[esbwhat]

Weird. I've lived in Hamburg all my life and I've yet to see anybody be scorned for jaywalking. The same basically goes for family models, I've been to more homes where everyone just sort of does their own thing than I've been to homes where the family gathers round at a table and eats together, although that one definitely is also not a rarity. Is it elsewhere?

[nagrom]

I once got shouted at by a man on Osdorfer Weg for crossing against the red man. I've also had that near U-Bahn Schlump and in Berlin, despite there having been no traffic in sight. Never anywhere else though.

I've found more strong family and friendship units in Germany than in the UK, Australia or the US. I've also found that people are less mobile within Germany than other places, perhaps in part due to the cost of changing accommodation - although that may be a European thing, as opposed to just a German thing.

Of course, these are all simple anecdotes and worth what you paid for them. My feelings about Germany are that it's a great country, and one I like very much. But it does have a very distinct character (similar to southern England in some senses!) and from that, the outrage about politicians faking academic titles is not a surprise.

[jordanb]

I got honked at several times in Hamburg for riding my bike in the street instead of the horrible sidewalk bike lane next to it. But I get that occasionally here in the US where the street is the lawful place for the bicyclist to be, so maybe it's more a matter of road rage than a Teutonic sense of order.