Wind, Obst, Wein und Spaß - living in Germany and Austria: the autumn edition

[LinzerTorte]

A thread for all those living in Germany or Austria or anyone who just wants to chat/ask a question about living in or visiting this part of the world - all welcome (particularly as the previous thread has been so quiet recently).

The thread title comes from this song btw - they're not the first four autumnal German words that popped into my head. (It could have been worse; I did briefly consider "Nüsse auf den Teller, Birnen in den Keller".)

Ahh, thanks for that. That's very helpful.

I'm very excited about something and thought I would share. Something we really miss from the UK (I've lived in London for many years) is sugar free squash which unlike tea we can't really bring back with us (apart from those little squeezy, super concentrated bottles lately).

But I finally found something similar in Rewe. It tastes exactly like squash and is low calory but comes already mixed in huge 3 litre bottles. Not as clever as squash but quite close so I got very excited and thought I should tell you all in case you miss it too.

Medium I would definitely consider becoming an Austrian citizen if I could keep my British citizenship. But as usual, Austria lags behind Germany somewhat - maybe it will be possible at some point in the future.

Trudyla That's interesting to know - well, apart from the fact that we don't have Rewe here (but do have supermarkets that belong to the Rewe group, so it may be worth looking in there). DD1 (recently diagnosed diabetic) can have squash as there's so little sugar in it but we've had to stop buying syrup, although the dietician recommended a brand that has no added sugar. (Am a little suspicious of the hospital's dietary advice, however: lots of things containing sweeteners, max. of 2 to 3 eggs per week, etc.) We can get squash from M&S in Bratislava, but it would be good to have a slightly closer alternative! And also good to have an alternative to water (her main drink) that she can drink without having to inject.

Sorry to hear about your daughter's illness Linzer. How old is she? It will probably take a while to get used to things.

I know it's not very healthy to have NAS squash but I'm forever trying to lose weight and whilst I like drinking water, I would sometimes like to have a drink with my meal that isn't Apfel-bloody-schorle

Very jealous of your M+S option. We're near the Polish border and I was so excited when I realised that there is a Tesco within driving distance. Such a disappointment though. It's basically a Polish supermarket with Polish products. No squash, no marmite, no self-raising flour, no diet tonics. They do have Tetley tea and some F+F clothes but since I can order these online there is no point going.

I had a look at the Einbürgerungstest for DH. The questions seem doable, especially if it's only ever going to be some from those 300 questions. Not sure about the language test though. Since we are both working from home and only speak English with each other he still struggles with German despite having lived here for quite a while. I'll put it to him, I think.

Thanks, Trudyla. She's 13 so old enough to do her own injections and glucose monitoring, but is also at quite a self-conscious age and doesn't want anyone to notice that there's anything "different" about her. She's now saying she wants a pump (so wouldn't need to inject herself any more), so we'll have to ask the consultant about that at her next appointment.

I was also quite excited to discover that there's a huge Tesco in Bratislava, but then disappointed when we actually went there. It sounds like the one in Poland is very similar - most of the non-food stuff is British (it was the only place I could find a slow cooker!), but all the food is Slovak (Slovakian?) apart from a tiny British section with absolutely nothing that I want.

It can definitely be trickier to pick up a language if you're working from home (I sometimes feel like my German is stagnating a little); does your DH have any friends he speaks German to? Or could he do a German course? The list of Austrian citizenship requirements looks quite scary, but when I went through them they're all quite manageable - apart from giving up your previous citizenship.

Bank holiday weekend here, but it's work as usual for me (for at least part of) today, as I have a deadline for a customer who's in an area of Germany where there's obviously no bank holiday.

Hi All - Greek Island was beautiful; warm, sunny, Blue sea, blue sky, sandy beaches.... it was damn windy tho. Greeks seems friendly. We met someone who'd lived over there for 10 years, and loved it - his visiting sister brought him over Marmite, teabags, all the usual! We had a conversation about how hard it might be to learn Greek - and it seems to be on a par with German, with the umpteen Cases, Genders, etc, maybe even more so... He wasn't fluent at all, though could understand most of it.

What does Schengen mean? I saw that word on the departures gate at the airport and assumed it means something to do with Eu or nonEU? I for one hope UK doesn't leave Europe - I like the non-borders! I hope it wouldn't interfere with my plans to spend a year in Germany?

