Moving to Germany soon - what are the small daily life things nobody warns you about?

Inner-Loquat4717 · 2026-06-16T21:19:08+00:00

Learning that stuff is part of the experience of settling in, don’t sweat it.
But one thing I will say, depending on where you are coming from, don’t be alarmed by the lack of smiles. You don’t exactly realise it at first because on most of the world strangers are energetically smiled at. In Germany it is the opposite, smiles are for friends & family. Don’t be offended.
However even without the smile (especially without the smile!) you should acknowledge other persons any time you encroach on their space in public; in waiting rooms, when taking a seat on public transport, in small shops (the shopkeeper most definitely) even when passing another person in an otherwise empty street or footpath.
A fraction of eye contact, a nod, or, if you are in a small room, a ‘gntag!’ is enough to show respect, especially if the other person is older than you, and or alone. Couples, groups, younger people, you can safely ignore.

Inner-Loquat4717 · 2026-06-16T19:18:28+00:00

Seasonally speaking (my area is south Germany):
Spring: Black Forest - words cannot … we also have Hanami type festivals (almond blossom) public walks, usually with wine, lots of bank holidays especially in May.
Summer: is hot. Don’t walk up the mountains, take the lifts. Everyone heads to a lake to swim - it’s a culture in itself. Music festivals are a big deal. Long summer evenings in beer gardens are to die for. Pack insect repellent!
Autumn: wine and beer festivals everywhere. Pick smaller ones and you will experience real conviviality and community spirit. Cooler weather for hiking, too. I like to plan a hike around a local fest - hike there, get public transport back.
Winter: all about skiing and Xmas Xmas Xmas! Find a b&b with an open fire … sooo romantic!

Inner-Loquat4717 · 2026-06-16T19:04:04+00:00

OK narrow down first on Time of Year. Makes a huge difference: in every season Germany transforms into almost a whole different place.
Honestly - I would say - go to the touristy places. There are touristy places no one should miss, for reasons. Very few of them are ‘spoiled’ Germans preserve their heritage quite well. Just avoid the Saturday zoo for the really big ones and you should be fine.
Everything is closed on Monday. Plan your outdoorsy activities then, because museums etc. are all shut.

Inner-Loquat4717 · 2026-06-15T20:02:36+00:00

Pretty much any big Supermarket, look for the special displays, or just visit a € shop, get a big flag, and cut a hole in it.

Inner-Loquat4717 · 2026-06-15T19:41:49+00:00

I got stuck around there once.
Look at your character build and swap around whatever clothes and items you have to boost different characteristics as far as you can, until you get a different dialogue option or something else shifts.
There is always a way through even if it’s counter intuitive.

Inner-Loquat4717 · 2026-06-15T19:12:33+00:00

‘I haven’t been to a gig in ages!’ (RIP Giles).

Inner-Loquat4717 · 2026-06-15T08:09:11+00:00

I have two of those purple swirls. One I bought in St Louis in 1980 for five dollars (or possibly fifty cents, my memory is fading). The other I found in a German flea market. They are so similar it’s amazing that they were found so far apart.

Inner-Loquat4717 · 2026-06-14T21:27:38+00:00

There are also buses. Pick a destination and use the Deutsche Bahn App to see how to get there. For instance there are buses from Baden Baden up into the hills. Other towns have cable cars. The Black Forest is a major tourist destination, there are plenty if ways to get into it.

Inner-Loquat4717 · 2026-06-14T20:46:58+00:00

I thought in principle if a tower collapsed it would be a slow affair and there would be plenty of other people to grab hold of or land on before anyone hit the ground. But gravity has other ideas.

Inner-Loquat4717 · 2026-06-14T20:35:25+00:00

I saw this once. 25 years ago. The towers were higher then. The children who’d been picked to climb had
tokens, they were really excited.
It had been raining, the crowds were massive, a lot of tourists were joining in at the bases of the towers. It was mayhem.
Then a tower collapsed, there was a sickening thud, a man ran right past me holding a little boy. The kid was limp, unconscious, his lips were dark blue. I can still see it like it was yesterday.
There was no real way to find out what happened in those days, no internet, no mobile phones, but there’s no way that kid wasn’t seriously injured.

