Thank you all for watching! I hope you enjoyed this video 😊

The "problem" here seems to be expectation when it comes to beer gardens -- or pubs in general. In Germany and other European countries they are sponsored by one brewery and offer only the beer of that brewery and associates. These were originally subterranean to keep the beer of the brewery cool. Then they put gravel on top and planted chestnut trees, also to keep the beer cool. Then they started selling the beer. After that they offered simple food (as restricted by law). In traditional beer gardens in Bavaria you may still bring your own food.

There are no ACs because there is "lüften". It is way cheaper.

As a german I'd say: In the US, all that air conditioning, it's hard. You always have to take a jacket or - as a european - you will get a cold or at least a sore throat ☃️🧣 It's effing freezing!

"Spitzegern"! I love this term. It's not a term coming from Germany, BUT since the German language allows to make up compound words I'd say it's technically a very German attitude to invent such a word. :) So, go for it! I might even use "spitzegern" in the future, because its a fun word.

Your Brother in Law is a natural with great communication skills. They are a wonderful couple. Hello from a German in Plano, TX.

Reading all those comments regarding the air conditioning and the cost that comes with it - I've come to thought... What are your thoughts as an American living in Germany on "Nachhaltigkeit"? I'd be great to see a video about that!

3:40 The ice cream tastes fresh and like they put real fruit in it because at those ice cream parlors, they make the ice cream by themselves and put real fruit in it.

A beer garden is not a "beer shop" ...it is solely about enjoying sitting outside with a fresh beer from the tab...originally it was always part of a brewery which sold their fresh brewed beer as off-premises sales. I don´t know how it is a Germany but here in Austria you will get always both dark + light beer in a beer garden...and my favourite choice is then "ein Gemischtes"/"a mixed one" which is half dark beer and half light beer in a glas..

Spitze gern. We got the new expression for 2023 here.

I live in New York and plastic bags have been outlawed since before Covid for shopping (one can buy plastic for garbage). My supermarket (which is a major one) does not even have paper bags let alone plastic ones - you have to bring your own bags or they will sell you a reusable one.

4:35 The reason why beer gardens only sell one type of beer is because historically, breweries stored their beer underground in specially constructed cellars. Above those cellars, they planted trees with thick leafage to provide shade, which made those spaces perfect seating areas. That meant you could go down some stairs, get some beer and sell it to the people above. And since breweries back in the day didn't make different varieties of beer, that meant you'd get just that specific type of beer at the beer garden. To make this extra clear, just think of a beer garden as a beer storage rather than a gastronomical institution. (That also explains why traditional beer gardens don't sell food - or only sell a limited selection of food items.)

Your sister and her husband are amazing - great video, thank you for "sharing" them! :)

Justin's German pronunciation is pretty good. You wouldn't say "spitzegern" though. But you can say "spitze", as in "that's great". "Family time in Meisenheim"? That is spitze. 😆

6:47 There is a reason to having traffic lights on your side of the road instead of the other side of the road, like in the US (whether this is intentionally in Germany or by accident, I can't tell). The advantage is that drivers have to stay behind the white line and do not cross over on the pedestrian crossing or the cycle lane. This design nudges people in the right direction.

Funny. Every Yank complains that there is little air conditioning in Europe but none of them gets the idea how much energy is needed so that you do not sweat but the rest of the world.

- hahaha, "white asparagus - it looks like a mistake!"..... I am still laughing. So let me whisper "well - top secret but - we tend to photoshop our green asparagus all the time!"! - lack of beer varieties: I guess it is because of the "Deutsches Reinheitsgebot". You may ask google and by doing so spare me to write an entire novel here :) - "Spitze gern" to me as a German sounds rather adaptable! Btw., "danke sehr" isn't wrong, it is simply sort of outdated, a bit oldfashioned if you know what I mean. - I love to hear that Trier did impress you! (Was born and raised there, left when I was 25 and ever since I feel homesick!)

"spitze gern" 😂😂😂 no not German... Up until now at least but I'll start using it!

Also if they think German drivers are law abiding and save drivers, how bad is the driving in the US. Is this in the US more like Mad Max scenario?

It’s true, you usually don’t get a big variety of beers in one beer garden or restaurant. But there are specialty stores that are dedicated to beer and every “beverage store” (Getränkemarkt) will offer a wider variety of beers, even from further away regions, as local breweries usually have contracts with local restaurants and beer gardens.