Funnily enough, the turmoil in greece seemed to be more pronounced when we were there. we were advised to take lots of cash, rather than use ATMs as they may be shut/emptied at short notice. And places may not want Credit/Debit card payments if the banks are unstable. I even saw one place with a sign outside saying 'Bring Drachmas' (although it may have said 'Bring back Drachmas' )

Have a read here en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schengen_Area
The UK is not part of the Schengen Agreement.

Glad you had a good holiday, ptumbi. The Schengen agreement means that you can move between most EU and some other European countries without border controls (the UK is one of the exceptions, but Norway is part of the Schengen area). There are no longer any passport checks when we drive to Slovakia, Italy, Germany, etc. - any of the countries surrounding Austria, in fact - but you obviously still need some form of ID when flying.

Holiday here too! And we have a Brücketag so tomorrow is off as well for schools, though not for DH sadly.

Ptumbi that sounds like a lovely holiday! Hate to say it, but the UK leaving could have a very direct impact on your plans. Hopefully it just won't happen.

Schengen is relevant to non EU citizens within the EU too - so long as they're legally on EU territory they can move between the Schengen countries. Most EU states are members, except for Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Ireland, Romania and the United Kingdom. However, Bulgaria and Romania are currently in the process of joining the Schengen Area. Of non-EU States, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein have joined the Schengen Area. The UK does itself out of a fair bit of tourist income I'd say.

Yes, it basically means there are no internal border checks between the Schengen countries so once you're in the Schengen area, you can easily move from country to country. Am trying to remember what it was like before Austria joined the EU, but as DH (then DP) and I were still living in our respective countries and only travelling between them for short visits, I don't know what it would have been like to live here in pre-EU days.

Haven't heard Brückentag for years! It's Fenstertag or Zwickeltag here and we have one this weekend too. At the company where DH works, they work a couple of minutes extra each day so get all the Fenstertage off - am sure they don't notice the difference though (DH works longer than his minimum hours, anyway)!

Thanks for the explanation - It's odd that I've never heard of Schengen! I'm not sure how that would work in UK even if we did join; we are very protective of the borders, and would still have to demand ID at Ports and crossings, I think. So if you live on 'the continent' you don't need to take ID at all? Very different to my youth when I remember very clearly queuing and waiting interminably at 'Zoll's and the car being searched at Customs - at every border. Driving from UK to Italy was a particular pain - France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg...

No, you don't need ID to cross borders between Schengen countries if you're travelling by road. I take my passport with me when we go on holiday to Italy, just in case, plus hotels there also want to see (and photocopy) your passport - not sure what would happen if you didn't have one on you and whether a driving licence would be sufficient - but I wouldn't bother if we were just going to M&S Slovakia for the day, for example.

Sorry, ignore that bit about travelling by road - it really applies to any type of transport.

It must be lovely, Linzer. i'd love to jsut pop down to Slovakia, or Italy, or anywhere really. I love travelling!

Linzer ID cards cover the no passport scenario - German ID cardspretty much make passports redundant within the Schengen countries - DH just has his in his wallet all the time as all adult Germans do... not sure where it leaves kids theoretically as you don't get an ID card til 16... kids and I take passports if we remember

DH is in Austria now and Italy tomorrow (motorcycle tour) with just ID card.

Medium Yes, DH just takes his ID card if he flies to Germany, for example - but they always want to see everyone's passports at the Italian hotels where we've stayed, so I don't know what would happen if I'd decided not to take my passport with me, for example, and whether they'd be happy with my driving licence instead.

ptumbi We actually managed to pop down to Italy for a day when we were on holiday in southern Austria last summer, but it's a bit more of a trek from here - 5-6 hours to the coast, although only about 3 hours to the border IIRC.

Ptumbi you would love living down in Freiburg (where we were before Berlin) - in less than an hour you can be in France or Switzerland, and a day's drive to be right down in Tuscany. You can go north of course too, but why would you ? TBH Schengen makes complete sense, if you live next to a border why would you want to be stopped all the time? It's a drag on commerce. When I was studying in the Netherlands I'd travel back to visit home on the Eurolines bus, and we'd stop in the middle of the night and armed border guards would examine the bus in France, Belgium... for having the passengers with temerity to travel about! I don't think it did much for security tbh, it was just a PITA.

