>When I first moved to Germany I asked some friends what sort of snakes I should watch out for in the forest; I got some funny looks and laughs from that.
There are only few venomous snakes in Europe, the most common one is European viper (Vipera Berus, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vipera_berus) - but it's not deadly unless you get an alergic reaction. So most people don't consider snakes in Europe as a threat or deadly danger.
Exactly this. I think I've come across maybe two or three snakes in almost five years here, all were non-venomous harmless looking little fellas, and I spend a lot of time in nature.