9. Tax included
Every time I have visited my family in Canada over the past decade I've had that moment, in a store or restaurant of, oh, yeah. This was more expensive than it says on the price tag. Ever since OAC calculus at the end of high school, I don't really *do* math. We all have our strengths. I say that's what fingers are there for. Seriously, the EU's inclusion of sales tax in the advertised price is one of the best things about everyday life in Europe. Picturesque architecture and biking everywhere is great, but tax included is right up there.
10. World Cup mania
Now I know Montreal and Toronto are great cities to experience the World Cup in, home to people from every nation overflowing from pubs onto sidewalks cheering for their country of origin. But there is something I love about the three World Cups I have experienced while living in Germany. The entire country united, cheering for "our eleven." Women, men, children, and grandparents discussing the finer points of soccer, saying "we're playing on Friday", taking ownership of the team. The doctor and her team of assistants greet me professionally, each one sporting a soccer jersey of various teams. (Do fights out in the break room?) Angela Merkel is much beloved for flying to the games in Brazil right now, sparing no expense to root on our team in person. "Public viewing" on big screens in every bar and beer garden, faces painted and jersey's donned, it is good fun to spend summer evenings outside in a friendly crowd.
Even if watching in our quiet village, walking the baby home to bed before the end of the game I know the score by the shouts rising from homes around the neighbourhood. The streets are totally empty during a game, you could hear a pin drop between goals as German nation is glued to the television.
11. Excellent health care
... with little waiting. We have a GP, pediatrician, gynecologist, midwife and other specialists for our family when needed. All take time for us, have a friendly/personal relationship to our family (our pediatrician even came to our house for a home visit 5 days after our home birth for a routine check-up, so I didn't have to go to his office). We do pay more for our health insurance monthly than Canadians do, but I think many there would love the availability of doctors, quick, excellent, and personal care we get in Germany.
12. Kinderbasare
I've gushed about these highly organized, parent-to-parent sales before. We got most of our kids clothes, books, and toys in good quality, second-hand, for only a few Euros. Deal-hunting is the mama's high.
13. The Autobahn
Though I am not big on driving or spending time in the car, by now even I appreciate the freedom of driving the speed you want to get where you need to go. Quick and efficient, those Germans. And German drivers who fastidiously all obey the rules, stay in the right lane and only pass on the left.
14. Wine & cheese for under 5 €
When we visit Canada, the prices of both wine and dairy products take our breath away. In the sick-to-your-stomach kind of way. We've enjoyed the great variety of nice, inexpensive wines and cheeses for a decade and will have to re-orient our diets once back across the pond. Not that we live off the stuff, but I am sure the quantity and variety of cheeses will reduce (not necessarily bad for my waistline).
15. Social expectations/norms
I actually will miss certain ones, I think. There are some unwritten rules (actually, I think they are written somewhere...Knigge?) about how one is to behave, shaking of hands (even with children), greetings, holding of knife and fork, waiting for one another to sit, wishing each other Guten Appetit before eating... This was a steep learning curve for a Canadian farm girl, but these social norms I love. North Americans kind of pride themselves on a mentality of every one do what you want as long as you don't hurt anyone else. I love that table manners, which are in some places a lost art, are still widely taught and expected of all. Sometimes it just helps to know what is expected.
I will not miss being scolded on the street by strangers if I jaywalk on a red light (I mostly broke this habit but did it absentmindedly the other day, with my 3 year old son holding me by the hand. Oh, The Look and frown that old lady gave me!)
I could go on and on about bike paths, the efficient train and bus networks that are rarely not on time. Minimalist design. Cobblestone streets in the old city. Der Grüner Punkt. Cheap cell phone plans. Modern, funky, well-maintained playgrounds with huge wooden pirate ships or giant cat tales for my son to climb on. The accessibility of vacationing in the south of France or Italy for average families.
But of course, what we'll miss most are the people. Germans are famous for not making friends quickly, and taking a longer time than most to use the word "friend" to describe someone they work with, or spend time with in any regular intervals. I've heard it said that once a German calls you friend, they're your friend for life.
May it be so.
