The absolute best time in Germany is a summer day when the sun is shining, which doesn’t often happen. Actually, God himself even tried to convince all the atheists in the country of his existence by making the sun shine throughout the entire month Germany hosted the World Cup in 2006, a more impressive feat than parting the Red Sea.
You see, to really enjoy something, you need to endure its opposite. For every sunny day in Germany you have 2 days where the skies are a mix of grays and have this constant drizzle that makes you cold and miserable. And that makes the sunny days that much better. In Germany you never take sunshine for granted; you must cherish every single ray.
On sunny days you can enjoy the lush beautiful green landscapes, from amazing Alpine vistas to yellow rape seed fields sprinkled with giant windmills, working to save our planet through biodiesel and clean electricty. You will see the roads filled with motorcycles and the sidewalks full of families riding bikes or roller blades, all gleefully enjoying their good fortune. Even the guy who normally wouldn’t take the time to grunt at you in passing will offer up a friendly reminder of the beautiful day.
You, of course, will notice things Germans do differently when it is warm and sunny. First of all, Germans don’t own shorts, unless they are for playing soccer in. So when the sun comes out and a German decides to lay out in the park, they will first put on 7 layers of clothing until they reach their tanning destination, at which point they will take off the remaining 6.5 layers.
Our idea that you should run around in the summer time in flip flops, shorts, and a t-shirt is completely foreign to the Germans, they never leave home without long pants and a jacket. Perhaps it is a side effect of all Germans having circulation problems so bad that they have to call in sick from work on such days.
deutsche Übersetzung für Astrid ein/ausblenden
Yo Astrid,
hier die Übersetzung:
Morgenstund hat Gold im Mund
Die absolut beste Zeit in Deutschland ist ein Sommertag, an dem die Sonne scheint, was nicht oft vorkommt. Gott selbst hat versucht alle Atheisten in diesem Land von seiner Existenz zu überzeugen, indem er den ganzen Monat, in dem Deutschland Gastgeber der WM 2006 war, die Sonne hat scheinen lassen, was noch beeindruckender ist, als das Rote Meer zu teilen.
Um etwas wirklich zu geniessen, müssen Sie erst das Gegenteil davon erleben. Für jeden sonnigen Tag in Deutschland haben Sie 2 Tage, an denen der Himmel ein Gemisch aus verschiedenen Grautönen ist und es diesen ewigen Nieselregen gibt, der sie frieren lässt und schlechte Laune macht. Und das macht die sonnigen Tage so viel besser. In Deutschland nehmen Sie Sonnenschein nie als selbstverständlich hin, Sie müssen jeden einzelnen Strahl wertschätzen.
An sonnigen Tagen können Sie wunderbare grüne Landschaft geniessen, von erstaunlichen Alpenausblicken über schöne Rapsfelder, in denen riesige Windmühlen stehen, die durch Biodiesel und saubere Energie unseren Planeten retten. Sie werden viele Motorräder auf den Straßen sehen und die Bürgersteige voller Familien, die ihre Fahrräder oder Rollschuhe herausgeholt haben, die alle ihr grosses Glück geniessen. Sogar der Typ, der Sie normalerweise total ignoriert, wird Ihnen einen schönen guten Tag wünschen.
Sie werden natürlich die Dinge bemerken, die die Deutschen anders machen, sobald es warm und sonnig ist. Deutsche besitzen keine kurzen Hosen, es sei denn, man spielt Fussball darin. Wenn also die Sonne rauskommt und Deutsche sich dazu entscheiden, im Park zu liegen, werden Sie erstmal 7 Lagen Klamotten anziehen, bis Sie den richtigen Ort zum Bräunen erreicht haben, um dann die übrigen 6,5 Lagen auszuziehen.
Unsere Idee, im Sommer in Sandalen, kurzen Hosen und einem T-Shirt herumzulaufen, ist den Deutschen völlig fremd, Sie verlassen das Haus nie ohen lange Hosen und eine Jacke. Vielleicht ist das eine Nebenwirkung davon, dass alle Deutschen so schlimme Kreislaufprobleme haben, dass Sie sich an solchen Tagen bei der Arbeit krankmelden müssen.
Sonnige Grüsse aus der Wüste,
John
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May 14th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
Anybody remember that cliché about Germans wearing socks and sandals in summer? I totally saw one guy doing that the other day. I felt so bestätigt.
May 14th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
I recently saw a euro-spot where a German digs a hole in the sand on the beach, and then lays in it. Can anyone explain this to me?
May 14th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
Yeah, yeah. Socks and sandals. We’ve got many of them. So sad.
May 14th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
First of all, its tube-socks and sandals
“Our idea that you should travel in the summer time in flip flips, shorts, and a t-shirt is completely foreign to the Germans”
That’s just not true, two words: “el arenal”….just google it.
Editors Note: Thanks Dent, travel was not the right word I was looking for. Next time I will finish my jug of coffee before writing.
May 14th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
@Wietold Rosenhosen:
Although I havn’t seen the spot I think that he might wanted to avoid the cold wind on the beach and therefore build a little wall, so that he could lay himself behind it.
Just my personal guess.
May 14th, 2008 at 5:50 pm
And then again, biodiesel is actually bad. But that’s just nitpicking.
May 14th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
I really have to ask, where in Germany are you?! Every time I go there it’s so nice out! Last time I was there in September/October, and it was like 30C and sunny.
