More Differences between Germany and the USA

Hey guys! I had such a fun time coming up with differences between the country that I decided to continue with a list of four more.

1. Leaving Food Outside. This might only be strange for a Floridian, but I am surprised at the stuff people don't put in their fridges. I'm the most nonplussed about the eggs. I'm sure there's a reason for it, but eggs here, in the grocery store or from a farmer, is not stored in a refrigerator. If you did that in Florida you would have salmonella for sure. The same goes for milk, which people are cool with leaving on the table for a few hours. Weird.
2. Public Restrooms aren't free. This is one of the most frustrating/annoying things for me whenever I'm in Germany. I have a very small bladder and typically have to pee every twenty minutes (at least that's what it feels like.) When you have to go to the bathroom urgently, the last thing you want to have to remember is that you need about 20 cents or more before you can even enter the facilities. As far as I understand, the money goes towards keeping the bathrooms clean, which makes sense, and they usually look a lot nicer than public restrooms in the US. But, who wants to pay for something so fundamental? At least it's the law that every food-serving establishment also has a bathroom that's free for its customers. Although sometimes in these places you have to enter a code at the bathroom door. Wow. Bathrooms are also usually either up or down a few flights of stairs in its own corridor which always makes the experience of going a bit of an adventure.
3. Prepare for Dehydration. Talking about things that aren't free that definitely should be, you can't drink water for free here. There aren't even water fountains. I know! I also think it's scandalous. It's always a rude awakening for me when I get off the plane in Frankfurt because I am always so freaking thirsty. I desperately look for a water fountain, can't find one, remember with a jolt of the injustice, and end up shelling out 3 Euros for a bottle of water. You also don't get free water in restaurants, which is a really rough adjustment for Americans, even hybrid ones. To add to the injustice, water is usually one of the more expensive drink options and it's cheaper to get a soda or beer. And forget about free refills. Yup, your 4 euros only goes towards one glass. If you're still thirsty you either cough up another 4 euros or accept dehydration until you can run home and drink liquids until you're bloated.
4. No Shopping on Sundays. This was something else that I had to get used to. You know how for some people Sunday is considered the Lord's Day which means you're not supposed to work, and that in some off-the-grid places, they don't sell alcohol in gas stations? Well in Germany, stores are officially closed. That means if you want to use the weekend to get your weekly grocery shopping done, make sure you don't forget to do it on Saturday or else you'll be forced to find nourishment from some stale bread and old cheese. (Okay, it's not that drastic. A lot of restaurants are still open. But you know what I'm getting at.) That also means you can't go shopping for clothes or other things on Sunday. On the plus side, going into the city is always kinda calming because there aren't throngs of people walking around.