Things that confuse me in Germany

Generally speaking, Germany isn't all that bad (okay, it's great -- how can you not love a country that almost requires ice cream between meals?). There's the language (of course), but enough people know English that we are getting by. But then there are those . . . things . . . that are just different enough to make me go, "Oy vey."

1. No yellow lines.

Traffic patterns and rules are pretty much the same as in the U.S. -- Drive on the right side of the road, no passing on solid lines, that sort of thing. HOWEVER . . . all the lines are white. The fog-line on the right side of the road is white (normal), but the center lines are also white (not normal). So if I were driving, I just might think that those white dashed lines indicated a one way street. Well . . . until I saw the oncoming car.

But then, sometimes, the two lane road becomes a one way road.

I asked about this: "How do you know when it's a two way road or a one way road?"

Answer: "You just know."

On a side note here, we watched the President of Germany resign last night. This was a historical event with much pomp -- military band and the like. If I could get myself elected President of Germany, the first thing I would institute would be yellow center lines.

2. Road Signs

Because of the international travel throughout Europe, road signs have been created with just symbols. Most of the time, this is okay. We also have those in the U.S. -- think No Smoking, the big, white H on a blue sign for hospitals, etc. But some of them take some 'splainin'.

No Parking is a blue sign with a circle with a diagonal red line from the **11 o'clock to 5 o'clock** positions. No Parking, No Stopping is a circle with a red X. If you are in a No Parking Zone, and then come to the end of the NPZ, there's a white sign with the NPZ emblem crossed out. So it looks like a double negative . . . i.e. NO No Parking.

3. Highway Signs

Not as confusing as the symbol only signs above, but they do take some getting used to. When we're driving along the highway, we are apt to see signs like this:

Bozeman 32

Livingston 52

Billings 164

In Germany, that same sign would look like this:

Billings 164

Livingston 52

Bozeman 32

I'm not sure why you would set up a system that has the closer towns further down the sign, but that's how it works here.

**4. Light switches.

Over here, up is off and down is on. Not sure who decided that, but it seems that when the sun comes UP, it gets light. So light switches should be the same way.

So, those are some things that confuse me in Germany. But I'm learning; and if I get too stressed about it, I can always go have eiscreme.