Germany
Being a collection of vibrant cities with amazing architecture,enchanting medieval villages and traditional wine villages with friendly festivals and regional specialities, Germany is a land of a thousand possibilities.
Germans
Obedience is the keynote of German character. It is begun in the little children. It is maintained by the family life at home; it is furthered by the compulsory military training that every boy must have. Not that the German is a whining weakling; he is the reverse—big and stout and often full of conceit, but he has learned from early childhood to obey where obedience is due. It all makes for the strength of the nation. Another significant treat of the German character is the love for order. Everything should be on its own place in all times! And actually they expect you to do the same.
Sometimes they may be accused of being too cold. But it is not true. They are simply always busy with bringing everything in order, following general mechanism of their daily life.
Cuisine
Germany has its own food traditions that you may enjoy while visiting the country.
German breakfast (Frühstück) commonly consists of bread, toast, and/or bread rolls (the term for which varies a lot by region, Brötchen, Semmeln, Schrippen, Wecken or Rundstücke being among the most common) with jam ("Marmelade" or "Konfitüre"), marmalade or honey, eggs, and strong coffee or tea (milk, cocoa or juice for children). Deli meats, such as ham, salted meats and salami, are also commonly eaten on bread in the morning, as are various cheeses. A variety of meat-based spreads such as Leberwurst (literally liver-sausage) can be found during breakfast as well.
Traditionally, the main meal of the day has been lunch (Mittagessen), eaten around noon. Dinner (Abendessen or Abendbrot) was always a smaller meal, often consisting only of a variety of breads, meat or sausages, cheese and some kind of vegetables, similar to breakfast, or possibly sandwiches. People eat only a small meal in the middle of the working day at work and enjoy a dinner in the evening at home with the whole family.
A wide variety of cakes are prepared throughout Germany, most commonly made with fresh fruit. Apples, plums, strawberries, and cherries are used regularly on cakes. Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (Black Forest Cake) is another very well-known cake. German doughnuts (which have no hole) are usually balls of dough with jam or other fillings inside, and are known as Berliner or Krapfen depending on the region.
Bread is a big part of the German diet, and usually eaten for breakfast and as sandwiches in the evening, rarely as a side dish for the main meal. The importance of bread (Brot) in German cuisine is also illustrated by words such as Abendbrot (supper, literally Evening Bread) and Brotzeit (snack, literally Bread Time). In fact, one of the major complaints of German expatriates in many parts of the world is their inability to find acceptable local breads. German bakeries produce about 6,000 types of breads and approximately 1,200 different types of pastry.
Bread is served with almost every (non-main)-meal. Bread is not considered a side dish and is considered important for a healthy diet.
Germany's most popular breads are:Rye-wheat ("Roggenmischbrot") ,Toast bread ("Toastbrot"), Whole-grain ("Vollkornbrot") ,Wheat-rye ("Weizenmischbrot") and other Darker, rye-dominated breads such as Vollkornbrot or Schwarzbrot are typical of German cuisine. Pumpernickel, a steamed bread, is internationally well-known, although not representative of German black bread as a whole.
Religion
About two thirds of the population in Germany state that they are of the Christian faith. About half of them are Roman Catholics, the other half Protestants. Almost one third do not belong to a religious community, something that can mainly be attributed to reunification and the fact that citizens in the East German states are mainly not members of a particular confession. In the aftermath of the Nazi genocide, very few persons of the Jewish faith lived in Germany. Today, the Jewish communities have a good 100,000 members. Increasingly, other religions are gaining in importance in Germany, too. For example, many of the foreigners living in Germany are of the Muslim faith. About 3.3 million Muslims from 40 different countries live in Germany, which is why such importance is attached to the dialog with Islam.
Sports
Germany sports have gained worldwide popularity. It is indeed the national pride of Germans. Germans are also quite sport loving people. Anyone in Germany can keep himself physically active by taking part in Germany sports. In Germany group activities, team sports and competition take place very frequently. Playing with neighbors and friends is one of the leisure activities of Germans. Germans are culturally rich people and they follow their conventional tradition strictly. Germany sports also falls under the domain of cultural activities and therefore plays a major role in Germany. The German sports activities include:
- Volleyball
- Basketball
- Field hockey
- Track and field events
- Skiing
- Ice
Soccer had been the most popular game in West Germany until 1980. In 1954, 1974, 1990 West Germany won the world cup.
Tips for Living in Germany
Though everybody has much information about Germany, anyway students travelling to the country need to know some specific facts about the way the Germans live and actually what interesting Germany may offer to you.
- Try always to keep order around you. If not you will be met with reproach.
- You are of different culture and sometimes we prefer not to say a word in order to be polite, but her, In Germany you will experience real Cultural shock! They will tell you to your face that you are wrong, so do not get offended.
- Sometimes you hear things like “Germans are cold, serious, or do not have a sense of humor”. Remember, relationships are not immediately built, but they will be deeper and longer lasting.
- Though high fashion made in Germany is a firm feature on the international catwalks (Escada, Joop, Hugo Boss). In everyday life, Germans tend to focus more on the down-to-earth. But the most important is to look orderly.
- If you register, in some big cities you may get a free pass for all museums in the city.
- Do a boat trip on the Rhine or the Mosel on a sunny summer day (you should also stop over in some picturesque small village with one of those old castles – perfect!)
- Try a German Wurst – Sausage
- Do a Romantic road trip through the cities on your weekends.
National Holidays
January 1 - New Year’s Day (Neujahr)
January 6- Epiphany, Three kings
Friday Before Easter - Good Day
March or April - Easter
May 1- May day/Labour Day
