strictly come dancing

It happened during a wedding this summer, the DJ was playing Metallica with "Nothing else matters" and the guests on the dancefloor did what they were supposed to do -they danced.
Nothing new there. The thing that amused, confused and astonished my husband was this:

All those crazy Germans were waltzing. Proper ballroom dancing. Nearly as if they would have been magically transported to the Vienna opera ball.

For me this sight wasn't unusual. Here in Germany it still is more or less the norm to attend ballroom dancing lessons during the teenage years (which in many cases not only results in some nifty turns and moves but in dating, discos, and dramas).
Not sure about any figures but I would assume that at least 50% of all Germans are capable of at least basic Waltz, Cha-Cha and Discofox.

Correct me if I'm wrong (or maybe just married into the wrong family) but in the UK ballroom dancing seems to be something you watch when "Strictly Come Dancing" is on tv but not something you actively learn and do. And definitely not when "Nothing else matters" is on.

Bit of a shame I think.

bath time

Although Brits prefer soaking in a bath to taking a shower the choice of bubble baths, bath oils and especially bath salts is surprisingly limited in the shops.
In an average chemists you will have the choice of maybe 8-10 bottles of different scents but that is pretty much it.
In Germany the health aspect of a bath seems to be much more important (at least for marketing reasons). Baths fighting sore muscles, unblocking your nose, warming you up, healing your skin, relaxing your mind, making you tired, giving you energy, big bottles, small bottles, jars, sachets, etc.

I´m not pretending that you need this choice but I definitely have to import loads of sachets all the time to keep my bath time on the island interesting...and healthy ;-)

curtain call

In Germany the applause after a theatre performance or a concert is usually long, the actors have a pre-written routine who walks out in front of the curtain when and with whom. If the audience hated the evening they will applaude as often put in the reviews only "politely" for several minutes. During some especially emotional performances you will get some "Bravo!" or "Buuuuuh!".
Normally the curtain shuts, the last note is played and the last word spoken and there is a small moment of silence - partly insecurity on the part of the audience if it´s finished now or not, partly to breath out and let the just experienced sink in a little.

In the UK this is quite different. Normally the applause has a strict routine as well and doesn´t take longer than 2-3 minutes. There can be some excitement expressed through "Wooooo" shouting and feet stomping (which in some of the dilapidated theatres in London can get very scary, I´m only reminding you of this). There are exceptions from the rule as just experienced in The Royal Albert Hall after a Prom concert were the audience got quite exstatic and applauded for well over five minutes.
Another difference - last word spoken and: boom, the clapping starts.
No moment for reflection, no nothing.

So, if you are British and visit a theatre or concert hall in Germany - don´t get bored and clap rhythmically along if you really liked it.
If you are German then don´t be surprised or count it as dissatisfaction with the performance when the applause is short.

edit: As Alice quite rightly pointed out - the same goes for cinema. In the majority of cinemas in Germany the light stays out the first few minutes of the end credits, in the UK (and outside of arthouse cinemas) people storm out straightaway and don´t give a shit about the credits.

palm greasing

This morning I stumbled upon another small difference between living in Germany and living in UK.

The summer holidays have started or are at least about to start.
Kids say good-bye to their teachers, maybe only for the next six weeks, maybe they are leaving school.
In the UK (and I guess in the US as everything vaguely commercial seems to originate from there) you can buy a "Thank You Teacher" present for this occasion. These start with relatively sensible things like greetingcards up to chocolates and even personalised items (pinterest has whole boards for this, check it out if you are nosy).

If you would do so in Germany (and I´m sure it is done nevertheless) you are actually entering the realms of illegality. In Germany teachers are public servants, employed by the state, and therefore every gifting can be seen as corruption.
Another interesting little difference - no wonder I always looked a bit sceptical at all the "Thank you teacher" merchandise.

Cashier number one please!

Recently I stood in the queue at Lidl in England, not a situation that is particularly noteworthy.
I looked around me and my eyes stopped at the young women working on the till.
She was wearing her usual Lidl uniform, and: an alice band decorated with bold peacock feathers - so pretty much a fascinator.

