American reacts to THINGS THAT ARE NORMAL IN GERMAN BUT NOT ANYWHERE ELSE
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- čas přidán 26. 10. 2023
- Thank you for watching me, a humble American, react to NORMAL EVERYDAY GERMAN THINGS BUT NOT ANYWHERE ELSE
Original video: • NORMAL EVERYDAY GERMAN...
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Ist wie Fahrrad fahren, das verlernst du nie! Yes we used this phrase🚴♂️🚴♀️
Noch lustiger ist.. das es ein Deutscher erfunden haben soll 😊
@@Robb3nKlopp3Rstimmt Baron Karl von Drais..ich habe es gerade gegoogelt
😂😂😂
@@Robb3nKlopp3R ja, aber ich meine das war das Laufrad, die Draisine, den schnöden Rest hat dann ein Franzose dran gebaut (Kette und Pedale) 😉😅
@@stefanb4375 still a european so who cares..lol
The thing about automatic cars in Germany: If you make your drivers license in an automatic car, you are not allowed to drive manual cars AT ALL. You need to do additional driving hours and a test with a driving teacher, before your license can be changed to include it. On the other hand, you ARE allowed to drive automatic cars with your "manual" license.
Therefore many Germans opt to learn manual cars from the start to not be limited to automatics. And once you learned manual, you are kind of used to it...
In reality it has to do with money, many Germans do not drive manual because they like it, but because it is cheaper. A manual car in the US is usually much more expensive than automatic
das haben die doch geändert, es gibt diesen neuen Paragraphen
@@dr-mo5qs Sie haben es einfacher gemacht, den Führerschein zu erweitern, aber es ist immer noch notwendig mehrere Fahrstunden und einen Test mit dem Fahrlehrer zu absolvieren.
Some public transportation has old busses with manual gears, I guess, not every bus driver is allowed to them, because most busses are automatic. For me it's exotic, when the bus driver has a lever on the left.
@@staying_substantiallyich würde tatsächlich mehr bezahlen für Handschaltung aber nicht viel 😂
Wenn ich soviel fahren müsste das ich mir eine Automatik wünschen würde müsste ich wohl umziehen oder der Beruf wäre nichts für mich.
Wow, thanks for reacting to my video, this was very entertaining! I love your channel and have been a subscriber for some time now. Keep the great content coming👏 Liebe Grüße Antoinette 🇳🇿🇩🇪
Poor research regarding the automatic transmission of Germans. 20 years ago, about 20 percent of Germans had automatic transmissions, today it's around 50 percent, not 10 percent as she claims. So we Germans are not quite so stone-age after all.
@@Katzenlaufwunder why would a manual be stone age?
I love how the rest of the world thinks, driving stick is a superpower.
@@Katzenlaufwunder While i do think, she was wrong about the 10%, i dont think it is 50/50 ... prob around 30% drive an automatic car ... many old people do but the demographics will not be in their favor for long :P
Hey Ryan give this girl a heart❤❤❤
As a German, who has moved to the UK, now driving an automatic, my wife noticed that I'm holding the door handle with my right hand every time I'm taking a turn. I didn't know why initially until it dawned on me that this was just muscle memory and my body was getting ready to shift down for the turn and then shift up again after accelerating coming out of the turn. The gearstick would have been to my right and now, in an automatic car, my hand had nothing to do any more.
I remember doing the same thing when I went to Ireland for a few weeks. It's quite funny how ingrained that stuff gets :D
I had the same experience during my Australia holiday. But much more irritating was that in a car with the wheel on the right side the turn signals and wipers were switched compared to left side steering... I wiped the screen at many corners! 😉
When you would be still in Germany, it would be dangerous, because it seems you would fiddle at the hand break.
@@reginas.3491😂
@@HalfEye79 Not sure what you mean. In an automatic there is no handbreak and in a (German) manual I'd handle the gear stick as outlined. Shift into 2nd gear for turn, accelerate at apex and then shift up as you leave the turn.
It's not that we don't know of fixed shower heads in Germany, but they are usually only installed where people are afraid of vandalism. In public swimming pools, for example - or in barracks.
Why not both?! If you have your own house and can put in whatever? I have a big fixed shower head PLUS a movable one.
@@bastiandoen2583 So you are living the life ... But wait! Can you use both at once? Because what's the point otherwise?
@@jayeff6712 nope, one or the other, waterpressure would probably drop too much with both. I own a home, I am not super rich :D
@@bastiandoen2583 Easy answer: Because that's two things in the household that can break and might need replacement or where pipes can leak and that you have to clean, cause of the accumulation of lime in the water in certain areas or certain seasons in other areas (aka depending on water quality and supply). :'D
It's already a headache when one is broken. And usually, by the time they break the line is already no longer in stock and then the designs are different. It's a nuisance, in short XDDDDDD
@@KxNOxUTA You never had such a shower in your life, right? It's just a great showering experience. And in my several decades on this planet I have never seen one break. And only one handle that needed replacement. Though maybe I am spoiled by quality items here in germany.
There are actually rulers to check the profile of a tire. It's called "Profiltiefenmesser".
We have "All weather tires" too, besides the winter and summer tires you can use all year around. Useful especially in regions were winter is pretty mild without much snow.
You also can use the Coin Edge of a 1 Euro coin to check the tire profile
All season tires that have "M+S" marked are in tune with the obligation. That being said, it's not an actual law to purchase seasonal tires. Just when the conditions in the streets are like winter (snow, ice, slippery surface) people are obligated to use tires that can handle that. If someone doesn't drive in winter, they can leave their usual tires on. It's not even that insurances won't pay (Vollkasko often includes shti that happens by own fault) but it's a minor offence that can be fined if detected 😅
Redet sich die Versicherung bei Allwetterreifen nicht auch raus? Zumindest zahlt sie dann nicht den ganzen Schaden, weil mit Winterreifen hättest du ja eventuell einen kürzeren Bremsweg gehabt...
@@nicobendig6597 Wenn die Reifen eine gültige Zulassung haben und genug Profiltiefe (4-5mm) zahlt die Versicherung in der Regel.
You can use a 1€ or 2€ coin to measure your tire. When the odd colored rim is visible when stuck in the tire's profile then it's too worn down and you need to get new tires.
Most of these are also common in other European countries. Like my own, Romania. And yes, we have a saying "It's like riding a bike" (original: E ca mersul pe bicicletă.) meaning something you'll never forget once you've learned it.
