WHAT I LIKED (AND DIDN´T) ABOUT GERMANY...

1 Neat, clean and environmentally aware. Apart from the grafitti in Berlin. In general the streets look like they´ve been bleached and polished every day. And no rubbish! 2 I loved the beds of colourful wild flowers, for the butterflies and bees, in the public parks. Other cities should do this. 3 Their recycling methods work. India, which is ankle deep in plastic, could adopt the German ideas? 4 I loved Deutsche Bahn. Their railway system and clear website www.bahn.de are excellent. But get a rail pass as single trips can be pricey. 5 Toilets! For those who read my "wilma in india" blog, you´ll know how important plentiful and clean facilities are to me! Although most loos charge 50 cents, it´s worth it. Well done Germany. 6 The availability and selection of organic products. They are everywhere. I wish Spain had such awareness to bio produce. 7 The scenery, towns and cities. The greenness (Ok so it rains a lot!), the architecture which has survived the terrible destruction of WW2 and how they have restored it so well. BUT..... with apologies to warm, friendly Germans.... Despite their undeniable prosperity (in the capitalist sense), are the German people happy? There is something amiss. Things are too clean, too quiet, too perfect? I didn´t see much evidence of smiles or laughter. They don´t readily give eye contact and are they even too busy to glance at a passerby or give a friendly greeting? On the contrary, most look tense, serious, and aloof. The question here is, in the pursuit of perfection have they lost their souls? I can´t help but compare with the relaxed and friendlier outlook of the people I observed earlier this year in India. They DON´T have the array of gadgets and appliances but perhaps because of that, what they DO have, is soul.