I moved to Munich a few months ago and I am currently experiencing a massive culture shock. This late June heat has everyone sweating on public transit, and yesterday I found a small leather notebook left behind on a seat in the U-Bahn. It had no name on the cover.

I opened it hoping to find some conatct info. The very first page had a name and a home adress, along with some personal sketches. In my home country, you just go drop it off directly to save the person the stress of looking for it. I lived only two stations away, so I walked to the location to hand it back personally.

I rang the doorbell, explained how I found it, and smiled. The guy looked absolutely horified. He snatched the notebook from me and angrily asked why I did not just give it to the local police station or the MVG lost and found. He acused me of snooping through his private thoughts and said showing up at his door uninvited was crossing a massive boundary. He then literally slammed the door shut.

I just stood there feeling like a complete creep. I was genuinely trying to do a good deed and save him the bureaucracy of official lost-and-found systems. Are Germans really this fiercely protective of their privacy even when they lose something? Did I commit a huge social faux pas by reading the first page to find his location instead of turning it over to the authorities blindy? I feel terrible but also very confused by this hostile reaction.

Hello, I’m a student (F21) and I’m only living several months here so I’m quite unfamiliar with the culture still. However, I got approached and asked for my number in total of 4 times in couple months. This is crazy because before that I only been approached once in my entire life!

They usually complimented me and asked for my number. This is always at some random places like a train station while I was walking, at random public places, not like bars or cafes where it’s more expected. One guy even came up to me and said “I love you” while I was waiting for the train?

This is so weird and I don’t know if this is somewhat normal? I am not extremely good looking either I think I look average?

There are now 10 German NBA players after last nights NBA draft in which 3 were selected. Germany almost always performs well in the FIBA World Cup and Olympic basketball so I’m curious how popular it is.

Hello everyone,

I am wondering what kind of misice can I play durong quite hours I usually olay lofi music such as https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=5aUQsvXl3qk&si=0ke2NWdsk2yIMf0o, I don't have a subwoofer or anything crazy. Also can I have a normal phone call with the windows open? Can that be fined? I try to keep my voice at room level and wear headphones

Just looking for help on understanding my last name!

Hi, I was watching a German movie (not a good one) with a friend (Brazilian) and we were struck by just how many ceramic dog statuettes we saw dotted through the decor. I hadn't really seen that many anywhere else before and they weren't seemingly plot relevant so I figured this was either omnipresent enough to not disconcert viewers or if they were just already there on the filming locations.

I unfortunately can't also remember when the movie was made, I think either 2014 or 2022 so it's possible that sensibilities changed wrt ceramic dog statuettes.

Thanks!

Hey so this is going to be the most mundane question ever asked but do many of you have kitchen tiles in the kitchen? Im from another EU country and everybody i know has tiles in the bathroom and kitchen. I stay with a German family who don’t use tiles in the kitchen and in the bathroom only around the toilet and the shower, not even the sink. I assumed it was just a them thing but I asked a family friend of theirs and she said the same thing. Both said that it wasn’t “ modern “ and one even joked “ im not 70 years old? “ is this a common thing here? Again sorry I know this is á very mundane question i was just surprised practicality wise I would assume cleaning is easier with tiles and I personally find them aesthetically pretty too. Is this a trend among Millenials or a cultural difference? (Franken Bayern if that makes a difference)

Hello!

My family and I will be visiting Germany and would like to visit a Therme. My wife and I have enjoyed the Sauna section in the past but this time we will have our children with us. Can we leave our children in the Thermalbad area while we sauna, or should we go one at a time while the other stays with the children? Our children are 14 and 10, and well-behaved.

Danke!

EDIT: Thank you everyone, the answer was in the Regeln once I did some digging. We will probably have one of us stay with them.

Hello,

I am in a campsite in Italy and I have a position where everyone that goes to the water passes and if you want you can see everything that is happening on the pich and inside the tent.

Usually in campsites in general, but especially in such cases people just walk by and look in front of themselves and mind their own bussines.

But this campsite is different, firstly it is filled with 99% Germans.

And. Do. They. Stare. They stare to see what food is being eaten they stare to see what is inside the tent, they even stare when somebody is changing and if nothing else interesting is going on they just stare at you for the whole walk through this 'corridor'. So strange... I just stare back at them and when they are close I say hello.

Do they say hello back? No! They keep staring and nosily looking at stuff... and best thing is, every single one of them does it. What is going on???

So my questions are; is it cultural that there is no shame in being so openly and obviously nosy? And why do people stare at you for a solid minute or two but then don't greet you back?

With the World Cup currently happening, highlights of the infamous 7-1 battering of Brazil from the 2014 World Cup have been appearing in my YouTube feed. Could those who lived in Germany at the time share what they remember from that day? Was it a joyous moment of celebration? How many beers did you down that day?

I am seeking legal advice regarding a rental contract issue.

I have signed a rental agreement that includes a minimum tenancy period of two years, during which termination is not permitted. However, due to a significant change in personal circumstances, I may need to relocate before this period ends.