Honestly i feel like most "cultureshocks" americans experience are ususally just normal european things
The thing with winter tires: Their rubber mixture is softer and have better grip without the need (or less time) to get to operational temperature. Normal tires are made from harder / stiffer rubber, so they don't wear down that fast. You are allowed to drive winter tires all year round, but will need to be replaces sooner because of tear.
This. I even have a set of winter tires for my Vespa - not for actually riding in the snow, but the hard rubber from the summer tires noticeably reduces grip on the cold asphalt in Winter when braking or maneuvering turns.
A couple of years ago, we started to only use winter tires all year round. The tear is a bit bigger, but surprisingly not that much and it's only one set of tires to replace and only about one year earlier than it would be with changing.
For US, PERSONALLY, it's a great choice, ngl. xD (Because we're lazy...)
Usually winter tires are also making more noise. As soon as winter is over I'm really looking forward to my more comfortable summer tires.
Well, you can use winter tires in summer, but if it's really hot, they get way too soft and are flexing all over the place, and that's why i always change them.
in addition the winter tires have more grip than the summer version. that is the main reason why they are obligatory during the winter...
"The cops carry around a little ruler?"
Let me answer that for you - they do xD
Actually this is only a thing if you had an accident with your car in winter months. They will check your tires to decide how much you had to do with what happened although you could have prevented it. No winter tires, or bad profiles will get you in trouble then.
Yes they do but there are two markers in the Profil. Once when you reach 4 mm und second when you reach 1.6 mm.
Just to expand to make sure everybody understands that last point, tires come with built markers that as the profile gets worn off, enable you to see whether you are above or below those two thresholds. The 4 mm one is when it is recommended to get new tires, the 1.6 mm one is when it becomes legally mandated.
I’m not sure, but I would guess that the regular official car inspections, they also measure the thread depth.
During the inspection they will measure the Profil depth, but I can have different wheels mounted during the check.
@@crazyfrog9877One of my teachers was a ex 20+years member of the BW Instandhaltung (maintainance unit) - We always told stories how they worked like 48h or so when a badge of tanks was sceduled for TÜV (full check) - Because while one was being checked they had to transfer in the parts of the other good conditioned one to the next bad one in the same time 😅😅😅
Its not mandatory to have winter tires in the US ... i wonder why america has 50 car pileups in the winter and germany doesn't LUL
PS: Yes the cops have a a little tool to measure the depth and if u are caught with less u can get fined 60 € and a point on your license. Normally if you buy a car in germany u buy the car and an extra set of tires of summer/winter depening on when u buy the car ^^ for example for my car an Mercedes A180 the genuine winter tires cost me about 1300 €
Us cars mostly come with all season tires. Wich here are more and more common because people don't want to change the tires.
I think on EV more cars do have winter tires because they often come with special ev tires from the factory and these are mostly not tires you are allowed to drive in the snow. These often have less threat deph for efficiency. A bummer is that this +instant strong torque will kill the tires much faster.
@@idk_who_am_i2748 that sounds expensive for a a-klasse
kaufst du die bei ner mercedes werkstatt ?
It's not mandatory in Germany as well. But if there is snow, you are not allowed to drive with summer tires. In Austria it's a bit more strict. Winter tires with less than 4mm profile are seen as summer tires.
If you live in the mountains or need to drive every day all year it makes sense. I live in the south (of Austria) where we don't have much snow, so all-year-tires are more convenient.
@@reinhard8053 I think 4mm is also the minimum in Germany. I mean on real snow.
Imagine some new EV summer tires coming with 5mm complete new 😅 only because they can state 5km (fictional number) more range
Last year I threw winter tires away with around 4mm. Could do all wheel powerslides with them. Funny but not safe. These tires should help me avoid dangerous situations 😉 8 years was to much for this compound. I do not drive that much and my awd with no torque below 2500 upm is very careful with tires 😂
The shower heard are also height adjustable, so you can get shower without washing your hair 😅
My uncle, who is now 96, was skiing until he was 88. One day he came home to me and said "today a German skied into me and I fell, thank god nothing happened, but there are too many Germans on the slope, it is too dangerous." 😂 (He is Austrian) He went on with bicycling until he was 93. Now he has an E-Scooter.
Bahaha. That's actually crazy he's still out there on an e-scooter (whatever that is)
@@ryanwass E-Scooter (electric scooter) have become really popular in recent years, so much so that traffic laws have been adopted and signs added for those "vehicles". Like a thin scateboard, one wheel front one wheel back, a long stick with a handle in the front and you can either push it with one feet or use the battery motor like most do.
@@ryanwass you dont have e-scooters in America?
@@ilovehorsesforever1807 They probably have but under a different name/terminology. 🛴
Because most germans are only skiing for holiday 2 weeks in a year.
What many people forget is that additional winter tires are no more expensive than just summer or all-season tires. The wear is spread out and you need new tires less often.
But you need a second pair of rims, changing twice a year and need to store the other ones. But despite I am all for winter/summer tires.
@@danielrauer5864
True, but you don't have to buy expensive rims. That would be bad in winter with salt anyway. I used a change and storage service.
They even cleaned the tires and checked the age every time for only €30.
salt ? where in germany its still allowed to use salt on the streets ? xD i know its based on the city and commune but i would say in 99% its forbidden and they use sand or gravel and stuff and not salt @@mrcvry
@@DaxRaider
I don't have a list, but it seems to still be used here in the Midwest. Especially outside the cities (e.g. Eifel).
@@danielrauer5864we don't have extra rims. You CAN do that but you don't need to. German car repair station also can switch the tires from the rims directly. It will take a bit longer but beside that....
My Grandma and Grandfather gave up driving cars. But they are still riding bikes at 96 and 90 years of age.
Meine Oma konnte nach einer Knie Operation nicht mehr Fahrrad fahren, aber sie hat noch mit 74 selbst allein ihren ganzen Garten umgegraben. Deutsche sind noch im hohen Alter fit 💪😎
One thing about the bike: In Germany it doesn't care how old you are. Many people are riding the bike. Most of them say, it's much faster than riding a car, because you can shortcut many traficlight (not by just passing when it's red but by using roads, cars are not allowed to use). So I'd say mostly in citys it is even easyer to use the bike than it is to use the car, even if the way is 10-15 km long
That's true. When I ride the bike to go to work I need only half of the time as when I drive with the car. So I only use the car when there is heavy rain in the morning or when it's freezing in the winter. And I stay fitter with 20km on the bike every day.
