After more than one year of living in Germany, I definitely have my favorite (and not-so-favorite) things about this country. This list is not meant to be exhaustive, but I just wanted to share some fun and also significant things that I love about Germany! Check out the corresponding video below.
5 of my favorite things about Germany
Number one, both on the list and overall, is the wealth of history to be experienced in Germany. There are so many things in this country that are older than my home country of the USA. It’s so incredible! I have such an appreciation for discovering history in different places. Anyone who thinks history is boring should visit the places they are learning about to help it come alive! I especially love the museums and the great cathedrals and architecture.
The second thing I love about Germany is the food quality. I referenced this in another video, which you can find HERE. I’m talking about the food quality at both grocery stores and at many restaurants. Now, don’t be mistaken: Germany has plenty of junk food and unhealthy dishes! And not every restaurant is a 5-star. But I definitely can taste a difference in food quality across the board, generally-speaking. A couple things that I can really tell a difference with are the eggs (free-range kind) and chicken (even the non-organic chicken!). The produce, even at discount grocery stores like Aldi, is fresh and high-quality.
Number three is the Christmas markets! Need I say more? 😉 There is nothing like a German Christmas market to get you into the Christmas spirit. Since pictures speak louder than words, I’ll drop a couple pictures below.
The fourth thing I love about Germany is the openness to holistic remedies. I am a registered nurse and trained in conventional medicine. I have a great appreciation and thankfulness for conventional medicine, as there are many wonderful things about it. I also appreciate holistic things, like vitamins, essential oils, homemade DIY remedies, etc. I love that I can go to the pharmacy here (called the “Apotheke”) and ask the pharmacist for more natural things instead of drugs, like D-mannose for urinary issues and probiotics for gut health. They are familiar with these types of things.
The last thing on my list of things I love about Germany is the Autobahn and how safe it actually is! Now, if you had asked me this a year ago, I might’ve said, “No way! The Autobahn is super scary and I don’t like it!” It does take a little getting used to. But once you are used to it, you will appreciate it because you can get from point A to point B so quickly. And believe it or not, the Autobahn is very safe. I rarely see accidents on it, and mostly everyone follows the rules, it’s very orderly, people know how to drive, they don’t pass on the right, etc.
Bonus item I love
I do have a bonus item for my list: I love the proximity to other countries for ease of international travel! We can drive a few hours and be in a new country, which is something that most people in the United States cannot do. We have definitely taken advantage of this and have driven to France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria, and Switzerland.
So those are some of the things I love about Germany! It’s a blessing being stationed here and we have so many things to take advantage of in this beautiful country and continent. 2019 is filled to the brim with plenty of travel adventures and professional/personal goals. I can’t wait to share them with you all!
Music credit: http://audionautix.com – “Folk Bed”, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License