In July 2022, I fulfilled my lifelong aspiration of moving to Europe.
When my hubby and I wed in January that year, we didn't opt for the representative wedding registry. Instead, we sold, donated, or tossed nearly everything we owned. Even our cars — which we sold two days before we remaining the US — had to go.
We headed to Germany, a nation we'd never visited, alongside fair a few suitcases and our two cats. As shortly as we arrived, we noticed a lot of cultural differences.
Here are seven things that amazed us concerning existence in Germany.
Most places don't have air conditioning.
After a tiring seven-hour escape from Boston to Frankfurt, a three-hour run from the airport, and six flights of stairs to our apartment, we arrived in Düsseldorf and quickly learned air conditioning isn't really a item in Germany.
The ample tilt-and-turn windows in our location didn't have screens, lone metal element rolling shutters. This meant we couldn't open the windows completely for fear our cats would try to go outside.
Instead, we cranked the metal element shutters downward first in the dawn to keep hot air out and rolled them up at night to let in chill air.
We additionally stayed hydrated, added ice cubes to the cats' h2o bowls, tried not to use the oven, took chill showers, and ordered a position fan.
It blew my intellect to study that lone concerning one in eight German households use air conditioning. Still, we had no choice but to modify to that lifestyle.
Many apartments don't arrive alongside armed kitchens.
When I was apartment hunting, I was amazed that many rentals didn't have kitchens stocked alongside a refrigerator, oven, cabinets, counters, a washing machine, or a dishwasher. Instead, there was typically lone an bare area alongside appliance hookups.
That's since tenants in Germany frequently obtain most of their galley appliances alongside them whenever they leave, or they market the important parts to whoever is moving in. This allows tenants to personalize their spaces, can assistance landlords preserve on costs, and may advance tenants to remain longer.
Public transit is effortlessly accessible in most important cities.
Growing up in the Massachusetts suburbs, I relied on my car and lone used the train to commute to Boston. Though I got a German driver's license, I haven't driven in the former four years.
My hubby and I have moved to a few distinct cities inside Germany, and luckily, continually had uncomplicated admission to community transportation.
A lot of stores are closed on Sundays.
We landed in Germany on a Sunday and shortly learned that most shops, including grocery stores, were closed, forcing us to use a food-delivery app.
That's since Sundays are remainder days in Germany. Most group aren't expected to activity or shop, although there are a few exceptions for touristy spots and gas stations.
Carrying prosperity is a necessity.
To evade fees and mitigate safety concerns, many restaurants, local businesses, market stalls, and cafés lone obtain prosperity payments.
Luckily, many larger businesses, market stores, and malls obtain credit and debit cards and forms of digital payment.
Sparkling h2o is preferred complete still.
In Germany, restaurants automatically assist sparkling h2o without ice. If a client asks for ice in their water, it signals they're an American.
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Ashley Packard is a freelance author covering travel, lifestyle, sustainability, and more. She is an American expat living in Germany alongside her hubby and their two cats. She is passionate concerning traveling and making additional sustainable choices on her trips. She values creativity, storytelling, curiosity, and connection. When she’s not penning or researching her next trip, she’s exterior hiking, cycling alongside the river, buried in a publish on her Kindle, or dining her way about a new city. To perspective her portfolio or to collaborate inspect out, www.ashleypackard.com.
