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For instance when you say that Germany has the best overall culture in Europe...
I think aging brings about a certain unease about the changes observed no matter where one grows old. But it hurts more when one goes away for some time and then returns.
Overall... for me. But yes Germans try to avoid flattering... I meant culture plus nature, social security and safety. Other places might have better food/climates but worse economy, security or infrastructure.
I know Germany's far from perfect. Still, Thuringia is one of the most beautiful places imo. Those rolling small hills outside of Eisenach remind me of home for some reason. It looks so familiar, yet I've never been there yet... too bad it was part of the DDR, it deserved better. But the Frankonias are close enough as nature and culture and they've never been socialist which is good in my book.
As for aging yes, but you also realize most material comfort "is all junk" (Referencing Labyrinth here). Despite that, we still live in a material world and you attach it's situation to the emotional state of that time. I was the happiest in my life in 2013 so of course I miss Sofia circa 2013.
Neuling, I'd take plain white houses to brick ones like in the NL or UK. They rarely look good to me. I guess painting over the bricks doesn't make sense in the damp climates but still, Denmark is also damp but has painted houses.
Actually the wettest regions of the UK are often the regions that tend to paint/render the houses, or use stone construction rather than bare brick.
I think bare brick is fine personally, it looks better than most concrete apartments anyway.
I think stone looks "colder" (more unwelcoming) than brick even to me lol. For bricks I prefer yellow ones or those new bright ones. The ones on old houses look darkened from smoke and dirt which I hate.
I never liked German culture, it is a cheap copy of the US and Britain in many ways. TV is horrible. Music is horrible. Food is very mediocre. I don't miss any of that, frankly.
Thüringen looks no different than other parts of central Germany and Europe even. You can find rolling hills all over Germany except for the flat northern third or so.
2013, that was just a few years ago. You are lucky
What hurts is when you come back to your hometown decades after you left. If your former house still stands, it is inhabited by total strangers, neighbors you knew have mostly died or moved away...
That's why I avoid my hometown, it is depressing to visit. My memories are in my brain wherever I go, reality would only destroy them. At the end of the day, it is people that matter, not houses and such material crap.
I like Geman culture precisely because of that. I always compare every new culture by how close it is to US culturally as I'm most used to American culture being the major foreign culture (movies, TV, music).
I would visit any culture but for long-term living I'd like a US-like place with a less dysfunctional work culture. I only make exceptions for exotic laid-back warm places like Greece, Portugal, Latin America etc. where the locals are so friendly or Poland and Hungary that I've been fond of since forever.
I also dig some very German things that the US doesn't have like half-timbered houses, the classic fairy tales I grew up on and those picturesque villages and tiny towns. But I do get you. I don't really feel connected to my own culture as well. Sure we have warm sunny weather in the summers and good nature but the people are a very negative bunch. Everyone talks politics and acts like they know everything. Were it not for my family living here I wouldn't come back. I made more friends abroad for a few years than I've been able to make in my own land for my whole life here. I don't have ANY Bulgarian friends except my relatives lol.
It doesn't help that for me our culture has taken some very bad things from the common Balkan culture, from the Ottoman times (a black magic in the form of a severed goat leg, really?!), then the bad from the commie era (nepotism), and people are not as friendly as expected from such a southern latitude, specially in Sofia and Western Bulgaria.
Yes, we look/acknowledge the presence of strangers more than Northern Europeans and Czechs and Slovaks, but it's often with bad intentions like judging, belittling or envying (people here judge you on the clothes you wear, on your car etc.), making fun of a stranger or acting superior. You think German TV's horrible, but Bulgarian one is totally disgusting. Take that: Turkish drama soap operas and American sitcoms/shows are the highest quality things on most of them. Bulgarian music, shows, politics and news are a crap-fest. Our ministers have like 7 apartments each and they buy them for much lower prices than market value as they're corrupted. Most people here seem to love Russia.
German culture isn't a 'copy' of anything, especially not American culture. Most countries in Europe today however have a pretty standardized 'modern' popular culture that borrows heavily from America, but that's not really their actual culture. Ironically, the pervasiveness of that global Americanization is in part due to locals not valuing their traditional cultures and instead embracing the hedonistic, materialistic promise of American commercialism. Perhaps because they find their culture 'nothing special' and 'lame' in comparison to what they see in American movies and TV shows.
I used to like some US culture 30-40 years ago, but today there is nothing left of that, be it TV, movies, music, it's basically all crap to me. Add to that the horrible politics, no thanks. I think I would be rather depressed in the US, just like in Germany, particularly in Bavaria German culture was huge centuries ago, but like any civilization it goes up and down, currently they are definitely in a deep valley.
Here at least there is a strong Brazilian and African element, which I like...
I don't know much about Bulgaria, only that it is known for crime and corruption.
German culture isn't a 'copy' of anything, especially not American culture. Most countries in Europe today however have a pretty standardized 'modern' popular culture that borrows heavily from America, but that's not really their actual culture. Ironically, the pervasiveness of that global Americanization is in part due to locals not valuing their traditional cultures and instead embracing the hedonistic, materialistic promise of American commercialism. Perhaps because they find their culture 'nothing special' and 'lame' in comparison to what they see in American movies and TV shows.
With music I am not surprised, German music as such is horrible in my view. But their version of HipHop, Pop etc. is not much better. One problem is that artists are young, they want to make a career and, let's face it, get rich, so they sing in English in order to reach a much bigger audience. But usually it is just embarrassing.
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Originally Posted by Neuling
For instance when you say that Germany has the best overall culture in Europe...
I think aging brings about a certain unease about the changes observed no matter where one grows old. But it hurts more when one goes away for some time and then returns.
Germany and especially Bavaria has some good beers.
They also produced some great classical music and have some excellent orchestras, although no one wants to listen to German Opera which goes on for an eternity.
I can't say I know a lot about German Ballet, although the Russians tend to pride themselves on having the greatest ballet in terms of the Bolshoi.
Germany produced a lot of fairy tales, myths, legends and folklore over the years, and also had some notable philosophers.
In terms of writing and theatre, I don't think it's the best overall country, although in terms of food it's not as bad as some people make out, indeed the Germans had Frankfurters and Hamburgers long before the US developed the hot dog and burger.
The Germans are also fairly good at sport, and generally have a good national football (soccer) team.
Germany is a decent enough country, has some beautiful countryside and attractive villages, towns and cities, and has a lot of good modern infrastructure, including a good road and rail network.
Germany also has some good universities, museums and libraries, and does have a lot of good cultural and artistic venues, as well as traditional events including the famous beer festivals.
As for cities, Berlin is seen as a very cool city, as is Hamburg, although there are quite a few other good German cities.
Last edited by Brave New World; 03-31-2019 at 02:20 PM..
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But yes Germans try to avoid flattering... I meant culture plus nature, social security and safety. Other places might have better food/climates but worse economy, security or infrastructure.
German culture was huge centuries ago, but like any civilization it goes up and down, currently they are definitely in a deep valley. 
