24 Hours on the German Autobahn | Easy German 624

We rarely drive a car—so rarely that we don't even own one But once in a while when we do it's a different story Each year we rent a van toss in our bicycles and guitars and hit the road On vacation Today is just such a day We want to drive from Berlin to southern England We're driving through Germany the Netherlands Belgium France and England And on this We're taking you on an adventure in this video Welcome to a new episode of Easy German Today with something special Instead of heading out onto the street we're getting into the car today Janusz and I have just started our first day of vacation and we're now heading off by Cars traveling to England will spend a considerable amount of time on the highway We're making a stopover in Münster Exactly We need to be in England by tomorrow evening or else Tonight in Münster and in between there's plenty of time—we want to spend it with you And now let me show you what it's like to drive through Germany in a car Here we go Here we go Janusz are you ready for six hours on the highway I am though I'm not sure if I am I'm ready Yes In fact if I weren't ready it would be the same thing We're leaving now Why are we even driving to England instead of flying there in an hour Flying is extremely harmful to the environment And not driving for two days No I hope not At this moment we have Leave Berlin and it starts to rain See that's what happens when you leave Berlin So folks we're now on the A10 heading toward Magdeburg and Leipzig Janusz we don't drive much these days But back then the highway was your home Yes How did that happen Well I spent five years after I arrived at I came to Germany having spent my first year there And then I began to You wanted to drive a truck because you thought it was cool Yes you wanted to drive a truck because it was A cool war I just wanted some job where I don't have to keep my mind constantly engaged Also a job so mechanical that I can perform it while my mind wanders off In my mind And does that work when driving a truck Absolutely it's perfect Look like this—that's what you did right Yes I think that's exactly who I am but you do have to focus—especially not on the highway What would you like to focus on here Yes avoiding accidents adhering to traffic regulations other road users Yes but you do the same thing when you're walking—there's no need to focus on You don’t instinctively run into a tree or bump into pedestrians—your body already knows how to avoid such things And when you drove trucks back then were you already speaking good German Probably not but enough to communicate comfortably I don't recall having any problems at all And tell us about life on the highway—how was it It was surprisingly tough It was absurd how tough it was really Yes how long have you been driving a truck About three and a half years legally completely normally and then I already had stopped but then I kept getting repeatedly contacted by freight companies and they kept calling me again and again People have been letting me be careful Yes is it an accident Hopefully not But then you must have definitely Got to know Germany well didn't I In those first years I was and still am today so incredibly grateful for it Yes I've been everywhere in Germany—everywhere Mostly in southern Germany that's as far as I get Head north toward the A2 After 600 meters merge onto the A2 Take it easy Women-only parking spaces Yeah Janosch we've been driving how long now Two hours I don't even know—I've been feeling so good It felt much shorter than it actually was Felt that way Have you ever wondered how you can actually learn German faster My number one tip for that is still working with a private tutor which is often not the case either ot as expensive as you might think At least with our partner italki italki is a platform where you can learn languages from native speakers so many offers that suit you perfectly To show you how easy it is Janosch once made a Scheduled a trial lesson with Janik He is one of over 500 German teachers offering their services on italki Oh yes that's a typical issue for me and for many people whose native languages are Slavic We don’t have those kind of split stories here Please bring a few bottles of beer Very good yes I'll bring some grammar exercises next time That's great Now you ca Why don't you give it a try too Just book a trial lesson with a teacher and see for yourself Teacher on italki and if you use our code below you'll get even more Get five euros free after spending your first ten euros—now that's a deal worth taking Yes we're taking a break at a rest stop Rest stops typically have a Gas station a restroom sometimes restaurants and always a small shop Janosch what do you want What are you doing I want to visit the shop here because I'm so bored I can't stand it I just want to browse a bit looking at products newspapers things I have no intention of buying but So let's take a quick look at what's new What do I want to do I think I'll freshen things up a bit It's all going through my head I notice I'm already getting tired after two hours of driving It's really quite boring monotonous and boring driving but right now I'll start listening to podcasts—I'm always much more engaged then Stay alert A wide variety of snacks on the go The worst thing ever Why is it the worst Because I'm on a diet but once I'm out and about that's when the trouble starts Oh what do we have here Another little sausage Janosch do you remember the old days when you were a truck driver Yes Well then Wow