Germans ride their bikes, a lot. In fact, 12% of the people use a bicycle in Berlin as their only transportation. There are specific bike lanes almost everywhere you go. I have now gotten into the habit of not just looking before I cross the street, but before I cross the bike lane in order to get to the crosswalk to cross the street. Should you even dare to stand or walk on the bike path, the Germans will ring their annoying little bell that essentially means, "get the hell out of the way, NOW!" If you remain in their way, most Germans would have to think twice about which would be more ethical: running over you or re-routing their path. Germans also love their bikes so much, many trains and busses have a specific holding place (which then takes up seat space, might I add) for your bike when you want to take it to another part of town to ride around there.
There are obviously (because it's Germany, duh) many rules to bike riding that everyone must abide by. So much so, when I lived here in 2006, my house mother wouldn't allow me to ride a bike for the first couple weeks because she didn't trust that I knew how to signal when I wanted to turn onto another street. When she finally gave me a bike to ride, the chain came off on my first adventure, causing an accident (only with myself), which included a nice gash in my leg. I'm not really sure she trusted me on one after that, because I couldn't ever just go get a bike out of the shed, she had to be the one to get it, so she knew when I was actually using one. Needless to say, I have not attempted any sort of bicycle anything while here in Berlin, including a bike tour of the city, or the Beerbike you can take with a group of people and a bar tender - you paddle around the city center drinking beer for an hour or two. Perhaps I'm un-German that way.
Flowers:
Germans love their flowers. There are flower stands everywhere selling all sorts of arrangements, for dare I say, cheap prices. When you get on the trains or busses or are simply just walking around you are guaranteed to pass someone carrying flowers. Why? In Germany, you don't go to someone's home without flowers in hand. Americans bring wine, or sometimes food, but in the good old fatherland you bring flowers. Not much more to add to that other than it MUST be in odd numbers - apparently even numbered bouquets just don't look full enough.
Dogs:
There are so many things I could say about dogs, but an excerpt from a reading we had for class does it all the justice in the world. Therefore I'm just going to quote what it says:
"The Germans are fond of their pets, which come in two forms - Alsatians, and preposterously small poodles wearing little woolly jackets and ribbons in their hair. The point of these creatures is to be Obedient and Loyal (Alsatians) or to eat expensive chocolates and pooh everywhere (poohdles). Saying anything rude (or even mildly critical) to a German about his dog is more than your life is worth. All dogs are beautiful, and the world is their litter tray.
Those Germans who do not own a dog are strange (and could even be eccentric). Those who own a cat are certainly Communists and may be cut dead in the street. If the man next door acquires a budgerigar or hamster, any self-respecting German will think about moving house (and perhaps going to another town all together)."
- "Xenophobe's Guide to Germans" by Stefan Zeidenitz and Ben Barkow
Honestly, it's true. German dogs go EVERYWHERE (the train, bus, shopping malls, etc.), and probably the most popular breed that I've seen here is the Dachshund; but, I think I've seen just as much a variety of breeds here as I would at home. They are THE most well behaved dogs you will ever see. Constantly 100% in tune with their owner, their voice and their command. Then I think of Lucy - yeah, right. The only complaint most people have is that owners do not pick up after their dogs poo, which are called land mines. Not to be confused with the myth of land mines in No Man's Land during the divide, which only actually existed between the borders of East and West Germany, not Berlin. Regardless, it's gross. Other than that minor downfall to the German order, dogs clearly only add to society here, and are far more accepted than in America.
And that, friends, is just a tid bit of what all you would need to know in order to get along in German society today. Sure there are lots of things that make this country go round, but these three things here, are all that you truly need.
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