Sidewalks and Strasses

Most of the discussion in "Stay off the Bike Path!" and "Crossing the Strasse" centered around the general German stiffness for rules and regulations. It seems from the articles that many things that would seem overly stringent in America (tickets being given for crossing the empty street at 3:00 AM, the concept of the 'honor code' used on public transportation) are commonplace in Germany due to their cultural acceptance of the rules.

During my time in Germany i noticed many of the observations presented in the readings. I was especially enamored with the bike lanes on the sidewalks. I would occasionally wander into the lane while walking down the sidewalk, only to be instantly grabbed and pulled back into the pedestrian zone by one of my native friends. It didn't take me very long to realize that if I was going to be in their town, I had to play by their rules. The same was true of crossing the street. People do drive very fast, and crossings can often be dangerous, but I was still shocked when we would be waiting for that little man to turn white with not a car in sight. It was especially incredible because many of the people I had met in Germany were so much like me (and like American college students) in so many ways.

I'll only comment on the nudity articles by saying that it is 100% different in Europe, and that it's almost impossible to explain to someone who hasn't been across the Atlantic. I can't quite understand where the stigma came from, but it is incredibly strong throughout the entire US. And it's too bad too, because Spring Break could have been so much more fun...