Schultüte: When children enter school, they receive a cone of gifts called the Schultüte. Containing toys or sweets, the cone symbolises entering “serious” life – and a way to ease the stress of being in a strange environment.
Mama Markel: Angela Merkel is a superstar politician in Germany. She’s so famous that toy-maker Mattel created a limited-edition Barbie doll in her likeness.
Oktoberfest: Despite its name, Munich’s massive beer festival Oktoberfest starts in September and is over by the first few days of October.
World’s narrowest street: the City of Reutlingen is home to the world’s narrowest street. At just 31cm wide, Spreuerhofstrasse is not well suited to 4x4s and trucks.
Canals: No city in the world has more canals than the German capital, which hosts 120 miles of waterways. Great for sailing excursions!
Currywurst: Berlin also hosts a museum dedicated solely to Currywurst (curry sausages). That’s no surprise, as Berlin natives eat 70 million of them every year.
No speed limits: Germans famously love cars, and they love to set them free to show what they can do. As a result, there are no speed limits on around 65% of the Autobahn network.
