Ask me about germany.

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Tourism & Travel > Ask me about germany.

Total Confusion: Oct 9, 2004

What about getting an American credit card? There are free, no foreign exchange fee cards out there. You would need to still have a bank account in the US and a trusted friend/family member whose address you could use.

If you don't have one and are planning on moving back to the US one day, it could help with building your credit.

# ? Feb 5, 2016 10:31

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# ? May 17, 2024 09:33

Drone: Aug 22, 2003; Incredible machine

Gold and a Pager posted:

If you don't have one and are planning on moving back to the US one day, it could help with building your credit.

I'm not planning on it, no. I'd like to phase out as much of my American banking as possible for simplicity's sake.. right now pretty much the only reason I keep a US bank account open is that it's easier to pay my student loans from it than doing a slow wire transfer from my German account every month.

# ? Feb 5, 2016 10:47

Randler: Jan 3, 2013; ACER ET VEHEMENS BONAVIS

If you don't plan on returning to America, you might want to review your options re: whether it is actually necessary to payback the US student loans. :v:

(Though that probably becomes less of an option now that Obama coerced a lot of foreign banks into complying with US stuff as long as they have US customers.)

# ? Feb 5, 2016 13:11

Drone: Aug 22, 2003; Incredible machine

Randler posted:

(Though that probably becomes less of an option now that Obama coerced a lot of foreign banks into complying with US stuff as long as they have US customers.)

Yeah that's been A Thing. When I opened my German account I had to enter a bunch of my US information because they're forced by treaty or whatever to comply with the new really goddamn dumb foreign asset reporting laws.

Now that I think about it though, I wonder how that legally works in the case of someone getting naturalized as a German citizen? Not that I'm actually planning on that, but as a thought experiment: the US government requires citizens living abroad (and their banks) to report all of their financial information, and in case someone gains new citizenship and gives up their American citizenship, that requirement continues for (I believe) a period of 3-5 years after the fact. At that point would the German government really be fine with a foreign state requiring one of its own citizens to turn over confidential data like that?

Drone fucked around with this message at 13:44 on Feb 5, 2016

# ? Feb 5, 2016 13:41

Torrannor: Apr 27, 2013; ---FAGNER---
TEAM-MATE

It's probably not worth it for German politicians to anger US authorities over something that likely affects only a very tiny subset of the population.

# ? Feb 5, 2016 14:03

Randler: Jan 3, 2013; ACER ET VEHEMENS BONAVIS

Drone posted:

Yeah that's been A Thing. When I opened my German account I had to enter a bunch of my US information because they're forced by treaty or whatever to comply with the new really goddamn dumb foreign asset reporting laws.

Now that I think about it though, I wonder how that legally works in the case of someone getting naturalized as a German citizen? Not that I'm actually planning on that, but as a thought experiment: the US government requires citizens living abroad (and their banks) to report all of their financial information, and in case someone gains new citizenship and gives up their American citizenship, that requirement continues for (I believe) a period of 3-5 years after the fact. At that point would the German government really be fine with a foreign state requiring one of its own citizens to turn over confidential data like that?

It's actually a bit more complicated than that. Because there are cooperation agreements between the United States and countries like Germany regarding FATCA and I think those have some noticeable modifications to the FATCA requirements.

# ? Feb 5, 2016 14:14

Hollow Talk: Feb 2, 2014

Gold and a Pager posted:

For years, I had a credit card through my local Sparkasse but then I realized how much money I had been "wasting" on bank fees each month and switched to comdirect (you could also switch to DKB and have basically the same deal). My comdirect and Sparkasse credit cards worked the same way. The limit isn't too high (�2,000) so you can't go too crazy (or maybe I'm too poor to get a higher limit) and the full balance is deducted from my bank account at the end of each month, so it's more like a charge card that a true credit card.

It looks like you can get a credit card with Postbank, but I guess you could also look on check24 or similar sites to see what sort of card you can get, the benefits, etc.

The other thing about credit cards in Germany is that they are really only useful for buying things on the internet. loving Saturn wouldn't let me use a credit card. I guess they expect you to have thousands of euros in your account for when you want to buy a computer/TV/whatever.

IKEA takes cash and EC card, and nothing else. :owned:

More generally, in order to get a "real" credit card, you will probably have some sort of monthly/yearly fee (though have a look, some companies waive the fee if you spend more than x amount or some such). I have a British (Lloyds) and a German Visa (comdirect), and they are both debit cards as far as I am aware. Comdirect only switched to monthly billing in November, it was weekly ( :confused:

) before that, and when I initially got it, it was still an instant debit card. However, you can essentially "preload" the comdirect card by putting money into the "credit card" sub-account, which then raises your limit to how much you put in there. So if you need to cover a bigger amount, you can do it that way and be sure that it will cover that. Their telephone support is also really nice, I had to do the preloading on short-notice once (it usually takes a day or so), and they managed to get it all sorted in ~15 minutes after my call ended.

