Slices of Life: The Little Things That Are Distinctly German

Not much travel going on these days. Baby Luke is now here and we've all been a little under the weather. As we slowly get back into our top travel form, I figured now would be a good time to reflect on those aspect of life here in Germany that make this place unique. After all, I am guessing most people would think of two things when they think of Germany: WWII and Oktoberfest. Ah, but there is so much more below the surface. Here is a quick list off the top of my head:

-Balconies with oversized Window boxes spilling over with colorful Geraniums

-Sunday closures
-Volksmarching
-Red lights at the cemetery
-Carbs
-Religious displays
-Houses close together/distinct villages
-Walkplatz
-Windmills/multiple trash cans/green culture
-Autobahns/traffic jams (staus)
-Rolladens
-Biergartens/beer culture

-Devotion to soccer
-Houses that are never finished/little deferred maintenance
-Active elders
-Nutella
-Christmas Markets

I've noticed that with a few execptions, I'd be hard pressed to find these in the US. It will definitely be hard to leave many of these behind in next year when we head back home.