Wunderbar! Germany, the most popular country in the world.

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From the Yahoo News Digest:

Germany has knocked the U.S. off its perch in an international survey measuring the popularity of countries around the world. After holding steady to the top spot in the Anholt-GfK Nation Brands Index for the past five years, the U.S. has been sidelined by Germany, which has been named the most popular country among 50 developed and developing nations. For the report, researchers conducted 20,125 online interviews across 20 countries on overall topics like culture, people, tourism, exports, governance, immigration and investment.

While the U.S. maintained top scores in areas like creativity, contemporary culture and educational institutions, respondents penalised the country for its role in global peace and security, placing it 19th out of 50 in this category. Germany, on the other hand, achieved the largest overall score on the index in part for its “sports prowess”. The country also scored high in areas of honest and competent government, investment climate, and social equality.



I can understand it, I've always enjoyed my visits to Germany. Have you been? Did you like it?
 
Doesn't sound much like an English index!:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
 
Does prove that at least we can move on from past events, as unforgiving as they were at the time.
 
Never lived there but didwork there and have been many a time on holiday,I like Germany, good pace to visit.
 
We used to visit France regularly, and then a few years ago, went though Germany to get to Italy (via Switzerland of course).
We have been back on holiday a few times, and it is a great place. Friendly people, lovely scenery, history.
Visiting Germany is like putting on a favourite pair of shoes - very comfortable.
 
I like Rammstein!!
 
To think we kicked their @rse in two world wars and now they are running the show. Something ain't right:cool:
 
BRASH said:
To think we kicked their @rse in two world wars and now they are running the show. Something ain't right:cool:
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You know that old saying "Revenge is a dish best served cold" ;)
 
What I love about Germany is their winning desire in sport. Our fa could learn a thing or two from them. Never been, would love to see Munich though.
 
What I love about Germany is their winning desire in sport. Our fa could learn a thing or two from them. Never been, would love to see Munich though.
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I lived there for 3.5 years Simon.
The way they treat what they call Guest workers, pretty rubbish, makes us look even softer on immigrants. Shops that sell, to great profit Nazi memorabilia, and the attitude of some Germans towards that brand of politics is quite worrying to see.
Anti everyone feeling was rife in the area I lived in, although to be fair we did have 4 British Army Divisions in the area, along with a very noisy RAF Station. Although we were there for their, and our admittedly protection, it didn't stop attacks on Brits alone at night. The polietest graffiti on walls was "Tommy Go Home" and the less polite, I can't repeat here, oh, yes, they have graffiti and litter, and drunkenness and disorder, and ghettos of immigrants, slums and every form of nastiness we do.
Of course there are good Germans and the bad ones might well be in a minority, but seriously, it's not as good as some think it is.
 
rpn said:
Worked in Munich back in the late '80s and absolutely love the place and the beer too. :beer:
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Has that effect on you doesn't it? I lived and worked in Munich 10 years ago and would jump at the chance again... And AUGUSTINER EDELSTOFF is the best!! :)
 
I've been living in Düsseldorf for almost a year now, really coming to like the place. The local brew (altbier) is very good, and of course in general the bier is excellent. Good work-life balance, cheap compared to London as there is no collective property insanity (renting is normal ). Healthcare is expensive as you pay 15.5% for the public system on top of your already UK levels of taxation.

Cool place though, Germans and Brits are very much alike. In fact the Germans are more chilled out and relaxed in general, I like that they value work/life balance...I'm frequently ordered to go home even if I wanted to work late!
 
Never lived there, but do visit different parts of Germany for my work, 4 or 5 times a year.

Great place and people.







Oh, and Rammstein are poo :p
 
Bernie174 said:
I lived there for 3.5 years Simon.
The way they treat what they call Guest workers, pretty rubbish, makes us look even softer on immigrants. Shops that sell, to great profit Nazi memorabilia, and the attitude of some Germans towards that brand of politics is quite worrying to see.
Anti everyone feeling was rife in the area I lived in, although to be fair we did have 4 British Army Divisions in the area, along with a very noisy RAF Station. Although we were there for their, and our admittedly protection, it didn't stop attacks on Brits alone at night. The polietest graffiti on walls was "Tommy Go Home" and the less polite, I can't repeat here, oh, yes, they have graffiti and litter, and drunkenness and disorder, and ghettos of immigrants, slums and every form of nastiness we do.
Of course there are good Germans and the bad ones might well be in a minority, but seriously, it's not as good as some think it is.
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Bernie.. was this recently you lived there? It sounds like it might have been 20-30 years ago..
 
Agree, I haven't experienced any anti-British sentiment....beyond the behaviour of the stag-do t***s that give us a bad name wherever you are in the world.
 
I suspect the 'niceness' or otherwise will be very dependent on area and local culture, just as you would find in the UK.
 
ancient_mariner said:
I suspect the 'niceness' or otherwise will be very dependent on area and local culture, just as you would find in the UK.
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Germans are much better drinkers than Brits. The tendency of Brits to drink themselves retarded then get aggressive is unmatched. Germans are happy drinkers by and large.
 
mid_gen said:
Germans are much better drinkers than Brits. The tendency of Brits to drink themselves retarded then get aggressive is unmatched. Germans are happy drinkers by and large.
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After a recent visit to the Munich Oktoberfest, I agree completely with this (y)




...I didnt drink myself retarded though, * would have been a cheap night if I did.