For what it's worth, the comdirect one is also officially called a "Visa" card, while the Lloyds one has "debit" printed on it. So comdirect might be a good option (and I have never had problems or complaints with them). So it might work for what you want it for? I am not sure.

# ? Feb 5, 2016 15:50

Gatac: Apr 22, 2008; Fifty Cent's next biopic.

Amazon.de actually offers two credit cards; the one I have is from their partnership with LBB, is a Visa "real" card that costs 20 Euros per year but you get points for buying stuff that you can redeem for credit on that price or on Amazon shopping. I think I started off with a 1500 Euro limit and am up to 2500 Euros, where I've been sitting for two years now, though admittedly I have the kind of spending habits that would not engender grand confidence. You can pick how much you want to repay each month by direct debit from whatever Giro account you use, anything from full balance to like 10% (though that still comes to a minimum of 50 Euros) to just paying what you want. You can also get a free second VisaPay EC card that basically lets you pay just about everywhere as direct debit with your credit card account - I've pretty much moved all my debit transactions to using that and only use my "real" bank EC card for cash withdrawals these days. The card also has some other random benefit poo poo I've never looked at in detail; honestly all I cared about was getting a card that's cheaper than from my bank, the EC card thing is a very welcome bonus, though. The biggest drawback I find is that it doesn't play nice with any external programs that manage your accounts and everything has to be done through their web portal, which isn't bad but not as convenient as it could be.

Amazon is also currently promoting another credit card that is (I think) Maestro/Mastercard with no yearly fee, but I have no idea what the details are on that.

# ? Feb 5, 2016 19:31

System Metternich: Feb 28, 2010; But what did he mean by that?

So I went to the local Faschingsumzug with my little sister. Highlights included:

- only one girl in blackface
- this song
- baby's first political satire
- the reporter for the local paper donning a bandana and calling it a day
- an enormously fat man in lederhosen

All in all 6/10, pretty ok, would go again next year

# ? Feb 9, 2016 14:59

Drone: Aug 22, 2003; Incredible machine

I saw a guy in line at the grocery store wearing a crown made of olive branches, a Hawaiian lei, a microfibre bathrobe and nothing else.

#faschingthings

# ? Feb 9, 2016 16:21

My Lovely Horse: Aug 21, 2010

Last Halloween I saw a guy at the train station wearing nothing but boots, short shorts, a cape and a Rey Mysterio mask.

I still kind of regret moving on, because I also had a Rey Mysterio mask in my bag, and I feel like we could have gone viral.

# ? Feb 9, 2016 16:48

Ninogan: Apr 2, 2012

Leaving Berlin very soon but have a few months old Ikea bekant desk http://www.ikea.com/de/de/catalog/products/S59006321/ that I would like to get rid of. Used it for home office work and gaming and it's been great so pretty sad that I can't bring it with me but if anyone wants it for like 65� or something PM me.

# ? Mar 18, 2016 13:22

Zwille: Aug 18, 2006; * _{For the Ghost Who Walks Funny}

Put it on eBay Kleinanzeigen.

# ? Mar 19, 2016 23:25

Drone: Aug 22, 2003; Incredible machine

Anyone know if shipping drinks (like Apfelwein) overseas is generally allowed? My fianc� and I just got back to Germany from a visit to the US where he met my family for the first time, and I'm thinking about sending a personalized Hochzeitsbembel + a bottle or two of Apfelwein as a little gift for my cousin's wedding this fall, since I won't be able to attend personally.

I kinda refuse to perpetuate the stereotype that Bavaria = Germany so I'm not sending touristy beer paraphernalia, which for whatever reason almost always comes stamped with some giant obnoxious Bavarian checkered flag or a portrait of Ludwig II. or something. Since we live in Hessen, I figured I'd send something with a Hessian flair. And Apfelwein rules.

Drone fucked around with this message at 18:52 on Mar 22, 2016

# ? Mar 22, 2016 18:50

Default Settings: May 29, 2001; Keep your 'lectric eye on me, babe

I've looked into it a few years back when I participated in an international "snack exchange". Turned out you have to be a registered importing/exporting business to get liquor into the USA, and it's about equally complicated the other way round.
Given how anal the US are about anything entering their country I didn't take the risk - The nice bottle of Kentucky Bourbon I've got sent in return for Euro chocolate came through, though. :cheers:

# ? Mar 22, 2016 19:28

Hotzenplotz: Sep 16, 2008

Maybe someone could pick it up locally. I managed to find overpriced Possman Ebbelwoi in California. It was some kind of world food store though, and I have no clue if it was a chain or not.

