Hello everyone, just moved to a german apartment a week ago and I have this huge radiator in my room but it doesn’t get warm. I suspect I need to let the air out but I have no clue how to open the valve.

Just to specify, the pig pipe is hot, so the heating has been turned on. All the other radiators in the apartment work (they are newer, more modern ones that were easy to turn on). I already opened the bigger red valve (that little circular thing) and the pipe going to the radiator did get warm but the heat stops after like 15cm.

I recently moved to Germany and I come from a place where not even straight people indulge in public displays of affection. I’m a guy who’s into guys who’s only seen boys making out on the TV.

So that day, I saw this scene unfold in front of my eyes, right outside the tents. A dude ran towards another dude and hugged him tight. Then they kissed. Then they hugged some more. They looked so happy. It made me so happy, to see them being so in love, that I forgot that I was almost gawking at them. But I’d lost sense of myself because my stomach was full of butterflies and they looked so cute together. Then one of them caught me staring and I looked away, embarrassed.

If you are the couple reading this or any other queer couple in general I just wanted you to know that maybe not all stares are filled with prejudice, some are filled with admiration. And I hope you continue loving as openly as you do to ensure that people like us are always seen.

Ledger is a popular hardware wallet, a small USB device people use to store cryptocurrency safely offline.

Tampered Ledgers were sold through a reseller in Southeast Asia: a hidden SIM card under the screen steals the wallet's recovery phrase during setup, giving thieves full access to the funds. Over $80M has been stolen so far, and Ledger's own authenticity check doesn't detect it.

Users are now reporting affected devices bought at MediaMarkt too. Still unconfirmed, but if you bought a Ledger there: don't set it up, or move your crypto to a new wallet.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ledgerwallet/s/bOu8notfDG

Hello,

I (20) just started an internship at a German workplace about a week ago. It is my first time in Germany. I went to lunch to sit with everyone my first few days but everyone obviously is speaking in German and I feel really awkward and like I’m taking up space. A few people spoke to me for maybe 2 minutes. I have stopped going to lunch since then because I don’t get home too late so I just eat at home. But today one of my colleagues asked me how come I don’t eat. Now I’m thinking it’s more weird that I just don’t go because basically everyone goes and if it looks ‘bitchy’ like I don’t want to talk to them. Obviously I don’t blame them for speaking German but I just feel really awkward. I just said I’m not hungry but they can probably tell it’s because I feel weird. I fear I have messed up my reputation at the office because of this. What do I do? Is it redeemable?

I have been living in Germany since 8 years. I feel a bit depressed when the winter arrives. Does it even happened to you. How does one overcome such things?

Hi all, this post comes from a place of desperation and am in dire need of some advice or comforting words.

Me (26m) and my girlfriend (26f) wanted to go to Europapark by car (We're both from Amsterdam) and we kinda arranged some things last minute and really forgot to think about some insurance/back-up. Wich was very stupid in hindsight, I've never had much problems with my car before, hindsight 20/20 and all that. I've learned my lesson.

We cross the border, on our way to Dusseldorf. 20 Minutes after a pitstop I try to drive off, stick doesn't want to shift gears anymore. We call ADAC and got our car taken to the nearest garage wich was closed cause it was a sunday. Had to pay 500 euros, ouch... Guy from ADAC tells us to just leave the car on their terrain and make a call the next morning, so we go on our way to Europapark.

Next morning I try to make a call to the garage, they didn't pick up a couple of times. Eventually they did, I asked them if they could speak English cause I do not speak German very well. They immediately hung up on me, I tried to call again a couple times but they hang up instantly everytime. I would've tried some German with some translation help if language was the issue but I never got the chance. Went to contact my car insurance company, say they cannot help me with this issue.

Even asked the hotel we were staying at to make a phone call to the garage, they didn't pick up.

Now we're in our hotelroom, taking a Flixbus to Dusseldorf again and staying up through the night to go to the garage in Willich directly in the morning at 8:00. Just to see IF they can even do anything about it, or if they event want to....

The car isn't worth much, but it would be very inconvenient to lose it right now. I wouldn't mind getting it scrapped but I don't know if it's going to cause problems as it's a Dutch license plate. I'm not an expert on this field at all.

The whole ordeal has been very expensive so far, and I really need to minimize costs from this point. Dragging it all the way back to NL might cost another fortune.

Anyone got any advice or reassurance?

Would towing the car to NL cost alot if it's not an emergency?

Does anyone know a garage near Willich that could help short term?

Appreciate any feedback.

How much have you been charged for this recently? I'm going through the list at the IRS webpage for CAAs in Germany, and all I'm getting is quoted in the 250-500€ to make and certify a copy of a German passport. That is absolutely bonkers for something that used to cost 50-150$ a few years ago; and, it's in no way more complicated than an apostille (15-75€).