For those wondering: bicylists are also required to follow some traffic rules and if said person commits a violation it can reflect back on their drivers license, too. Driving drunk e.g. is punishable no matter the vehicle, as is crossing a red light.
My first encounter with a fixed shower head was in Peru and to this day I have no idea how women are supposed to wash their 'nether regions' because - unlike men, whose nether regions are in front, ours are looking down (OMG, this is difficult to express!). So yes, as a woman I much prefer our German shower heads.
😂🤣😂
It is difficult to phrase if you are afraid to call things by it's name.
@@pos1311 I am not but as far as I can tell, youtube extinguishes anything that might offend American (?) sensibilities, so I tried to comply.
I totally agree with you! I hate the fixed shower heads i USA. The water doesn't go where it needs to go, when it comes from above instead of from below...
6:39 the thing is, it is more expansive to drive year around with the same set of tires. it is mostly about the hardness and stickyness of the rubber. When you drive around in the summer with the same rubber, that you use for winter tires that means it is to soft. You use more rubber and more gas than is necessary.
For some years I had a Volkswagen Passat. With winter tires it needed 6 liters of diesel per 100 km, with summer tires it was only 5.
Interesting. We only have winter tires and the difference in gas is not noticeable at all. We need to change the tires a little bit more often, but not by much.
So, for us it's actually very practical, but it's a good point, that it might not be a good idea for everyone!
@@lethfuil how much warmer is it in the summer where you live. For that is the main part. You want tires that fit well to the temperature.
@@MusikCassette In summer it's about 35°C (can go up to 38°) in winter about -5° to -10° (can go to -26°).
We're using winter only for about 15 years now (except for one year, where we got a new, used, car which had summer tires on already and we didn't bother to change right away) and are very happy with it since.
(For reference, we had both before, for over 10 years.)
@@lethfuil ok, with those temperature differences it probably would be better to use two different sets of tires.
I think 90% of people in Germany have never driven a golf cart either :D Golf is incredibly niche.
When I had to drive automatic for the first time I had a few instances where I suddenly went 100% on the breaks because I was conditioned to hit the clutch. Fun times for the people behind me, I am sure :)
Yes. And even those who play golf, dont usually use a cart but just walk.
When I'm driving automatic, I'm just leaving my left foot on the floor, and control the gas and the break with my right foot, simply skipping the clutch and gearshift.
@@szaszm_ that's the right way to do it, but just try it when you have driven stick for years and then have to drive an automatic car. You have to glue your left feet down to not use it.
@@thorstenbrandt6256 I've driven stick for years, and nowadays it's about 50-50. :)
18 holes are easy walkable
Fixed showerheads you can't take in your hands are still a thing in Germany, but usually only found in public places like gyms or public pools. The hose is extremely useful for cleaning the shower, but public places don't need that because the person employed for cleaning have a separate place to fix their hose to
We have the removable shower heads also on our bathtubs, so you can just only shower your hair or feeds, for example. Or doing some laundry, shower your plants or pets.Very convenient 😉
Same in the Netherlands
@@palantir135 and in Belgium.
Same in France.
In public shower rooms, showers are fixed.
@@Wildcard71 That's right, and I hate it.
It is not mandatory to have winter tires on your car in Germany.
You simply cannot legally drive it under winter conditions (snow, ice) if you don't have the tires.
On a sunny +5C in January you can use summer tires. Though you might still get winter tires for savety and fuel reasons, since the rubber mix is different and behaves worse outside the intended temperatures.
The cops actually do carry like a "ruler" to check your tire profile.
Think about it, our roads are narrow and we are allowed to drive hella fast. We somehow have to compensate for that. It's done by stricter rules on the condition of the cars that are allowed to drive the streets and stricter rules on the driving license.
I grew up in a small Village in the countryside of south Germany, and It was normal to see old people riding a bike. But there was an old lady that drove around like she was in her 50s (but in fact she was over 95 years old). She did still ride the bike with 101 years old but sadly passed away 2 years later. But that in retrospec is amazing if I think about it nowadays.
Riding bikes is like smoking. It can kill you even 2 years after you stop. Maybe she would still live today if she got off the addiction earlier.
In Germany we have many woods and you can take significant bike shortcuts through beautiful areas full of nature, so even long ways feel short 🌲🌳⚘😍
Here in Finland, it's mandatory to have proper winter tires on November 1st and the minimum thread depth for winter tires is 3 mm. An easy way to check the thread depth is to use 2 EUR coin. The edge of the coin has silvery colored metal that's 4 mm thick so if the thread is deep enough to fully take the silvery part, you're definitely good to go. New winter tires typically have 8 mm deep threads as new.
6:00 not very often - but I have actually been pulled over once in fresh snow and police did measure my tires (after checking it was actually winter tires). They very all fresh, not 100 km on the road, so they let me go after less than a minute.
Very rare occurrence, though.
Btw, make no mistake, whether it's all flat or not doesn't make a difference. With normal tires, your braking distance can be easily two to three times more than with winter tires and in many situations winter tires can make the difference between being able to drive at 50mph and losing control at 15mph, even in flat terrain.
These dedicated tires are SO INFINITELY BETTER in snow and ice that they would be worth putting on even if you actually needed their capabilities only for 30 minutes all winter. One accident prevented is much cheaper than switching tires twice a year for many, many years.
Btw, it's not really true that winter tires are more expensive than summer tires. Oftentimes they actually cheaper because 1. they can be narrower and 2. you don't need to look at the "speed index". (you can put on winter tires that are only street legal for up to 160 km/h if you are ok never exceeding that speed in winter. You can't do that with summer tires, they must be street legal for whatever speed your car can go. That's true for all of Europe btw, even though in the rest of Europe you can't legally go faster than at most 140 km/h anyway, if your car can go 300 km/h, you absolutely need summer tires that can tolerate 300.).
Also, keep in mind that the summer tires won't wear while you use the winter tires. So at the end of the day, you've really only spent money on 4 extra rims (can be inexpensive steel rims, no need for beautiful aluminum in the dirty winter weather anyway), and, of course, the switching of the tires. Which admittedly, in the day and age of automatic tire pressure control systems, is unfortunately no longer as trivial as it used to be)
Central Europe: detachable shower heads. Not just Germany. From Poland to Portugal. From Denmark to Italy...!
There is another big advantage if you can remove the shower head.