Maybe not what you are looking for as a wedding gift, but you could send a bembel and a diy kit, or book.

You can get an individualized bembel. If you are in Frankfurt I think Töpferei Maurer in Sachsenhausen can do it.

# ? Mar 22, 2016 21:30

mobby_6kl: Aug 9, 2009; by Fluffdaddy

Shipping might be tricky but personally brining booze in (like on a plane) obviously works. Try to find someone traveling to the US and ask them for a favor.

# ? Mar 23, 2016 11:24

Randler: Jan 3, 2013; ACER ET VEHEMENS BONAVIS

Anybody has any experiences or tips for somebody considering to go to Gamescom Cologne 2016? (Like which days to visit, or how many days are enough, etc.)

# ? Mar 30, 2016 21:58

Drone: Aug 22, 2003; Incredible machine

Randler posted:

Anybody has any experiences or tips for somebody considering to go to Gamescom Cologne 2016? (Like which days to visit, or how many days are enough, etc.)

I went in 2014, and I'm going again this year (probably Thursday-Friday, but I might buy extra tickets for Saturday too just so I have the flexibility of picking which days I want to go on-the-spot). Here's a list of the stuff that occurs to me off the top of my head:

From my experience, Thursday is the busiest day by far. This is the day you're most likely to have throngs of shoulder-to-shoulder people in the main corridor at the K�lnmesse. Inside the halls it's slightly better, since a lot of people start queueing up for various booths, but in general it's rough on Thursday. Friday and Saturday are still reasonably busy but approachable. Sunday is apparently the best day of all to go, but it's also the shortest day, and if you only go on Sunday then you run the risk of not having enough time to see everything you wanna see.
Expect smells you don't usually encounter on a day-to-day basis. This is probably depending a little bit on the weather -- when I went, it was pretty hot and rainy, so the entire place was quite humid. That many people + a confined space + the smell of all the cheap Imbiss food in a couple of the halls can make for a pretty disgusting smell sometimes. But in general, in the big halls where all the exhibitors are, the climate control is good and the smells are at a minimum. It's really only in the vendor hall / indie area / cosplay village / education-and-event place that the funk starts spreading in earnest. Oh, and I saw this one girl cosplaying as some Sailor Moon character who was walking around barefoot and it was probably the most disgusting thing I've seen in my life.
Take a bag with you and put a water bottle or two in there. You're allowed to bring in outside food and beverages as far as I remember, so stop at a supermarket on your way and get at least a liter bottle of water. The food and drink are predictably expensive (I think I paid like 8 euro for a carry-sized box of stir fry). You'll also probably want a bag for any swag / stuff you buy.
You aren't permitted to leave the K�lnmesse and then come back in without buying a separate ticket. Thankfully they have ample outdoor areas set up for you to get some fresh air, with some areas to relax and have a beer outside.
The number of days you can/should spend there vary pretty wildly on what you want to see, what kind of games you're into, and what is on exhibition this year. There wasn't really much specific that I wanted to see when I went in 2014, and as a result I didn't really queue up for much of anything (the one booth I wanted to see, Paradox Interactive, had a line of maybe like 10 minutes). I'm planning this year based on similar lines -- on the first day I'll probably take one day just to browse around the entire convention area and make a mental list of things I want to see, then maybe queue up for one or two things and then check out the vendor area (and if Paradox does their fan fest at Gamescom again this year, I'll go to that, which is a separate event after-hours). Then the second day I'll come back and use that day as my "waiting in line for these things that I specifically wanted to see" day.
The biggest booths have, naturally, the biggest lines. LoL and Blizzard stuff is massive, and expect there to be some kind of tournaments for LoL/Hearthstone/Heroes of the Storm/Starcraft happening live there on that day. The Blizzard booth in particular will probably be nigh-unapproachable with the launch of Overwatch. When I went in 2014, Dota 2 was unfortunately not represented at ALL, which sucks because that's what I was really into. Thankfully though, the AAA producers tend to be segregated into their own hall, so they can all have enough space for massive booths (EA/Ubisoft/2K/BioWare/Bethesda/etc.). They also give out a ton of swag and if you wait long enough you can walk away with a bunch of t-shirts.
The vendors don't all cater exclusively to video game stuff, just the general nerdy milieu. While the lion's share of it is video gamey, you'll also find M:tG/other CCG's, a bunch of T-shirt booths, Pokemon stuff, Star Trek stuff, vintage stuff, a bunch of imported anime junk, and... a few body pillows. In general though the vendor hall is pretty neat and worth spending some time in.
I forget the official name for it, but there's a hall where they have all the educational booths (game design programs from various unis, etc.) that is really neat and kinda underappreciated. They also have a lot of the smaller booths for private businesses or clubs from around Germany there, like there was a really rad open space area last year that was nothing but vintage arcade games and pinball tables that were free to play. They also keep some of the events in this area -- I remember an RC car racing tournament, a PC casemod competition, and some Skylanders thing. The Indie Dev area is also really neat and it's a completely different experience than in the main halls... here the people manning the little tiny booths are usually the devs themselves showcasing their labor of love.
Public transport in that entire area is going to be absolutely swamped. In 2014 (and again this year) I'll be staying in a hotel in D�sseldorf because the rates are literally 60-70% cheaper than in K�ln, and you get a free regional ticket with purchase of a Gamescom ticket anyway. When we boarded the train every day in D�sseldorf, it was already shoulder-to-shoulder, standing-room-only. If you're claustrophobic, prepare yourself.