The UK gov don't issue ID cards any more I know because I've been trying to get ID for ds2. he can't get a driving license (not even a Prov) as he has sight issues, and is away to Uni in sept. i imagine he will need ID for lots of stuff there, drinking, clubbing etc so it's been a nightmare. The cards that are issued, Civilian card, or Citizen card, are privately issued, and although they are suppsoed to be ok, will not always be accepted. They always want a driving licence or passport - and he's not taking his passport! They cost £70, and he'll lose it!

Heinous - Freiburg does indeed sound good! Could I learn german there?

Ptumbi you can't not let your 18 year old have their own passport

I never once needed ID at uni (though I obviously had my passport, in fact I'd just got back from a year travelling around Asia so it would never have crossed my mind that I would hand it to my parents) but I didn't learn to drive til I was 25 and didn't carry my passport on nights out - I don't think I've ever been asked for ID in my life (aside from at passport control)... probably I've just looked old and haggard since the age of 15 though :o

ptumbi Like Medium, I never needed ID at university either - although it's possible they were a little more lax in those days and it may not be as easy now to buy alcohol without ID if you look under about 25, say. I had a driving licence, but left it at my parents as I didn't have a car, and never carried my passport round with me either.

What about student ID? I used to have an NUS card and an ISIC (international student) card; I've just googled and both include your date of birth, so would that be an option?

NUS card is a good idea for proof of age, but for proof of who you are... is a passport or driving licence. Someone suggested I laminate his passport details page, and he can take that I just think gov ID cards would solve a lot of problems, i really don't see why we don't have them, when so many countries do.

Sorry ptumbi, I thought you meant ID for buying alcohol, getting into clubs, etc. (I thought you were worried about him losing it when out shopping or on nights out, which I can understand!). Can he not take it with him at all, just in case?

Having said that, I really can't remember ever having to use my passport as ID when I was at university (it was a long time ago, admittedly ). I possibly needed ID to open a bank account or to join the town library but that's about it as far as I can remember; birth certificates are also often acceptable ID in those kinds of cases, despite not being photo ID (and are cheaper and easier to replace!).

The lack of driving licence certainly shouldn't be a problem as, like I said, I never had mine with me when I was at university. I also knew quite a few students who hadn't taken their driving test, so not having a licence wasn't uncommon.

Agree that ID cards would be the way to go, but I think there's just too much opposition to them in the UK.

Lots of opposition, Linzer. Dunno why; its just a photo-card, like the railcard...

He can take his passport, I'm not saying he can't have it just not on clubbing nights out ! He has a bank account already (strangely enough he also 'needed' a driving licence to open a bank account too - at age 16 ! Though they did take his passport - don't know what you do if you don't have a passport either?)

I can understand not being able to drive - or able to afford it at uni - but the provisional licence is photo-id. Most students apply for that, but with ds2s sight issues I don't think he will ever be able to meet the vision critieria.

I don't understand the opposition to ID cards either; there's lots of talk about it being an invasion of privacy, but I wouldn't have a problem with it personally.

I can completely understand you not wanting your DS to take his passport clubbing with him - but would he really need a passport/driving licence on nights out? Despite being very young looking at the time (a bus driver tried to sell me a child ticket when I was doing my MA!), I never needed ID on a night out - and even if they're stricter nowadays, would they really not accept an NUS card with date of birth?

Sorry to hear about your DS's sight issues. I didn't realise that it was common to have a provisional driving licence these days; back in my day , it was only something you applied for when you were learning to drive, not so that you'd have some ID.

It's quite common to apply for a Prov licence even if you don't intend to learn right now; they are relatively cheap and last for 10 years IIRC. I think lots of places over here now clamp down on 'underage' drinking and ID is needed in lots of places where you can drink.

Simply 'being a student' is not enough to cover drinkers, as students can go to Uni early. (not usual though I know.)

Anyway - he can take passport, I have applied for a Citizen card, he will have a NUS card.. I think that'll cover him.

When you apply for a driving licence over here now, if you have a e-passport (ie with a chip) you can simply transfer the info and get issued with a driving licence-card with the same photo and same info on - quite clever really and cheaper and quicker. Of course, Civilian cards don't do that.