One driving adjustment that I had to make over here in Germany was learning to play the game of chicken with on coming cars driving down narrow roads. Of course there are US cities with narrow roads and there are wide roads in Germany, but on average the streets here are pretty narrow. Some roads are two way roads, but with cars parked on the sides of the streets they turn into roads only wide enough for one car to pass. This might be expected to happen more on side streets or residential neighborhoods, but there are MANY main roads that are really narrow here in Germany.
For example, in our small town the main road that goes through the center square has a section that narrows right by the butcher shop, bio market, and bakery. It is a pretty busy intersection, but the road isn’t wide enough for parked cars and two cars to drive in both directions past. So you have to stay on your toes driving and constantly judge in advance, who you think will win the game of chicken… will you get through the narrow space first or will you have to duck over into a small spot between two parked cars (if you are lucky) and let the other car pass?
(Photo – This is Burgstrasse in Rehau, Germany. We lived in temporary housing here for 6 months. It is officially a two way street, but with the cars parked on the side only one car can drive down this street at a time. This street is right off of the main street going through town.)
* FINAL DISCLAIMER – I want to make one more disclaimer about the “Monday Weekly Post @ What I Miss the Most” – it could more accurately be described as “Monday’s Post Will Be @ the Differences I See”. It is less a focus on missing things, but more a focus on the differences. Maybe I will change the label….. but I really like the rhyme and catchiness of the first one :)
What do you guys think? Change it or leave it the same?
Hopefully it will be good to document the cultural differences that I see here in Germany. Someone else moving to Germany from the US might appreciate reading about the differences and maybe they will relate, laugh, or connect with these posts. I can only hope that my posts help just one other person. Lots of Love – Judi