How amazing is that?!?
Not only that I own nearly the same one, no.
The fact that she is wearing a beautiful fascinator to work at the till!
Here in Germany I sometimes don't even dare to wear one at a wedding as I fear to get stared at and then feel like a barmaid who escaped from her saloon or something out of trash tv.
I doubt any of the English customers took notice but I was delighted - three cheers for the Lidl girl! Three cheers for the widely spread British ignorance of "appropriate dressing"!

school´s out

There is one thing that I notice very often when walking through towns in England and Germany - schools. And with that I mean the buildings.
In England they are usually housed in a nondescript functional building from the 60´s up to the 90´s. Not something you need to look at because of it´s intriguing architecture for sure.

In Germany those ugly buildings do exist as well but the majority of schools, at least here, still look what I imagine an institution should look like.
Imposing palaces of varied architectural styles.
More Harry Potter, less eyesore.

You look at them and just know what the smell is like inside (I guess that counts for the English schools as well).
If you are like me and prefer to do whatever it is that you have to do in a pretty building than a functional one then in the UK you are in for a disappointment.

I´m not sure of the reason behind this - did English schools grow more and needed more space? Are there less schools there? Or am I simply looking at the wrong examples (and don´t start with Eton now)?
If you know of a school in the UK that is still within it´s old and impressive building then please let me know!

final curtain

Germany, the curtains are shut, always.

UK, the coffin is on display.

Is death more of a taboo in Germany? Are Brits more eager to show off their flower arrangements? Is their maybe no reason behind it at all??
If you have any idea how or why this difference evolved then please let me know!

Love actually

so, wer hier einen Adventskalender und eine gewisse vorweihnachtliche Stimmung vermisst dem kann geholfen werden. Nein, ich wechsle nicht die Seite und werde auch weiterhin keine Fotos von Kunstschnee, dicken Männern in rot und Glühweintassen posten aber:

Bei der lieben Manu eröffne ich bei ihrem Adventskalender heute den Reigen mit einer "wirklich wunderbaren Liebesgeschichte"...wer hätte gedacht, daß ich zu solchen fähig wäre :-)

In diesem Sinne, allen Lesern einen schönen 1. Advent.

Sabine and Thomas Müller

Make me a German!?!
Watched that a while ago on BBC and, though disagreeing on some things, found it very very interesting.

Have a look for yourself and let me know what you think!

'tis the season

As you all know by now I'm anything but a Christmas lover...but one thing I have to admit: the Brits do some very impressive Christmas tv adverts.
Pompous, cheesy, long...but nice. Let's have a look for yourself and enjoy cute animals, a creepy as always Helena Bonham-Carter, one hot mad hatter and some Disney magic despite the two sissies Ant or Dec :-)

11.11.

11.11. 11o'clock in the UK...and in Germany. The differences couldn't be bigger...surprised the Daily Mail hasn't picked up on this one yet.

intimate subjects

As we all know regular check-ups are vital in order to prevent cancer or to at least detect it at a curable stage.
For us ladies this involves the cervical cancer screening, the so called smear test.
In Germany this is recommended once every year, starting at the age of 20 and is done by the gynaecologist during a proper examination.
In the UK you are entitled to the test from the age of 25 onwards once every three years, done in the normal GP surgery (no specialised doctors to go to directly here) by "just" a nurse.
(Of course the question arises again if the UK is too lax here...or if the Germans overdo it again...guess the truth lies somewhere in between).

Anyway, the booking is a tricky subject for a cross-country commuter as I just found out.

me: Hello, I would like to book an appointment (gets the calendar out) Maybe next week?
lady at the desk: We have no free dates next week, I'm sorry.By the way, the test should only be done between day 10 and 18 of the cycle.
me: Ok... (browsing through the calendar...)
latd: How about the week after?
me: I'm not here. Hmm...
latd: How about the week after that?
me: Sounds great but is the wrong time of the month then.
latd: Yeah, right...hmm
me: How about August?
latd: Can't book that now. Our system is only open till the end of July.
me: Well, have to try it again then soon I guess

Not my fault, not their fault, just a very difficult thing to arrange.
Getting a life in England, a life in Germany, the administration of a surgery with more than 7500 patients and the female hormonal cycle all sorted out.
Well, have to try again then...as pleased I am about not having to go too soon I'm detemined to not let it be buried in oblivion.
See, even things like health check-ups and planning doctor appointments varies a lot between countries.