And no, I don't need upselling to a "full ITIN application package" either (for that I've been quoted 500€+). I can throw the IRS tax declaration that I already filled out myself in an envelope and mail it to the US. All I need is a certified copy of the passport for the W-7.

Back in August I ordered some books on Thalia and with my order there was an offer of a free sample of WELTKUNST journal, I was like eh why not and added it to my order because it was clearly free. As it turns out later after I did that they sent me an email (found it in my spam folder) that once I receive the free sample I will be automatically signed up for a subscription unless I inform them otherwise. Well, I had no idea about that and now I have to pay? This is scammy and technically illegal (§ 312j BGB). Im gonna write them an email requesting a bunch of shit like clear proof of me signing up for it willingly, but i wonder if there are other options. Idk I could lie about something, if anyone was in a situation like this and could get out of paying the bill what did u do?

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

As an International student planning a trip back home I was shopping in a local DM supermarket earlier and I realised how funny the price differences are. I threw a few totally standard things into my basket to take home, like a tube of Balea skincare, some Ritter Sport, Milka chocolates, and a few other everyday German drugstore/grocery staples that cost pocket change here.

Back home, people treat imported German products like they're high-end luxury goods and pay way too much for them, even my Praktika tutor cant explain why 4 Euro Nivea skin cream has such a cult following abroad lol, whereas here they're just sitting on the bottom shelf next to the generic brands.

Besides the usual chocolate and drugstore cosmetics, what are some other everyday German items, brands, or snacks you know that locals consider completely ordinary and cheap, but people abroad lose their minds over?

Hi guys, I need some advice please. Last year I was in a very vulnerable situation and applied for subsidies on jobcenter. After 6 months with them helping me and every week asking for documents and everything I got overwhelmed and depressed, I asked them to cancel my application because I couldn’t cope anymore with all the letters all the time. The total amount for those months were 1300€. So now they are charging me for the money back. I couldn’t pay this and my debt was redirected to the hauptzollamt. When they sent my the FIRST letter I got scared and immediately answered asking for paying the debt in instalments, they asked for documents and I sent to them, they answered that my request could not be approved YET, and the an agent would come to my home to check my assets. I’m very uncomfortable and anxious, I don’t have anything actually, just normal stuff for daily life (tv, fridge, wahsmachine etc) but the letters were quite passive aggressive and I’m really trying my best to fix this. Anyway, does anybody now what happens next? Thank you all xx

Hi. Posting on behalf of a friend. He's works for a company with about 100-150 employees in Germany while then group company has 500+ employees. Unfortunately, he is having a lot of issues with his manager who's an absolute dick and discussions with skip level didn't help.

He tried looking up Betriebsrat for his company but didn't find anything. The group company has a Betriebsrat but they said they can't help him and also confirmed that his company doesn't have one, as per their knowledge.

What are his options now? Leaving the job is a terrible idea in this market. I've asked him to get legal insurance but any other ideas would be great.

Hi all! I'm landing in Frankfurt at 8.20 a.m. How realistic would it be to book a train ticket from the airport at 11.05 a.m.? I have a non-EU passport with a student visa. My flight is supposed to land at Terminal 3.

Edit: thanks everyone for your replies.

Hi folks!

I rent an apartment in Hamburg in an old building from 1968 with 6 apartments and recentely ordered my first EV which I was hoping to charge at home. Since the apartment is old I ask the landlord about it and he contacted the Hambuger Energienetze, which they replied:

"Der bestehende Hausanschluss [...] verfügt derzeit nicht über ausreichende Leistungsreserven für den Betrieb einer Ladeeinrichtung für Elektrofahrzeuge."

They also advised against regular charging through a standard Schuko socket and mentioned that a "Anpassung bzw. Verstärkung des Hausanschlusses" would probably be necessary (voraussichtlich).

At no point they said actual capacity values, but reading their message (translated) I cannot really tell if that is a concrete NO or they just advise against using the current outlets (which I would only use in emergency anyways). My plan would be to install a dedicated wallbox (11kw ideally but now I am afraid it need to be much less) in the garage (at my costs).

I will contact some companies but I would like to hear similar experiecens and tips if you have any.

• Is insufficient Hausanschlussleistung common in older German apartment buildings?
• Has anyone managed to install a low-power wallbox without a Hausanschlussverstärkung?
• Any experiences with this? I assume its common issue given the number of EVs and old buildings in europe...
• What costs should I expect for these solutions?

I'm willing to cover reasonable installation costs, but since I'm renting, I'd prefer to avoid major electrical upgrades.

