Good things about Germany

I like the fact that they appreciate it when you try to speak their language.

Food & wine from my home region (Suedbaden) and the Schwarzwald...

The beer and errrrrrrrr...hang on. There must be something else? Nope. Just the beer.

The weather. With the execption of the last couple usually you get 4 distinct seasons as apose to winter and July in Scotland.

Proper mountains.

Virtually litter free.

Toilets in bars and restaurants you can use.

Cycle Paths everywhere

If only you could keep on them!

I love the fact that in Munich there's always something going on, there's heaps to do at the weekends. also love that the mountains are nearby, good for skiing in winter and meandering about in the summer. the beergarden/street-cafe culture here is rather fab. as SIM said the beer is yummy! I love that Munich is a low-crime city, I feel quite safe here. oo and the location of Munich is great, near to Austria, Switzerland, France, etc lots of near travel-options!

cant say I've ever really noticed spring in Bavaria

loads of stuff inc. beer, location in Europe, the cosy towns and gasthäuse, the euro

Fuck off Allers-bloody-hausen. You bitch!

More holidays - both public and normal - and less work. That's a winner.

I like the people, the lifestyle, the public holidays (except when they fall on a weekend), the work set up (especially our fab Betriebsrat system), the countryside, the plethora of different bars and restaurants, the fact that you know where you stand with folk generally. Most things, really.

the beer... and everyone doesn't go out just to get shitfaced

oh and the fact that it's so cheap here is great!

Decent transport system (most of the time), great beer, low crime rate, proximity to other european countries.

em, all the above!

The bakeries! And the vacation plan. We only get 10 days in the US, unless you've been with a company since Jesus was born.

I like the customer service.

Dirndls, beer, cycle paths...

Toytown, of course.

They have an excellent health service.

I love the German personality. What you see is what you get...lol

Kraftwerk, Die Fantastischen Vier, Jan Delay, Rammstein, DJ Hell, Sportfreunde Stiller, Juli, Seeed, Tiefschwarz, Ame, Alter Ego, Timo Maas, Beathe Uhse, Feiertage, Natur, Bier, Health Service, Public Transport, Cycling, Security, Green-ness, und so weiter...

The weather, cycle paths, public transport, the mountains, the beer, the beer gardens, the order, the lack of little, accessible countryside and the lack of punk trouble making kids..

Health service was awesome again this week.

Accident Sunday 4pm. Went to casualty waited about 10 minutes. Saw the Doctor, got the X-Rays and all done in about 30 minutes. Had blood test, jabs, and a nice friendly chat.

Monday morning 8.30am saw my GP, drained some blood there and then etc. Tuesday morning 11.15am had the MRI scans, with instant consultation 5 minutes later and results faxed to my GP. Tuesday afternoon GP rings to say he will see me Friday please.

Berlin has the best overall attitude of any city I've been in.

I don't feel pressure to buy shit that I don't need.

The first time I've been able to live without a car... sustainable urban culture.

The Euro is worth something. People here generally have a well-developed sense of material value.

I'm learning to play Kicker with a little style.

The beer, the bread, the literature, the art, the language, the history... ja wohl.

I agree. I also agree with the "what you see is what you get" observation. And even though the rules might be a pain sometimes, at least you know where you stand, especially when it comes to consumer rights.

The incredible nature! The forest, the hills, valleys, and mountains, the waterways, the natureparks, the rain, the birds, the insects, the wild deers in the forest, the cloud formations in the sky, everything nature for me is what I really like about living here in Germany.

Munich is simply a fantastic city!! It's really just a big village. Sure, all of us expats have our complaints occasionally. But, by and large, Munich is a friendly, fun, safe and clean city with a fantastic public transportation system! It is almost dead-center of Europe, so most other cities are easily reachable. In Winter, the skiing and snowboarding are only a short drive. The similar holds true for mountainbiking in the Summer.

I'm often asked: "Do you ever think about going back to the States?"
To which I always answer: "Only to visit!"

Please can I make a formal request to the mods for post #26 to be struck out on the basis of sounding just too gay?