You can stand inside your shower remove the shower head and point it away from you to wait until the hot water comes out. That way you don’t need to receive the first cold blast when you turn the shower on.
Of course you could turn on the shower before you enter, but depending on the size of the shower, you will make a mess drenching the floor in water.
German here: In Germany it is NOT mandatory to have winter tires in winter. As long as the road conditions are good, no snow, no ice, no temperatures near freezing point, you can go with summer tires just like that. But under said conditions, your car must be equipped with winter tires. Such is the law.
I can approve that. Guys using Winter tires usually have two sets of rims, one with summer tires and one for the winter and they change every spring and fall. That way you have always best grip to the street and they don't get used down that fast. So it is actually cheaper.
But there is a third option to choose: all-whether-tires or as we call it here in Germany: Allwetterreifen
Hes right
Yep. And the use of winter tires (or all-year with snow symbol on it) is not bound to months.
In June, there can be a very cold air stream. So: freezing/snow/hail in June? You better got them winter tires on.
@@karllagerbier4688 Though this would be very unusual, just to make things clear. Especially when you live in the "lowlands" so to speak. Mountain regions though? Yep, can happen. Weather has gone more n more nuts in the past decade, too!
@@KxNOxUTA de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schafsk%C3%A4lte?wprov=sfla1
Harz, Erzgebirge, Thüringer Wald,... All prone for some summer ice surprise.
When I was a child and sitting in the passangers seat, my mom sometimes allowed me to shift the gears on her notice. I was so proud back then.😅
Winter tires are NOT mandatory. But: if you crash in the winter with summer tires the insurance company will often refuse to pay.
My grandpa is 87 this year and still rides his bike through town and does bike tours regularily. Same with my grandma, who also goes hiking with other senior women once a week.
We also have the bicycle phrase in Germany.
Riding a bike keeps you fit and benefits your health.
It is also much easier to find a "parking spot" for a bicycle ... compared to a car. In a city that is a great advantage.
It's used for other things: "xy is like cycling, you don't loose the ability"
Das ist wie fahrradfahren, das verlernt man nicht! It's like riding the bicycle, you won't forget how...
"Wer sein Fahrrad liebt, der schiebt" - in case of deflated tires
@@TortuositOr at the traffic lights
There are actually sort of rulers (more like a mini slide rule) that are used to test tread depth. But the easiest way to test for yourself is to use a one Euro coin. If the outside ring is not visible while inserted in the tread, then you are OK.
Again what learned! :)
Ooooh what a smart solution!! .....whatever am I gonna do with that information now as a notorious license owner who refuses to own a car and drive LOL. Still, thank you. That's such useful advice!!
The minimum thread depth for winter tires in Germany is 4 mm. 1,6mm is for summer. If you winter tires dont have 4mm anymore you just dont take them off and use them the whole next summer.
There are special bags and bicycle trailers for heavy stuff, so travelling a weekend or longer (including camping) is pretty easy 😉
🚴 It's like riding a bike, you don't forget it.
Yes we say that here in Germany. 😊
I am german and my first drive with a automatic gearbox in a rental car felt weird... when i had a break on the longer tour i approached my parking spot and when i wanted to stop i stood with both feet on that wide pedal because i was used to push the clutch AND the brake in that situation ... i think no words needed how it looked like :D ... anyway i got out of the car and another guy asked me: "first time automatic transmission?" ... :D
Okay..that is cute..happened to me..drive once an automatic and never again 😅😅
Yeah, same lol. Also, I couldn't figure out how to park it the first time, because you had to switch to park before turning off the ignition, but I usually start with the ignition when parking a manual car. Sat in a parking lot with running engine and foot on the brake while reading the manual because I was absolutely dumbfounded that it wouldn't just let me turn the key. At first I thought I somehow broke the ingnition lock.
Oh man, I feel you but many Americans seem to be hell bend on driving automatic is the none plus ultra😅
It happened much earlier for me -- on the parking lot. I was backing out of the parking spot, stopped, put the thing into D, started to drive, then switched to the next gear... which, of course, completely failed: when I hit the clutch "as usual", the car came to a very hard, full stop -- because I hit the brake pedal. No real issue on the parking lot, but I knew I can't let this happen on the road, so I put my left foot away from the pedals. It wasn't the most comfortable positioning, but I've done this for quite some time whenever I drove an automatic car, until everything I was driving (which isn't much) was automatic so I would just "unlearn" the manual-shifting muscle memory entirely.
I've only driven an automatic once and that was a horrible experience. I don't know how often I hit the brake with my left foot by accident because I "thought" it's time to change gears ‑ most of the time that happened when I actually wanted to accelerate. Maybe, it's somewhat funny if you just started moving and then stopped again right away without any apparent reason because you want to shift to the 2nd gear but eventually I got "stuck" on the acceleration lane and was panicking about how to get out of there. (Somehow the car didn't accelerate when it should (maybe, technically it did but at that acceleration rate it would've taken like 1 km to get it up to somewhere near 80 km/h) and I must've thought that I'm in the wrong gear, pressing the "clutch" (which was the brake, of course) making it even worse.) The car had a mind of it's own all the time, too. Sometimes it was accelerating too abruptly to minor changes to gas pedal inputs and sometimes pressing the gas pedal had hardly any effect at all. (Don't know if that's normal for automatic transmission or if there was something wrong with the car, too.)
That little "lob" in the groove of the tyre thread is exactly 1.6mm
Germany also has fixed shower heads, but fewer than the movable ones; you'll usually find them in gyms or public showers like at a pool. For one thing, it's easier to adjust to different heights if you're tall or short, and for another, it's cheaper to install the rod where the shower head is hooked up at on top of the tiles than build it into the wall. It's that simple. When we renovated our bathroom in 2017, we installed a fixed rain shower head in the center of the shower ceiling, AND an additional movable head for times when you don't want to get your hair wet (like, right before bed if you just want to cool off after a hot day, but don't care to go the whole blow-dry routine).
The winter tires are much softer than summer tires to have better grip in cold weather. If you used them in summer, they would get used up really quickly compared to the summer /normal tires. This is the main reason why you don't use winter tires all year round.
The removable shower heads have the same effect as fixed showerheads, BUT they can be changed in height as well if their holders are attached to a vertical bar. So with the holder it has ALL aspects of a fixed shower head BUT it also has all the positives of a removable one.