Spitzegern does not exist, but there is the word Spitzenklasse (super great), that comes close

Favourite sparkling water: DIY sparkling water (Soda Stream etc)

Was für ein nettes , freundliches Paar. Liebe Grüße aus dem Sauerland… Home of 1000 ⛰️and 🎄😊

Next time around bring them to Wiesbaden, it is beautiful and has so many amazing things to see. And go up the Neroberg with the Nerobergbahn and find the amazing Chateau Nero…. Beautiful view with great wine…. Enjoy your channel a lot….

If you want many varieties of beer visit Belgium.

"Spitze gern... That reminds me on the Spanish wife of a friend of mine. She used to say "Guter schön", if she find something very pretty, or was satisfied with something...

Good to see two down to earth people who are well versed and didn’t try to be extra in any way - very sympathetic! I guess that comes with not being in front of a camera much. I really enjoyed the video 👍🏻

16:55 Thanks for the tip, I'll check out Meisenheim (and ice cream in Freinsheim :p)! I'm a German from Rheinland-Pfalz, so I could go, but I didn't know Meisenheim. ;) I love secret tips for small places to visit! Justin and Rebecca seem so "sympathisch"! :)

you can get a LOT of variety of beers in specialized drinks supermarkets (Pils, Guinness, wheat brew, Bockbier, flavored beer, non-alcoholic beers, Berliner Weisse, Hefeweizen, Starkbier, craft beers etc.). In localities, most restaurants and bars have a steady contract with one supplier who sponsors beer coasters, the tab system, bar decor, outside signs etc. Thus, you have a or a few local beers on draft that is/are fresh. All others can usually be had bottled or bought for home.

Beergardens usually are bound to the brewery - even most restaurants are. But there is a variety of different light and dark beers in Germany - but not if you go into a restaurant but to a "Getränkeshop". Favourite sparkling water brand - Hassia.

Roundabouts were almost gone in Germany for decades. I am not sure but when I got my license in 1990 the instructor probably went out of his way that I could encounter a roundabout at least once (or there might not have been any close to enough). Later in the mid/late 90s I remember them from driving in France. Then, in the late 90s they began to build them in Germany everwhere.

"Bad Brückenauer" is by far my favourite sparkling water brand. 😊 Great video again!😊

Really nice video, again, Donnie. I got quite emotional hearing how much better the salads are and when Rebecca said it tastes as if they actually added real fruit to the ice cream. I take that for granted now. Lots of interesting observations. I’m sure the Germans are pleased to have tourists/visitors like these guys. I thought at first he was saying spitze gel, but I think it was an insider phrase under classmates. Any as long as it hasn’t got that horrible bitter taste some have.

I also enjoy "Gerolsteiner Mineralwasser", it's my favorite one.

Peter from Munich, Germany: Hey Donnie, you have a real nice family! My preferred mineral water is Munich tap water, added with carbonic acid. The water comes from the mountains and tastes wonderful and costs nearly nothing.

I'm personally a still water guy but when it comes to mineral water then it's Radenska all the way! It's Slovenian but has a lot of minerals in it and often is cheaper than the local (Austrian) ones.

well when it comes to sparkeling water i like the cheap lidl stuff with high carbonation .... you have to drink it when its nearly freezing cold and its hellish hot outside ... iits a experiance like drinking down a huge glass of refreshing barbed wire

Regarding the traffic light situation: The roots for the "suboptimal" placement may be the way less predictable street layout compared to the states. Sometimes crossings have the weirdest angles, and it might simply not be possible to put traffic light in the opposing side, maybe there isnt even a clear opposing side, and you could have several roads looking at the same "opposing side". While not great for viewing angles, the german position of traffic lights is unambigous for the most part.

excellent episode. I enjoyed Justin's thoughtful and nuanced answers, he would make a good german. so here is a nuanced comment on airconditioning in the US. ALL of Germany is NORTH of the Canadian border, and all of the south of the US is essentially the same latitude as Gibraltar or North Africa if you will. It is EXTREMELY humid in the south, and AC removes a lot of the humidity from the air. This is what AC is really needed for. In germany the humidity is not that much of an issue, and the temperatures overall are not as hot for as long as they are in the South of the US. After 25 years or so living in Georgia, i have learned to appreciate air conditioning. However, as a german, i have my thermostat set to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. I know many businesses and households have AC set to 70 degrees. That is way to cold for me and forces the air to run pretty much full time in the summer, even at night. That is not healthy, and a complete waste of energy in my, german, mind. If i were to move back to germany i would want AC in the car, July and August can be brutal in europe. If i were to build a house in germany, i would likely have a mini-split for the main living areas and bedrooms. Just to keep July and August under control. In short: it makes no sense to compare the lack of AC in germany, or much of northern Europe, to the use of AC in the South of the United States. What crazy person would live in Florida without AC? oh, and i have gotten used to drinking still water out of plastic bottles here in the US. carbonated water is crazy expensive in the US. as is beer btw. P.S when i came to the US for the first time in college, 30 years ago, most bars had no beer selection at all! Oh, yes, Sir we have BOTH kinds! Miller, and Miller Lite, or Bud and Bud Lite..... Things have changed.

