Late response but yes sparkling water is way bigger in Germany. Also the soda they do have is not nearly as overloaded with sugar. (It would not surprise if at least the latter part describes most non-US countries though...)
I liked the time I spent in Germany, though I don't know if I can fairly say I "lived" there. It's true I wasn't exactly a tourist, but like I still stayed in hotels the entire time and there's parts of being a resident I just didn't have to worry about.
Edit: On the soda front, before that I drank mostly Dr. Pepper, which basically doesn't exist in Germany. When I got back it occurred to me that apparently I had gotten on fine without it for 6 weeks and that maybe I should make some effort to stop destroying my dental health. (I should say I wasn't in a major city--I bet you can find Dr. Pepper if you're in like Berlin or whatever)
I didn't do guru this year but
azuarc
can be in my sig anyways.