*Just thought id get in there before anyone else did :D
 
I loved Germany when I went. Plus the absence of speed limits on parts of their motorways, bliss. I spent large chunks of time devouring tarmac at 150mph plus legally. I visited Bavaria and thought Munich a most excellent place to spend time.
 
Bernie.. was this recently you lived there? It sounds like it might have been 20-30 years ago..
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It was 35 years ago I lived there, but was friends with a German Policeman until he died 3 years ago, obviously there was a lot of comparison with his work and mine and it wasn't that much different, apart from the lack of desecration in their case.
I guess you could liken it to someone telling me once that Clapham in South London was a lovely area with very little crime, and everyone got on. Leaving aside that was difficult to believe in the midst of a pub fight in Clapham High Street on a Saturday night, the crime books told a totally different story! As did a trip round the back streets that many people wouldn't go to.
The same thing applies to anywhere in the world, be in the UK, Germany or anywhere else, you see what you see around you, you don't see or hear everything. Police officers get to see far more than the surface veneer, as a profession I guess that does make us more cynical, but also more realistic and likely to say it as is, worts and all.
As an aside, my dad was liaison officer with the German Civil Police in the town we lived in, so I knew a lot of the local Plod. They, like many other Police Services around the world think the British Police are the best thing since sliced bread. When they found out I'd be accepted into the Met, I had days with their CID (Kripo), Traffic, local patrols the whole shooting match. They were great people, even though the locals hated them.
 
Modern Germany is quite different to a BAOR garrison town thirty-five years ago, there are far less drunken British squaddies for a start..

I've been visiting Germany at least annually since living in Muenchen for 3 months one summer fifteen years ago. No country is without their problems, but I regularly stay in Berlin, Muensterland and the Neiderbayrischeswald as well as occasional forays towards Luebeck an the Danish border. We've looked several times at moving out their permanently but we've never been able to decide where or what we'd want to do there (make that type of move and you don't necessarily want to carrying on doing what you've always done before).
 
So, apart from great beer, unlimited speeds on the Autobahns, top country in the world rating, good investment conditions, good cycle paths and public transport, low crime and little binge drinking, what has Germany got to offer?
 
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The forests and castles are beautiful.
 
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Well 'obviously' the forests and the castles! That goes without saying, the forests and the castles.
But apart from the beer, the speed, the transport, the investments, law and order, the forests and castles, the aquaducts...
 
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Modern Germany is quite different to a BAOR garrison town thirty-five years ago, there are far less drunken British squaddies for a start..
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Drunken Squaddies wasn't much of a problem in Gutersloh, more of a problem was the local Germans, usually when drunk singling out Brits (they didn't care if a squaddy or dependent!) or guest worker! And it certainly wasn't any different up to 3 years ago.

I did say you get the same everywhere, but the difference is that if people don't see problems or downsides, they assume they aren't there. They are, and Germany has no less problems than the rest of the world.
 
ianp5a said:
Well 'obviously' the forests and the castles! That goes without saying, the forests and the castles.
But apart from the beer, the speed, the transport, the investments, law and order, the forests and castles, the aquaducts...
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And Leica and Rolleiflex...


Steve.
 
Don't forget the enforced relaxation day on Sunday. No shops open, no loud noises allowed, only cafes/restaurants open. Maybe it's because I've just come from 4 years in Hong Kong but I love the quiet Sundays here :)
 
I'm not a great fan of not being able to get anything on a Sunday. It's lock down. Forget something due to being busy and you are screwed. It was designed for housewives having plenty of time at home and not busy working people with kids.
In many places, on the weekends you can only mow the lawn on Saturday before 12 or between 5 and 8pm. Try it outside those hours, or on a Sunday and the neighbours will be around to complain.
 
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mid_gen said:
I've been living in Düsseldorf for almost a year now, really coming to like the place. The local brew (altbier) is very good, and of course in general the bier is excellent. Good work-life balance, cheap compared to London as there is no collective property insanity (renting is normal ). Healthcare is expensive as you pay 15.5% for the public system on top of your already UK levels of taxation.

Cool place though, Germans and Brits are very much alike. In fact the Germans are more chilled out and relaxed in general, I like that they value work/life balance...I'm frequently ordered to go home even if I wanted to work late!
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You say property insanity and that they rent, but I say we have it better? When you get to 60, most should be mortgage free (or will aim to be). That means, all being equal you have free accomodation till you die, or you may sell up, downsize and have a pot of money. If you rent you have to find the rent money each month, even when you are 85?
 
ianp5a said:
So, apart from great beer, unlimited speeds on the Autobahns, top country in the world rating, good investment conditions, good cycle paths and public transport, low crime and little binge drinking, what has Germany got to offer?
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Great football team and car industry!
 
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