to think British tourists should just damn well behave themselves in other people's countries?

[NulliusInBlurba]

I live in Berlin and have done so for over twenty years now. Over that period the tourism industry has grown exponentially, and the city has benefited from that enormously. I've benefited too from the proliferation in cheap EasyJet flights. Most of the British tourists are great - interested in the cultural history, eating a sausage and drinking a beer or two, then maybe a techno club afterwards. But a handful beggar belief, and they are giving all the Brits an appalling reputation here too. Just for the record: this is the capital of the largest country in the EU, it's not a Greek seaside resort. (Not that Greek seaside resorts should have to put up with this crap either, but they seem a lot more economically dependent on this kind of 'guest').

This is the story, my (very rough) translation below:

"There are reports that 30 tourists went on the rampage in a Friedrichshain [a district of Berlin] hotel on Thursday afternoon. The group has now been banned from the hotel on the grounds of causing malicious damage and breach of the peace.

Employees at a Friedrichshain hotel on Warschauer Platz called police late on Thursday afternoon, because a number of hotel guests were gong wild in their rooms. A police spokesperson said that officers indeed found 30 British tourists on the rampage, some of whom were extremely drunk.

According to a hotel spokesperson the British people, who were between 30 and 40 years old, damaged beds as well as furnishings and fittings in the corridor. The identities of the tourists were recorded with the authorities and then they were banned from the hotel. On Friday morning the police spokesperson was unable to say where the group was now staying or even if they were still in Berlin."

Shame on you, whoever it was! Now fuck off, we don't need your kind here. It's bad enough when you do this kind of thing in Blackpool, but at least you're staying in your own country. Jesus, these weren't even teenagers! Imagine the British outrage if a large group of German tourists wrecked a British hotel!

[MechanicalTheatre]

People on TheContinent drink in a different way. They tend not to binge drink and if they do, they do not get rowdy. I've no doubt they drink more, but they also drink over the course of a week.

This is just what I've encountered, having worked with European students in this country for four years and lived abroad for five or so. I could be way off the mark but generally they are horrified when they see central London on a Friday night with all the public excretion of fluids and general lairiness.

[Wallison]

I have also worked with European students and lived abroad, and I don't think the British are alone in their propensity to behave badly while out and drinking - I was astounded the first time I went to Germany when I was a teenager and saw how much the German kids were putting away - I mean, it was proper heavy drinking, not a swig of a cider bottle between ten people in the car park and then spin around to 'make you drunk' which is what I was used to (and consequently I got horribly sick trying to keep up with them). However, I know that not all Germans drink like that, because I know that countries are made up of many different people. A lot of the attitudes of French etc students seem to be made on assumptions and stereotypes, and not having a good old look at themselves and how they behave in pubs.

[Wallison]

Incidentally, the host family that I was staying with were very nice about me coming back to their house and puking for hours on end - they said it happened with pretty much every kid they'd had staying there because in their experience British kids can't keep up with German ones on the beer front - they even regaled me with 'hilarious' stories about other kids puking all over the stairs etc.

[limitedperiodonly]

Rampage? Really? And yet from this report the police presumably didn't arrest anyone because they had no idea where they were after they were chucked out of the hotel.

It must be really nice and quiet in Berlin if this is what the local paper thinks is a major civil disturbance.

[NotTreadingGrapes]

OnTheContinent (or the bit of it I am on) is where MIL places a litre bottle of wine by her husband's plate, and another one by her son's. At lunchtime. Every day.

Then they get up from the table, have a fag, get in their cars and drive to work.

Agree with Wallison. Just because the anecdotes are easy to find, doesn't make them any less anecdotal.

Was showing dp the (Italian) press article last Sunday showing that Brits are something like 20th in the drink league tables (in the western world) and only about 6th in Europe for how much they drink and for dropping dead from drink related illnesses.

Our small Italian town on a Saturday night is also overrun with teenage binge drinkers and pukers. Italian ones. Only difference is they wear coats.

[Sunnywithshowers]

Another 'on the continent' anecdote here, while we're assembling anecdata: My DM lives in a small Spanish village. There are drunks, pukers and drunk drivers. And that's not the Brits.

[Springdiva]

Someone earlier was describing the good treatment of Turks by Germans. But I don't think Turks were allowed to remain in the country then by choice, they worked in factories but could be sent home when and if it suited. Turkey is not in the EU so perhaps that is still the case.

We would be v tolerant of incomers if they could be sent home once we no longer required them.

[ZZZenAgain]

wouldn't want to be Turkish in Germany. I wouldn't say they are treated particularly well. A lot of them are 2nd or 3rd generation immigrants now so they have more rights than the initial migrant workers had.

[500DaysofSeasons]

Germans don't have the best reputation in the Med (hogging beach chairs!).

Did I just read that right?

That boring and very old racist joke.

Almost as funny as saying isn't it annoying when men leave the toilet seat up?

[limitedperiodonly]

IME it's Italians who are the worst for laying towels on sun loungers and fucking off all day. But that's just the beaches I go to.

In any case, it's not racist to say that of Italians or Germans. Just unimaginative to think their behaviour sums up the behaviour of an entire nation.

Just like hysterically claiming that the whole of Britain should hang our heads in shame over a stupid local newspaper report.

[LadyPessaryPam]

Wallison Fri 0Yes, good old TheContinent, with their oh so enlightened attitude to alcohol, and their massive numbers of deaths (far outstripping the UK) from liver disease. It's boring, this UK-bashing stuff about how we can't handle our drink, not to mention inaccurate when you look at stuff like RTAs and hospital admissions due to booze in other nationalities. Still, people like their lazy sterotypes, I suppose.

