Expatica readers present their advice for getting by in Germany.

DRIVER'S LICENCES

If you have a US driver's license and plan to stay in Germany for a longer period of time, be sure to apply for your German driver's license at your local office of motor vehicles (Straßenverkehrsamt - Führerscheinstelle) within six months of establishing residency. Technically speaking, you are not allowed to drive with your US license in Germany beyond this initial six-month period.

Depending on which state issued your US driver's license, however, you may be eligible to receive a German driver's license without having to take an exam or driving classes. These can be quite expensive (plus it's just more bureaucracy), so really worth avoiding if you can. A list of which states' licenses can be converted and which not is listed on the German embassy website. They also have more detailed information on the relevant regulations and what's involved: http://www.germany.info/relaunch/welcome/travel/driving.html

In the event that you do need to take the driving test or exam (or if you simply want more information on driving in Germany) this website also has great information http://gettingaroundgermany.home.att.net/auto.htm including rules of the road, traffic signs and signals, etc.

And an additional note: When you apply for your German license, they will tell you that you need to give up your US license in order to receive a German one. It is, however, possible to appeal this! Given that US driver's licenses are de facto identification cards in the US (critical for many daily interactions, including banking, etc.), the argument can be made that giving up your US license poses undue hardship, especially if you travel frequently to the US. Just have a German friend write a petition letter for you. It may also help if a German friend accompanies you to the Straßenverkehrsamt. But this, of course, is true no matter what bureaucratic issue you're dealing with, and no matter how good your German is!

-- An American expat in Germany

RESTAURANTS

A real tip for wine and cheese lovers in Frankfurt: Picollo Mondo dei Vini, Bornheimer Landstraße 56, 60316 Frankfurt am Main (Nordend, near Friedberger Platz). Telephone: 069 944 11 277. This is a very small place, mainly intended as a wine bar, but the owner offers some wonderful cheese platters and other small dishes such as pasta and antipasti, at fair prices. The quality of the wine is astonishingly high.

-- Katy Peetermans

Good beer, authentic beer garden atmosphere, reasonable prices and decent food too in Berlin Neukölln. Look for the Brauerei Rixdorf (microbrewery!) at Glasower Strasse 27, in what was our family home until 1987. Makes for a fun time, great place for parties and events, great outdoor beer garden, off street parking and close to buses and U-Bahn (Grenzallee Station). Internet: www.brauhaus-in-rixdorf.de (I can confirm this is a very nice pub! - Ed.)

-- F. Peter Weeren

SHOPPING FOR FOOD

Kaiser's Online (http://www.kaisers.biz) is a great delivery service for the supermarket basics and http://www.oekodorf-brodowin.com/ is an organic delivery in Berlin that has been recommended to me.

-- An American expat in Berlin

USED CARS

I am a contractor in Germany, and have found a very useful classifieds/used car site for English speakers in Germany: www.portalgermany.com. There's lots of info about how to register etc in USAREUR (United States Army Europe. - Ed.). It's also kind of nice to see pictures of the cars before you even contact the seller.

-- Paul J. Gregory

COMPUTER SPECIALIST IN BERLIN

I can recommend the computer specialist Sebastian Mueller in Berlin. His company is called Adler PC, tel. 0177 649 4858. His email is sebastian.m@adler-pc.de. He speaks good English.

-- An American expat in Berlin

BERLIN TIPS

I am German, born in Berlin and lived there for the past 20 years. I'm now living in England and study at university in the north. I know some great locations, bars, restaurants and clubs in Berlin!

Locations: Potsdamer Platz, Sony Center, Unter den Linden (including Brandenburg Gate, Hotel Adlon, the State Opera, up to Berliner Dom, Bebel Platz...you can walk that street and see amazing things from the Brandenburg Gate up to the Dom! It is great!), Friedrichstrasse including Checkpoint Charlie (the museum about the Berlin Wall is a must-see), Gendarmenmarkt, Hackescher Markt).

A boat tour on the rivers is nice as Berlin has as much water as Venice, and there is a lot to see from a boat.

The Ku'damm (Kurfürstendamm - Ed.) for shopping, its history including the bombed church, which still remains with a bombed tower as a symbol, and to get a feeling for the Berlin of the 20's and 30's but also post-war time, when this was the centre of Berlin and old West Berlin. Now another big attraction is the Potsdamer Platz Arkaden shopping centre for shopping, eating and to be close to the centre.

