Originally Posted by
ObadiahDogberry
Germans are nowhere near as efficient and straight laced as you'd think. In so many ways Germany is like going back in time 30 years. In most smaller cities it is hard to find a place that accepts credit cards. Since living in Europe I have completely abandoned cash except when I go to Germany. I have been rudely surprised by Germany's love affair with cash more than once. Last summer I had to spend an hour running around Hildesheim in a downpour trying to find an ATM because we couldn't find a restaurant that would take cards. Happened a few years ago on the outskirts of Munich as well. I am sure you don't need to be reminded of the efficiency of the new Berlin airport. My experiences with Germany have been nowhere near as efficient as they have been in their neighboring countries, particularly the ones to the north. I have worked with many German pilots for the past several years, and none of them are happy with the German CAA, and the general recommendation in Europe is, if possible, to avoid getting licensed through Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, and Germany because they all are well known for headaches.
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That's a good way of putting it... they were pretty darn efficient in the 19th century, wrote the books on modern warfare. By comparison to their peers they were pretty darn efficient during the Big One. Today they are pretty darn efficient... for the 1970's. Touristy areas are more willing to ease the transition of your money, off the beaten path it's like you said.