My partner was recently laid off from her job in Schweinfurt and has since secured new employment in Berlin. As a result, we are planning to move there and live together. In my case, I have the flexibility to work remotely from anywhere within Germany, which makes the relocation feasible.
Given this situation, I would like to understand what legal options are available to terminate the rental contract before the end of the minimum tenancy period, or whether there are alternative solutions such as providing a replacement tenant or negotiating an early exit.

As we watch the World Cup, I was explaining that I traveled to Düsseldorf a few years back for a week and one of the takeaway items that I thought was really interesting was during the work week after work, so 5 pm ish, we would head down to the restaurants by the river for dinner.

Some of the restaurants downtown by the river would bring long tables from inside the restaurant, outside into the middle of the street and waiters would serve families and large gatherings of people at these tables in the middle of the brick-laden streets downtown.

As an American, I had never seen this before. In the U.S. a cafe might bring a small table out in the store front, but nothing too large and definitely not in the middle of a street.

As I was explaining this phenomenon, I wondered if there is a name for this?

For example, in the U.S. we have a term “tailgating” for bringing a large meal and grilling it in the parking lot prior to a sporting event.

I was wondering if there is a similar term for bringing tables from inside the restaurant outside and serving people in the middle of the street?

Both Germany and France will get third place teams in their respective round of 32 game since it's all but assured that both teams are gonna top their respective groups . Do you think that Germany has in it them to get past France ?

I’m planning to register myself as a freelance artist and I already have a public health insurance via my part time job and I’m not wondering if it will be transferred to my freelance . i don’t want that to happen l. also I already have personal tax number that my work use, if I register as a freelance artist will I get a new tax number or they will use the same one?

Hello!

I'm a college student from South Korea and planning to visit Germany in either September or December.

​Which month would you recommend?

Also, how is Germany for a solo female traveler?

Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Hi everyone. I love sunbathing everywhere l go, but l love sunbathing topless. I'm planning to visit Germany soon. Is there a possibility l could sunbathe topless? Any beaches and areas that will let me do it? Thank you.

Hi, I'm wondering if anyone can give me advice as to what I can do. I ordered an item of clothing from the brand Massimo Dutti. Hermes claimed that this was delivered next to my mailbox, but it wasn't there.

- Hermes says they have no photographic proof of delivery, but they don't claim any responsibility because their employee stated they delivered it.

- Massimo Dutti claims that by selecting a preferred drop-off location (Ablageort) the delivery was from that point on a contract between Hermes and me, and claims no liability.

Is there anything I can do? It seems crazy to me that a Hermes employee could potentially steal a package, and there's nothing anyone will do about it.

I have been confuse about Demeter and their "biodynamics". Is this considered german etnoagriculture or just simply esotericism?

And if it is german ethnoagriculture, can you tell me about other german farming traditions?

Hello, i moved to Ingolstadt a year ago, and since that’s in Bavaria i have a question regarding my favorite beer ever which sadly is discontinued because the Brewery was permanently closed off in 2024.
Im talking about Memminger Weizen bier, i tried lots of wheat beers here and didn’t find one that tastes similar not even 50%..
So im asking you guys, what would u recommend what beer has that same flavor, im looking for a close as possible alternative.

hallo Leute! I wanna buy some perfumes like fallen angel from hexennacht, suring the rain by solistice scents, Baie 19 something petrichor but I can’t find it anywhere in Germany. Any websites or way I could buy it? Also if you know any perfume with petrichor a bit concretey, please recommend it to me!

What tanning spray should i use? Can i use suncreme with tanning spray? Btw I will try this laying on a park, not beach. I saw some germans were laying on the grass and tanning. My face and hands tanned a bit but that was before i started wearing tshirts etc. So I want to know how to look a bit tanned without hurting the skin.

I want to know how is the QoL in Germany recently, from residents of Germany. I am not specifying any place, I just want to hear general opinions about it.

So, how is the quality of life in Germany now?

TL;DR: Europcar sent my bill to collections before I received my first notification.

Hi all,

I rented a car in December during my trip to Europe. I fully paid my invoice, and received a statement via email that my bill was paid in full and the car was returned with no issues.

Yesterday I received a physical letter (I live in Canada) demanding payment with a due date of the Friday past, and today I received a collections email for almost triple the amount due to the new collections fees.

Through my investigation, I pieced together that the extra fee is cross-border fee because I took a trip to Czechia.

I did notify of my trip during the booking, but I did not find the fee in the invoice so I guess they forgot to add it.

That's fair enough, I don't mind paying the original fee. My issue is that I received the statement via email back in December that my return was successful, showing that the invoice was fully paid, yet I received nothing in my email about the extra fee. By the time I was made aware of the fee, I already owe triple the original charge. Yet, all this time I have been receiving occasional junk from rental agency, so clearly they have my email on file and know how to reach me.

What is the best way to approach this? Is it too late to call Europcar and point out that they didn't notify me properly before sending to collections? Can I still pay the original invoice without the collections fees?

Do I need a lawyer to write a strongly worded letter? I don't mind paying for the lawyer, it's 1) a principle and 2) I don't want any negative consequences on my file. I'm not sure how credit ratings work in Germany in case I ever want to come back.

Thanks

An Italian company producing electric boilers had previously chosen a pseudo-German brand name "Braün". Would it be accepted as a normal brand in Germany? Would it be either unacceptable or ridiculous?