TYSKAB #3- No Lines

Germany is rightly known for being bureaucratic. More so than common sense or imagination would dictate. You have to register your address everytime you move if you want to be able to do anything, like get a library card or a bank account. 60% of all German literature is written about their tax system. You even need to get some sort of a license to have someone ELSE petsit your dog or cat.

Maybe this penchant beuracracy and the common belief that everything must really be done by the rules has led to the anomaly that is lines in Germany. Perhaps it's a rebellious act, or just a general impatience, I'm not sure.

But a line is a foreign and unknown thing here. And I mean everywhere. If you go into McDonald's for example, it's really more about how you can negotiate yourself around the mob. There are multiple cashiers who take your order, make your food, and ring you up (not very efficient I might add), and it's all a matter of making eye contact and squeezing up to a free person the quickest. If you tried to wait in line, you would wait your whole life. To me this is also grouped together with the idea that most German seem to have that you do not need to let people off a train or tram or subway before getting on. Especially on the train (deutsche bahn) you must literally fight your way off.

I really loved Germany, but this was one of the things that irritated me the most. Maybe I'm just a stickler for good manners, but it all just seemed incredibly rude---and it never ceased to irk me. Eventually the pushing and shoving became second nature and I could fight my way through like the rest of them, but the contrast from back home really amazed me. And even though it bugged me, nobody else seemed to be upset about it---so I guess if it works for you then what the hay. Just make sure to bring you're shoving elbows if you visit lovly Deutschland :)

*I feel like this is typical of all of Germany and not just Bavaria, which is why I referred to it as such.