Gamescom is a pretty unique convention experience in my opinion, and this is coming from a guy who's gone to Star Wars/Star Trek conventions. It's worth seeing at least once.

Drone fucked around with this message at 07:06 on Mar 31, 2016

# ? Mar 31, 2016 07:01

Gatac: Apr 22, 2008; Fifty Cent's next biopic.

Drone posted:

Good advice

To this I would add the following:

Bring a folding camping stool. Trust me, when you're in one of those loco lines at the big booths, you'll want to be able to sit down on something friendlier than the ground. And while a full-on chair is probably a dick move and also too big to lug around, a little tripod stool with a shoulder sling is light, compact and lets you camp out pretty much everywhere.
Whatever ticket you're gonna get, get it beforehand. You do not want to deal with the lines at the entrance.
Drone already mentioned it, but it bears repeating: keep that water bottle in reach and hydrate. I went twice and both times it was hot as hell outside, while the exhibition halls can get pretty chilly with the AC on full blast. That combo can really do a number on you if you're moving around a lot.
Should be obvious, but focus on the playable stuff that interests you. No need to wait in line for a video that's gonna be on YouTube anyway. And most of the swag is frankly kinda poo poo, when they give out any at all.
Be cool. Despite the tons of people, the atmosphere is generally pretty chill and respectful, so just enjoy it and have fun.

# ? Mar 31, 2016 16:44

Drone: Aug 22, 2003; Incredible machine

Gatac posted:

To this I would add the following:

Whatever ticket you're gonna get, get it beforehand. You do not want to deal with the lines at the entrance.

Oh God this. When I went, I showed up about 20 minutes before the doors opened on Thursday and they had already sold out. Buy now for any days you might consider going, tickets are pretty cheap.

# ? Mar 31, 2016 17:02

citybeatnik: Mar 1, 2013; You Are All
WEIRDOS

Is there a single aggregator of the music venues in Berlin for any particular week? Or would such an attempt basically cause the website to implode from all the information?

Mostly asking in the faint hope that there might be a Seeed show going on that I can catch during my week there., or something similar. In addition, if any Berliners/jelly doughnuts would like to go drinking with an irate Texan bumbling his way around the city I'd be honored to have a native showing me around.

# ? Apr 1, 2016 05:11

Peggotty: May 9, 2014

If you're not looking for small indie stuff or DJs you could just check what tickets are available on eventim.de

# ? Apr 1, 2016 08:44

Total Confusion: Oct 9, 2004

There are probably other/better websites, but you could check out something like Prinz to get an overview of what's going on.

If you're into electronic music, Resident Advisor has a lot of show listings.

# ? Apr 1, 2016 10:15

Randler: Jan 3, 2013; ACER ET VEHEMENS BONAVIS

Drone posted:

I went in 2014, and I'm going again this year (probably Thursday-Friday, but I might buy extra tickets for Saturday too just so I have the flexibility of picking which days I want to go on-the-spot). Here's a list of the stuff that occurs to me off the top of my head:

From my experience, Thursday is the busiest day by far. This is the day you're most likely to have throngs of shoulder-to-shoulder people in the main corridor at the K�lnmesse. Inside the halls it's slightly better, since a lot of people start queueing up for various booths, but in general it's rough on Thursday. Friday and Saturday are still reasonably busy but approachable. Sunday is apparently the best day of all to go, but it's also the shortest day, and if you only go on Sunday then you run the risk of not having enough time to see everything you wanna see.

Expect smells you don't usually encounter on a day-to-day basis. This is probably depending a little bit on the weather -- when I went, it was pretty hot and rainy, so the entire place was quite humid. That many people + a confined space + the smell of all the cheap Imbiss food in a couple of the halls can make for a pretty disgusting smell sometimes. But in general, in the big halls where all the exhibitors are, the climate control is good and the smells are at a minimum. It's really only in the vendor hall / indie area / cosplay village / education-and-event place that the funk starts spreading in earnest. Oh, and I saw this one girl cosplaying as some Sailor Moon character who was walking around barefoot and it was probably the most disgusting thing I've seen in my life.

