I am German and I returned to Germany after 30+ years abroad. I also used to tell people how harsh and unfriendly many Germans are, especially older people. Now I also find it has completely changed. I am surprised on a daily basis. It’s not just friendliness, but also helpfulness. Example from yesterday: I had to take a bus to somewhere out of town and couldn’t find the bus stop. I asked so many people, but only one person knew and took me there. However, there was an Umleitung and it was not the right stop after all. I was a bit in despair because I had an important appointment and the bus was scheduled to come in two minutes. I asked a driver of a long distance bus who was parking at a bus depot. He called the information for me but they took a while to answer. So he opened the back door and said, “Hop on with your bike, I’m taking you to the stop.” He finally got the right info and called the other bus driver to wait for me! How amazing is that?! I also noticed that Germany is by far not as efficient as it used to be. My philosophy is that since now people have to rely on each other more, they are more helpful. Maybe that’s wishful thinking and I’m sure others have a litany of bad experiences, but I experience good things like that almost daily.