I AM CANADIAN Okay, I’m German Canadian. I was just making a point.
And BTW…the socks and sandals thing is true. It doesn’t matter what type of socks…they do not go with sandals.
This year I’m bringing my flip-flops…let them stare at me
May 14th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
Let me clarify (if i can embed here:)
The spot is “Gunther the German” MTV. Although I have a German friend that has confirmed that this actually occurs….
May 14th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
Maybe this:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=_ygUYgIEHzA
May 14th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
I was attending a summer program at a US university and many guys were wearing tube socks and sandels. Very weird.
May 14th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
“Our idea that you should run around in the summer time in flip flops, shorts, and a t-shirt is completely foreign to the Germans, they never leave home without long pants and a jacket.”
Well duh, have you forgotten about that deadly moving air already?
May 14th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Many Germany still adhere to the originally British idea, that a gentleman wears shorts if at all, then only at sports or on the beach.
May 14th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
Damn, so true, so true. Good weather is a really strange thing for us germans… guess that’s an adequate excuse for behaving so strange once it happens.
May 14th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
How can you wear sandels without socks?
May 15th, 2008 at 12:59 am
I have seen Germans build sand walls around their carefully selected spots on the beach. Kinda like the old towel on the lounge chair thing they do…marking their territory, so to speak.
May 15th, 2008 at 8:17 am
Try Irleand for a change and sunny will get a whole new meaning. Mhh and I think in my generation flip-flops are actually a must have.
May 15th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
Oh man..so not true! We just had great weather for almost 2 weeks and it was actually hotter than in Spain! We own short and lots of flipflops!
I think your articles are very funny but Americans who have never been to Germany could get it wrong…you are not right all the time!
May 15th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
“Oh no! I’ve been totally wrong about Germany, I guess I’m not right all the time! All because I read Nothing For Ungood…” “And I will always….”
May 15th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
Boah……don´t tell me that it´s never raining in the US. Why so bothered bout german wheather?
But good blog! Can´t await to read the next!
May 15th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
“I have seen Germans build sand walls around their carefully selected spots on the beach. Kinda like the old towel on the lounge chair thing they do…marking their territory, so to speak.”
Usually our weapon of choice is the towel.Try to get a nice spot at the pool in a hotel full of germans. The redskins (=english people) try it every year….and they lose. MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
May 15th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
The sand walls are just a method to keep the kids occupied since the ’strandkorb’ is so far from the water the parents could never ever let their children go swimming without moving themselves and they don’t want to move. therefore the kids have to come up with something. besides throwing sand and jelly fish at their parents.
loved the first paragraph, it made me laugh so much because it is true.
May 19th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Great Blog, love reading it
’bout the sand walls at the beach: try Irland, sun bathing at freezing 9°C and a slight wind
… and have two Germans talking behind you about the crazy Irlanders (die spinnen die Irländer).
Then go back to Germany and enjoy the great weather with lots of sunshine and a real warmth
May 19th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
Our idea that you should run around in the summer time in flip flops, shorts, and a t-shirt is completely foreign to the Germans
This has changed a lot actually. Just walk around Berlin in the summer and you will see plenty of non-tourists wearing flip flops, shorts, and shirts. It’s still not as widespread as in the US, though, and getting a decent pair of flip flops is still a bit of an adventure. It’ll get there eventually.
May 19th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
Our idea that you should run around in the summer time in flip flops, shorts, and a t-shirt is completely foreign to the Germans
This has changed a lot actually. Just walk around Berlin in the summer and you will see plenty of non-tourists wearing flip flops, shorts, and shirts. It’s still not as widespread as in the US, though, and getting a decent pair of flip flops is still a bit of an adventure. It’ll get there eventually.
May 20th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
I actually are ashamed of this, but I have to admit: There’s this new trend among young germans to actually wear white tube-socks (preferably by nike or addidas) in sneakers and put the long jeans into the socks. Yeah, really, allthough you can’t imagine it at all. It sucks.
Just like wearing your sunglasses on the back of the head when you don’t use it. Or putting your shirt into your pants only on your front-side, that everybody is able what brand your belt is. Or, while walking, listening to bad Hip-Hop (mostly from the US, btw…) loudly through the speakers of your cellphone. And, additionally, doing this stuff always in groups from 3-5.
May 21st, 2008 at 10:37 pm
the pants-in-socks- thing is extremely scary… i refuse to ask people who wear that style for the way or anything… i’m sorry, but WHY would you do something like that?
and it’s not all young germans. only a small percentage. they mostly listen to bushido, from what i heard (not that i’m prejudiced).
May 22nd, 2008 at 2:47 pm
“Or putting your shirt into your pants only on your front-side, that everybody is able what brand your belt is.”
This is called a “frat tuck” in the US named after a common habit among fraternity members at American colleges (and people who like to associate with them). I’ve never seen it in Germany though.
May 22nd, 2008 at 2:47 pm
“Or putting your shirt into your pants only on your front-side, that everybody is able what brand your belt is.”
This is called a “frat tuck” in the US named after a common habit among fraternity members at American colleges (and people who like to associate with them). I’ve never seen it in Germany though.
May 22nd, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Oh, the frat tuck. Yes, in America, we spend lots of effort in making it look like we don’t care what we look like just right. Also, you must either make your bed head hairstyle just right, or tilt your baseball cap just off center.
Frat tuck has the added benefit of showing prospective mates that you don’t have a fat gut.