Take a bag with you and put a water bottle or two in there. You're allowed to bring in outside food and beverages as far as I remember, so stop at a supermarket on your way and get at least a liter bottle of water. The food and drink are predictably expensive (I think I paid like 8 euro for a carry-sized box of stir fry). You'll also probably want a bag for any swag / stuff you buy.

You aren't permitted to leave the K�lnmesse and then come back in without buying a separate ticket. Thankfully they have ample outdoor areas set up for you to get some fresh air, with some areas to relax and have a beer outside.

The number of days you can/should spend there vary pretty wildly on what you want to see, what kind of games you're into, and what is on exhibition this year. There wasn't really much specific that I wanted to see when I went in 2014, and as a result I didn't really queue up for much of anything (the one booth I wanted to see, Paradox Interactive, had a line of maybe like 10 minutes). I'm planning this year based on similar lines -- on the first day I'll probably take one day just to browse around the entire convention area and make a mental list of things I want to see, then maybe queue up for one or two things and then check out the vendor area (and if Paradox does their fan fest at Gamescom again this year, I'll go to that, which is a separate event after-hours). Then the second day I'll come back and use that day as my "waiting in line for these things that I specifically wanted to see" day.

The biggest booths have, naturally, the biggest lines. LoL and Blizzard stuff is massive, and expect there to be some kind of tournaments for LoL/Hearthstone/Heroes of the Storm/Starcraft happening live there on that day. The Blizzard booth in particular will probably be nigh-unapproachable with the launch of Overwatch. When I went in 2014, Dota 2 was unfortunately not represented at ALL, which sucks because that's what I was really into. Thankfully though, the AAA producers tend to be segregated into their own hall, so they can all have enough space for massive booths (EA/Ubisoft/2K/BioWare/Bethesda/etc.). They also give out a ton of swag and if you wait long enough you can walk away with a bunch of t-shirts.

The vendors don't all cater exclusively to video game stuff, just the general nerdy milieu. While the lion's share of it is video gamey, you'll also find M:tG/other CCG's, a bunch of T-shirt booths, Pokemon stuff, Star Trek stuff, vintage stuff, a bunch of imported anime junk, and... a few body pillows. In general though the vendor hall is pretty neat and worth spending some time in.

I forget the official name for it, but there's a hall where they have all the educational booths (game design programs from various unis, etc.) that is really neat and kinda underappreciated. They also have a lot of the smaller booths for private businesses or clubs from around Germany there, like there was a really rad open space area last year that was nothing but vintage arcade games and pinball tables that were free to play. They also keep some of the events in this area -- I remember an RC car racing tournament, a PC casemod competition, and some Skylanders thing. The Indie Dev area is also really neat and it's a completely different experience than in the main halls... here the people manning the little tiny booths are usually the devs themselves showcasing their labor of love.

Public transport in that entire area is going to be absolutely swamped. In 2014 (and again this year) I'll be staying in a hotel in D�sseldorf because the rates are literally 60-70% cheaper than in K�ln, and you get a free regional ticket with purchase of a Gamescom ticket anyway. When we boarded the train every day in D�sseldorf, it was already shoulder-to-shoulder, standing-room-only. If you're claustrophobic, prepare yourself.

Gamescom is a pretty unique convention experience in my opinion, and this is coming from a guy who's gone to Star Wars/Star Trek conventions. It's worth seeing at least once.

Gatac posted:

To this I would add the following:

Bring a folding camping stool. Trust me, when you're in one of those loco lines at the big booths, you'll want to be able to sit down on something friendlier than the ground. And while a full-on chair is probably a dick move and also too big to lug around, a little tripod stool with a shoulder sling is light, compact and lets you camp out pretty much everywhere.

Whatever ticket you're gonna get, get it beforehand. You do not want to deal with the lines at the entrance.

Drone already mentioned it, but it bears repeating: keep that water bottle in reach and hydrate. I went twice and both times it was hot as hell outside, while the exhibition halls can get pretty chilly with the AC on full blast. That combo can really do a number on you if you're moving around a lot.

Should be obvious, but focus on the playable stuff that interests you. No need to wait in line for a video that's gonna be on YouTube anyway. And most of the swag is frankly kinda poo poo, when they give out any at all.

Be cool. Despite the tons of people, the atmosphere is generally pretty chill and respectful, so just enjoy it and have fun.

Thanks for all the good ideas.

