Why would German ladies stare at my Daughter.
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: The Burrow, N53:48:02 W1:48:57, The Tin Tent - EGBS, EGBO
Posts: 2,297
why would the opening scene of this episode have Northwick Park Hospital (which is in Harrow, north of London) in the background whilst Fawlty Towers was in Torquay, a couple of hundred miles away.
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Europe
Age: 52
Posts: 91
Nick,
without any further information to go by, I would hazard a guess that the older ladies' behaviour had more to do with them being older ladies, than with them being Germans. I am wondering, with all due respect to Mrs your daughter, whether she might inadvertently have broken some rule or etiquette valid on cruises. Like, maybe the ladies expected her to spend time with her newlywed husband, or something. You never really know.
In any case if it was me, I shouldn't worry any more about it.
without any further information to go by, I would hazard a guess that the older ladies' behaviour had more to do with them being older ladies, than with them being Germans. I am wondering, with all due respect to Mrs your daughter, whether she might inadvertently have broken some rule or etiquette valid on cruises. Like, maybe the ladies expected her to spend time with her newlywed husband, or something. You never really know.
In any case if it was me, I shouldn't worry any more about it.
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Sunny side up
Posts: 1,205
Tell her to enjoy it while it lasts. 
Before too long she'll no longer be seen as a threat and spend the day having a good ol' chin wag with them about the dinner and shopping highlights, only pausing to join forces in a group snarl at the Bright Young Thing 'strutting' around in a bikini.
Said Bright Young Thing will no doubt be wondering 'why are they all glaring at me? I'm just going to the pool'. 
Circle of life.
Before too long she'll no longer be seen as a threat and spend the day having a good ol' chin wag with them about the dinner and shopping highlights, only pausing to join forces in a group snarl at the Bright Young Thing 'strutting' around in a bikini.
Said Bright Young Thing will no doubt be wondering 'why are they all glaring at me? I'm just going to the pool'. Circle of life.
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Germany
Posts: 73
Being german myself, here are my "two cents"...
Sadly, your poor daughter experienced some strange phenomena in german behaviour (mind: I don't talk about every single german behaving like an idiot, but there is indeed some kind of behaviour pattern, sometimes...)
Ze German Stare
German national "soul" does not know much about privacy in general, much less regarding staring in public. Depending on where you are in germany or where your german guinea pig grew up, you'll find the "German Stare" somewhere from mildly strange to really annoying. There are regions in southern germany where you get the impression of being surrounded by hobby dentists trying to examine your mouth...
Ze German Face
Never try to say something like "Why are you looking so grumpy at me?" to German. Most likely you'll get the answer: "Ich hab halt so ein Gesicht!" ("That's my face, live with it"). As the "gentleman" factor is not a part of German (pseudo-)culture, most germs (sic!) won't really think about what they do to others looking grumpy or angry. Ever thought about the fact that Botox is not really the megaseller in germany? Because no one cares for his angry wrinkles above his/hers nose...
Ze German Envy
There's one really driving force in many germans: Envy. There's even a well known Wilhelm Busch citation which was modified to fit even better: "Neid ist die Deutsche Form der Anerkennung" - "Envy is a german's way of appreciativeness"
So don't mind, your daughter may simply be too pretty :-)
Everything written before, including Paraguay (thank you for that, I literally laughed my a. off - reminds me of the the Pan Am pilot in FRA being asked: "have you never been here before?", answering "I was, in 1944, but I didn't land..."), is abolutely right. I guess your daughter concentrated every german nuisance in behaviour on this trip. A pretty young lady with an obviously uncomfortable older wife seated in her vicinity, with a german stare, a german mindset, a german face and an absolute disrespect for other people's privacy.
Please, tell your daughter that I'm sorry for what she experienced. Hopefully, her trip was not really wasted by this. Furthermore please tell her, that there are uncountable Germans out there not being grumpy, not being aggressive, not being angry for British Self Defence some decades ago. Some of us are even fans of you and of the descendanies (spel?) you created around the globe (US, CN, AUS, NZ... just kidding, I know that these are colonies ;-) )
Ah, one thing left: How to react when being german-stared-upon? Smile. It won't change the stare, but it's funny as hell to see the reactions... ;-)
Germans aren't really bad. One should not allow them to be "lead" by strange figures from neighbouring countries and they should always be taken with a grain of salt.
Kind regards,
Peter
PS: Currently living in Germany, I experienced an english man in his 40s waiting for his wife inside his car on an Aldi car park. After a few minutes of german stare from every single person walking by, he was short of having some kind of stroke. I sincerely believed he would attack the next passer by. Sadly, I fully understood what he went through.
Sadly, your poor daughter experienced some strange phenomena in german behaviour (mind: I don't talk about every single german behaving like an idiot, but there is indeed some kind of behaviour pattern, sometimes...)
Ze German Stare
German national "soul" does not know much about privacy in general, much less regarding staring in public. Depending on where you are in germany or where your german guinea pig grew up, you'll find the "German Stare" somewhere from mildly strange to really annoying. There are regions in southern germany where you get the impression of being surrounded by hobby dentists trying to examine your mouth...
Ze German Face
Never try to say something like "Why are you looking so grumpy at me?" to German. Most likely you'll get the answer: "Ich hab halt so ein Gesicht!" ("That's my face, live with it"). As the "gentleman" factor is not a part of German (pseudo-)culture, most germs (sic!) won't really think about what they do to others looking grumpy or angry. Ever thought about the fact that Botox is not really the megaseller in germany? Because no one cares for his angry wrinkles above his/hers nose...
