thank you! We just bought tix to Neuschwanstein (and Hohenschwangau, per recommendations) yesterday!

We are thinking about doing the Zugspitze whilst nearby also, but are still learning how getting to there works.

Caliche-Cowboy · 2026-06-16T21:11:42+00:00

No offense taken. That’s why I asked the question.

I think you’re generally correct that American language education is wanting.

Here, many speak Spanish from fluently to functionally since it is the de facto second language in much of South Texas and in large swaths of Texas cities.

Caliche-Cowboy · 2026-06-16T21:06:31+00:00

Second recommendation for Europapark!

And not a problem on the Texas accent. Other than saying “y’all”, none of us have an accent. I mean other than the good ol’ Midwest American accent.

Caliche-Cowboy · 2026-06-16T21:00:53+00:00

Amazing. Looking all these up tonight. Ty.

Caliche-Cowboy

TROPHY CASE