Now to find a cosplay thread for a The Division costume to stomach the stench at the convention. :v:

# ? Apr 1, 2016 11:50

Drone: Aug 22, 2003; Incredible machine

Randler posted:

Now to find a cosplay thread for a The Division costume to stomach the stench at the convention.

I may have made it sound worse than it really is. For 85% of your convention experience, it'll be fine. For most of it, maybe a little bit of BO will waft your way, but not really any moreso than at any other summertime event in Europe. But the aforementioned hotspots of odor are where you'll run into the bad stuff. Thankfully you can theoretically avoid those areas entirely if you aren't interested in the vendors, or the indie stuff, or cosplay.

# ? Apr 1, 2016 12:46

citybeatnik: Mar 1, 2013; You Are All
WEIRDOS

cebrail posted:

If you're not looking for small indie stuff or DJs you could just check what tickets are available on eventim.de

Gold and a Pager posted:

There are probably other/better websites, but you could check out something like Prinz to get an overview of what's going on.

If you're into electronic music, Resident Advisor has a lot of show listings.

Quoting these so I can find the links again when I get closer to the trip. Appreciate it.

# ? Apr 1, 2016 13:25

Drone: Aug 22, 2003; Incredible machine

Hooray for tax season. I know we have a couple lawyers/finance-y types in the thread, so here's a question to throw out there:

Does anyone know if (foreign) student loan payments should be declared on a Steuererkl�rung in Germany? Background: my Steuerberater just sent me my tax assessment and asked me to look over the numbers to make sure everything looks fine... he seems to have forgotten to include the tax documentation that I sent him from my banks in the US showing that I paid a very pretty penny (around 5600 US dollars) in student loan debt, so this amount does not appear on my Einkommenssteuererkl�rung under Sonderausgaben -- should this not be included on line 43, "Aufwendungen f�r die eigene Berufsausbildung" (Bezeichnung der Ausbildung, Art und H�he der Aufwendungen)?

Since the amount is so high, it will make a dramatic difference in the amount of tax I will be paying and could potentially save me a couple thousand euros if this should be deducted.

Edit: I mean it makes the most sense if it goes in the part for Berufsausbildung, but what about "Andere au�ergew�hliche Belastungen" (lines 67-70)?

Drone fucked around with this message at 08:41 on Apr 14, 2016

# ? Apr 14, 2016 08:39

Zwille: Aug 18, 2006; * _{For the Ghost Who Walks Funny}

Shouldn't you ask your tax guy that to make sure? Or is this a situation where he would bill you more? In any case if this is about a couple 1000 bucks off your back it should be worth it.

# ? Apr 14, 2016 08:57

Drone: Aug 22, 2003; Incredible machine

Zwille posted:

Shouldn't you ask your tax guy that to make sure? Or is this a situation where he would bill you more? In any case if this is about a couple 1000 bucks off your back it should be worth it.

Yeah, I've already mailed him... he specializes in foreign freelancers, so I'm sure this isn't exactly a completely new scenario to him. Just wanted to see if maybe any goons had insight into it.

He may likely bill me more, but his fees are relatively small compared to the potential to save a lot of money on the amount of taxes I owe.

Edit:

Apparently at the very least the interest should be deductible, but I still don't have a final word from the tax guy. If he says no, I'm just going to forward him this, since it looks like a legitimate source: https://www.vlh.de/arbeiten-pendeln/ausbildung-studium/diese-ausbildungskosten-kannst-du-von-der-steuer-absetzen.html

Drone fucked around with this message at 09:52 on Apr 14, 2016

# ? Apr 14, 2016 09:07

Randler: Jan 3, 2013; ACER ET VEHEMENS BONAVIS

Drone posted:

Hooray for tax season. I know we have a couple lawyers/finance-y types in the thread, so here's a question to throw out there:

Does anyone know if (foreign) student loan payments should be declared on a Steuererkl�rung in Germany? Background: my Steuerberater just sent me my tax assessment and asked me to look over the numbers to make sure everything looks fine... he seems to have forgotten to include the tax documentation that I sent him from my banks in the US showing that I paid a very pretty penny (around 5600 US dollars) in student loan debt, so this amount does not appear on my Einkommenssteuererkl�rung under Sonderausgaben -- should this not be included on line 43, "Aufwendungen f�r die eigene Berufsausbildung" (Bezeichnung der Ausbildung, Art und H�he der Aufwendungen)?

Since the amount is so high, it will make a dramatic difference in the amount of tax I will be paying and could potentially save me a couple thousand euros if this should be deducted.

Obligatory, I'm not a lawyer disclaimer (Gottverdammte Syndikuszulassungsvoraussetzungen :smith:

)

What exactly are your degrees and qualifications that the student loans paid for? This is important.

# ? Apr 14, 2016 19:03

Grouco: Jan 13, 2005; I wouldn't want to belong to any club that would have me as a member.

I'll arrive in Darmstadt next week for a conference. It looks like I have Thursday as a free day-- any suggestions for how to spend the day around town?

# ? Apr 15, 2016 22:13

Drone: Aug 22, 2003; Incredible machine

Grouco posted:

I'll arrive in Darmstadt next week for a conference. It looks like I have Thursday as a free day-- any suggestions for how to spend the day around town?

There's not an absolute ton to see and do in Darmstadt since it's a small city.

-Hessisches Landesmuseum, though I don't know how good it is. It was closed for several years for renovation and was only reopened last year, so maybe it's cool.
-Mathildenh�he and the Hochzeitsturm are the iconic symbols of Darmstadt (literally), but they're kinda underwhelming. You could take a blanket and go picnic up there though and it's kinda nice.
-Jugendstilbad if you want to go swimming or if you like art nouveau in general.
-There's a Hundertwasserhaus (the Waldspirale) which you can take a look at. I think you can go inside it too -- even though it's almost all apartments, there's also a little gift shop and a restaurant/cafe.
-Have a beer at the Ratskeller Hausbrauerei on Marktplatz. Again not really a special experience but nice. Their lunch is good (if you're not from Germany, get the Kochk�sschnitzel or some Handk�se mit Musik as a local south Hessian specialty -- just be wary of the gas it'll give you). Also Apfelwein.
-The Marktplatz/Luisenplatz are pretty much the central hub(s) of the city and there's a ton of shopping and restaurants around there. It's a big pedestrian area too.
-Go to Castle Frankenstein in Eberstadt (take the Stra�enbahnlinien 6 or 7 down to the "Frankenstein" stop, it's only like 15 minutes from Luisenplatz in the city center and will cost you like 2 euro each way, or just get a day-ticket at Luisenplatz or the main train station between the city zone 4001 and the Eberstadt zone 4045). Note that it's on a mountain though so you'll have to either take a bus up or, if you're adventurous and fit, walk or bike.
-The European Space Agency mission control is here and they do offer tours, but only extremely sporadically and you have to sign up far in advance, so no luck there.
-The gardens around the Orangerie are pretty nice, and I hear good things about our tiny little zoo, the Vivarium.

Unfortunately I have a long week at work next week, otherwise I'd offer to show you around.

Drone fucked around with this message at 08:15 on Apr 16, 2016

# ? Apr 16, 2016 08:09

Grouco: Jan 13, 2005; I wouldn't want to belong to any club that would have me as a member.

Cheers, thanks for the info and I do appreciate the offer! I'll probably check out the Landesmuseum and grab some food on Markplatz. I managed to get a ticket for a performance at the Staatstheater in the evening, so that should have me covered!

# ? Apr 16, 2016 18:40

Babies Getting Rabies: Apr 21, 2007; Sugartime Jones

Don't grab food at the Marktplatz. There are way better options nearby. Depending on what you feel like, I'll try and give better suggestions. Just pm me with your preferences.

In terms of beer, the best beer in Darmstadt is at Grohe by the way. Their Kochk�seschnitzel is also dope, although Heiping has a better one.

# ? Apr 16, 2016 21:12

citybeatnik: Mar 1, 2013; You Are All
WEIRDOS

Hey y'all,

I'll be cross posting this in the other German thread as well, since i'm not sure which is getting more traffic. Long and short of it - i've posted in here before about my upcoming trip to Berlin (June 30th through July 9th), but it turns out that the danish friends i was going to be staying with have had to bow out, so at the moment i'm looking at some things on AirBnB. Just want to make sure I don't end up picking one that's off in the middle of nowhere like i did during my Munich trip.

Young professional, early 30s, yada yada yada. The three places that i have my eye on are the following:
1) in Kruezberg
2) Eichkamp (...? Apparently a place in the Grunewald but 18 minutes from the Hauptbahnhof)
3) right near checkpoint charlie.

They're all running around the same price (although the second option includes breakfast) so it's all coming down to location now. I'm hoping to pick up more culture and history during this trip to Germany as opposed to my last attempt to drink Munich dry, but i'd also like to enjoy some of Berlin's nightlife.

Ij addition, if any locals want to hang out with a random Texan while i'm there i'll be down.

# ? May 23, 2016 19:52

Hollow Talk: Feb 2, 2014

citybeatnik posted:

Hey y'all,

I'll be cross posting this in the other German thread as well, since i'm not sure which is getting more traffic. Long and short of it - i've posted in here before about my upcoming trip to Berlin (June 30th through July 9th), but it turns out that the danish friends i was going to be staying with have had to bow out, so at the moment i'm looking at some things on AirBnB. Just want to make sure I don't end up picking one that's off in the middle of nowhere like i did during my Munich trip.

Young professional, early 30s, yada yada yada. The three places that i have my eye on are the following:
1) in Kruezberg
2) Eichkamp (...? Apparently a place in the Grunewald but 18 minutes from the Hauptbahnhof)
3) right near checkpoint charlie.

They're all running around the same price (although the second option includes breakfast) so it's all coming down to location now. I'm hoping to pick up more culture and history during this trip to Germany as opposed to my last attempt to drink Munich dry, but i'd also like to enjoy some of Berlin's nightlife.

Ij addition, if any locals want to hang out with a random Texan while i'm there i'll be down.

I'd say Checkpoint Charlie = Kreuzberg > Eichkamp.

Reasoning: Checkpoint Charlie means somewhere around Friedrichstra�e, which gets you very close to the Museumsinsel, Unter den Linden etc., and it's easy to walk places. Kreuzberg is nice, but also quite hipster-ish, and some bits of it are a bit annoying to get to, though it is overall really rather central and very, very popular; the U-Bahn will probably be your friend if you go this route. Kreuzberg is also nice for food, probably better than the Friedrichstra�e area, although there are some nice-ish options towards Bhf Friedrichstra�e and a bit beyond, and it's not far from there to Mitte. I don't know about Eichkamp, but the Grunewald is quite nice yet slightly out of the way, especially since I don't know how far you would have to go to get the S-Bahn in the first place. This is by far the farthest out of your three options, and you wouldn't have a whole lot that you could simply walk to from here.

If those are your options, I'd pick #1 or #2 (or look for Charlottenburg towards Charlottenburg Palace, which is a very lovely area).

# ? May 23, 2016 22:24

citybeatnik: Mar 1, 2013; You Are All
WEIRDOS

Hollow Talk posted:

I'd say Checkpoint Charlie = Kreuzberg > Eichkamp.

Reasoning: Checkpoint Charlie means somewhere around Friedrichstra�e, which gets you very close to the Museumsinsel, Unter den Linden etc., and it's easy to walk places. Kreuzberg is nice, but also quite hipster-ish, and some bits of it are a bit annoying to get to, though it is overall really rather central and very, very popular; the U-Bahn will probably be your friend if you go this route. Kreuzberg is also nice for food, probably better than the Friedrichstra�e area, although there are some nice-ish options towards Bhf Friedrichstra�e and a bit beyond, and it's not far from there to Mitte. I don't know about Eichkamp, but the Grunewald is quite nice yet slightly out of the way, especially since I don't know how far you would have to go to get the S-Bahn in the first place. This is by far the farthest out of your three options, and you wouldn't have a whole lot that you could simply walk to from here.

If those are your options, I'd pick #1 or #2 (or look for Charlottenburg towards Charlottenburg Palace, which is a very lovely area).

Thanks for the feed back! I'm leaning towards option 1 now, since while the idea of hanging out with an older german professor and his family over breakfest like i would at the second option is cool it's also off in the middle of nowhere, and option 3 is currently booked (but they'd let me crash on their couch). Option 1 seems to be a pretty chill couple that's willing to be a tour guide if required and, well, i'm from Austin so i'm okay with hipster-ish. Even if i'll apparently he crashing on a futon.

I enjoyed the S-bahn and U-bahn during my Munich trip so i'm fine with that. It'll be nice to be in a place with actual public transportation.

# ? May 23, 2016 22:34

Hollow Talk: Feb 2, 2014

citybeatnik posted:

Thanks for the feed back! I'm leaning towards option 1 now, since while the idea of hanging out with an older german professor and his family over breakfest like i would at the second option is cool it's also off in the middle of nowhere, and option 3 is currently booked (but they'd let me crash on their couch). Option 1 seems to be a pretty chill couple that's willing to be a tour guide if required and, well, i'm from Austin so i'm okay with hipster-ish. Even if i'll apparently he crashing on a futon.

I enjoyed the S-bahn and U-bahn during my Munich trip so i'm fine with that. It'll be nice to be in a place with actual public transportation.

Whoops, I got confused with the numbers and actually meant I'd go for Checkpoint Charlie or Kreuzberg, but it seems you got what I meant!

# ? May 23, 2016 23:56

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# ? May 17, 2024 09:33

Randler: Jan 3, 2013; ACER ET VEHEMENS BONAVIS

Anybody have experiences with Deutsche Bank as an ordinary private customer?

I'm considering moving my checking account around and Deutsche seems to make the cheapest offer while still having an acceptably tight range of ATM locations. My only concern with Deutsche is that they keep talking about how they don't see normal human customers as the future. :ohdear:

# ? Jul 26, 2016 19:44

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Tourism & Travel > Ask me about germany.

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