PS: Talking about cancer, or better: the prevention, detection and cure of it:
You can still support the charity Cancer Research UK through me. Next week I will be taking part in another Race for Life 10km run/jog/walk and I'm more than happy and extremely grateful for every penny coming in - no matter how much it is, no matter if you are from Germany, England or somewhere else in the world. Thank you :-)

size matters

When a baby gets born within your circle of friends or family you usually receive a card/text/mail very soon which tells you the usual parameters. In Germany that means name, date, time, weight, length and sometimes the head circumference.

Not in the UK where apart from name, date and time only the weight (and this one of course never in the official metric system but in the old imperial one aka lb instead of kg...just to be different) seems to matter.
Apparently the baby doesn´t even get measured after birth...so if you are planning to give birth on the island and want to impress and keep up with your mainland friends then don´t forget to put a tape measure into your hospital bag ;-)

leaning

 Sometimes when you wander around England you can´t help it, you will be forced to look at this:

(it´s not my own photo...I can hardly stop someone on the street asking for a photo simply cause "The way you wear your boots just looks so extraordinarily bad")

So, sometimes I want to send at least 50% of the British ladies (the men probably too - I just don´t seem to look at their feet that much) to some ballet classes...or to the orthopaedic specialist.
Your soles are made for walking - not the left or the right edge of your feet. That´s why when it comes to shoes they have a hard wearing sole at the bottom and are usually weaker on the sides.Simples.
How can you put those boots into your hall or cupboard after wearing without looking at them thinking that something is seriously wrong?!? Don´t get it.

edit: OK, this phenomenon is not limited to the UK and unfortunately can be spotted in e.g. Germany and France too but trust me, I have never seen it so often as on the island!

tasteless tin

I have a confession to make. I'm using tins in my kitchen.

Not everything and not always but apart from the absolut essential tinned tomatoes without which I couldn't cook anyhting anymore and would have to starve, I'm using tinned peas, kidney beans and mushrooms.
In Germany I have a ritual, whenever I open one of those tins I stick a spoon in and try a bit. Only for quality inspection of course ;-)
It tastes nice, I like the peas, mushrooms or beans.

Not in the UK!
Here for no obvious reasons the above named tinned goods are not salted! Means: they taste bland. Or as the German would say: wie Arsch und Friedrich.
What is it with that English aversion to taste?!
Within a meal they are usable but not otherwise. Boo.

a cross-country commuter FAQ

I divide my time between Germany and England. That simple fact leads to a lot of questions from nearly everyone.
Three questions are probably my most asked questions ever and, unfortunately, I'm growing tired of them. Not a problem in the blogosphere really but anyway, I feel the need of answering them once and for all :-)

1. England! It always rains there doesn't it?!

average rainfall/snow (precipitation) in Frankfurt: 676mm a year
in London: 592mm a year

The weather might change faster due to the proximity to the sea and the extreme hot or cold days Germany sometimes gets are missing but that's about it. I have been sunbathing in our garden while my friends at home nearly drowned.

2. England! What the hell do you eat there?

It's as simple as that: look at me and decide again if I look like someone starving for half the year.
Food in England definitely has it's strange moments and a lot of people still eat a lot of stereotypical crap but that's an option, not a rule. The choice in supermarkets is stunning, the restaurants amazing. Jamie Oliver and likewise are English after all.

3. Frankfurt and London - so you fly Ryanair, right?

No, I don't.
Apart from the fact that the company and it's principles are more than dubious, their pricing policy is simply a rip-off.