A great tour to do, especially for people who don't have much money, is to catch a 100 bus which will take you to all the sights to see in Berlin.

Another great thing to see is the Olympic Stadium as well, especially after the World Cup. They do extra tours for tourists to see the parts which were of importance for the World Cup. Great tours!

One of the "in" locations for eating is the Hackescher Markt ( close to the TV Tower and Alexanderplatz). Mr Wong and Pan Asia are THE places to go to meet celebrities and Berliners! But be careful on weekends as it gets busy and reservations must be made!

The good old clubs are : Felix, Dante, Sage Club, Havanna. and the ones that become attractive for Berliners now are located in the old east part of Berlin. Just check the website www.berlin.de for times and everything else!

Something very special about Berlin is that it is so green! The nicest part of Berlin is probably Zehlendorf in the south west. That's where I come from and I can tell you it is fascinating at all times of the year! It has amazing lakes like Schlachtensee, Krumme Lanke, and the biggest one of them, the Wannsee. In summer they get very warm, so nice for swimming and in winter they freeze over, so Berliners meet for a good game of ice-hockey!

There is so much to see and people shouldn't forget that there is lots to see in Potsdam as well, which is another city just 30 min from Berlin town centre. The amazing thing is that you can go everywhere by U-Bahn or S-Bahn (tube/subway and light railway) and they are reliable and cheap!

Berlin in general is cheap and it is so worth visiting not just once but many times!

-- Alex

GERMAN CULTURE

Note: Most of my tips apply strictly to Hessen.

First of all I think it should be a prerequisite to own and wear daily the "A GROUCHY GERMAN IS A SOUR KRAUT" t-shirt.

Try as hard as you can not to let your German colleagues wear down your good cheer on Mondays.

Beware of living in small villages, the old ladies have got nothing better to do that to talk about the new guy in town especially if you are an Ausländer, it's even worse if you are ex-military. I'm not ex-mil but I can testify to the fact that even though I have lived in Gusternhain (600+ Einwohner) for a month shy of three years they still look at me like I'm from outer space when I drive or walk by. Don't take offence to it, it's just the way they are.

Have all your facts in order before you speak to the locals on certain subjects. If they notice that you are just bluffing on a topic, you have just lost their respect.

Never ever let sensitive documents expire; ORDNUNG is holy German writ and they have little patience for excuses when it comes to documents and papers.

Punctuality also has a holy place in German society, best to arrive five minutes early. Excuses such as "my watch stopped" or "my watch is not in synch with yours" will no longer be accepted after you have lived in Germany more than one year.

That reminds me, most Germans will tolerate social faux pas within the time span of one year, after such you will be held accountable.

Never make jokes unless you are prepared to tell them that it is in fact only a joke (Witz). For example I suggested to a cousin of my wife that we ought to try "shooting paint balls" sometime. Where I was inclining that this might be an interesting idea, he on the other hand took it quite serious. In fact he called me the following month to ask if I was ready to go with him (he had since our conversation taken the time, cash and energy to buy all the equipment). Basically don't say it unless you're 100 percent prepared to follow through, and at best in the next 48 hours.

Avoid slang such as "it blew my mind", "pulling your leg" or "that's the bomb". A small handful of Germans know not to take such things literally but the majority who can speak English will attempt to translate this quite literally into German, which of course make no sense at all.

I could go on and on but here are a few of the fundamentals that I have learned in the last three years... Hope this helps.

-- Eric Gilkison

SPEAKING ENGLISH

When I first moved to Germany I noticed when I'd ask a German, "Do you speak English?", the answer would almost invariably be "Nein."

However, if I'd ask, "Do you speak a little English?", the answer was almost as invariably, "Yes, a little."  And often, the person would be fluent!
 
-- Lou Novacheck

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A very sincere "thank you" to all Expatica readers who took the trouble to write in with their tips. We appreciate your input very much!

David Gordon Smith
Editor-in-chief, Expatica Germany

31 October 2006

Copyright Expatica 2006

Subject: living in Germany, tips and tricks for Germany, My Germany, expats in Germany