The serious newspapers are excellent, but in many ways the tabloids rival The National Enquirer except that they put a far greater emphasis on sex and have no qualms about showing nude s. As a result of two world wars, Nazi crimes, and Hollywood movies, most English speaking people have a distorted view of Germans and Germany. First of all it comes as a shock to find that while Germans are well organized they are often not very efficient. Then there is the matter of cleanliness. While it is true that German homes, lodgings, and hotels are usually spotlessly clean, Germans have some really disgusting habits.
Children are totally uninhibited in urinating anywhere outside the house.
Men do the same but more discretely. So don t worry, you are unlikely to be embarrassed but you might encounter a nasty smell in some public places. Men also often spit on the street and particularly at bus stops where watching saliva fall to the ground seems to be a way of passing the time. You will also see a fair number of drunks in the main cities although they are usually well behaved and do not cause problems. Finally, if you decide to take a sauna you need to know that in most German hotels the saunas are unisex and people usually go naked.