10 Reasons Why I Love My Life in Germany

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Having lived in Germany for 3 years in 3 different cities with 3 different jobs, there’s a reason (or 10) why the decision to come back is always so easy!

1. TRAVEL. Of course, being the writer of a travel blog, the number one thing I LOVE about life in Germany (which probably applies to life in general in Europe) is the ease and affordability of travel. When I lived in St. Louis and would fly to visit my parents in New Jersey, I would be lucky to find a flight for $250. Traveling the same distance in Europe (for example, Stuttgart to Edinburgh), I can easily find a flight for less than half that price (around 100€ – or even cheaper if I’m lucky). Train travel is cheap if you book in advance and taking the bus is rather inexpensive and not sketchy compared to taking the bus in America. Not only is it less expensive, but it’s just so easy. There is always some kind of transport to anywhere I want to go. And I can do it all from my doorstep. I don’t have to drive to the airport or train station; I can just walk from my apartment door to the subway or bus. Which brings me to the next reason…
2. Walking. I can walk to the supermarket…or anywhere. It’s so great that people enjoy (or maybe just don’t mind) walking over driving and that it is possible to do so. In my hometown, not only is the closest establishment to walk to about 1.5 miles away, it’s not very safe because there aren’t any sidewalks or bike lanes. In Germany, I can walk to work in 35 minutes, the supermarket is just 7 minutes away, and three different subway stations with different lines are all a 10 minute walk away. This may seem like a fact of life when living in any city, but even rural villages have a within-walking-distance supermarket and have developed in such a way that the bus stop is accessible to all residents.
3. Work-life BALANCE. Americans seem to be proud to say “I had a fever of 101 and went to work all week” or “I haven’t taken a vacation/sick day in 3 years” and wear these facts as badges of honor. This is ludicrous to Germans. A good example of this is during my first year in Germany my roommate said “I feel a cold coming on so I’m taking two days off work.” I was quite shocked to hear this, but it really is better to take a few days at home to get better than to be sick for more than a week while drudging through work, infecting your coworkers in the process. In Germany people are more in tune to their physical and mental health and well-being and associate this with their work-life balance. They don’t feel guilty about taking vacation or sick days. When leaving the office for the evening, Germans wish one another “schöne Feierabend” which can be translated to “have a nice night off!” Upon first hearing this, I thought the person would have a day off or a long weekend in order to be given such a farewell, but really they’re celebrating that the work day is over and that they now have time to move on to more enjoyable things.
4. Simplicity. I think this reason permeates all of the others on the list at least a little bit, but I find it pertinent enough to mention on its own. German bureaucratic paperwork aside, I just find life to be simpler. I don’t have a car (or car insurance, or have to pay for gas); I don’t worry about health insurance not covering something; I know food is affordable and healthy; travel is affordable; life is less rushed. With respect to accepting engagements, I find Germans to be more reasonable in what they agree to. If it’s going to make their schedule crazy and hectic, Germans will just say no. There is no expectation to accomplish everything and be everywhere.
5. Health Insurance. I don’t have that much experience with this so far, but all-in-all I find this to be much easier and less scary than in America. This past summer, I came to America to do some rock climbing and hiking. Even though I had gotten traveler’s insurance from Germany, I was still terrified that something would happen and I wouldn’t be able to pay for it. Another example: having flat feet, I’ve had a few pairs of specially made orthotics for my shoes, which in America can cost over $300, on top of the accompanying appointments. The whole process in Germany was very simple and I paid just 25 €. I know the German system is far from perfect, but it has been a lot simpler and less worrisome than my experiences in the States.
6. Speaking another language. Ok, this one is only an advantage IF you speak another language, but it’s something I really enjoy. Being able to speak German has helped me to better understand German culture and be more involved in German life. I’ve been able to babysit German kids, have German climbing partners, hold parent-teacher conferences in German, and attend community center classes in German. Not only has it allowed me to learn about the German language but also a lot about the English language. It has developed my understanding between language and culture – particularly American and German – which has helped me to better understand myself. I also feel that I become a different person when speaking German. I can be more direct and honestly express what I think and how I feel. This is for two reasons: 1) the German language is too complicated to be overly flowery and beat around the bush when you are trying to say something (which may also be due to my limited vocabulary), and 2) German people are more direct in saying what they think. It isn’t meant to be offensive, just honest!
7. Food. Alright, as a vegetarian living in Germany it’s no secret that I’m not exactly enthralled with German cuisine. So what do I mean by food? Well, that lovely supermarket that I can walk to has AFFORDABLE and HEALTHY food for me to eat. My grocery bill in Germany is easily a third of what I was paying when I lived in St. Louis (a city known to be more affordable than most in the US). Vegetables in particular are noticeably less expensive and buying organic does not cost astronomically more than non-organic. There are also stricter regulations on chemicals being used to grow food than in the US. Even if I do decide to buy junk food, the EU and Germany have much stricter regulations on what is allowed to be in it. Again, it makes my life much simpler to know that I can rely on healthy food being sold to me and that I won’t go broke purchasing it.
8. Recycling. Wow! Germans are good at recycling! Better than any other country I’ve seen so far. With sustainability and the environmental close to my heart, I really love that Germany recycles so much and so well. In the three apartments I’ve lived in across Germany, my building/neighborhood has always had several different kinds recycling receptacles available. There’s glass – either white and colored, or white, brown, and green. There’s paper recycling. There’s bio (BEE-oh) – this is for all compost/organic waste. And there’s “gelbe Sack” which means “yellow bag”. In the gelbe Sack goes pretty much any kind of plastic – even candy wrappers, saran wrap, and aluminum foil can go in here. Lastly, there is actual garbage, which in my experience is always the smallest receptacle and is least full – just the way I like it!
9. Potatoes. oh.my.gosh.potatoes. I love potatoes, and the Germans’ love of potatoes is my saving grace as a vegetarian in German restaurants. Firstly, I love that eating potatoes as a meal is perfectly acceptable in Germany. Boiled potatoes with quark (like sour cream) and Kartoffelpuffer mit Apfelmuß (potato pancakes; known by a variety of names depending on where you are in German-speaking lands) are just two examples of potato meals. Even the children’s menu often contains pommes as a main course (fries!). Secondly, French fries in Germany are reliably delicious. I’ve had very few, if any, disappointing orders of pommes during my time here.
10. Magical Bier Gartens in the Woods. Yes, this is a thing. And it is magical. I’ve had many experiences hiking in Germany and there is almost always a Magical Bier Garten in the Woods along the way. When you come upon them you think to yourself, “You know, I really could go for a beer right now. How perfect is this?” Usually, you can even get a good pile of pommes too, or a wurst if that’s your thing.

There are lots of other reasons to love life in Germany. These are just the ones that quickly come to mind for me. For what reasons do you love living in Germany?