When the car rental gave me an upgrade for free it was the first time I sat in an automatic car. I literally had no idea what to do and how to drive it, I had to google it before.
Of course I made the mistake of not resting my left foot and just using the right. It felt natural to always use the left foot.
So I used the left foot for braking. Except when you use the left foot on the clutch, you push it all the way down. So my foot was used to that.
It made for a very interesting first attempts at braking. 😂
7:26 about winter tires being expensive, you don't have to buy a new set every winter. You keep them for example in your garage during summer ( actually we switch tires twice a year) so you can use them until they're worn-out.
We have an expression for our relationship with our cars in germany: The car is the german's most beloved child. ("das Auto ist des Deutschen liebstes Kind")
Nie gehört. Wo lebst du?
In DE. Einfach mal "des Deutschen liebstes Kind" googeln falls du immer noch Zweifel hast.@@Auvas_Damask
@@Auvas_Damask wo lebst du ??
@@isaultra3405 Nordrhein-Westfalen
the first time had to drive an automatic was acutally nerve wrecking :D
you can use something like ruler to measure the depth of the threading, but you don't have to use any tools since the tyres have a "measuring device" built in. The threads have small patches that are higher than the base but lower than the surface. As long as those patches are lower than the surface you're good. If that makes any sense, English is obviously not my first language
Yeah, the stupid bigger brake pedal! You always try to change the gear and want to press the not present clutch you are doing an emergency brake. It always takes a day or so to get accustomed to not using the left leg.
@@habi0187 exactly
The showerheads, yeah... I was used to the "classic removable" one since my childhood. I think, the reason are more bathtubs than showers in Germany in that time, when bathrooms have been very small - too small for both, a tub and a shower. You could take a shower in a bathtub, you obviously could take a bath, but you also can just wash your hair without getting in the tub. Practical as Germans like to be, they chose the tub over the showers.
But over the years (especially when "wellness" became a thing) the (more gigantic) "rain shower heads" conquered the bathrooms. Often they are an addition to a small removable one.
My answer to the question why I like a manual gearbox: I want the ability to downshift *before* I need the power. With an automatic, you just floor it, the gearbox is diddling around with the gears, comes up with the right one at some point, then the power arrives. This a) takes a while and b) if you're in a turn, it can lead to a loss of control (like the Mustangs are known for).
she is talking about my mother 😂 she constantly does bicycle trips with their walking group for a whole weekend. if the stay at different hotels each night, they organize a transport for their luggage :)
edit: also, my grand-father had an e-bike, but a special one, where you don‘t sit, but rather lay in, it is lower to the ground. He used it up until he was 94 or so. His brother as well…
We in Germany do say that about riding a bike and not forgetting as well. I can attest that it is true in practice as well. Learned at 6yo and stopped for a few years at 17. When I tried again at age 27 the first 20 minutes were kinda wobbly in execution but it worked out all the same.
@7:00 winter tires also use a softer rubber (to stay flexible in cold temperatures) and have more/smaller groves (to really "grip" on snow and ice), so they wear out more quickly. And being optimized for "mud & snow" they have actually less grip on warm & dry roads.
For the biking it must be mentioned that many both in-town as well as in-between-town roads spot extra bike lanes at the sides (accept for the Autobahn of course).
I don't know where she got 90% manual gear cars in Germany from. That must have been a while back. A quick Google search said 50% of newly produced cars in Germany are automatic, compared to only 20% 20 years ago. So maybe 20 years ago it was still around 90% manual on the streets but it has changed since then.
Oh I loved this Video 😅 Born and raised in germany, all this is sooo normal but I still remember the first time in the US waaaaayyyy back in 1990. It was all so odd, but beautiful. UP Michigan, not far from Sault St Marie. I loved it there and it wasn´t about the showers and things, I just took all that for what it was. It was about the space, the countryside, the woods and the peace you could feel going fishing and not seeing anyone else the entire day.
I miss that to this day 🥲💕 ( Germay is to darn crowded)
About the bicycle thing... I guess ya don´t forget how it´s done but if you haven´t been on one in alot of years, age comes around the corner and smacks your balance in the head 😂 oh and yes we have that saying about never forgetting how to ride one 😊
Fun fact: The first time I've driven an automatic car was in the US. But I have NEVER driven a golf cart - they are not allowed on public streets and golf is regarded as a kind of "posh" and pretty expensive hobby. You have to be a member in a golf club to play on their course and their membership fees tend to be really expensive.
5:54 Hey, Police Officer here. Yes we have little devices to measure the tire profile. The fine for a low tire profile is 75€+ 1 penalty point (You lose your drivers license with 8 points), then you also get a fine, if you don't have winter tires on when there is snow or ice. The fine is also 60€+ 1 penalty point.
Ryan your intro was more spoopy as normal, don't give me a heart attack 😆
There is also this bicycle phrase in Germany.
But I've also heard this rather rare variation: "It's like skiing." meaning exactly the same
or like "swimming"
„It‘s like skiing“ is an Austrian thing 😂
A few years back, my family and I went on a trip to southern Europe. My father, who had only driven manual cars his entire life, suddenly found himself driving an automatic rental car.
The amount of times he tried to use the clutch but ended up slamming on the breaks was substantial
6:40 - Winter tires are also usually one or two sizes smaller and therefore may even be a little cheaper than summer tires.
You protect your summer tires while you drive winter tires.
If just all Americans would be like you, we would live in a much better world 👌
Fun additional fact: I'm Italian and the same things she's saying about Germany are exactly the same here in Italy. My only doubt is about the percentage of manual vs automatic cars: I think that 10% automatic cars in Italy would be wildly exaggerated; I'm 60 yo and I've never even seen an automatic car here! Point is, I think, you learn manual by default and then it becomes really natural and effortless, so much that learning another system (i.e. automatic), even if it's easy, would be still an unnecessary hassle. Just give me a manual car, why should I learn another one?
The same applies in South Africa. You also need to get your licence in a manual car in order to drive a manual or an automatic car. If you get your licence in an automatic, you legally shouldn't drive a manual.
The thing about winter tires has to do with the rubber mixture. Summer tires get too hard when below 7 degrees Celcius, increasing braking distance, so winter tires have a softer mixture.
There is another thing about winter tires: The gum composition is quite more softer, so the tire is still elastic when the temperature is beneath 8°C. summer tires will get hard when reaching 8°C and you are loosing grip. On the opposite, winter tires will wear out fast when reaching summer temperatures and the grip is also bad.