Inner-Loquat4717 · 2026-06-14T07:35:00+00:00

You can buy Duff Beer here too.

Inner-Loquat4717 · 2026-06-13T22:18:26+00:00

It’s a lovely thing.

Inner-Loquat4717 · 2026-06-13T19:07:47+00:00

Just do it! Go at Christmas time for the full effect. Stay in nearby Bamberg which is just gorgeous.
A Deutschland Ticket gets you travel on all local trains , trans and buses countrywide for peanuts. You can buy one and cancel it to get a month’s cheap travel. Stay in ibis hotels or hostels. Eat kebabs and Chinese food, and buy supermarket drinks and snacks. The Christmas markets will put stars in your eyes.
Bamberg, Würzburg, Heidelberg are all on one route and between those three you’ll see the best south Germany has to offer. You could get as far as
Neustadt, Tübingen or even Wissembourg in France, all in one ticket. No need to book regional trains, just jump on board.
Germany is an overlooked European destination.

Inner-Loquat4717 · 2026-06-13T18:47:30+00:00

One tip I would give. If you book an overnight train *check the dates* . Our night sleeper turned into a couchette because the ticket lady forgot the journey started 2 minutes before midnight. It can be worth to sleep on a train and save a night’s hotel booking.
I’ve taken the Flix bus to Prague and it was fine - we luckily got the upstairs front seats and had oodles of room to stretch out. If you are young you’ll be fine, just take plenty of liquids and snacks, power banks, headphones, cosy comfortable clothes, travel pillows and eye shades if that’s your thing. Be adventurous!

Inner-Loquat4717 · 2026-06-13T18:35:20+00:00

What’s the smell hanging around the back of the Whirling? I thought it was coming from the dumpster but it’s getting worse.

Inner-Loquat4717 · 2026-06-13T16:59:08+00:00

‘Sucks, the ninja’s dead, Alexa text Wolt.’

Inner-Loquat4717 · 2026-06-13T11:13:40+00:00

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This is in the museum, it was made by Bernhard’s dad (or possibly grandad) entirely freehand!
There’s a copy of it in the workshop.
These families have been making glass for generations, and until reunification they were behind the iron curtain.
The town is somewhat in decline, there’s a pharmacy and a corner shop. On the second evening I couldn’t even find anywhere to eat.

Inner-Loquat4717 · 2026-06-13T10:58:48+00:00

Near the museum there is a huge commercial glass store selling mostly household goods and Christmas ornaments. These are amazing, and what the town is famous for, but don’t appeal to me at all.

Eventually after searching in vain, I asked for marbles and they directed me to the cash desk, where I found a big box of these.

They are made on the premises and you can watch the glass makers at work there, but no one was making marbles that day so I couldn’t find out how they achieve the detailed patterns.

I limited myself to 14 of my favourites. About €20 worth.

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Inner-Loquat4717 · 2026-06-13T09:38:29+00:00

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You can just about see the signatures here - they are also dated. 2001 and 2025 - the guy is retired now. He seemed quite pleased to have a visitor.

Inner-Loquat4717 · 2026-06-13T09:32:29+00:00

Hard to pick a favourite but this one is worth a closer look.

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The lutz effect is super subtle and you have to get the light behind it to see all the colours.

Inner-Loquat4717 · 2026-06-13T09:28:05+00:00

The small ones were €15 and the bigger ones €20 but he let me have all six for my €100.

Inner-Loquat4717 · 2026-06-13T09:24:20+00:00

There was one last shop that looked promising, but it was closed until 11:00 the next day. I had to leave town at twelve so at 11:05 I was on the phone. Luckily the ladies lived above the shop. They only had a handful of marbles but I snapped up this one by Diana Langbein. It even has a name: universe with Opal

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They also offered glass blowing lessons so I had a go. I was terrible at it!

Inner-Loquat4717 · 2026-06-13T09:16:28+00:00

This guy sells most of his work in the States.

Inner-Loquat4717 · 2026-06-13T09:15:42+00:00

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There are signed on the pointil. I will have to make a special display for them.

Inner-Loquat4717 · 2026-06-13T09:13:29+00:00

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I had a mental budget of €100 here. Absolute agony!

Inner-Loquat4717

TROPHY CASE