Beginner's Guide to the Bundesliga

Are you new to Germany and missing your local sports team back home? Are you looking for something local you can follow here? Look no further than the German Bundesliga. In Germany Fussball tops every other sport. They have the highest average stadium attendance worldwide! And just so there is no confusion, for the rest of this post I'll be referring to Fussball as football. The NFL in Germany is usually referred to as American football.

The football season in Germany runs from August until May every year and the first league consists of 18 teams. First thing you may have noticed was the term 'first league'. If you come from North America and are unfamiliar with the European relegation sports model, here's a quick break down.

Most sports in Europe are made up of several leagues stacked on top of one another. They all use a promotion/relegation system to reward performance. This means the worst couple of teams in the first league are relegated down to the second league at the end of the season. While at the same time the best teams from the second league are promoted to the first league to replace those who were relegated. This process is repeated all the way down to the amateur leagues.

In Germany, the two teams with the poorest record in the first league trade places with the two teams with the best record in the second league. The third worst in the first league and third best from the second league play each other in a two game play off series at the end of the season for the right to play in the first league. This is called The Relegation Match.

Another thing unique to Germany is that the football clubs are exactly that. They are sport clubs. There is a rule in the German Football Association stating that club members must have a majority stake in the club. This is known as the 50+1 rule. It's to prevent Russian billionaires or Arab princes from buying up German football clubs and doing as they please with them. Anyone can become a member by filling out a form and paying a small yearly fee.

Now if you're thinking of just turning on the TV to check out a couple games, I'm afraid you'll be out of luck. To watch Bundesliga in Germany you'll have to order specific packages from Sky in order to watch the games. This a lot different from North America where all the major sports leagues are shown on basic cable. If you not sure about television packages, check out this post about TV and entertainment in Germany. If you really don't feel like spending the cash on pricey TV packages you can also find a local pub or restaurant that has Sky. They'll show the games live.

As with most sports though, the best way to enjoy the Bundesliga is live in the stadium. Unlike North America tickets here are sold directly through the club and not via a central ticketing company like Ticketmaster. They can range anywhere from 30-60 Eruos. Premium seats can be as expensive as 90 Euros. Tickets for the more popular clubs like Bayern or Dortmund can be pretty hard to come by. This is because tickets are made available to club members before they are made available to the general public. It's a way of ensuring that the stadiums are filled with actual fans rather than just tourists.

If you manage to get your hands on some tickets, you'll notice some key differences compared to your North American sports experience. First one being, the away fans are segregated from the home fans. This is for security reasons. It also provides the away team with their own cheering section. As a general rule, teams must reserve 10% of their capacity for away fans. The next thing is that the fans are pretty loud. The fans are an active part of the team. They sing songs, perform choreography and in some cases light off fireworks (though this is prohibited in Germany, it is still a pretty common sight.). I often find myself watching the fans more than the game.

Perhaps you're thinking about going but you're still a little reluctant because you've heard stories about violent football hooligans. I can tell you from personal experience that this is pretty much a nonissue for the everyday fan. The first thing you'll notice when you go to a match is the overwhelming police presence. At any given Bundesliga match there will be 200-300 police in full riot gear. If it's a high risk match like Schalke vs Dortmund that number could be doubled. They take security at football matches very seriously.

The one downside to German football is its competitiveness. Although the quality is quite good, the fact remains that Bayern Munich win almost everything. I've been living in Germany since October 2012 and I have never seen another champion other than Bayern. It does get a little tiresome watching Bayern win everything but hopefully that will change soon. That fan experience and football culture is what keeps me coming back. So go join a football pool or just catch some games with some friends on the weekend. It's a great way to connect with the locals and makes for great fun. See you at the match!

Driving in Germany

So you're in Germany and you've decided you want to buy a car and start driving. Great! There are a few things you'll need to get sorted out first. The first one being your Driver's License.

If you come from Canada, Australia, New Zealand or any one of a whole list of countries, you'll be able to swap your home license for a German one. As for the USA, depending on what state your license is from, you may have to take the theory test. Below is a link to a PDF fact sheet for holders of a foreign driving license outside of the EU.

Fact sheet for holders of foreign driving licences from states outside the European Union and the European Economic Area on driving licence provisions in the Federal Republic of Germany

Now that you got that all sorted, you need to get some wheels. There are a few routes you can take. If you're not ready to fully commit to buying a car you can sign up for one of many car sharing programs. Car2go is fairly popular. They have an English website and are pretty wide spread.
These work pretty well if you live in a large urban centre like Berlin or Cologne. Not such a great option if you live in a small Bavarian village.

If car sharing doesn't work for you and you want to buy a car then you'll need to know a few things. Buying a car in Germany is a tricky process. Throw in a language barrier and it can be a pretty stressful ordeal. Buying from a reputable dealership is probably your safest option. Because they're trying to sell you something. They'll usually bend over backwards to bridge the language gap. A pattern I've come to notice in Germany. You want something from them? "Speak German!" They want something from you? "Of course I can speak English!" If you're in the Düsseldorf area, Jenna from Life in Düsseldorf has a great article on where to buy used cars in Düsseldorf. Check it out.

Used Car Websites in Dusseldorf

Once you've bought a car you'll then have to make sure it has been inspected, insure it and register it. Usually in that order. The HU/AU inspection (TÜV) is something all cars need to have if they are considered road worthy. New cars will need to be inspected after three years and then every two years after that. Without this certification your car will be not allowed on the road. Once you know the car has been inspected you can go ahead buy some insurance. You need to buy insurance before you register your car. You can buy car insurance online and print out all the necessary documents at home. Once you have your proof of insurance you can then register the car and take it home. If you're buying off of a car lot, then they'll be able to do most of it there with you. If you're buying from a private person then you'll have to take care of it yourself. To register you'll have to seek out your closest 'Kfz Zulassungsstelle'.

Now it's time to drive right? Couple of points to note before you start flying down the Autobahn at 200kmh.

• Contrary to popular belief the highway system in Germany has speed limits. Although some stretches have no speed limit, many parts do. They can also change with the traffic conditions.
• 4 way stop procedure is different in Germany. It's always right before left, meaning the vehicle on the right has the right of way. 
• Watch out for cameras. Speed cameras are everywhere.
• If you're from Canada or the USA you'll notice that the streets are a lot narrower. Drive carefully.
• Some traffic signs are different here. Take the time to learn them. Here's a cheat sheet below.

So now you should be all set. Europe is a great place to road trip in. Within a couple of hours you can be in a completely different country with a completely different culture. Taking a road trip to Spain or Italy is absolutely doable and is one of the funnest ways to see Europe. So happy road tripping and drive safe everyone.

Telling Time in German

Telling time is pretty much the same in all languages right? Wrong. It can get pretty confusing for English speakers and can even result in a few missed appointments. Even though Germans use the 24 hour clock, things get a little confusing when you start getting into the fractions. Hopefully this short post will clear things up a bit.

A very crucial point to take note of is half past. They don't use half past. They always use half to. So when someone says "Wir treffen uns um halb vier." or "Let's meet at half four." They really mean 3:30 and not 4:30. English speakers will instinctively think 4:30 and that can lead to missed meetings or appointments.

I should also mention that this is the High German way of telling time. Once you get into Bavaria and Austria things get really messed up with 'three quarters after' and 'five after three quarters to'. If you stick to the table above, you'll be fine. Also, when in doubt, just use the full numerical time (Sixteen forty-five, nine twenty-two). It's less common but people will understand.

I hope you found this post helpful. Keep checking back for more tips.