There are differences between rubber mixtures and tire construction in different parts of the world, but a Swedish car magazine has compared different types of tires. Even at -10 °C, summer tires had a better braking performance on a dry surface. With snow or ice on the road, the result was completely different. But then, winter tires sold in Scandinavia have a far softer rubber mixture than those in central Europe.
Wintertires aren't only usefull in winter times or in the mountains. Even while autumn, when you have wet leaves on the street, it prevents your car from slipping, what could probably cause an accident.
Greetings from Berlin 😎🚘⛄
I learned driving a manual car, so when I had to drive an automatic, someone had to show me, how. But once I got used to it, I really loved it. I could not buy an automatic car because it is too expensive (that is really a thing in Europe). It is sometimes impossible to find a (secondhand) automatic car for a reasonable price. I have never seen a shower head that cannot be moved or taken off. People buy their own shower heads for more comfort. The steady (build in) shower head, that cannot be moved, exists only in public swimming pools. I learned to ride a bike when I was a child, but when I moved to Spain, I did not ride a bike anymore for at least 7 years. I am currently living in the Netherlands, but I try to avoid bike riding as much as I can. Elderly people, who still ride bikes, have practiced bike riding without a break. If you have had a break for a long time, you still can ride a bike, but without the confidence and balance you once had. My son also had a break, when we lived in Spain, but because he was young, he picked it up immediately, when we were back in the Netherlands.
"If you have had a break for a long time, you still can ride a bike, but without the confidence and balance you once had."
For a few days and then the balance and confidence is completely back. I didn't ride a bike for more than 30 years and started cycling again in 2020 and after a few days it felt as normal as it once did. I'm a little bit more careful nowadays but that's more because I'm much older and wiser now.
Automatik fahren ist langweilig du weißt dann nicht mehr was du mit dem zweiten Fuß machen sollst.
Außerdem brauchst während der Fahrt nicht mehr zu schalten, da muss man selbst bei 200km/h aufpassen das man nicht einschläft wegen der Langweile.
Schaltgetriebe ist besser.
I remember going on a vacation in North Carolina during Christmas a long time ago. We wanted to drive through a National Park there, and they stopped us to check our tires because they had just had some snow, farther up in the mountains. We had normal tires on our car but luckily, we had tire/snow chains with us. They made us put them on, before they let us proceed.
Yes we use mandatory tyre chains in Australia in our snowfields areas!
I learned to drive on a manual and an automat car. My first car was actually automatic, but when I found out how much more expensive it was (at least back then) to repair an automatic compared to a manual, I changed to manual and never went back.
I did hire an automatic in the US because I wanted to concentrate more on the surroundings than changing gears, but I when I got into the car I couldn’t find the lever to switch from parking to drive, it wasn’t where I knew it to be, between the driver and passenger seats. The guard at the entrance gate noticed something was wrong and came over to ask if he could help, so I asked where the lever was. You can’t imagine my surprise when he pointed to the steering wheel! We only have windshield wipers and indicators at the steering wheel.
Shower heads are not all the same in Germany. What she’s referring to is what is generally called a hand shower, but we also have overhead showers, which are larger than the hand showers. I actually have a combination of both. So I can just stand under the overhead shower and have my hands free (which I much prefer), or I can use the hand shower with different settings (softer, harder, massage).
Antoinette is wonderful. Please react to more of her videos. Greetings from Germany :)
Thank you!
The saying about bike riding is the same in Germany. Also Germans seem to love their cars. So a lot of people drive their cars around where they could easily just have used their feet or rode a bicycle. However, in some cities we do transition to a more bike friendly environment (i.e. you do not have to fear sudden death by motorists at every corner), but our neighbors in Denmark and the Netherlands are way ahead of us.
Picknick stuff can go into carts that are attached to the bike. Same principle like trailers for cars. There's special trailers for small kids and trailers for stuff. You can also wear a backpack on your back or have a metal basket at the front or back of your bike.
Also: If it's a tour that is booked or a club etc. then sometimes they simply have one person or a team who go to the destination with one car and all food supplies etc. and can even set things up before the group arrives :)
Other times "picknick" just means taking a rest with your water bottle and eating your one sandwich and to then continue on to the hotel/restaurant for meal times.
Bikes have bike bags and carriers on the front so you can put your groceries and stuff on it. In ontario if you put winter tires on you save on insurance as well. We also have hand held showers...but you do have to usually put them in yourself.
Yes, you've hit the nail on the head! Driving manual is mainly about the feeling. It is simply way more fun, more active, more "sporty". I like using my left foot while driving, operating three pedals instead of two. I have also tested driving automatic and to be honest, I didn't enjoy it. Yes, it's more convenient, but it is also like simply getting from A to B, whereas for many Germans driving is also a fun activity.
My guess would be that for less well half of the population, manual cars are mostly about lower costs. And for more well off half, to whom the extra total cost of automatic transmissions is much less (if at all) a concern, choosing a manual is about feel and control.
while its true that manual is more preferred ones, once u get older u will prob get an automatic car, remebering my dad even said "i will never drive an automatic car, then there is no reason to even drive." - hes driving a automatic now, and it feels he drives more than before. My whole family years back said basically "Automatic is for the lazy and takes all the fun." now that there are all 45+ years old they rolled back & say: "automatic is very chill, easy & i dont wanna put so much effort when i already have to drive multiple hours to & from my workplace, it makes it more fun when its convenient." even my brother that is now well over 30 years old said that. he begin with an manual car & only couple of years later he switched just cuz its easier and more chill to drive that way.
Yes, there are also people who think so and change. But I am nearly 50 now (49 to be exact) and I still can't imagine switching to automatic. I still don't like it ;-)@@user-uu9up5fe5t
ja, ich fühl mich immer voll sportlich wenn ich in der früh im Stau stehe und in der Schaltung umrühre.
@@gonzo2495 nicht jeder muss in der früh im Stau stehen, mich betrifft es z.B. nicht.
I always loved driving manual, even though automatic is more convenient. Now I am driving electric which is pretty much like an automatic, so manual transmission in cars is going to be mostly history soon.
The saying about not forgetting how to ride a bicycle is the same here.
electronic cars aren't the future
there is nowhere near enough lithium
@@dieZera That is the weakest argument ever. First, Lithium actually is not so rare. Second, Sodium based batteries are almost there.
@@sunday87 electricity is expensive and electric cars need to be charged at night when the sun isn't shining.
