If you were getting off the plane, and never been here before....here are my ten general pieces of advice:
1. If you come upon an accident, DO NOT pull out your camera/smart-phone to take pictures, and DO NOT stand around to watch. Quickly find an exit point....leave the area, and don't linger for a single minute. Various laws are in effect in Germany to make your life miserable if you were to take any pictures. It's not worth the hassle.
2. Germans are absolute about Covid measures. When going out.....have a mask, and in all interior situations (particularly on buses and trains)....wear the mask. If having a beer or coffee with a German associate....aim to have a outdoor cafe situation.
3. Purchase a couple of the quickie-Covid test kits at the local grocery. They cost around 3 Euro each. If you have any related symptom....use the test kit. After a positive, you might want to contact a doctor, and have a PCR test to confirm your situation.
4. I hate using the term 'no-go' areas....so I use the term 'avoidance' areas a good bit. Most all urbanized areas of Germany have a minimum of one such 'avoidance' area. In Frankfurt, after dark, I might draw a 4-block area of downtown. In Berlin, there's an entire city park that I'd tell you to avoid. Ask locals about the situation, and draw a red circle to avoid these areas. The people in question? Just dopers looking for something to pay for their next fix.
5. If using public transportation.....get the Apps on your smart-phone and buy your ticket via the App. Be aware that audits occur everywhere via the bus and train service.
6. If in a pub...view the drink menu carefully and fully engage on trying different beers and wines. Beer usually comes in a .3-liter or .5-liter glass. Some pubs will offer the 1-liter stein.....don't order that. It's usually too much beer for the normal person. There are hundreds of great German beers....there are hundreds of really crappy German beers....grasp this early on.
7. On the difficulty-to-adjust-index for driving cars....whatever you were used to in the US....it's just become twice as hard in Germany. If driving in a highly urbanized area (like Munich or Berlin)....you probably should use public transportation for the first month while you adjust.
8. Don't start up a conversation with your German associate to explain the German political business. This might start a 3-hour conversation, and freak you out on the bold new world you live in.
9. Some Germans will readily admit to you that they watch fewer than ten hours of TV per week. These are the folks who have a 400-book collection in their living room, and often refer to theaters/kinos....as 'cinemas'. Don't freak out over the weirdness of this.
10. If you want the true prospective or news content of your local city (like Hamburg, Bremen, or Stuttgart)....you'd best subscribe to the local newspaper. Don't expect any televised news coverage to exist over your metropolitan area.
Finally, I should note this...Germany is a four-season land, and winter can be a bitter experience. Just accept that and prepare for it.
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