startled

Berlin is a world-famous destination for electronic music, but this city has so much more to offer than just techno! Check out some of these up-and-coming bands!

This unremarkable photo from Alexanderplatz shows a remarkable cultural difference between Germany and the US. There’s a light-rail train running right through the middle of one of the largest pedestrian malls in Berlin. There are no fences to prevent people from walking onto the tracks, no gates to control the crossing areas, no curbs around the track, and no signs helpfully warning pedestrians not to get hit by a train. Pedestrians cross the tracks frequently, and somehow manage to avoid being squished in the absence of these safety features. The trams don’t even make much noise to speak of. While I assume they have a horn of some kind, I never heard one used.
In contrast, a forklift being driven at a slow walking pace through Home Depot must beep incessantly while accompanied by a second employee who walks alongside and shoos shoppers out of the way.

I’ve noticed far fewer guard rails, warning signs, and posted restrictions in Europe: people are expected to pay attention and avoid obvious dangers on their own. Messages like “Don’t get hit by a train” or “Don’t fall into the canal” are left implicit. A stop sign is a rarity, but yield signs are commonplace. The general message from the urban environment is “Use your best judgement.” I have no idea how well this strategy works, but it does feel nice to be treated like an adult.

I’m pretty sure this branding for Berliner Kindl Weisse wouldn’t fly in the states. The mildly alcoholic beverage in this photo is bright green because it’s mixed with Waldmeistersirup, which is sugary and bright green to make it more appealing to the kinder.

It seems obvious in hindsight that the first business on the American side of the historic east/west border would be a McDonald’s. The soldiers keeping watch over the checkpoint today are German actors: you can get your picture taken with them for just €2.

Let me explain the problem for those unfamiliar. They don’t drink water in Germany. If you have been coddled by a hydrophilic upbringing in the United States, you might be used to plentiful, free, and typically iced water being available (or, indeed, foisted upon you) in restaurant situations. I am lucky to live in a country of means, and I know there are places in the world where acquiring potable water is a daily struggle, but I did not expect the world’s fourth-largest economy to be such a place.

Restaurants are always keen to sell mineral water, which is like regular water that you leave sitting too long in a tub of selenium. To add insult to aftertaste, the tiny bottles of mineral water are always the most expensive beverage on the menu. Unfortunately, those less expensive options all have counter-productive, dehydrating effects: coffee, Coca-Cola, beer, wheat beer, light beer, dark beer, non-alcoholic beer, etc.

I’m generally opposed to paying for gross-tasting, overpriced, environmentally-unsound bottled water, but I cannot drink principles. I once tried ordering “ice water” (as opposed to bottled “still” or “mit gas”) in a restaurant, and the waitress was completely confused by my request (“Eis” turns out to mean “ice cream” more often than it means plain old ice.) Once she realized what I was asking for, she said maybe they could serve water if I ordered a glass of wine, but certainly not just a glass of water by itself. That’d be weird.

The tap water I’ve taken to guzzling out of the sink is probably not going to kill me, but has given me a newfound respect for EPA water quality standards. Dear City of Mountain View municipal water supply: I’m sorry I ever thought mean things about you. You’re delicious! In the meanwhile, when in Berlin: