OP
OP
- Location
- London
aren't there some tics?
Not fatal methinks but can be serious.
(not that I would let it bother me)
Things you rather like about this country
- Thread starter Blue Hills
- Start date
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Not fatal methinks but can be serious.
(not that I would let it bother me)
Andy in Germany
Guru
- Location
- Freiburg im Breisgau
Arguably some have German as their second language with some of the local dialects.
It's life, and part of living in another country. I'm not complaining though as that would defeat the point of living here...
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Andy in Germany
Guru
- Location
- Freiburg im Breisgau
I have some clients who absolutely love English humour, and some colleagues who are utterly bewildered by it.
OP
OP
- Location
- London
maybe doubly so if you're northern.
I've quite often had foreign folks not being able to tell if I'm being serious or not.
Ming the Merciless
There is no mercy
- Location
- Inside my skull
I like it that for the most part people mind their own business and you get to have space outside your home. I’d hate it if I lived somewhere where every time I was stationary someone came up to see what I’m up to.
I suppose it’s polite distancing. Most conversations you do have are polite and not intrusive or questioning.
I suppose it’s polite distancing. Most conversations you do have are polite and not intrusive or questioning.
OP
OP
- Location
- London
Yep,in Italy you have to carry ID with you and present it with no reason having to be given.
I don't when there - partly principle and partly practical (my ID would be my passport and where would I be if I - quite likely - managed to lose it?).
Being driven by an Italian pootling though a town we were pulled over by the carabinieri and they asked for IDs. Driver told them I was English and they smiled and made nothing of it. I don't think they thought I was taking a proud stand for freedom though, just simple-minded.
OP
OP
- Location
- London
Am neither religious nor I think have a fine appreciation of music but I was once moved to near tears by this incredible piece at a lunchtime concert in Southwark Cathedral*
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iT-ZAAi4UQQ
Not only beautiful but mind bogglingly complex - how he did it without a computer I don't know. Must have been possessed.
* It was a Japanese choir though. A bit of web digging tells me that it must have been the Kyoto Echo Choir.
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Ming the Merciless
There is no mercy
- Location
- Inside my skull
Perceptions around the world about our country are also interesting.
I was travelling in China 20 years ago. Just back packing on my own. I was on an overnight bus that crashed on a mountain road. They took us to a village restaurant where we were fed and served beer till a replacement bus arrived. They refused payment. A month or two later I got into a discussion about the USA when eating at a café. Unknown to me they paid for my meal and drinks when they left and didn’t tell me. In South America a number of times families invited me to stay with them when I arrived somewhere late off a bus with no accommodation.
I’ve retained good impressions of the countries I’ve visited over the years. The vast majority of people in most countries are good hearted people. They have good impressions of Britain and the British. That manifests in different ways. I hope the way I behaved and acted when abroad continues to give a good impression of the British. Plus how I act now.
I can’t see as many Brits accepting a foreign stranger into their homes as I saw abroad. But I’d like to think if some one needed help they’d get it.
I do believe that the less a person has to offer, the more of it they will offer. Maybe the richer a country gets the more that is forgotten. You forget what it’s like to be in need or struggle.
I was travelling in China 20 years ago. Just back packing on my own. I was on an overnight bus that crashed on a mountain road. They took us to a village restaurant where we were fed and served beer till a replacement bus arrived. They refused payment. A month or two later I got into a discussion about the USA when eating at a café. Unknown to me they paid for my meal and drinks when they left and didn’t tell me. In South America a number of times families invited me to stay with them when I arrived somewhere late off a bus with no accommodation.
I’ve retained good impressions of the countries I’ve visited over the years. The vast majority of people in most countries are good hearted people. They have good impressions of Britain and the British. That manifests in different ways. I hope the way I behaved and acted when abroad continues to give a good impression of the British. Plus how I act now.
I can’t see as many Brits accepting a foreign stranger into their homes as I saw abroad. But I’d like to think if some one needed help they’d get it.
I do believe that the less a person has to offer, the more of it they will offer. Maybe the richer a country gets the more that is forgotten. You forget what it’s like to be in need or struggle.
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Andy in Germany
Guru
- Location
- Freiburg im Breisgau
I recently discovered that I don't actually have to carry ID here unless I work in certain industries, one of which is the construction industry; I forget the others. If I don't have my ID when checked I have to show it as a police station within a week or two.
In practice I carry it most of the time as it's useful, and proves that this person with a British accent is allowed to live in Germany.
On the other hand I now feel very uncomfortable with all the CCTV cameras on the streets in the UK. CCTV is only allowed in very specific situations here, and signs are displayed where cameras are deployed.
OP
OP
- Location
- London
yep I have the idea that germany is very hot on privacy.
Some idea around that this is related to their history but don't know if this is true.
and yep - virtually impossible to avoid being filmed here.
Andy in Germany
Guru
- Location
- Freiburg im Breisgau
Yes it is: switch "Streetview" on, on Google earth and zoom out over Europe an you'll see an example of it.
Effectively the constitution says a citizen has copyright of their face. It's a bit more nuanced than that but that's the basic result.
bitsandbobs
Über Member
It's not really legal restraint that's prevented collection of streetview data in Germany. Google will blur any house should the owner request so and in Germany a high number did, so Google just stopped collecting data. It's a bit contradictory given that Google has something like a 90% share of the search engine market in Germany. Maybe google should stop German users from accessing streetview data outside of Germany!
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Andy in Germany
Guru
- Location
- Freiburg im Breisgau
I saw the streetview car pass us nearly a decade ago, so they took the pictures. I wonder if they decided it wasn't worth the hassle because so many people asked for their house to be blurred out?
bitsandbobs
Über Member
Yes, that seems to be what happened. They did say last year they were going to start collecting more data in germany.
swee'pea99
Legendary Member
Way way back, cycling in the boondocks of the Peloponnese with a friend, both of us tall, lanky and blond. We'd pass people and shout hi, and they'd wave back cheerfully. Quite often, they'd say 'Allemanya?', or however you spell it - anyway, German, in Greek: at the time, there were many more Germans travelling in those parts than Brits. We'd call back 'No - Anglia' 'Ah! Anglia!'.... the beaming smiles were a sight to see!
