[dgellow]

Berlin and Frankfurt are the most international places in Germany. It’s like going to Zurich and Geneva and saying that people speak English. If you step outside of those 2 places you will face german more often.

Though I really doubt your anecdotes, I lived in Berlin for years as a non-German speaker, you have a lot of native speakers all around, you often do not notice when you’re not integrated but once you start following native Germans they bring you to groups and places where the language is way more common.

[nephihaha]

"International" is one way to put it, "anomie" is another. You could be anywhere and they're not better for it. My home town is going the same way. Lots of atomised individuals and less connection and bland architecture.

Last time I was in Berlin, I had to pretend to be Finnish to avoid speaking English and practice my German. That guy was a native German speaker. But I came across plenty of people who did not speak good German but were local residents. So I don't disbelieve her. I spent time in Dresden years ago, and it was easy for me to find Germans to speak with (nowadays, I think that may be different as youngsters are all drilled in American English.) Sächsisch is a somewhat strange accent, but at least it is a native dialect. I already know someone else's broken German, I'm not trying to learn their broken German.

I think the time to be in Berlin was the eighties and nineties. Even 1980s era East Berlin appears to have had some appeal (according to East Germans I've interacted with, despite issues with the Stasi.) Outside of the touristy parts, the modern suburbs are fast evolving into just another global city with non-descript glass and steel cylinders filled with junk food outlets and Air BnB. (Not that East German era architecture is that distinctive either.)

Another trick I've learnt sometimes is to drop into a broad Scottish accent so they cannot understand what I am saying in English. But my German is extremely rusty nowadays.