Weird Germany

Recycling is sexy! Unfortunately it isn’t a perfect system. You never get 100% of the material back, but it’s still much better than being wasteful. The clever Germans have found a way of getting it all back by reusing bottles. Every beer or cola you drink in Germany comes from a previously used bottle that...

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One of the biggest differences in culture here is what is and isn’t considered offensive. This was immediately apparent with children's television. Cuss words don’t carry much weight here, and are freely used on Nickelodeon style shows similar to Hannah Montana, Lizzie McGuire, and their ilk. Other concepts aren’t quite as frowned upon either. Take...

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What makes a gypsy? If living in colorful wagons and dressing strangely is the requirement, then there are many in Berlin. Not far from the center of the city is the Wagendorf, or “Wagon Village”. Squeezed in between blocks of apartment buildings and a narrow river is a long row of wagons that two dozen...

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Germany has so many quirks, little differences from the USA where I was raised. I should have started documenting these when I first moved here five years ago, but better late than never. I’ll start with something simple; the beds. As you can see, pillow are square and rather flat. Folding them in half brings...

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