While someone had told me about German postal workers delivering mail by bike, I hadn't seen any till yesterday (when I saw four of them). I had a very "American" reaction to them -- or rather to how deliveries are made. First, the bikes look like this
See the kickstand-like apparatus in front (with the tiny wheels) that holds it upright when the rider is off the bike.
They clearly hold a lot of mail and look pretty practical, but I saw the workers going into apartment buildings and office buildings, closing the door such that they couldn't see the bike, and being gone for 3-4 minutes. My immediate reaction was "but someone could steal the mail...". Apparently that doesn't concern the Germans, as these are used everywhere.
I don't think they make the actual delivery any faster, as the worker has to stop at pretty much every address, so it's hardly worth getting on the bike between houses, but it would make the trip back to refill it (which must have to happen several times a day) much faster than walking. And given the narrow streets and alleyways all over Germany, it would be impossible to use the kinds of trucks that are used in the US.
Cultural differences are everywhere, and my reactions are so interesting (at least to the anthropologist in me).
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