Notes from Germany

Not long ago I came back from a trip to Germany with friends. It was great. We visited the big cities, the BMW production line, and saw everything we wanted. One thing we saw really scared us about this place. How they drive.

As you know, German highways, called autobahns, have no speed limit. Well, actually there is a minimum speed in some places: 100 km/h (60 mph). Although I didn't drive there, I was able to see how they drive on city streets. They drive like they are on an autobahn.

German drivers are fast and do what Californian drivers do: push the gas pedal to reach a yellow light, sometimes even when it's red. However, the German engineers found a great way to force drivers to stop behind limit lines: traffic lights are only positioned before the intersection. If you go beyond the limit line, you can't see the light. And they don't use their horn, usually.

Crossing the street in Germany's cities is very simple: you look around and go, usually regardless of the traffic light. It gets a little complicated with trams, but after getting used to everything, street crossing becomes simple.

Germany is a great place, definitely worth another visit.

Have a great weekend,
Nadav

nadavs