Ha ha, I was just down the pub (in the UK0 and looking at a list of previous pubs that have existed in our village from 1700 onwards. I must say that for a much smaller population they were maintaining twice as many pubs, so what is this crap about the UK and the drinking problem?

Other nationalities on holiday, I have seen bad stuff from all countries. At the moment the Russians are the ones to avoid from other friends experiences. I must say though it's nice to go somewhere where there a few Brits so you don't have to feel responsible for their behaviour. The prize for the most monumental arrogance must always go to the French

[LessMissAbs]

Springdiva Someone earlier was describing the good treatment of Turks by Germans. But I don't think Turks were allowed to remain in the country then by choice, they worked in factories but could be sent home when and if it suited. Turkey is not in the EU so perhaps that is still the case

I don't know about that. The ones who used to hang around the centre of town all day and jeer at any women that went past, were young men aged about 16-19 I guess. I would think they were second or third generation. The drunk men who interrupted the prize giving were probably not working because it was the weekend.

I was told by several Germans that at school they were encouraged to think more seriously about such issues because of the Wars, and to be more tolerant. They take it very seriously.

[Springdiva]

Yes, I can see that that would be the case (Germans encouraged to be tolerant).

[LessMissAbs]

Worra You found incredibly tolerant Germans...you could just as easily have been in a different part of Germany and found incredibly intolerant Germans

Well, I lived outside Munich for a year, spent a month living just outside Nurnberg, and had a holiday job for 3 months once in Nordrhein-Westfalen. I've also driven alone all over the country several times, and cycled once alone across the country. I have had much the same pleasant experiences of France and the French.

And I think its only fair to point out that many of the Turks living in Germany are fed up with the behaviour of some other Turks there.

I avoid Russians...well, Russian men at least.

[Alconleigh]

Central London isn't really a binge drinking hell in the way other town centres might be. Too many different groups, different scenes, people there for the theatre etc. Zone 2 onwards maybe, but that's not London, not really.

[Toadinthehole]

The British have too much of a former ion themselves.

Some months back a survey wasp published in the Guardian, indicating that British attitudes to Germans were very positive whereas German attitudes to the British were not.

This being the Guardian, it was assumed this was proof that the Germans were better human beings. I think it could just as easily have been said that the British were more tolerant. Certainly, my German friends often comment that they find British culture weird.

[Mimishimi]

Every country has them. I don't think it's something peculiar to the Brits. Just a few generations ago, Germans were very rude and obnoxious guests in other European countries ... ;)

[TheCatInTheHairnet]

If you've lived in Berlin for 20 years, you should be aware of the propensity of German youths throwing non Germans off moving trains. I was.

[dreamingbohemian]

500days er, it's not a joke, it's a stereotype -- one I only heard about from my DH and 2 best friends, who are all Germans. I have no idea how true it is, just pointing out that it's not only Brits who suffer from bad reputations abroad.

[limitedperiodonly]

Do any other nationalities beat themselves up about the way some compatriots behave that they have absolutely no control over?

Or is it just a British thing to grab any opportunity to sneer at what 'other' people do?

[andy361]

I am one of the so called louts of the 30 strong group in the berlin hotel now i am home in my own country and can voice the truth to the people on here that were too quick to put remarks like twats and wankers, they only had 2 of the rooms ready for us on arrival, so rather than drag our cases round berlin for 3 hours was leaving most cases in one of the rooms. my room was a 4 person room and was ready so we unpacked and headed out to get our bearings, meeting up with 20 or so of the lads. they was not all 30 to 40 year olds, i am in my 50's and to of the chaps were 63. and when they say we wrecked the hotel i was later informed by 2 of our group that they got in the room and as a practical joke decided to just lift 2 beds up and turn them over for when the other lads got back this it what they classed as running rampage. so just in case any of you that slagged us off the next time you are accused of something you did not do and people are quick to give you a slating cast your minds back. oh and by the way the plus berlin is advertised as a hostel hotel this may be german for shithole.

[LessMissAbs]

Well, if this is genuine (if not its brilliant), it just shows you're never too old to be an idiotic embarassing twat.

Next time I stay in a hotel, I must make sure to turn a bed or two over and then rant at the staff for telling me off.

[andy361]

there was 28 of us unaware of what had gone on until we returned to the hotel and i asked if the police had got it on cctv they said yes so why not slap the wrist of the culprit why should we all of suffered. the fact is they did not want us there several of us had not been drinking so it means they can throw all of us out and if thats the case you are in danger of being ejected from any hotel if someone of your nationallity behaves incorrectly. most of the german people in the bars welcomed us and said we were no trouble at all. i was also approached by a prostitute and when told her to go away she went up to some young lad who was clearly the worse for wear with drink, a conversation ensued and she accompanied him to the cashpoint whilst a police van with about 8 coppers in it just sat there i suppose they must have been on their lunchbreak.

[WorraLiberty]

Does anyone have a link to this story?

[LessMissAbs]

Perhaps other nations do not find so interesting the drunken antics of 30 middle aged men abroad as those men themselves imagine? I know I don't!

Hotels can ask to leave whomsoever they choose - they are under no obligation to take custom or continue it when they find behaviour unacceptable.

Sounds like you behaved like a group of schoolchildren, except you were lacking teachers to explain to you how best to behave in public!

Worra I don't have a link but I did read something in the newspaper about it last week.