Has anyone dealt with a similar situation in Germany? I'd appreciate hearing about your experiences!

Original question and reply:

Landlord:

"Ich bin Eigentümerin eines Mehrfamilienhauses mit sechs Wohneinheiten aus den 1960er-Jahren. Ein Mieter möchte sein Elektroauto regelmäßig über eine vorhandene 230-V-Schuko-Steckdose in seiner Garage laden. Die Garagenzuleitung wurde vor wenigen Jahren erneuert.

Könnten Sie bitte die bestehende Hausanschlussleistung, die verfügbaren Leistungsreserven und die Eignung des Anschlusses für regelmäßiges Laden mitteilen? Wäre gegebenenfalls eine Hausanschlussverstärkung erforderlich?"

Hambuger Energienetze:

"Nach Überprüfung der bestehenden Netz- und Anschlussbedingungen wurde festgestellt, dass am derzeitigen Hausanschluss keine ausreichenden Leistungsreserven für den zusätzlichen Betrieb einer Ladeeinrichtung für Elektrofahrzeuge vorhanden sind.

Das regelmäßige Laden eines Elektrofahrzeugs über eine gewöhnliche 230-V-Schuko-Steckdose wird nicht empfohlen. Solche Steckdosen sind nicht für eine dauerhaft hohe elektrische Belastung über mehrere Stunden ausgelegt und sollten daher lediglich als vorübergehende Notlademöglichkeit genutzt werden.

Für einen technisch sicheren und normgerechten Betrieb ist die Nutzung einer dafür vorgesehenen Ladeeinrichtung erforderlich. In diesem Zusammenhang ist voraussichtlich eine Anpassung bzw. Verstärkung des Hausanschlusses notwendig. Zusätzlich ist die hausinterne elektrische Anlage durch einen Elektrofachbetrieb auf ihre Eignung zu prüfen."

💗 Does anyone know of any online shops in Germany that still sell Bella Sara figures or albums? Or does anyone have any Bella Sara items at home that they would like to sell? I'm interested in figures, cards, magazines, albums, puzzles, and other Bella Sara collectibles. I'd be very grateful for any tips or offers! ❤️ Thank you! 😊

Please go easy on me as I’m living on disability. Backstory: Been wearing glasses since I was a kid; late 30s now. After almost seven years of having not undergone any eye examination (no money, didn’t see the urgency), I found out today that the power in BOTH my eyes have gone up to above -8.0, which would make me eligible for the costs of contact lenses to be (partially) covered - according to information online.

Can anybody please share their experience of having the cost of contact lenses (partially) covered by the Krankenkasse?

1) Are you only allowed to choose hard lenses?

2) In case I prefer Tageslinsen / weekly soft lenses, would I have the possibility of paying the price difference?

I am currently stationed in Wiesbaden, but will be exploring as much of the entire Europe as I can. Originally from Louisiana so everything is new to me but it’s beautiful I cannot lie. I’m going to start exploring as much of Germany first then venture any recommendations such as bars, parks, monuments, museums etc. I have more than enough time to visit anything here or further out.

I just got my Nebenkostenabrechnung for 2025 and had to pay €963 extra.

The total came to about €3,916 for an 85 m² flat, which works out to €3.85/m²/month including heating. From what I've read the Berlin average is around €2.80, so I'm wondering if this is normal.

Building: Altbau, 12 flats, lift, garden, I'm on the ground floor. Oil central heating; hot water is not included in the heating bill.

My share for 2025 (rounded):

- Water + sewage: €407

- Lift: €391

- Street cleaning + waste: €254

- House cleaning: €450

- Garden care: €332

- Snow clearing: €41

- Outdoor lighting: €96

- Building insurance: €677

- Property tax (Grundsteuer): €504

- Heating: €765

- **Total: €3,916**

Insurance (€0.66/m²/month) stands out to me, and cleaning and garden care also seem high.

How does this compare to what you pay ?

Klarna is going to start charging to have a credit card (my bank also does so), does anyone have any recommendations on one that doesn’t have an annual fee?

Hi, I'm nervous about my Language Visa appointment and I want to lighten things up a bit by thinking about food lol. I love trying food and drinks from different countries, and this will be my first international country that I will go to.

I'm not very picky when it comes to food, and I would appreciate getting food recommendations. I love savory food the most, and bitter tastes is the least I'd be willing to try. I also love coffee, and drinks in general. If it helps, I'll be living in the NRW area if my visa gets approved, and I'm Asian so I'm most familiar with Asian cuisine.

I'm allergic to crustaceans (Shrimp, Prawns, Crabs etc.) and the only things I dont want to eat are eggplants and bittergourd.

Vielen dank. 🫶