My favorite Water is also Geroldsteiner and what surprised me that they didnt complain about "Sprudel" Sparkling Wasser which most Germans prefer.

We love Meisenheim! It’s a short drive for us down here in Kaiserslautern and such a treat to just wander the streets.

Favourite carbonated water? None. I usually drink tap water. Or order a "Stilles Wasser" in a restaurant.

Glad you could spend some quality time with your family😊.

thank you for the video from southwest germany.

My favourite sparkling water brands are Spa and Chaudfontaine, both from Belgium.

They both seemed super down to earth people.

Das war spitze! We are often in Meisenheim, my wife and me. We live near Zweibrücken and often travel to tha Glan and Nahe rivers for a couple of days. I guess you had coffee and cake in the old mill. We often stayed there.

16:12 Great pronunciation 😃👍

My favorite Mineralwasser ist Felsensteiner (Medium) 😀

What a nice video! :) You have a very nice family :) Glad they enjoyed their time in Germany! :)

Mein Lieblings-Mineralwasser ist San Pellegrino. Aber im Alltag trinke ich aus der Leitung mit SodaStream.

In Germany, the water that comes from the tap is classified as a staple food and is therefore tested by the state and is therefore safe to drink. Many people also have a soda stream at home with which the water from the tap can be made into sparkling water.

Nice Family 👍🙂 My favourite sparkling water is: Adelholzener 🙂😋

Very cool couple. It seems they didnt have Bad experiences. You surely also helped to explain Things.

Favorite sparkling water brand? Höllensprudel.

yea visitors! Great video!

My favorite sparkling water brand is Transylvanian sparkling water in general. You have to try it! It's amazing! ❤️

Gerolsteiner medium! thanks for the very entertaining video and as always a thumbs up!

With the beer, of course, it depends on where you go. Of course, the beer gardens usually have a sponsor, for a restaurant it's not worth putting a lot of beers on the menu. But in bars you have more choice. And if you then drink 1 beer in every pub and then go to the one next door, etc., the selection increases with every pub. Of course there are also pubs that have 20 or 30 beers on the menu. Like e.g. in the "Altes Mädchen" in Hamburg with 34 beers on the menu. But anyway, I always had the feeling that there was a bigger selection in the north. It's probably more because you'll find pubs here rather than beer gardens.

Great Video! My favourite sparkling water? All of them, brand name doesn't matter, even Heilwasser slightly carbonated is nice. I drink water all the time, first thing in the morning, but mostly tap water which has the best taste where I live in Bavaria. But once in a while I fancy sparkling water and buy a case.

Favourite sparkling water brand: Vöslauer

If He like to see a big Variaty of Beer look into something like Trink Gut

Favourite Sparkling Water Brand: Gemminger Mineralquelle (Classic)

Favourite Sparkling water brand: Basinus.

My favorite Mineralwasser is Rossbacher Medium

They are so nice people. Veery interesting thougts. They would be great for a chat from German to American.

gerolsteiner is good for people who dont know apollinaris... but the water from the tap is actually quite good in Germany.

My favorite Mineralwater is probably 'Bad Dürrheimer Mineralwasser'. Mostly due to nostalgy, i grew up in that area (Bad Dürrheim where they produce that water, Donaueschingen where the river Donau starts and Villingen-Schwenningen with Villingen having a town festival all year in 1999, celebrating their 1,000 year long official city status and Schwenningen being known as the biggest village of Germany for centuries and the spring of the river Neckar is). So, i grew up having Bad Dürrheimer sparkling water and Schorle mix drinks and my father had Tannenzäpfle beer.

Meisenheim is a very good choice, beautiful small town. I grew up not that far away and really love that you guys can appreciate its wonderful vibe too. Greetings from Berlin!

very sympathetic...no big themes, but could listen to it for hours;) greets and come back please!:)

German Beilagensalad, my beloved.

