As we were out and about today around Lake Tegernsee I made a few observations on Bavaria.
Pacific northwest vibes
This area exudes PNW vibes. Devin and I talked about moving to Bavaria after our first visit. This trip has made it apparent that we found Bavaria in the US when we moved to Seattle. The list of similarities is long: mountains? Check. Alpine lakes and rivers? Check. Vibrant green vegetation? Check. Tons of outdoor enthusiasts? Check. More dogs than children? Check. Misty weather? Check and double-check.
Seattle is the US equivalent to Bavaria and we didn’t have to learn German. Let’s not talk about Leavenworth. That’s taking things a bit too far.
How doors are designed
The majority of commercial and large buildings in the US have doors that swing outward toward the street. I’m pretty sure this is for fire safety purposes so that in the event of a fire, people can egress from the building with ease. I am sure Germany has these codes as well, but they must implement them differently depending on the business size or age of the building.
We end up looking like fools at these places when we are pulling on a push door. Some are marked with the word push but most are not.
Grocery stores
Going to a grocery store in a different country is a fun challenge that on its surface seems mundane. All the actions that you perform at your local grocery store as learned behavior are gone and you have learned the new protocols of your host country. Here are a few that I’ve picked up on in Germany:
Paprika flavored chips
Germans must be obsessed with paprika-flavored chips. About 80% of the chip aisle was paprika flavored.
Translating food labels
Most foods can be identified visually but there may be those where understanding what is written on the label is necessary. When that need arises use the Google Translate app on your mobile phone. It’ll allow you to use your camera and translate text in real time.
Prices
A tax that is included on the price label. What absolute evil is this?! I desire the freedom to pay an unknown amount that is determined by my geographic location in one of the 3,143 counties in the US.
Checkout
This is probably where it is the most stressful. If you are by yourself you’ve got to bag your groceries, communicate with a human, and pay with an unfamiliar currency. If you have time during your transaction you may notice that the store employee is seated at the register. It is something that I’d wish we would adopt back home.
The grocery stores here are about the same as the ones in the US. Produce, meats, and dairy are all the same – except for the eggs, they aren’t refrigerated.
Driving
Driving here is pretty nice once you have a good understanding of some of the common road signs. Devin is still getting the hang of the Do Not Enter vs No Stopping signs.
The autobahn is extremely well marked and the on-ramps are super long and designed with super long merge lanes. The secondary roads have a lot of speed limit changes. The car we rented detects these better than I do and chimes disapprovingly when I’ve exceeded the limit by a few km.
