Anybody know anything aboot Germany?
 

My friend want me to go with him to Germany to watch some soccer game. I don't know all that much aboot the german people, but it seems like there were a few stories aboot neo-nazis regaining popularity and such. My friend is black, and I would rather not be in a sea of drunk rascist soccer hooligans if I didn't have to be. I will probably go anyways, but I was just wondering if anybody knew what it was really like over there.

wow, it still amazes me how little many Americans know about other countries.

Having been to Germany (and its neighboring Austria) you have nothing to worry about. I find Austrians to be a kinder people in general, especially towards Americans, but otherwise they're both very fine countries and generally good people. Just go, have fun, and drink lots of beer. :)

I've heard nothing but good thing from most people. but I was just sort of wondering what it would be like for an obvious non-German

I lived most of my life in Germany and I love the country.

As long as you like beer you're good!! But seriously take this tip... try to learn a little German. 90% of Germans speak fluent English but won't speak it to you unles you attempt German. If you just start speaking English they'll either ignore you or waffle in German to you.

Yes, most Germans are arrogant... thats just the way they are... but the younger generation is fine.

Hope you go.... have a great time.

btw - where are you going. I used to be a season ticket holder for BVB (thats Dortmund) :D

very good advice - I think I had a much easier time than most because I did my best at all times to speak in German. It was actually fun - got to learn a little bit of a different language :)

My second wife was German, very nice looking girl, but very hard to get along with. Germany would be a fun place to go to. Have a great time.

Germany is a wonderfull country with a lot of nice people. Most of them speak English fairly well, but I reccomend you learn some German phrases. After all, I think it's very impolite to go to another country and expect them to speak your language. Besides, languages are fun :)

Being a Dutch guy and accustomed to many German tourists, I would second HeAtHeNs advice to learn German, Germans (like the French) take their language seriously and most of the time won't speak anything else than German unless their in a REALLY REALLY good mood or if their young...
Other than that... I've been to Germany myself and the beer is the best, except maybe beer from Belgium (I have a weakness for Palm) :D.

There *are*neo-nazis, but the German police force, especially in places like Berlin and Munich, keep then well under guard.

I have been around a fair bit of Germany, I speak a good bit of German. I have never found them to be "arrogant" in the way some have suggested.

It's common to mistake the fact that they have different manners (especially with regard to please, thank you and the way one requests things). These can seem curt to English speakers.

If I were you, stay away from bad areas (duh) in the cities and don't be afraid to sample a variety of things, especially wine food and Beer.

I've never been to Germany, but I spent a summer on the backpack/guest house circuit with Germans in Asia. I like them a lot, but you have to know one thing: for many Germans, there is only one proper way to do things, and that is the way it's done in Germany. And if somebody's doing something a different way, they'll stop everything to correct them. Don't take it personally. Somebody once described Germany as a nation of engineers; and personality-wise, that's just about right.

Which only further proves my theory, Germans love David Hasselhoff.

http://www.tvtome.com/images/people/10/0/80-6757-sm.jpg

didn't they kill a few million jews there? and there's some kinda moss in the black forest that's the largest living organism. lots of white people i bet.

Germans have slightly different cultural standards than we do. This makes them appear abrupt, uncourteous, arrogant, etc... But really that's just the way they are and the effect is usually unintentional.

There are probably a hell of a lot more "neo-nazis" and skinheads and the rest in north america than in Germany, where very strict laws against the kind of thing are enforced.

Know why the police watch all the KKK meetings in America? To protect them from attacks from activists, the KKK have a right to say what they want. These meetings would be illegal in Germany under the hate-laws.

Well baaa, you know, I got a friend who served about two years in Germany in the army. He's pretty psychotic and a bit of a skin head, and, oh yeah, he served about three years in Angola, LA State Pen, for almost killing some gay guy by throwing him off a balcony; but anyway, he said the best time he ever had in his life was when he was in Germany, so enjoy your trip.



Look at that long as freakin sentence. Marvel at it in all its gramattically correct glory.

Three words:

Ein Bier Bitte.

(spelling may be a bit off, but the subject is what's important).

Traveled a bit in Germany and found it to be excellent. Mostly stayed in the area of Berlin but hit a few of the smaller towns as well.

Hofbrauhaus was great.

They speak German there and they try to take the world over every once in a while.... sorry, couldn't resist...

They kicked off twice, and we whiped their arses.

5.1 5.1 5.1 5.1 5.1 5.1 5.1 5.1 5.1 5.1 5.1

They speak Deutsch

Germany is a great place to visit, and about the "neo-nazis", they can't be any worse than the idiots we have here in the states.

Beer: Great!
Wine: Too sweet for me but good.
Food: Good as long as you like everything fried and smothered in gravy.
People: Last I heard, they don't like us Americans too much since the Gulf War.

My experience in Germany has been that they love American clothes, American music, American movies - hate Americans. I agree with some of the above posts that if you attempt to speak some German, you'll be better received. But a lot of the older Germans (40+) wanted nothing to do with my American self except to take my money when I paid for something.

I second (or third) the culturally different statement. Many times in Germany I thought we had come across people who just didn't want us there, then they would do something so out of the ordinary to make us feel welcome. We had one waitress chase us for 3 blocks because my dad left his hat there.

As far as the Neo-Nazi rallies, normally they get more protesters than Nazis.

My parents were born there, so I may have a jaded view, but my friends and I try to go to Oktoberfest every other year, granted I have family and friends there, but EVERYONE goes out of their way to introduce themselves and then tries to discuss politics with me.

I think my friends would have been lost if I was not partially fluent in the language, but all in all, once people found out we were American, they couldn't get enough of us.

All in all, southern Germany is the best part to visit (Stutgart, Munich, Black Forect (Schwartzwald), and then you can drive to Salzburg and Innsbruck Austria, which are probably the two most beautiful cities in the World.

All you need to know what to say is:

"Ein Bier Bitte" - one beer please
"Wo ist die W.C. (pron. vay tsay)" - where's the bathroom?

Re: Anybody know anything aboot Germany?
 

Travelling from Canada, are you? ;)

I've been to Germany a couple of times. Being a foreigner is not that bad, everyone speaks english there. I've found that people are nicer in the south. Munich is my favorite city in Germany, and if you're going to watch soccer FC Bayern is the team to go for!!

If you're hanging with a younger crowd, ie 25 or younger, I found that they really just wanted to practice their english with me. I had a great time, and sometimes felt more comfortable around people in Frankfurt than I do back here at home.

So you can just say "Sprechen Sie Englisch" to like a waiter or someone and they will reply in english?

I have a friend who lived in Germany, he says all the people there know like nothing except Germany, and they were fascinated about the US.

I've been around to Germany and Austria . Great places, people are very friendly, you occassionally run into an asshole here and there ( I imagine you run into them at work daily) . The language is great, I know plenty to get around and bullshit with locals. The food and beer is great, the public transportation is amazing, the sites and sounds breathtaking. I reccomend that you go. PM me if you want more info and some pictures and shit. later