What do we have here Here for example are the adapters for English usage What is this This is pure protein That's our refrigerator Oh delicious Delicious Look we even have three bicycles and we'll ride them properly on vacation and we feel right at home—so much so that it's as if we're not going on vacation but actually moving in So shall we keep going Janosch We're going on I hope you're doing well that you're awake I think I'll take a ten-minute nap somewhere along the way You can film me while I do it Münster So the final stretch It's seven o'clock now We'll continue tomorrow morning at nine Janosch says no but he means yes Yeah then I'll have to get up at six you've got this Tonight try going to bed a bit earlier Okay Wait let me get out first then I can do that a little Good news everyone we've arrived and we'll continue tomorrow morning at nine See you bright and early Good morning Nine o'clock Today we're starting a bit earlier than yesterday And we need to navigate now Janosch tell us what's different about German autobahns compared to those in other countries Actually nothing really I don't know But there's no toll which is important to note—no payment is required to use the highway which is why everyone drives on it In other countries there's always a choice Between the country road You can drive on a local road for free or a federal highway or you can take the motorway where you often have to pay money—this money is called toll Yes the second special thing is that there's often no speed limit just like here meaning you can technically drive as fast as you want And that I find simultaneously is what makes the German autobahn so unpleasant Here if I want to head over now for example I have to pay very close attention to how fast the car behind me is going He's driving really fast and now he's overtaking on the right What a jerk We've got you on camera jerk We've been filming you Alright let's now share our three takeaways from 24 hours on the highway With pleasure First of all driving isn't much fun—it only makes sense if you have some specific purpose or urgent reason right Secondly it's great because you feel free—you can stop whenever you want and take along anything you like You can go anywhere and feel that sense of absolute freedom—something you simply don't get on a train or in an airplane Maybe we're not taking enough breaks We push through Why We should walk for ten minutes every hour Power That's right And that's the third thing on the other side again—somehow there's this urge to push through Yes because we still have today so at least here with us we still need to Yes look yesterday we felt the urge to be there for dinner Today we feel the urge to catch this train Really because you have a flexible ticket I do have a flexible ticket but still one ends up having to No you do Okay have you never felt the urge to arrive at a certain time you'd set for yourself No not if it doesn't make sense Okay then that's just my problem in the car We're now on the coast of France and heading to the Eurotunnel There are two ways to drive to England: by ship or by train through a tunnel beneath the English Channel Still mind-blowing that works huh Tunnel Use the lane to merge onto the ramp heading toward Tunnel Süßlamantje Got it Pad Reception we’re unfortunately not flexible either Take a slight right onto Tunnel Süßlamantje Looks complicated there doesn't it I don't know I don't understand a thing Neither do I There's someone here Ah talking to a person Let's go see that person I didn't get a ticket or anything—I only have a number No problem Can you give me your passport Yes So we're now through French passport control and heading into British one Wow Was that really wow Why is the snake so long You can see the train cars We're about to get into such a massive train Yes Then we'll ride this train through a tunnel beneath the English Channel and emerge in England Isn't that incredible And these cars look genuinely eerie since they don’t even have windows There are only cars in there—these aren't regular passenger trains Focus on the camera now Here we go We're entering the train A bit scary sure but we've done it before That's why we're cool That's why we'relaxed And just like that we're stepping off the train again and back in England Fascinating or what do you think Janusz Remember you're driving on the left now Yes and now I have to drive on the left It's time Janusz We've arrived Where is the destination Here it is Wait right here Or is it not I don't know Where No that's not it He says we've reached the goal Huh Where is it Hello Where is our house Where is it Ugh we're all fed up here You've cried your eyes out but it 'll work out Whatever Wow Janusz what a house This is ours Yes Hello I wanted to be here all along Easy we made it We made it We've driven for two days just to see you No we're looking forward to it And the seagulls too Janusz are you excited I'm absolutely thrilled Yes of course We've arrived After 1 200 kilometers from Berlin to Brighton our road trip comes to an end here We spent 15 hours in the car and now we want to know—what was your longest road trip Drop us a comment And if you'd like to see what we get up to on vacation there's already an episode for that We actually filmed a video once before with Easy and Mitch here on the beach in Brighton We're doing exactly the same thing now And we're doing it again just like before Also check out this video Our vacation in Slow German The link is below Bye for now see you next time And now we have a beautiful evening together