As i go through day to day life, there are certain things i see that i think "why don't they do that in Australia?". But, there are also some "thank god they don't do that in Australia" moments. Granted, these are only initial impressions, and only based on Berlin....but here are some:
Public Transport. This goes without saying. Everyone knows its better here. Everyone knows its shit in Australia. I can't see the point of getting a car here. Everywhere you are, you are no more than what seems like 100m from either an U-Bahn or S-bahn train, a bus, or a tram.
That being said, I live in a suburb a little like Paddington I guess you could say, so I don't know what its like further out in the burbs.
Beer. It tastes better. Its cheaper than water. Its sold everywhere. You can drink on the street/transport. However, I do believe there are problems with alcoholism in Deutschland. But that doesn't really affect me. So its a positive!
Bike Lanes. Of course, it helps that Berlin is an entirely flat city compared to Sydneys hills. So everyone uses bikes. But the best thing i've noticed, is that majority of roads have a bike lane on it, or a bike lane on the adjacent sidewalk. And driver education is all about being aware about bikes. So you feel safe riding in traffic, knowing that people are aware of you and won't hit you.
Shops open. Every night of the week, all shops (eg clothes) are open til about 8pm. Allowing one who works (everyone...) to do shopping after hours, and not be forced to amass with hoardes on the weekend. Supermarkets are open til around midnight each night too.
Bread. Its just so awesome here. And such a wide variety. And i'm saying this, living at the moment in a city thats not well known for bread. Can't wait til i get to the south.
Not so great things about Deutschland
Dog shit. Dogs are allowed everywhere here (shops, trains etc). This i like. What its led to is dog shit everywhere. Yes, people are supposed to clean it up. But they don't. This results in dog shit on bike tyre. Not happy.
Cash registers. At supermarkets. All the supermarkets are like Aldi in Australia; bring your own bag. This i like. What i don't like is basically zero space past the cash register where your scanned items go. And you are left stuffing your bags after paying, while the cashier is throwing the next customers goods in and amongst yours.
Nakedness. At the gym. Simple - wear a freakin towel!
Personal space. A hard one to describe. Maybe Sydney is a faster moving city. But i don't like to dawdle. German people do. In shopping centres (my most hated places - Sydney & Germany). People seem to walk so slow, and get in your way. People block off escalators so you can't get past. People seem to decide that the best place for them to stop & make their life decisions are at the bottom/top of an escalator, regardless of people piling up behind them. At the markets, people get really close to you, get in your way, and just seem so oblivious.
Weather. Goes without saying. I'm quite happy in the cold. But the worst is yet to come. Give me a beach anyday. It is actually really nice when the sun is out, and its a clear sky, regardless of it being 5º. But its crap when its raining.
Recycling. I'm a little undecided about this one. Here, each bottle has a "pfand" included in its price (like 7c). So to get it back, you have to return the bottle to a return point. This is annoying. I guess it encourages recycling, but i feel that we recycle pretty good in Australia. I guess here it gives something for the homeless to collect. And you don't feel so bad leaving a bottle in the street as a result.
Annoyance - twice i've been at a club, and you get a plastic chip for your glass, which is redeemable for €1- when you return it at the end of the night. Laziness!!
Smoking. Hard to believe an ex-smoker would say this. But even when i smoked, i tried to respect others air. Here, so many people smoke. And everywhere. The no-smoking-in-bars law is i think in place, but not enforced. So you smell.
