Literal Translation: Aachen: Some of the Little Things

Here is a list of some of the differences I've experienced in everyday life in Germany versus America.

The Germans seem to have a strange affinity for fresh air. Even now in December, I'll walk into the kitchen to find the window cracked. The windows themselves are rather differently constructed as those in most of America. They have a handle that can be set to three positions. Down is locked; parallel to the ground allows the window to hinge open like a little door; up keeps the bottom edge of the window in place while the rest tilts inwards slightly.

This is an excessively small matter, but all the light switches I've seen have been large square "pads" that you tilt down to activate.

While I know this is not the only type of switch used in Germany, I like the design. It's very easy to activate when you're groping around in the dark. Moreover, it doesn't hurt as much as the more angular designs when you bump into it.

I keep coming across doors which do not have a turn-able handle on the outside. Instead, the door automatically locks and you can only open it with a key (or a credit card...)
Moreover, I can only turn the deadbolt using my key, even when I'm on the inside. Therefore, someone could quite easily lock me into my room. Fortunately, climbing out of the window is no problem!

Many bathrooms require a fee to be used. The fee ranges from around 20 cents to a whole Euro! If you're broke and desperate I recommend that you find a Starbucks. They seem to always have open access bathrooms. I do not know what the case is for other restaurants and cafes.

Many plastic and glass bottles have a slight extra fee attached called Pfand. Upon returning the bottles at a Pfandstation, you're reimbursed for this amount. The returned bottles are either rewashed and reused or melted down and recycled.

In grocery stores, the cashier will not bag your items for you. Nor are the bags free. You can either buy the sturdy, long lasting bags there (usually around 10 to 25 cents) or you can do what I do and bring a backpack and your own bags.

The shopping carts have coin activated locks. When you insert a Euro into a slot, the chain binding one cart to another will detach. The coin is freed when the cart is linked to another one once more. This is not really an anti-theft measure so much as an anti-laziness measure. People in Europe put their carts back in the right place, darn it!

Germany is very bicycle friendly. Aachen in particular has numerous bike lanes on the road, a section of the sidewalk designated for cyclists, more bike racks than parking places, and even stop signals specifically for cyclists. If you're a pedestrian, keep your eyes peeled and don't play chicken on a crowded road. Not a good idea.

The traffic lights, unlike in much of America, hang on the same side of the intersection as the cars they are directing. This makes it far more difficult as a pedestrian to see what light the cars have. Moreover, most of the stoplights for pedestrians do not have a countdown. They are either red or green.

These light setups may contribute slightly to the German aversion to jaywalking. At an empty intersection in the middle of the night with no cars in sight in any direction, pedestrians will still usually wait for the light to turn green for them.

Tickets for public transportation can be purchased online for longer trips or at the train station / bus stop. This is usually done via an automatic machine, not by going to a ticket window. Even with the buses, you buy your ticket before getting on. Very occasionally, someone will come through the bus or train to check that everyone has their ticket. This system makes loading buses much easier. You don't have to wait for each person to flash a pass or hunt for the right change. The disadvantage (or advantage depending on your moral compass) is that one can ride for free at rather low risk.

Literal Translation: Aachen