Splitting water to get hydrogen during sunny hours and store it makes way more sense.
@@dieZera green hydrogen is far too valuable to waste it in cars. Why would electric cars be charged only at night? Makes no sense.
@@sunday87 because people are home at night and out and about during the day. And no there won't be charge points for everybody. We need sth you can just get like gas at a gasstation.
Also electricity is way too expensive.
Fun Fact:
When it was discovered that the Hubble telescope had a visual defect, a solution was sought.
An engineer was standing in a (German) shower when he had the idea. A rod with a holder to which a lens is adjustable, instead of a shower head. That was the solution that saved Hubble.
Winter tires are NOT mandatory in winter! They don’t enforce this at all. You need to have winter tires - or more exactly winter compliant tires - when there is snow on the roads. If the roads are cleared (by salt), you don’t have to have them.
You get fined by the police if you are in an accident using the wrong kind of tires or worn or damaged tires. They check if there is a snow flake symbol on your tires. Also while your insurance has to pay for any damage you caused, they will raise your premiums and may demand parts or all of the money back.
You are allowed to use summer tires on roads without snow. It is also perfectly fine to use them on ice. Also there are “all weather tires” which may be used on snow. They have the snow flake icon on them.
If you are in an accident - even if you didn’t had caused it at all - there are several things that can cause you to be fined and cause problems with your insurance.
- using tires without a snow icon on snow.
- using worn tires
- not locking your wheels if your car doesn’t have ABS
- wrong air pressure in tires
- car not roadworthy
- driving to fast / reckless driving
- DUI (obvious)
- no or suspended license
- no insurance cover
- car nor licensed
- car not TÜV inspected or TÜV sticker expired for more than 3 months (TÜV is a safety inspection every 2 years)
The reasoning is that if you did something of the above wrong, you might have been able to avoid the accident or made it less severe if you didn’t.
I never saw a fixed shower head in European hotels. Even in Russia and Ukraine they have movable shower heads.
UK is full of them
There are actually three types of tires:
1. Summer tires, with a hard rubber compound that tolerates hot outside temperatures well and does not lose too much material or even melt in heat. There is also a profile that is designed for good grip. The profile needs a clear minimum depth here, otherwise aquaplaning can occur when it rains. In winter, changing is strictly mandatory, otherwise you will lose your insurance in the event of an accident too.
2. Winter tires, with a very soft compound that remains flexible and adaptable in cold conditions. The profile is strong so that it can grip well in snow. Rain is hardly a problem with this profile, but at higher temperatures the loss on material of the tire is quite higher. There are no regulations about changing them in summer, but the wear and tear is far too high, so you would have to buy new ones all too soon. It is therefore advisable to change with an eye on your wallet.
3. All-weather tires represent a compromise; they are not as soft as winter tires, but have a much more pronounced tread than summer tires and are also softer than them. They are approved for winter and can alternatively be ridden all year round, at least if you don't want to ride alpine routes. They are good by heavy rain too.
Conclusion:
Especially in the mountainous areas of the low mountain ranges and the Alps in central and southern Germany, significant snow is to be expected and it is therefore absolutely advisable to change from winter to summer tires. All-weather tires are sufficient for urban centers and flatter regions in northern Germany.
"In winter, changing is strictly mandatory, otherwise you will lose your insurance in the event of an accident too."
Thats not quite right! The accident must have happend because of the lack of the right tires. If the accident would also occur with the right tires it has no effect on your insurance coverage. In addition regarding your KFZ-Haftplficht wich will pay for the damage you caused to others will pay the damage regardless. But if you drove with wrong tires the insurance company can get up to 5000EUR back from you (But not more!) Regarding your KFZ-Kasko wich pays for the damages to your own car: Driving with wrong tires can be seen as gross negligence wich can lead up to 100% loss of your claim. (Every case will be evalutated individually so for example was it already cold outside for weeks or was it unexpectedly colder that day, did the accident only happend because of the longer braking distance etcetera.)
I think driving manual isnt just more fun/ less boring, it also makes you pay more attention. You are alot more aware of the speed you are going. You wont accidently accelerate to 100 in a city if you are in 3rd gear and your engine cries back to you. (Extreme example, I know)
5:50 Austria is even stricter. There 1.6mm is the minimum profile depth for summer tires, for winter tires it is 4mm or for some even 5mm. If winter tires have less than 4mm but still more than 1.6mm they count as summer tires. Here, winter tires are mandatory depending on the weather conditions between November 1st and April 15th. That means if the road condition is snowy, icy etc. you need to have winter tires. And this can happen quite often, for example when I drive on the highway from Klagenfurt (440m above sea) to Graz (353m) the highest point on the route ("Packsattel") is on 1072m. There you already/still can have snow, ice or freezing rain/fog while in the cities you have nice autumn or spring weather.
We like gearshift becouse you can speed faster Quick and its not so boring. I hate Automatic, Its boring
Also, when done right, you can drive more fuel efficient. But yeah, for me it's also mostly the fun.
Don't make it sound like it applies to most Germans. Most Germans who drive manual simply do it because it is often cheaper
@@staying_substantially not true, i know alot germans, they can afford Expensive cars, but they drive gearbeitet shift. We have the Autobahn, better with gear😂
@@nicolettarope6030 Being able to afford sth does not exclude buying sth because its cheaper. I would even say its correlated in positive way: Buying cheaper things makes it possible to afford other things ;)
i drive an Audi A6 Automatic and its fun. you sound like a teenager.
Manuel gear vs automatic:
Volkswagen has only one automatic gearbox - originally designed and built for the Golf. They use the same fckng automatic gearbox in their vans too, but those weigh up to 2.4 tons!
When I also add my caravan of 1.6 tons, you can imagine how long this gearbox will work... It often breaks around 60, 000 km when used in a van pulling trailers regularly. 🙄
Edit: typos... 😉
The difference between summer and winter tires are significant.
They have completely different shaped treads and rubber mixtures optimized for the respective temeratures and road conditions.
Summer tires are good for warm conditions and goog grip in the rain, but won't have any grip at all on snow or slush.
Winter tires are way softer to still be flexible enough in extreme cold temperatures and habe a very fine tread profile to still have some grip on snow or even ice. They will waste away really fast when it's really warm because they are so soft, so driving them in summer won't get you very far...