Ze German Envy
There's one really driving force in many germans: Envy. There's even a well known Wilhelm Busch citation which was modified to fit even better: "Neid ist die Deutsche Form der Anerkennung" - "Envy is a german's way of appreciativeness"
So don't mind, your daughter may simply be too pretty :-)
Everything written before, including Paraguay (thank you for that, I literally laughed my a. off - reminds me of the the Pan Am pilot in FRA being asked: "have you never been here before?", answering "I was, in 1944, but I didn't land..."), is abolutely right. I guess your daughter concentrated every german nuisance in behaviour on this trip. A pretty young lady with an obviously uncomfortable older wife seated in her vicinity, with a german stare, a german mindset, a german face and an absolute disrespect for other people's privacy.
Please, tell your daughter that I'm sorry for what she experienced. Hopefully, her trip was not really wasted by this. Furthermore please tell her, that there are uncountable Germans out there not being grumpy, not being aggressive, not being angry for British Self Defence some decades ago. Some of us are even fans of you and of the descendanies (spel?) you created around the globe (US, CN, AUS, NZ... just kidding, I know that these are colonies ;-) )
Ah, one thing left: How to react when being german-stared-upon? Smile. It won't change the stare, but it's funny as hell to see the reactions... ;-)
Germans aren't really bad. One should not allow them to be "lead" by strange figures from neighbouring countries and they should always be taken with a grain of salt.
Kind regards,
Peter
PS: Currently living in Germany, I experienced an english man in his 40s waiting for his wife inside his car on an Aldi car park. After a few minutes of german stare from every single person walking by, he was short of having some kind of stroke. I sincerely believed he would attack the next passer by. Sadly, I fully understood what he went through.
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Germany
Posts: 73
That episode (The Germans) of Fawlty Towers was the only episode not sold to German TV
Think about "The Fifth Element" by Luc Besson. In the opening scene, the archaelogist is surprised by 6 feet high giant bugs, walking upright. In english, he asks: ARE YOU GERMAN?
In German, he says: "do you speak (!) german?"
I guess they feared for the movie's success...
Last edited by iwrbf; 4th Jun 2012 at 13:43.
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Patterson, NY
Age: 63
Posts: 436
Having lived in der Vaterland for over a decade I find the behavior of the older German women, as you described, a bit odd. Odd in the sense that Germans, as I knew them, always considered it rude to stare. Perhaps it was just a matter of envy on their part. I wanted worry too much about it.
how do you know she isn't a little more risque when you aren't around.
Uneasy Pleistocene Leftover
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Gone, but not forgotten apparently?! All forums marked "Private"...
Posts: 320
Any ideas guys...as I say it happened more than once with different couples.
How 'absolutely sad' commented one German lady to her neighbour: "so newly-married and she's already having to find comfort in the pool"?! Her husband wakes up from his slumber muttering: "It's my towel, my reserved place, Gott in Himmel?!" "Oh, go back to sleep, you Dumpkoff"!
And turning to her neighbour: "I think it's time we got our own fair share of the high-pressure jacuzzi water-jets, don't you? Let's take a dip to get us in a better mood for our negligent hubbies later..."?!
Last edited by airship; 4th Jun 2012 at 14:36.
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Indeed, my post was removed.
In mitigation for the stare post, may I add my experience of travelling from Hessen - moderate stare, use of "Du" with strangers utterly prohibited - to Starnberg, Bayern/München - strong stare, followed by "Hey Du, was macht's du hier ?" followed by "Ach du Lieber, eine Englander" and being bought several brandies and whiskeys in a Kneipe and waking up in a strange place the next morgan.
In mitigation for the stare post, may I add my experience of travelling from Hessen - moderate stare, use of "Du" with strangers utterly prohibited - to Starnberg, Bayern/München - strong stare, followed by "Hey Du, was macht's du hier ?" followed by "Ach du Lieber, eine Englander" and being bought several brandies and whiskeys in a Kneipe and waking up in a strange place the next morgan.
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: 3nm SE of TNT, UK
Posts: 431
"why would the opening scene of this episode have Northwick Park Hospital (which is in Harrow, north of London) in the background whilst Fawlty Towers was in Torquay, a couple of hundred miles away".
Because "Fawlty Towers" was actually filmed at Wooburn Green, close to Beaconsfield and not actually that far from Harrow.
Because "Fawlty Towers" was actually filmed at Wooburn Green, close to Beaconsfield and not actually that far from Harrow.
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Europe
Age: 52
Posts: 91
Being german myself, here are my "two cents"...
Sadly, your poor daughter experienced some strange phenomena in german behaviour
Sadly, your poor daughter experienced some strange phenomena in german behaviour
TBH, the vast majority of Germans are a lot more open and considerate than the British tend to paint them, but it does depend on the specific region. For example, the general approach to any non-conforming behaviour in my part (North) of Germany is "who cares", whereas in some other parts people quickly get annoyed. I experienced much of the same when living in Switzerland, France, and Great Britain, so I suppose most readers won't be too surprised.
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Cape Town / UK / Europe
Posts: 728
Because "Fawlty Towers" was actually filmed at Wooburn Green, close to Beaconsfield and not actually that far from Harrow.
Wooburn Grange or Wooburn Grange Country Club to give it it's full name, was the building used as the outside of Fawlty Towers. As with all the other outside locations used in the series it is nowhere near Torquay, it is in fact near Bourne End in Buckinghamshire.
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Dublin, Ireland. (No, I just live here.)
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Originally Posted by rennaps
That episode (The Germans) of Fawlty Towers was the only episode not sold to German TV