Spitzegern is a word I will use in future because it's wonderful 🤗

Vilsa leichtperlig Spitze Aussprache, Justin! - gerne!

Freinsheim! Well done for sending/taking them there. Hope they did some wine-tasting.

Next time they visit let me know, I shwo them ALL the beers they can thing of 😀 btw: the worlds best brewery is located near Frankfurt. You only can buy the beer local.

My favourite sparkling water brand? "Leitungsheimer"! 😊 You won't find it at any store - it's just to say: tap water! We use one of these SodaStream carbonators.... I just was tired of toiling with those heavy water crates (we used to buy our bottled water in glass bottles because it tastes much better). Our tap water here (at "Franconian Switzerland") is of such high quality that you could literally just bottle it and sell it as mineral water. We're so thankful for our water!

Lack of beer variety? Nearly every village has its own brewery.

I think a „special German“ thing is to fit to guests and try to speak their languages, even if they didn’t really learn them. So feel comfortable if a German switch to English, for them it’s a pretty welcome chance to practice their English 😊 💁‍♂️ it doesn’t mean you’re imperfect ☝️

I had to check to see how many Trader Joe's locations there were in the state of Oklahoma. Only 2? Oh my! I get my Gerolsteiner crate at Trader Joe's. It's not 67 cents a bottle. But you can get a 15 bottle crate for about $30 including the additional glass tax.

17:43 hahaha! Yes, it does! :-D

okay, my favorite sparkling water brand is "Bismarck" cause it's local-near hamburg

All the water from the Selters area... okay, maybe not the Sauerborn... but I absolutly love Selters, the traditional one, the new one, the smaller Quellen! 🥰

Favourite sparkling water brands: Ja, Gut und Günstig and Hella.

I usually buy Sprudel locally and in glas bottles/crates, so for me it is Filippo. It is also dead cheap. I have recently seen it elsewhere (further away) but then it was more expensive. On travels I like Eiszeitquell, which is more available.

Favourite brand? Hard to tell. The most consumed is definitely "Saskia". Though I generally prefer the "Still" version.

How true not to tell about your favorites. I will never make that mistake again. Oh, you mentioned Ritter chocolate. LOL, I live on Maui, and visit my beloved beer heaven Oberbayern once a year for a month. On my way back, I usually have around 40 pounds of Ritter, mostly Nougat, in my checked luggage. Gotta survive 11 months on it on this rock here.

Das war Spitze !!

The sparkling water brand I most like is "Odenwald Quelle Medium". 😍 And after that I like "Gerolsteiner Medium".

Favourite water brand for us is 'Bad Meinberger' or the neighbor brand 'Forstetaler' but glass bottles only ....

The favorite mineral water may varie depending on where you grew up in Germany. I'm from Frankfurt. So I really like Elisabethen Quelle, by Hassia in Bad Vilbel. It is pretty mild and goes perfect with white wine in summer without dominating too much its taste. When you ask me for damned stylish bottles and a decent taste I would suggest Taunusquelle, from Bad Camberg. Solely sold to professionell customers like restaurants and cafes.

nice, to have you guys here in Germany

10:27 "Spitze gern" (great | with pleasure) I feel like it doesn't really work that way around. "Gern" is usually either a prefix or on its own. But "Gern. Spitze." (I would love to do that. | that's amazing) Might actually work and could happen in normal conversations as a phrase you would use casually to agree on doing something for/with a friend.

Traditionally, a Biergarten is not a Bar, where you can expect a large selection of different Beers, rather it is a specific Brewer's Storage Cellar beneath it to keep things cool, with gravel on top, where the searing area is.

Very nice family!

Rqotw: Rossbacher (mit dem 2:1 Verhältnis von Ca und Mg 😀)

There are many sparkling water brands (most also have medium or none sparkling versions as well) I like. _Gerolsteiner_ is ok but not on that list. Recently I bought *Eifel Quelle* frequently and always in *glass bottles* not plastic since plastic contaminates the water and its taste.

Favourite sparkling water brand: Carbonated tap water, of course! :)

I love drinking the zimmertemperatur.😊

ok fine, i HAVE to answer the random question this time XD Haaner Felsenquelle three guesses where I was originally born. ;) Us Bergisch Landers are very "Heimatverbunden" and even after over 15 years living in a different city, I will always be a "Berger"

a trip to Belgium to enjoy the variety of beers...