Was mir nicht so an Deutschland gefällt...

What I love--not so much--about Germany. Here's goes:

1. Anyone like showering in the dark?
If you're ever in Germany, and happen to be in an older house or building, you will notice that the light switches to the bathroom are OUTSIDE of the bathroom itself. This makes it all too easy for anyone with a sense of humor (or lack of one perhaps) to come by and turn the light off while you're still in there. I don't know who came up with the idea, but it's not a very bright one.

2. Deutsche Bahn
Ask any German here and they're likely to give you a lengthy answer to what they love "not so much" about DB. While the trains are reliable say, 90% of the time (in my experience), it is absolutely possible for the entire national railway network to be shut down, just like that.

3. Goin' green (but not green enough)...
Germans really care about the environment and the goin' green movement--which is great and fantastic, and I give them props for it--HOWEVER, I only wish that they cared a little bit more about adding some green stuff to their plates. I find that eating fresh fruits and vegetables are a rarity amongst the Germans I've encountered. With the exception of sauerkraut and paprika flavored everything (germans love pepper flavored chips)--broccoli and all his friends are few and far between.

4. "No, its not possible."
I don't know why this is, but for Germans a lot of things are just "not possible". Maybe its the way they translate this from German into English but I've never heard this phrase so often in my life as I have this year. I wouldn't call Germans negative nor a "glass half empty" kinda people, rather the type of people that would say, "The glass isn't half empty, there isn't enough water to fill the glass! Let's get a smaller one instead."

5. Sunshine (or lack thereof)
I can't blame the Germans for this naturally, but the sun is a rare visitor indeed here in this country. Its not always gray and cloudy here, but a little more sunshine couldn't hurt anyone.

Despite the meat-filled plates and soggy skies, I rather like Germany, it ain't such a bad place. I think Americans have the wrong picture when they think of Germany, usually associating it only with its past (Adolf ring a bell?) or with lederhosen and beer-- and while these are a big part of Germany its not the only part of Germany. Tourists seem to pass over Deutschland for sunnier, more "exotic" locations such as Spain, Italy or France--but I think many would be surprised, pleasantly so--that the country and its people are really welcoming and beautiful.

So until next post--viel spass.
Diana