A quick calculation:

distance from my home to the nearest Ryanair hub in Germany: aprox. 100km
cost for this journey (one-way!): 15Euros
duration: roughly 120min

distance for the trip from Stansted to home: aprox. 66km
cost (depending on the connection): starting at 18£
duration: roughly 120min (not thinking about traffic in London) plus a 20min walk

versus

distance from my home to Frankfurt airport: aprox. 28km
cost for this journey (one-way!):2,55Euros (as I have a season ticket)
duration: roughly 60min

distance for the trip from Heathrow to home: aprox. 6km
cost:: I get picked up :-)
duration: roughly 15min

cost for a return ticket at a randomly picked date in late spring
Ryanair: 66 Euros
Lufthansa: 120 Euros


It should be obvious why I always chose the 100-120Euro return ticket with Lufthansa as it means 23kg of free luggage, a chosen seat, a free snack, newspapers and the hope that they always carry plenty of kerosin on board ;-)

passport issues

My passport is a freak.
On the inside it´s a virgin - no exciting stamp, no stains, no remarks, nothing.
On the outside it´s weathered and beaten-up, only through regular short-haul flights and the fact that I do not own an ID card anymore. It´s roughly four years old but every few weeks another corner gets bend or another thread of the fabric comes loose and flies away into the big, wide world.

Now this has to change, my friend has to last until 2018 and if I treat it like that it defintiely won´t.
Solution: I need a pretty passport cover!
Easy...you would think. The English shops are full of stunningly beautiful ones, I only say Cath Kidston or Paperchase and you know what I´m talking about. Brilliant...
If only there wouldn´t be a teeny tiny problem: The german passport doesn´t fit!
The reason? The British passport (which by the way is not covered in fabric) is a bendy "soft cover" where the German one is best described as a solid "hard cover". And because of it´s wider spine all pretty and cheap covers are useless.
Searching for a proper sized one now...problem so far: only find nice fabric ones (which will be even less hard wearing) or ridiculously expensive and boring black leather ones.
So, another difference ;-)

eureka!

tadatataaaa...I proudly present: my teapot warmer!

I knew London wouldn't fail me, but: the high class "we sell everything you could possibly think of and even more than that"-department stores were a disappointment too. Nothing in John Lewis, nothing in House of Fraser and even Selfridges couldn't deliver what I was asking for (browsing through those shops I unfortunately saw plenty of other lovelies which I will post about later...).
The solution came on High Street Kensington - Butlers!!!
And yes, it is a German shop. Which probably is the prove now that a teapot warmer is a German thing no one on the island has ever thought about. I guess I was the first customer ever buying one ;-)
Anyway, I suceeded in the end and now have another story proving how different both countries really are.

the impossibility of buying a teapot warmer

Yesterday was a typical November day. Wind, loads of rain and after we came home from our walk on the North Downs Way , trousers soaked full of water up to the knees, I felt like tea.
Nothing unusual there, I constantly feel like tea. As I usually drink a whole pot at once I thought I'm going to use a teapot warmer (or "Stoevchen" as you call it in German)...only to find out that we actually don't own one yet in the house.

No problem, this morning I walked into town to put a stop to this major drawback.
I had a look around Debenhams...in the christmas gifts section of Boots, Waitrose and Matalan...Robert Dyas...BHS...Argos...nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Seems I have picked the one item again that you can't get anywhere. Will try harder in London tomorrow...or just import one from Germany next time.
Tell me, is it just me who always wants the impossible? Are my taste and my needs so special? Or are all the high street shops simply too mainstream and samey?
I will keep you updated on this pressing matter...Britain the country of tea-lovers? Very funny!

edit: Just had an amazing revelation: they must exist in England! Why would a tea light be called tea light otherwise?!?

c.o.f.f.e.e.

Within the last decade or so a little revolution took place in the UK - the arrival of the coffee shop.
In bigger cities (especially London, of course) you cannot move for them. In some areas I guess you don´t have to walk more then 3 minutes to find a hot cup of coffee or what other drink you might fancy.
The three huge chains, many medium sized ones and, last but not least, lots of small and independent ones. And when it comes to coffee machines of course you get spoilt for the same choice as everywhere else.

I´m stating: nowadays the UK is a very good place if you love to drink coffee.

So why oh why does the average Brit at home still seem to drink the ghastly powder that is instant coffee?!?
Yes, it does exist everywhere else too but I have not seen anyone in Germany actually drinking it.
It tastes sour and thin, it gives me horrible heartburn, it´s definitely the drink from hell (closely followed by egg-nog). Another mysterium...
If you feel that I´m speaking about you here then please, leave a comment and explain to me what is so wonderful about freeze-dried "coffee".