Kultur 5 Entschuldigung and Sex Shops

I notice that I am constantly saying Entschuldigung when I am walking in Berlin. Not only do I say it when I pump into someone, but I also say it when I want to get by someone (as I say here). I understand that a large part of it is the fact that I come from a small town where it is more important to be overly polite because you know everyone. People in large cities especially Berlin are just very reserved and mind their own business. So it is quite typical that most avoid saying Entschuldigung. However, I have bumped into some that are very apologetic. I once said hi to a random older gentleman on the sidewalk while walking with Nathalie. As we walked past each other he turned and said something. I asked Nathalie, and she said he asked if I knew him. Clearly, I would never say something to him unless I knew him personally, not even a “Hallo.” That was very strange for me, as I am used to saying Hi to people as I walk by them. I think this is more of a small town / large city difference rather than an American/German one though. It is common coutesy for a young person to give up their subway seat for an elderly person in Berlin though, just as you would do on a bus in Ann Arbor.

One quick thing I want to mention from the Women in Germany article is the age of marriage. It seems that people get married at much older ages in Germany than in the US. The average woman and man is 28.8 and 31.8 years old respectively at the age of marriage. When I talked to Nathalie and others in Berlin, it is simply not socially acceptable to get married before 25. Family members will often frown upon a marriage before this age for fear of not experiencing life, getting a proper education, and not getting finances in place first. Relationships often last several years before marriage. Marriage is often a step taken right before a couple wants to have children. Also weddings are less formal and celebrated. Large expensive diamond engagement rings are also pretty rare.

Haha the flirting section is funny but true. My experience with Nathalie was not as mentioned in the article, but at the same time, we met in Michigan so it would have been much different.

Berlin has several sex shops throughout the city. Also, many of them are in the busiest and most popular shopping districts. There are several porn shops near Ku-damm, Kanstraße.

Below is a picture of the sex shop at Kanstraße and Leibnizstraße, which I drove by every couple of days when I was in Berlin. Sorry if the picture offends anyone.