All year tires aren't really good for anything...😉
You can pretty much ignore the manual/automatic gearbox thing. Back when I got a my drivers license, "manual" was the default -- but, of course, you're allowed to drive automatic cars anyway. Nowadays, things a little more separated, like you can get a drivers license where you're mostly driving automatic cars and just get the manual as an "add-on".
For myself, I haven't touched a "manual" in ages, and would want to do; while I had to be careful with muscle memory initially (trying to use the clutch in an automatic car almost guarantees you're hitting the brake full power), that muscle memory is completely gone.
More expensive cars are basically sporting an automatic gearbox by default; not only does it make driving so much easier/convenient, it also makes certain systems more useful. Like my "adaptive cruise control" can regulate the speed through the entire range, down to a full stop, without me having to change gears.
My father has used manual cars for much longer than I have; initially, I thought he'd never switch. Then, some guy rear-ended him, and while the damage didn't look all that bad on his car, the company decided it was totaled. But, of course, they didn't have exactly, what he wanted right away, so he got an automatic. Ordered the same one as before, of course. The, soon after, he called them again to ask whether he could still change his order -- he wanted an automatic. Just like that. Drive manual for decades, get an automatic forced on you, and *bang* you're converted :-)
He is still putting his right hand on the "stick" in certain situations, though. Doesn't try to do anything with it, but the initial movement to "get ready to change gears" is still there.
I have never driven an automatic car . I have no idea how they would even work . The biggest issue I had in driving school was that I kept forgetting which gear I was in for a few weeks. But after that it all became very automatic (lol). I don't even think about it anymore.
My first everyday car had a manual transmission and was a '97 Fiat Cinquecento. :)
The cars I currently have all have large engines and lots of horsepower as well as automatic transmissions. Everyday car is a Mercedes E Class and for fun three old US cars from the 70s and 80s.
I don't want to drive anything other than an automatic, it's much more relaxed and a lot more fun than constantly switching gears. Especially in the city during rush hour traffic :)
Habe vor 2 Jahren von manuellem auf automatisches Getriebe gewechselt und bin sehr zufrieden. Nice vid, mate.👍🏻
summer and winter tires are made of different rubber compounds. This has an impact on driving stability and braking distances. With winter tires, the braking distance on snowy roads at 50 km/h is around 31 meters. With summer tires, the braking distance doubles to 62 meters
Handheld shower heads and mandatory winter tyres also in Finland. Most people have studded tyres in winter, which are banned during summer due to the wear of dry tarmac they cause.
Winter tires have a different profile and rubber composition which performs better on wet and cold temperatures, also when changing your tires half a year you can see less often tire losses while driving. also there are laws on the age and profile depth minimum allowed to drive
another thing worth mentioning is the TüV, you car needs to pass a security and roadsafetytest during an inspection and you get a stamp that is put on your license plate when passing inspection
also in germany you are rerquired to have license plate in the front and back
also manual gearboxes are cheaper to produce and maintain than automatic gearboxes. when people get older they often are switching to automatics
I would say that the manual, the tires and shower are in most of Europe, not only Germany. Been in almost every European country and seen it everywhere (excluding UK, as I did not pay attention 😂). The shower head has sometimes more additions like a fixed one and the removable one and if it's a tub, you have sometimes a tub filler too, so basically three options. But the removable is holy and everywhere. 😂😂 And yes, the cops have a small ruler on hand to check the tires, but you can see on the tires which one they are. It's stated on there together with all other informations like width, size etc. If you have an accident, first the cops check if the drivers are intoxicated and second they check the tires. So they play a big role.
We also have the phrase: "It´s like riding a bycicle, you never "unlearn" it"
Most important thing with manual cars: Learn to "see" and feel the gearbox with your left leg. You feel when the gears connect smoothly (or when you shifted faulty and then you hear it screaming) - a bit a manual car is like an old bike with gears - if you switch outside of free spinning you can ruin the chain.
Another reason for removable shower heads: most German showers are actually bathtubs with a curtain or foldable glas wall so you can shower standing up or take the showerhead and sit down.And you can wash your hair without washing the rest of your body, if you want to.
It's also nice if you have little children (or dogs), you can sit them down in the shower, take the showerhead and... well, shower them.
For the cars: everyone makes their driver's license in a manual car so people buy manual cars because they're just not used to automatic. It gets more and more common I would say but maybe 20 years ago, automatic cars were something very exotic here.
And yes, we also say "It's like riding a bike" :D It's not like the Netherlands where everyone is always on the bike but still almost every German has a bike and many Germans use it regularly, not just as a hobby but to go to work etc (When she says "picnic" what she meant was "They stop at every beer garden they see :P )
I think the winter tires do depend a bit on where you are in Germany. Closer to the cost like Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein and (probably) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern you can also use all-year tires in winter (but not plane summer tires), because usually they don't get that much snow. My dad has all-year tires and he is fine and never got into trouble. In the south and parts where you have often and lots of ice and snow you have to have winter tires and in some parts even know chains.
:'D h...how do American and Australian ppl was and rinse their showers then? Like ... the cabin glass doors, the walls and floor of it? Or tub (cause we often have either, or, and having both can be considered luxury. Bathrooms tend to be tiny here). We grab the shower head and rinse the tiles and glass doors with it, as well as the floor. Then you remove any hair caught in the drain net. And sometimes you'll remove the drops via .... that T shaped thing that is used for window cleaning (or an old cloth). So that no white lime residue forms on them (as that's a nuisance to clean)
5:12 - that's one of the reasons why there are so many pileups on highways/freeways/interstates in winter... Here in Germany/Austria in some regions it's mandatory to have snow chains to put on your winter tires if it's heavy snow in the mountains.
Same in France.
@@brigittelacour5055 Maybe it's all over Europe...
I've been watching these "differences between America and Europe" videos for years now, but I never thought about winter tyres being "optional". But it absolutely makes sense in warmer climates like the US or Southern Europe that you wouldn't have that.
In Germany its also allowed to have "All-Year-Tires" also during the winter months and it will not be fined and also your insurance will not make you any problems even if you are involved to an accident.
On to the "You never forget how to ride a bike" its also a common sentence in Germany...same as "You never will forget how to swim if you learnt it once".
13:44 a long time I used my bicycle for fun only. My parents had a weekend recreation property and I had bicycle and was riding it through this suburban area. Later I lived in a village and so bicycle became more essential to me, had no driver license, bus was all 60 minutes, bike was slightly faster than this. I had some pause for years, but since 2021 I prefer bicycle over public transportation.