Grayson’s Blog

Most Germans buy thier cars with cash. This includes new cars. Even if we are talking about $25,000. The idea of financing a car is not very popular. I’m not sure why this is, but monthly payments are avoided like the plague. Only homes are financed. This explains why so few Germans have credit cards. As far as I know, there is no such thing as a credit rating. When you apply for a credit card, the credit card company calls your bank to verify your income. Your credit limit is set depending on what you deposit each month. Needless to say, the mailbox is not overflowing with credit card applications.

On March 29, a liter of regular unleaded gas was running about 1.30 Euro. That works out to about $6.25 a gallon. Only Holland is more expensive in Europe.

I have become a big fan of a drink called a Radler - half beer, half lemon soda (think Sprite). It’s absolutely awesome in summer. You can make it in the States with Sprite and Heiniken. It won’t be quite the same, but could still be tasty.

In the winter time you can order a Weißbier with a beer warmer, which is a caldren filled with warm water in which to warm your beer to the desiered temperature. Apparently one does not drink beer too cold, since it loses flavor.