Aaron Wiener

Germany, where beer is sacred, now leads world in nonalcoholic brews Germany, long known for traditional brewing, has seen a boom in nonalcoholic beers, which are being embraced by young people and athletes as a healthy alternative.

One of the things that surprised me most when I came to Berlin is how *huge* nonalcoholic beer is in Germany.

So I went to Oktoberfest to learn more about the world leader in alcohol-free beer:

www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/1...

Germans meet up to eat pudding with forks — and the trend goes global The trend, called “Pudding mit Gabel,” has taken off on German social media, and now has crossed the Atlantic.

Why are thousands of young Germans -- and now Americans too -- meeting up in parks to eat pudding with forks?

I decided this warranted a Washington Post investigation: www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/1...

Europe’s high quality of life is getting hard to afford. Just ask France. The cost of Europe’s way of life — health care, affordable education and a dignified retirement for all, through high social spending — is becoming unbearably high.

A decade ago, Germany and France held things together while Europe's periphery struggled with debt.

Now France and Germany have doubts about whether they can sustain their social welfare spending. France is racking up debt, while Italy and Spain are thriving.

www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/1...

In Germany, a boxing match decides fight over birthplace of bratwurst Two regions competing for bragging rights to bratwurst, Germany’s signature sausage, took their battle into a boxing ring in a ham-fisted bid to settle the matter.

Two German regions each claimed to have the oldest bratwurst.

They decided to settle it in the boxing ring.

I attended the historic fight at the German Bratwurst Museum in Thuringia.

(Did I mention that I love my job?)

www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

Five minutes out from Erfurt, we're still on track to arrive just on time. Deutsche Bahn, you've done it!

Incredibly, we arrived in Bamberg just two minutes behind schedule, and now, pulling out, we're projected to get to Erfurt on time. Deutsche Bahn might really get one for the win column.

Pulling out of Nürnberg, we're now four minutes behind schedule. It's gonna be tight.

Let's play this game again.

Yesterday, Deutsche Bahn lost. Now I'm on a train from Munich to Erfurt. We've made it to northern Bavaria, and so far we're still on time.

Can it hold? Stay tuned.

An hour out from Munich, we're now projected to arrive 14 minutes late. I think this one's destined for the loss column.

Now we're running 9 minutes late. Not looking good...

We left Berlin on time. But then the train stalled in Dessau due to a "door problem."

We're now scheduled to arrive in Munich 5 minutes late, which by Deutsche Bahn's definition would be an on-time arrival.

But that's assuming nothing else goes wrong...

Germany’s identity crisis: The trains no longer run on time Germans are deeply frustrated over a train system that is falling apart, undermining the punctuality that has long been core to Germany’s national self-image.

I'm on my first German long-distance train since writing a story about Germany's rail crisis.

56% of long-distance trains arrive within 6 minutes of the scheduled time. Will my Berlin-Munich train make it?

www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

I swear a German dog barked at me this morning for jaywalking.

Poland tells Trump Russian drone incident wasn’t a mistake President Donald Trump said violations of Poland’s airspace by Russian drones “could have been a mistake,” contradicting NATO allies including Poland, who said it was intentional.

Donald T. vs. Donald T. -- today's trans-Atlantic cage match
www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

Berlin just tested its air raid sirens for the first time in 30 years. This is what it sounded like.

A reader sends this haiku in response to my story today on how Germans work less than residents of any other wealthy country:

Industrious ants
Are no longer trending, freund.
Lilies of the field.

Have Germans become the slackers of Europe -- and of the entire developed world? The data certainly says so.

www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

Germany’s latest prep for war: A national ravioli reserve Wary of a warmongering Russia, Germany is refitting its military, buying weapons, recruiting soldiers and also contemplating new strategic reserves of canned food.

To prepare for war, Germany is readying tanks, missiles... and a strategic ravioli reserve? www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

Just over a year ago, Tesla was the No. 2 electric car seller in Germany, and its Model Y was the bestselling model.

Now Tesla has fallen to No. 9, and the Model Y is no longer in the top 10.

After Tesla sales crash in Europe, new model faces a hostile market Tesla was the second best-selling electric car in Germany but the rise of competitors and backlash against Elon Musk’s foray into U.S. politics sent sales into a tailspin.

Tesla sales have absolutely tanked in Germany, and across Europe, since Elon Musk cast his lot with Donald Trump.

Now Tesla's introducing a new European model. Will anyone buy it?

www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

This is recycling in Germany:
-Bring recyclables to building's trash room (but not on Sundays!) and sort into bins
-There's no bin for glass, so bring bottles to store to get deposit back
-The store can't take 2/3 of your bottles
-Hunt in the streets for glass recycling bins
-Repeat every 2-3 days

It's easy to feel like for all of Germans' complaints, their train system is still 1000 times better than the American one. And that's not wrong. But when basically half of trains are arriving more than 6 minutes late (and some of them many hours late), it's not a great situation.

Only 56% of German long-distance trains arrived within 6 minutes of the scheduled time last month.

Interestingly, things are much better on regional trains and on public transit (which is still a source of constant complaints among Berliners).

Germany’s identity crisis: The trains no longer run on time Germans are deeply frustrated over a train system that is falling apart, undermining the punctuality that has long been core to Germany’s national self-image.

Germany is having an identity crisis: It's trains no longer run on time. Not even close.

Here's how bad it's gotten: Switzerland has stopped allowing some German trains past the border city of Basel because they're messing up the (more reliable) Swiss network

www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

Also, hi! I'm fully installed here in Germany as the @washingtonpost.com Berlin bureau chief. Please follow me for news out of Germany and central Europe, and random musings on beer, trains, and sausages.

Germany, long tightfisted, goes on a spending spree with new budget After constitutional changes earlier this year that released Germany’s “debt brake,” the cabinet unveiled a federal budget calling for historic borrowing.

15 years ago: Germany was Europe's debt police, forcing its neighbors to cut spending and cap deficits

Today: The German cabinet approves a budget that envisions a *172-billion-euro* deficit.

How did we get here? I explain:
www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

Trump’s bill ends tax on tips. Here’s how other countries tax them. The U.S. is an outlier on tips. President Donald Trump’s tax bill would allow workers to deduct them from federal taxes.

Trump's Big Beautiful Bill will eliminate taxes on tips. Here's how other countries tax them—and why the U.S. is such an outlier: www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

Trump praises increase in German military spending, then adds:
"I’m not sure General MacArthur would have said it’s positive… He made a statement, 'Never let Germany rearm.' ...
There’ll be a point where I’ll say, ‘Please don’t arm anymore.’"

Poles vote in tight presidential election with high stakes for E.U. Exit polls showed a race that was too close to call, with liberal Rafal Trzaskowski leading nationalist Karol Nawrocki by a fraction of a percentage point.

My first Poland dateline: www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

(And yes, I had pierogies while I was there. And yes, they were delicious.)

The Polish election is too close to call, with both candidates saying they expect to win. Exit polls show a tiny advantage for liberal Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, but it's well within the margin of error.

I'll have a story up shortly.