What is the deal with thinking only Germans have the persona of what you see is what you get? are they only ones to speak frankly on a topic? I have found all types of people here in my short time living here and see no difference from where I grew up. I already have this personality type and have no muzzle when I speak. Writing is a different story.

_{*and no I'm not German myself}

And yes I must say I'm liking this village

...back on topic... I like the ease of life here at work and of play. I'm most relaxed and not stressed since I moved here. Plus I can still indulge in the Opera world and party me pants off any night of the week if I so wish. Reminds me of home.

and also post #29 for overuse of smilies.

and strike out number 28 for the overuse of the word "gay" .

The beer, the dirndls which look like they are about to burst open, the landscape, the Alps, the Nordic skiing, the snow, the gluhwein, the great skies for astronomy, the warm weather which makes my grape bush grow like mad.

??? huh???

I rest my case m'lord.

LR seems lie she is about to burst into song "The hills are alive"

Ah yes. I had forgetten the dirndls. Wonderful things. Whenever I see a lady in one I think, "I could park my bike in there". Lovely.

Absolutely, the insects because they play an important role in the ecosystem here. The butterflies are so beautiful here and coming from a big city metropolis I'm in absolute awe of the many unusual insects that I've seen here in Germany.

Funny you mention. Apparently there is a rendition of the film Sound of Music in London where the audience is encouraged to sing along with the film.

Johnnies Top Tip for Today:

When in a hole, stop digging.

The men... God I'm fickle.

MonksTown - The customer service!!! If I hadn't been out with you last week, I'd ask: 'Are you for real?'

Methinx a new dirndl thread is called for

your what??

I'm glad someone dared. Rather suggestive, isn't it?

Jeez, everyone sounds so friggin happy.

lol! Been here so long my English is starting to get shit.

A 'Splanation: I bought this grape tree shrub or whatever you want to call it last year at a bio baumschule. Plonked it in and last summer it grew pretty well. But this year it is growing like nobody's business and has grapes on it. Next year I am hoping it will arch across to the pergola I built last year. Hopes are high the volume next summer may be so great that we can make WINE!

It is awesôme. Shall take pics if wanted.

I am shocked at the comments here on TT. You have the minds of guttersnipes!

Some of these may apply only to Munich, rather than Germany in general, but here we go: Being able to walk around the streets in safety between midnight and dawn; public transport that you can set your watch by; lots of green spaces in Munich; the "village" feel of the city ("Millionendorf") - because that's really what Munich is - a lot of villages that grew together over time, even though it's now a big city; beer gardens, even though I'm not a great beer drinker; the chocolate; the amazing variety of German bread; the relative proximity to nice places like France and Italy, when you need to escape; Toytown and especially threads like this, that remind me how glad I am that I don't live in the UK.

One thing I really miss: the sea. The ocean. The briny. Lakes may be beautiful, but they just don't compare.

I like the windows -- that you can totally open them or tip them. I like the ooooold buildings, I like the bike paths/public transportation, the fact that I can take my little fuzzy friend (dog) with me almost anywhere. I like that I still get paid on days I have to stay home sick, like today. I like how attentive drivers on the road are, and I like most of what the others said, though I´ll not agree with the weather being fabulous. That said, I do like rain, and we don´t get much of that "back home".

aw, shucks.

I like the beer gardens and the beerfests, not just the Oktoberfest, but the little ones in the small villages. I like the fact that I can drive my car at the speed I want to and not some arbitary figure dreamt up by a non driving politician. I like the fact that things are finished off properly and not just patched up. The way I can wander around Munich at midnight and nobody will bother me is great and having the mountains so close and, usually, proper winters that enable me to do something fun in the winter, skiing. I also like my nice friendly neighbours. There are things that I dislike too, but they are outweighed by the good stuff.

I like Lederhosen. RRrrhr.

I was just thinking the autobahn is something I miss.

And the beer. Good God, we paid 4.50 for a warm pint of goat piss kronenbourg at a concert last night. shudder.