Why are German cities so depressing? (best, life, place, Germans)

[Glucorious]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Is Munich really as bad as the others? The culture in the south is so much friendlier, I would've expected Munich to be different.

Whenever I travelled in Germany, (and most places in Europe) I avoided the cities and went to small towns and villages. Very scenic, very pleasant, and more affordable than the big cities. The south and the west are best. Don't avoid Germany, just avoid the cities, and the much more reserved culture in the north and center, the industrial areas. The rest of Germany is a delight.

DWP...Drunk while posting should be a crime on this forum...

Originally Posted by Sonnenwende

I don't think the OP even went to the wrong cities. I dunno about Frankfurt being a great tourist magnet (not that it is a bad city), but Berlin and Munich have that appeal. LOL, maybe he/she spent the day in Berlin Neukoelln?

What's wrong with Neukoelln ?

Neukoelln is a lovely place. If you want a good Doener, you go to Neukoelln. As a matter of fact, I was in Neukoelln just yesterday.

[hadrett32]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Is Munich really as bad as the others? The culture in the south is so much friendlier, I would've expected Munich to be different.

Whenever I travelled in Germany, (and most places in Europe) I avoided the cities and went to small towns and villages. Very scenic, very pleasant, and more affordable than the big cities. The south and the west are best. Don't avoid Germany, just avoid the cities, and the much more reserved culture in the north and center, the industrial areas. The rest of Germany is a delight.

What a load of biased and ignorant BS!

[hadrett32]

Originally Posted by Glucorious

DWP...Drunk while posting should be a crime on this forum...



What's wrong with Neukoelln ?

Neukoelln is a lovely place. If you want a good Doener, you go to Neukoelln. As a matter of fact, I was in Neukoelln just yesterday.

Neukoelln is Neukoelln. The streets look run-down; the population is mostly made up of Turks, Arabs, lower and working class Germans, Kurds, Sub-Saharan-Africans, Gypsies, some Yuppies and alternatives; the flats are cheap (rapidly changing due to gentrification!) and there is "action", vibrancy and city-life any time. But i would not want to live there...

[averagejoe76]

I havent lived in Germany for many years but it seemed much cleaner than America.
Less trash on the streets,etc.We actually had a older man that lived on our street that..
Would sweep the streets from time to time.You would never see that in the states.
OP should have went to Heidelburg,Castles along the Rhein etc.But i thought Munich was great.
There isnt much to see in Frankfurt,its city for finance,etc.

[irman]

Originally Posted by erasure

OP is French?
( That made me chuckle for a while))) )

Nooooo .... I am speaking of Mickey Mouse !!!

http://www.city-data.com/forum/24263288-post139.html

He now also lives in France besides Southern California ...

[erasure]

Originally Posted by irman

Nooooo .... I am speaking of Mickey Mouse !!!

http://www.city-data.com/forum/24263288-post139.html

He now also lives in France besides Southern California ...

Oh, I see..
So the OP was not French but a mundane American traveler?
What a pity)))

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by erasure

Oh, I see..
So the OP was not French but a mundane American traveler?

The French are not capable of being mundane?
But ok, I take your point. The Americans perhaps excel at this... Especially, it seems, when traveling in large groups.

Perhaps the OP could tell us more about why he has a negative impression of German cities. It would provide a basis for discussing the pros and cons of his perspective.

[erasure]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

The French are not capable of being mundane?

They are, but I still would have found it very amusing if OP were French)))

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by robertpolyglot

Q: Why are German cities so depressing?
A: Because they are in Germany.

Other than plane changes on Lufthansa, I actually included Germany on a trip during 2007. I spent 3 days in Munich. I didn't speak German, relying on the fact that most of them reportedly speak English. Besides the fact that Munich was quite unremarkable, I found the Germans to be very aloof and clinical. I thought: "never again." When I got back to the Med, my cousins said they had a feeling I wouldn't like it.

Northern Europe is not for me. Period. This was actually a great experience in that I now know not to visit Scandinavia and the Netherlands, as well as a few other places in that general direction.

The German-speaking countries are my favorite areas in Europe, along with Slovenia. I'd say the problem was that you didn't speak the language. They're friendly if you speak the language. That's true of most nationalities. If you can bridge the language barrier, you tend to get welcomed with open arms. People appreciate it when someone makes the effort to learn their language and speak it well. It's worth the time investment, imo. Americans tend to assume English is a universal language. That doesn't always go over well.

[MelanieGermany]

Hi here from germany again:

Yes, we have some dirty spots / cities in germany too. But they`re nothing compared to some cities in the USA. I went to New York, for example, more than one time and i saw dirt on the streets, nearly everywhere. I went to LA and Miami and i saw more dirt than in any german city.

Many east german cities look dirty and we have much dirty places in the HUGE city of BERLIN. ( for exmple) ( Many clean and nice too). Some other cities in the east, too. When i read postings like " german cities are dirty" i just think the people have been to the false points. Thats why i wrote about the dirt in NY, hey guys!

Frankfurt is one of the most expensivest places to live in germany. It is clean in the most parts.

We dont throw away our burger wrappings on the street or other trash. We have deposits on our cans ( coke,..) so nobody throws it away, we return our garbage. We pay for our plastic bags in the supermarkets and try to heal the envoirment as good as we can. That`s germany.

If you come to see Berlin and haven`t seen other cities like Baden Baden, Munich, Wiesbaden, Heidelberg or or or... don`t complain. I still dont know what is so great about Berlin :-( have been there many times but havent found the answer yet... i am not using the underground without pepperspray...